Mike Andes compares leaf cleanup methods: mulching with a mower, renting a leaf vac, or using a rider with bagging. He recommends choosing based on what your local market demands and how often you'll use it, since most gear sits idle 90% of the year.
"four week, five week" (approximately 4–5 weeks).
About 10% of the year.
Questions with Mike.
How do you handle leaf cleanup, mulch, blow vac, other option.
Depends on your market. If you have a ton of oak trees and leaf cleanup is like a four week, five week feel for you, maybe it's worth it. For us we definitely have leaves. It's just not worth storing a big piece of equipment for 11 months out of the year. I'd rather rent something that I'm only going to use that infrequently. And so in our market, if you have a rider, if they have a zero turn and with a bagging system that might be better, you just go over it several times, mulch it up with the mower and then suck it all up. That might be the easiest way. Otherwise, yeah, leaf vac is great. Again, I don't like to buy any piece of equipment that I'm only using 10% of the year, so that would be my first consideration.
