How Does A Lawn Sweeper Work?
If you’re sick and tired of having to rake debris from your lawn, especially during the fall, you’ll probably want a more user-friendly solution. This is why a lawn sweeper can be a good investment.
What, exactly, is a lawn sweeper? A lawn sweeper is a machine that can be used instead of your trusty garden rake. This is because it sweeps up a variety of debris from your lawn, such as grass clippings, acorns, leaves, and much more. It’s an essential lawn maintenance tool.
A lawn sweeper contains a rotating, sweeping brush to achieve this task, which makes it highly versatile and useful for your garden. A lawn sweeper draws all the debris from your lawn into a hopper bag that’s attached, and you can empty it into your compost bag so it’s good for the planet.
Types Of Lawn Sweepers
There are two types of lawn sweepers. Here’s a rundown of them and what they do.
- Push Lawn Sweeper: This lawn sweeper is manually operated, so it can be easier to use. It’s great for smaller properties.
- Tow-Behind Lawn Sweeper: This is a machine that’s pulled by a lawn tractor or riding mower. It’s a more professional type of lawn sweeper, but it can also be useful if you have a large property.
Push Lawn vs Tow-Behind Lawn Sweepers
Let’s take a look at some differences between these two types of lawn sweepers:
- Push Lawn Sweeper: This is manually operated and it’s great for homeowners because it takes less energy and time to use when you want to rake up garden debris than if you have to reach for a rake. Its rotating brush works to collect debris and since it brings it into a bag, this means you don’t have to clean up the debris you’ve raked from the ground. This makes it user-friendly because you won’t have to bend down, so it’s great if you have backaches.
- Tow-Behind Lawn Sweeper: This machine isn’t operated manually because it gets attached to the back of a tractor or riding mower. It’s ideal for professional use, but you can also use it if you have a large garden. It makes sweeping up debris much more convenient because you just have to hook it onto the vehicle. It comes with a hopper on board that can be emptied by pulling a handle.
Should You Use A Lawn Sweeper?
You might wonder if you really require a lawn sweeper for your yard. Here are some things to consider before you purchase a lawn sweeper that can help you decide.
- You should only use a lawn sweeper when the debris you want to remove from your lawn is dry. Wet leaves and grass clippings can clog the rotating brush bristles and collection bag in the lawn sweeper so don’t pick them up.
- You should buy a lawn sweeper if you have a variety of garden debris to pick up as it will make garden maintenance so much easier. You can use your lawn sweeper to pick up twigs, leaves, cones, and even pine needles!
- While it’s great for cleaning up your driveway and garden, you can’t pick up all forms of debris with a lawn sweeper. While this machine can deal with small pieces of gravel from your lawn, for example, you shouldn’t pick up too much of this or try to pick up small rocks from the ground.
- That said, a pull-behind lawn sweeper is strong enough to deal with rocks and other similar types of debris because it contains more durable and powerful brushes. That said, you still don’t want to make picking up rocks from your lawn a regular occurrence as they can damage your machine over time.
- You have to use the correct speed. If you’re using a tow-behind lawn sweeper, the tow vehicle needs to be running at the right speed as this will influence how well the sweeper works. You will therefore have to play around with the speed to ensure that it works most effectively. This can take some time to get right.
- Using a lawn sweeper does require you to do some maintenance on the machine. You should lubricate the machine’s drive wheel and sweeper as dust and dirt can accumulate and affect the components that keep the sweeper working well. This can also lead to rust. A lubricant such as WD-40 can work well, so use it on the lawn sweeper once a season. You should also check the chute for any sticky substances, such as pine sap, that can accumulate. This can cause rust as well as wear and tear from occurring.
Related Questions
Do lawn sweepers work on uneven ground?
Generally, a lawn sweeper won’t work well on bumpy or uneven ground. It should be used on flat surfaces.
Is a bagger the same thing as a lawn sweeper?
A bagger is quite different from a lawn sweeper. It’s an accessory that gets attached to the back of your lawnmower so it can collect grass clippings. It depends on the airflow produced by the blades of the lawnmower to collect debris.
Conclusion
If you’re tired of raking away leaves every autumn, you should consider purchasing a lawn sweeper. In this guide, we’ve featured everything you need to know about lawn sweepers, how they work, their different types, and if you need one for your garden.
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