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What amuses me most about all this is that the conversation immediately drifts back to electric blowers, as if blowing is the only way to tidy up leaves. More o

What amuses me most about all this is that the conversation immediately drifts back to electric blowers, as if blowing is the only way to tidy up leaves. More often than not, they're actually just blowing "the problem" elsewhere and you've still got to pick them up. What's wrong with rakes and towed sweepers?

antisthenes 3y ago
It's an american thing, because there is municipal leaf collection at the curb of the property, so all you have to do is blow the leaves over there and be done. If you rake, then you have to put them in bags/bins and drag them. It's somewhat slower and hard for older people (although my parents still do it and enjoy it at retirement age).
- thehoff 3y ago
  Not everywhere does leaf collection at the curb. About 10 years ago we lived in a city that did that and it was great. They told you the two or three times they would come by to vacuum the leaves so all you'd have to is get the leaves to the curb. Where we are at now, we have a wooded lot out back so we blow them back there (folks across the street do blow them to the curb and pay for a company to come out and vacuum them up). No way we could just rake them either, there's just too much. For lawn sweepers they can be pretty big so you'd need somewhere to put it when you're done (at least the ones I've looked at).
cafard 3y ago
Towed sweepers? We do rake our lawns, front and back, and haul the leaves to the curb using an old shower curtain as some would use a tarp. However, my wife does prefer to rake leaves out of the garden beds, so every fall we have a conversation that starts, We really should get a leaf blower, and that then is forgotten until the next fall.
- oliwarner 3y ago
  It's a trailer for a garden tractor/mower/atv. Essentially a box with a little rotating sweeper. You buzz around at 5-10mph and it picks up all the leaves. If you have your cutter on, you're basically making and collecting mulch. Much faster than either blowing or raking. Beds, I'll make an exception for.
Ferret7446 3y ago
Rakes just move the problem elsewhere too. You move the leaves and then do "something" with them. Blowers just make the moving part a lot easier and faster (beyond small lawns anyway).

antisthenes 3y ago

It's an american thing, because there is municipal leaf collection at the curb of the property, so all you have to do is blow the leaves over there and be done. If you rake, then you have to put them in bags/bins and drag them. It's somewhat slower and hard for older people (although my parents still do it and enjoy it at retirement age).

thehoff 3y ago
Not everywhere does leaf collection at the curb. About 10 years ago we lived in a city that did that and it was great. They told you the two or three times they would come by to vacuum the leaves so all you'd have to is get the leaves to the curb. Where we are at now, we have a wooded lot out back so we blow them back there (folks across the street do blow them to the curb and pay for a company to come out and vacuum them up). No way we could just rake them either, there's just too much. For lawn sweepers they can be pretty big so you'd need somewhere to put it when you're done (at least the ones I've looked at).

cafard 3y ago

Towed sweepers? We do rake our lawns, front and back, and haul the leaves to the curb using an old shower curtain as some would use a tarp. However, my wife does prefer to rake leaves out of the garden beds, so every fall we have a conversation that starts, We really should get a leaf blower, and that then is forgotten until the next fall.

oliwarner 3y ago
It's a trailer for a garden tractor/mower/atv. Essentially a box with a little rotating sweeper. You buzz around at 5-10mph and it picks up all the leaves. If you have your cutter on, you're basically making and collecting mulch. Much faster than either blowing or raking. Beds, I'll make an exception for.

Ferret7446 3y ago

Rakes just move the problem elsewhere too. You move the leaves and then do "something" with them. Blowers just make the moving part a lot easier and faster (beyond small lawns anyway).