It takes a lot of effort to clear your yard of the leaves and other debris, particularly when you have a huge garden to tend to. The typical method of gathering the leaves involves using a garden rake, which is time-consuming and quite tiresome. In addition, this tedious work can put a significant amount of strain on your back. So, if you are among the many people who hate raking grass clippings in the spring and dead leaves in the fall, you should definitely consider purchasing or renting a push lawn sweeper.
Photo Credit Push-type lawn sweepers are an excellent choice for cleaning up smaller properties that do not have many trees.
The best lawn sweepers are able to collect fallen leaves, clipped grass blades, and even pine cones and pine needles with lightning speed and efficiency, giving your lawn a magnificent, lush and pristine look.
These innovative devices have cylindrical brushes that extend into the grass blades and pick out dead leaves, grass clippings, and other garbage from the lawn. The collected material is then gathered in a hopper bag for disposal.
A lawn sweeper might be a good investment if you have a large yard and do not like doing lawn work (many of us do not). It cuts down on the amount of time you spend doing lawn work (and sore muscles). In addition to collecting grass clippings and fallen leaves, lawn sweepers can also help you remove twigs and pine cones.
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Benefits Of Using A Lawn Sweeper
Photo Credit A lawn sweeper can remove debris from your grass, including acorns and fallen leaves.
When it comes to lawn clean-up, having a leaf sweeper (lawn sweeper) in your yard care equipment can be pretty helpful. In addition to being quicker than raking and requiring less energy to operate, lawn sweepers are a simple and effective way to tidy up your yard. Here are a few benefits of using a lawn sweeper over other alternatives:
Saves Your Back
Spending hours on lawn clean-up sounds boring and can put a significant amount of stress on your shoulders and back. Here lawn sweepers might save the day!
Saves Time
Your lawn sweeper will save you hours of time, allowing you to spend more time doing the things you enjoy rather than raking the grass.
Simple To Use
Lawn sweepers do not require you to get a diploma or training at a gardening center to operate them. All you have to do is push or tow!
Makes Lawn Healthy
A lawn sweeper prevents disease by maintaining the lawn free of decomposing plant matter and preventing vegetation grass from dying due to dappled sunlight.
Makes Lawn Care Easy
Collecting acorns, pine needles, and pine cones can be particularly challenging. They can be dealt with quickly, safely, and effectively with a lawn sweeper than with a rake.
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Things To Consider When Choosing A Lawn Sweeper
Photo Credit Ensure the lawn sweeper you pick is not too wide to pass through your doors.
Raking up leaves is a tiresome task that most gardeners hate. Aside from being time-consuming, it is also physically strenuous and can hurt your shoulders and back. That is where lawn sweepers come in. These handy machines are significantly more straightforward to use than conventional lawn cleaning tools such as rakes.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), lawn sweepers come in various sizes and with different features, making it confusing to pick a suitable lawn sweeper for your needs. However, understanding the critical features of a lawn sweeper can help you make an informed decision.
So, here are a few qualities to look for when choosing a lawn sweeper:
Quality
Although the majority of users will not require a top-of-the-line factory model, it might be worthwhile to invest a little more money on a robust and well-made product that won’t jam or break after minor or occasional use.
So, if possible, avoid cheap plastics and instead opt for those with metallic chassis that can withstand some abuse. The best lawn sweepers have adjustable brush heights built right in, letting consumers choose how vigorously they wish their sweeper to work when removing debris from a lawn.
Manufacturer’s Reputation
It would help if you researched your manufacturer to find out how well their products are rated by customers, whether or not they offer a warranty or guarantee, and whether or not the product is well-constructed and sturdy enough to withstand the test of time.
In this post, we have also compiled a list of the manufacturers and products that are the most well-known and reliable.
Brush-To-Wheel Ratio
Lawn sweepers use cylindrical brushes in order to collect material from the grass and deposit it into the hopper. The brushes on lawn sweepers are driven by the wheels and turn at an even quicker rate than the wheels themselves.
They are able to accomplish this by the deployment of a transmission that amplifies the rate at which the brushes spin relative to the wheels. The higher this ratio is, the more the brushes will spin. So, choose accordingly!
Lawn Sweeper’s Width
There is a range of widths available for lawn sweepers, and the one you choose will decide how fast you can gather leaves and other waste from your yard. Just make sure the sweeper can pass through the gate of your lawn and home.
Hopper Capacity
When shopping for a quality lawn sweeper, paying attention to the capacity of the hopper bag that comes with the machine is essential.
Those who don’t enjoy stopping frequently to empty the hopper can opt for a larger model, even if they have a small property.
However, a large hopper bag can become extremely heavy when full, making operating the sweeper far more challenging.
So, if you are interested in getting a model with a large hopper, you should ensure that it has an easy-dump feature to reduce the strain on your body!
Size Of The Lawn
It is essential to consider how much debris you expect moving at any given moment because, in most cases, this will determine the size of the lawn sweeper you will require.
Larger yards with more trees or other sources of debris may need a larger unit. Those with a lot of land may benefit from investing in a tow-behind sweeper.
They are far easier on the person using them, and they make short work of the task of clearing an entire field.
Lawns up to 2,000 square feet are often within the capabilities of push-type lawn sweepers.
Storage Area
Because your lawn sweeper will spend most of its time in your garage or shed, it is essential that it will not be difficult to store and will not get in the way.
So, you should look for a lawn sweeper that can either fold into a compact size or be light enough to hang from a hook.
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Types Of Lawn Sweepers
There are a few different designs from which you can choose while shopping for a lawn sweeper. It is crucial to have a good understanding of which one is the most appropriate for the size and needs of a lawn.
For instance, whether you have a little property that only needs an infrequent clean-up or a larger property that is extensively covered in fallen leaves.
Power Lawn Sweepers
Photo Credit A powered lawn sweeper can pick up stones, gravel, twigs, and other debris quickly.
Those who have a large property and want to get the work done as quickly as possible may find that using a power lawn sweeper is the best option.
Power sweepers are powered by gasoline engines and are available in various configurations, including push-style units and sweepers built to be trailered behind a tractor or mower.
Some power lawn sweepers come equipped with large hoppers, which enable them to do the task quickly, even on expansive sites. They make use of brushes to pick up the trash. However, the brushes spin at a far faster rate. As a result, they can get more comprehensive grooming in a single pass than they could with the other types.
Push-Style Lawn Sweepers
Photo Credit Compared to a lawn rake, Push Lawn Sweeper can clear a lawn 50% more quickly.
As the name implies, these sweepers need you to push the machine, requiring some labor to complete a lawn clean-up. As a result, push-type lawn sweepers have a lower capacity than other kinds described here.
However, push-type lawn sweepers are an excellent choice for cleaning up smaller properties that do not have a significant number of trees. They will do an excellent job at collecting grass clippings and leaves.
However, operating them typically requires more work than other models.
Tow-Behind Lawn Sweeper
Photo Credit Tow-behind lawn sweepers often provide the highest level of convenience compared to the other models.
Tow-behind lawn sweepers are often dragged by a lawn tractor or riding mower. These types are constructed with capacity in mind, which means that they are capable of holding a considerable quantity of debris before they need to be emptied.
Tow-behind sweepers are excellent for large properties. However, they might not be the best option for land areas that tend to collect water. The tow vehicle may become mired in the mud or become the cause of ruts, and the sweeper may become clogged with muck.
Best Lawn Sweepers On The Market
Investing in a high-quality lawn sweeper can make cleaning your outside space much more straightforward. We put the following models of lawn sweepers through tests in our backyard lawn sweeper trials.
Continue reading this article to find out whether any of these top options could be a good fit for you and your lawn.
Agri-Fab 45-0218 26-Inch Push Lawn Sweeper
Photo Credit With a 26-inch wide rotating brush, this sweeper is ideal for small to moderate-sized yards.
Product Specifications
Sweeper Type: Push
Hopper Size: 7 cubic feet
Brush Size: 26 inches
Review
This Agri-Fab push sweeper weighs only 25 pounds, making it an extremely lightweight and easy-to-maneuver piece of lawn equipment.
The brush-to-wheel ratio of 4.5:1, and it offers a vigorous sweeping action that can pick up all kinds of organic debris, including pine cones, acorns, and other organic trash.
The hopper bag has a capacity of seven cubic feet, making it somewhat tiny. However, depending on the number of fallen leaves on your lawn, you might need to empty this bag frequently. Our tests found that when the sweeper was filled to roughly half capacity with wet grass clippings, it became too heavy to push uphill readily.
Despite this, those who have used this sweeper have praised how simple it is to operate as well as how lightweight and space-saving it is when folded up.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| It is easily hung and flatly stored.Easy to put together and use.Excellent construction.It only weighs 25 pounds.Brush-to-wheel ratio is the same in tow-behind models. | It can become too hefty for one person to move.The Hopper cover feels a little thin.Inconvenient transport of waste from hopper to bag.Poor packaging. |
Agri-Fab 45-0492 Lawn Sweeper, 44-Inch
Photo Credit The 44-inch wide sweeper has long-lasting brushes that improve debris collection.
Product Specifications
Sweeper Type: Tow-behind
Hopper Size: 25 cubic feet
Brush Size: 44 inches
Review
This top-of-the-line machine offered by Agri-Fab is capable of swiftly and effectively cleaning up lawns. The ratio of brushes to wheels on this sweeper is 5.6 to 1.
In addition, it has a big hopper that has a capacity of 25 cubic feet and can be emptied quickly and simply from the rear using a lever that is accessible from the seat of the tractor.
The brushes of the sweeper can be changed to different heights by utilizing a simple pull button that has been built so that it will not get loose when the sweeper is moved over uneven ground.
The ability to modify the position of the trailer tongue, which in turn modifies the way the sweeper trails, is another beneficial feature.
The assembly of this sweeper requires just two tools and should be completed in thirty minutes, according to the manufacturer. Users are, on the whole, impressed with the robust fabric from which this sweeper is constructed. However, one of the most frequent complaints about this product is that the package that comes with delivery is insufficient.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| The attachment might be straight or angled.Brush height pin and steel dump rod.Durable product.High-speed brush.Large hopper bag.Simple and quick assembly.Works in conjunction with a mower. | Poor packaging.The assembly instructions are unclear.The full weight might be too much.Tight hopper bag that’s challenging to attach. |
Ohio Steel 5026V2 Lawn Sweeper
Photo Credit Users of this sweeper from Ohio Steel have praised how simple it is to use.
Product Specifications
Sweeper Type: Tow-behind
Hopper Size: 26 cubic feet
Brush Size: 50 inches
Review
If you are a do-it-yourselfer searching for a high-quality sweeper with a multitude of functions and settings, the 50-inch sweeper manufactured by Ohio Steel is a fantastic option to consider. It has metal gears that operate the sweeping mechanism itself, but the wheels and wheel gears are made of plastic.
During our tests, this sweeper did an excellent job gathering grass and leaves and heavier material such as acorns, pine cones, and other densely packed items.
Users of this Ohio Steel sweeper also have commented on how simple it is to operate and have noticed that it disposes of the debris that it has collected in an uncomplicated manner.
But it’s not all roses and sunshine. Its bag moves around the floor as the sweeper is being used and eventually wears down and develops holes due to the dragging motion. Also, keep in mind that installing the tension rods designed to maintain the hopper open can be tricky, so exercise caution and patience throughout the process.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Disassembles for storage.Effective spiral brush construction.Excellent build quality.It collects a wide variety of debris.Largest volume and widest path.Simple in terms of its operation.The bagger form provides good maneuverability. | A large hopper that may become overly heavy.Hitch assembly is somewhat tricky.Hopper bag is positioned too low.On uneven terrain, less effective.Poor assembly instructions.Wheel height cannot be altered separately from the hitch. |
YARDMAX YP7065 Power Sweeper 27.5″
Photo Credit With the help of YARDMAX’s power sweeper, you can easily clean and remove trash from closed areas.
Product Specifications
Sweeper Type: Power
Hopper Size: Not specified
Brush Size: 28 inches
Review
If you have a large yard, investing in a power sweeper might make it a lot simpler and quicker for you to clean the entire area.
That is why you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to look at Yardmax’s power sweeper. Because of its small dimensions, it can be used effectively in wide open spaces in addition to confined, difficult-to-access spots.
The dependable, adaptable, and powerful power sweeper offered by YARDMAX enables you to effortlessly clean and eliminate debris from open areas or locations that are difficult to access throughout the whole year.
The unit’s height can be adjusted in three ways, making it an excellent tool for clearing snow, dirt, leaves, twigs, gravel, and other debris. In addition, the head that sweeps can move in three directions, giving you complete control over how you use it.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Durable product.High-speed brush.It collects a wide variety of debris.Easy to put together and use.Simple in terms of its operation. | Poor assembly instructions.Tight hopper bag that’s challenging to attach. |
Final Thoughts
Lawn sweepers are a fantastic choice if you need to clean up dry grass cuttings, pine cones, and acorns from your yard. The most effective lawn sweepers have a high level of sweeping force, are built to last without being overly heavy, and are simple to use.
When deciding on the best lawn sweeper for your needs, you should consider your spending limit, the size and condition of your lawn, and what you intend to do with the debris after the sweeper has gathered it and bagged it.
Lawn sweepers will perform just fine and meet all your requirements unless you live in a very remote part of the country and have a lot of challenging debris that needs to be removed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do manual lawn sweepers work?
A push lawn sweeper I not made to pick up inflexible little things like gravel; therefore, it won’t be able to get rid of even the smallest stones. However, small properties without many trees can benefit significantly from push-style lawn sweepers. They’ll do a decent job of gathering up the dry grass and fallen leaves.
What’s the difference between a lawn sweeper and a bagger?
The primary distinction between a bagger and a lawn sweeper is that lawn sweepers are autonomous mechanical instruments that gather grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and small stones. In contrast, baggers are designed to collect only grass clippings.
In other words, baggers merely serve the purpose of storing the cuttings that are left behind by riding lawn mowers and traditional push lawn mowers.
What should I look for when buying a lawn sweeper?
To select the lawn sweeper best suited to meet your requirements, investigate the sweeping route, size of the hopper, and your purchasing power. In addition, pay attention to the design, features, and longevity of the product.
Other factors to consider include whether you currently possess a tractor or riding mower. If not, you ought to focus on push sweepers.
Do lawn sweepers work on uneven ground?
Lawn sweepers are designed for use on flat areas rather than on uneven grounds. On uneven ground, certain lawn sweepers can work. However, the results are really not that great. Sweepers are severely hampered by rough ground.
They won’t pick up from low locations and hang up from high spots. Consider purchasing a lawn sweeper with larger leaves if your lawn is uneven.
Can you use a lawn sweeper on wet leaves?
Strong leaf blowers or leaf rakes made to handle damp leaves are the best instruments for removing wet leaves. However, since lawn sweepers are primarily made to collect dry leaves, they are typically less effective at eliminating wet leaves.
In addition, the brushes frequently become clogged with moist debris like wet leaves and grass clippings, necessitating personal intervention to clear the blockage.
Sources for Further Reading
What to do with lawn clippings – University of Minnesota Yard and Garden Extension Service
Grasscycling: Let the Clippings Fall Where They May – The University of Georgia Extension Service
Managing Leaves in Your Lawn – University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension Service
Yard and Garden: Getting Rid of Autumn Leaves – Iowa State University Extension & Outreach
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