Don't want to deal with huge piles of leaves and debris on your lawn? Nothing makes picking up yard waste easier than a lawn vacuum.
Instead of pushing leaves around, a yard vacuum picks them up and collects them in an easily removable bag or a tow-behind bin that attaches to your vehicle or riding mower. Once you're done, simply detach the collection bag or drive the unit to the collection site and dump the debris where you want it.
There are three kinds of vacuums available to help you tidy up your lawn:
The amount and types of yard waste you expect to pick up the most and the size of the property you work with will help you determine which kind of yard vacuum is right for you.
You'll find handheld lawn vacuums that use two different power sources:
Handheld lawn vacuums should be used only to pick up leaves, flowers, and other lightweight lawn debris.
Because of their affordable price and a power output that makes them well suited to smaller properties, handheld vacuums are a great choice for homeowners and consumers looking to clean up their yards.
Walk-behind yard vacuums can be divided into three categories, each of which is best suited for a particular function:
Like their handheld counterparts, walk-behind lawn vacuums are made to pick the lightest kinds of yard debris off of your grass: leaves, grass clippings, pine needles, and so forth. Many will also mulch the collected debris into tiny particles, allowing you to pick up more leaves before you need to empty the bag.
Because walk-behind models are capable of so much power, you're more likely to see lawn vacuums that also function as litter vacuums. These machines will pick up not only leaves and grass clippings but also pine cones and common pieces of trash like cans and bottle caps
When shopping, note that some litter vacuums are designed for use on lawns and grass while others are made for use on hard surfaces such as parking lots.
Finally, in addition to picking up lawn debris, chipper shredder vacuums will have a separate chute where you can feed branches into a chipper, reducing them into small, easily cleanable bits.
Walk-behind lawn vacuums can be either push vacuums, which depend on your strength to move them around your property, or self-propelled vacuums, which require you only to guide them over your lot.
These models work via a hose that connects to a riding mower's deck, through which the vacuum picks up yard waste. Some models can be fitted with an adaptor kit to allow them to be used with zero turn mowers in addition to being used with garden tractors.
Always check the towing capacity of your mower before using it with an attachment.
To increase your tow-behind vacuum's versatility, consider buying an optional hose kit that will allow you to vacuum patios, decks, and other small spaces.