How Do You Clean Up A Yard? Interesting Post!

[StihlRockin']

I'm interested to know how you clean up yards on your smaller residential tree jobs?

Many yards I'm in don't fair well with front end loaders like a bobcat, so most all jobs have to be without larger machinery. Keep this in mind.

Here are some things I'm interested to know how you do it:
(Please keep in mind these are smaller yards)

1.) How do you clean up and haul the stump mulch to the truck?

2.) How do you clean up the smaller leaves, sticks and debris from the yard?

3.) How do you haul the logs out to the truck?

4.) How do you haul the brush to the chipper?

Last fall I purchased a Dr. Powerwagon.... motorized wheelbarrow, and I haven't used it as much as I thought, yet. It does wonders for longer hauls or softer yards where using a wheelbarrow is extremely physical and slow.

Currently to do the jobs listed above, it's mostly manually done... grunt work. The smaller debris are hand raked with hard & plastic rakes and hauled away with wheelbarrow or placed on a tarp. The logs are cut into handable pieces like firewood size to fit horizontally in the wheelbarrow or about 4ft. long, depending on size, to be placed length-ways in the wheelbarrow. The brush is hand stacked and carried to chipper, unless they're longer and heavier, then they're dragged to chipper.

I created the post to share ideas and hopefully pick up some tips on how you do it... plus might pick up great ideas on using different equipment I never considered or even knew of!

Edit: Forgot to mention that I use to use a Shindaiwa Powerbroom with the rubber flaps, not the bristles. I see Stihl has the same attachment(s) now. Do any of you use the powerbroom paddles or bristles for raking? What do you think of them? (mine was stolen early when I had it, so didn't get to test much, but liked it)

Thanks,

StihlRockin'

 

[Slvrmple72]

This isn't rocket science! Mini or full size skidsteer with plywood at turning/pivot points. You already know not to bomb the stuff and tear up the yard poke holes in it. The better you mind the rigging the less you will have to rake!!! Charge more for the labor intensive jobs, you know, cut the 75'+ tree down piece meal and carry each darn piece up the ravine under the deck through the narrow gate down the steps between the houses where the neighbor will not move his vette and is videotaping for proof that the scratches are from those tree hicks and not his half his age gf's St. Bernard! Wheelbarrow(s),hand trucks, big trashcans, rakes, leafblower, shovels, cottonseed fork, and the dogged persistance of manpower working in cogged and efficient unison will get the job done... but a crane doesn't hurt either! Remember this all important rule of thumb: The location of and complexity of removal of the tree in question in combination with the tools, equipment, and manpower avaliable will determine the suitable sizes (chunks, lengths, logs, chips, splinters, etc. )to which said tree should be reduced to in order to maximize profits by minimizing time to completion! Whew!

So, are you gonna bomb the tree into the yard in record time only to spend three times the effort raking and patching, after untangling the mess, cutting rope with the chainsaw, and finding the hornets! Or will you systematically dissect that tree like a small army of leafcutter ants marveling would be customers with your penchant for efficiency and respect of the property owners prized begonias! You decide.

 

[tree md]

This isn't rocket science! Mini or full size skidsteer with plywood at turning/pivot points. You already know not to bomb the stuff and tear up the yard poke holes in it. The better you mind the rigging the less you will have to rake!!! Charge more for the labor intensive jobs, you know, cut the 75'+ tree down piece meal and carry each darn piece up the ravine under the deck through the narrow gate down the steps between the houses where the neighbor will not move his vette and is videotaping for proof that the scratches are from those tree hicks and not his half his age gf's St. Bernard! Wheelbarrow(s),hand trucks, big trashcans, rakes, leafblower, shovels, cottonseed fork, and the dogged persistance of manpower working in cogged and efficient unison will get the job done... but a crane doesn't hurt either! Remember this all important rule of thumb: The location of and complexity of removal of the tree in question in combination with the tools, equipment, and manpower avaliable will determine the suitable sizes (chunks, lengths, logs, chips, splinters, etc. )to which said tree should be reduced to in order to maximize profits by minimizing time to completion! Whew!

So, are you gonna bomb the tree into the yard in record time only to spend three times the effort raking and patching, after untangling the mess, cutting rope with the chainsaw, and finding the hornets! Or will you systematically dissect that tree like a small army of leafcutter ants marveling would be customers with your penchant for efficiency and respect of the property owners prized begonias! You decide.

LMAO! What he said... :agree2:

I will add that a small tarp saves tons of time when getting up the small rakings and mulch. And a scoop shovel to bump the curbs is a great tool to have as well.

 

[StihlRockin']

Hey, thanks for the posts so far!

=============================

I forgot to mention I use a backpack blower, one of Husqvarna's larger cc ones, and it does well in the situations I use them for.

By "hand truck", I'm assuming that's some sort of dolly?

StihlRockin'

 

[murphy4trees]

Power broom works great on stump chips and saw dust.... not much good for regular tree clean ups because it glides right over the little sticks...

Best way to get turf super clean is to use one man on a large backpack blower and one man on a rake working together. Tarps are very useful, and you also need a trash can. Use the trash can to do the last little bit of clean up around the truck and chipper.

Using the chipper's winch to pull big tops is fun.. Keep one man near the butt, pulling up on the cable to keep the wood from plowing through the turf..

No skid steer yet

 

[Tree Pig]

I'm interested to know how you clean up yards on your smaller residential tree jobs?

Many yards I'm in don't fair well with front end loaders like a bobcat, so most all jobs have to be without larger machinery. Keep this in mind.

Here are some things I'm interested to know how you do it:
(Please keep in mind these are smaller yards)

1.) How do you clean up and haul the stump mulch to the truck?

2.) How do you clean up the smaller leaves, sticks and debris from the yard?

3.) How do you haul the logs out to the truck?

4.) How do you haul the brush to the chipper?

Last fall I purchased a Dr. Powerwagon.... motorized wheelbarrow, and I haven't used it as much as I thought, yet. It does wonders for longer hauls or softer yards where using a wheelbarrow is extremely physical and slow.

Currently to do the jobs listed above, it's mostly manually done... grunt work. The smaller debris are hand raked with hard & plastic rakes and hauled away with wheelbarrow or placed on a tarp. The logs are cut into handable pieces like firewood size to fit horizontally in the wheelbarrow or about 4ft. long, depending on size, to be placed length-ways in the wheelbarrow. The brush is hand stacked and carried to chipper, unless they're longer and heavier, then they're dragged to chipper.

I created the post to share ideas and hopefully pick up some tips on how you do it... plus might pick up great ideas on using different equipment I never considered or even knew of!

Edit: Forgot to mention that I use to use a Shindaiwa Powerbroom with the rubber flaps, not the bristles. I see Stihl has the same attachment(s) now. Do any of you use the powerbroom paddles or bristles for raking? What do you think of them? (mine was stolen early when I had it, so didn't get to test much, but liked it)

Thanks,

StihlRockin'

1)

2)

or

3)

4)

 

[M.Green - SVTS]

Tarp, wench, rake, and tough labor

I'll answer this question to the best of my ability.

1. As far as the stump mulch goes, throw what you and another person can drag to your truck onto a tarp and drag it. Then shovel it in.

2. Rake the smaller leaves, sticks, etc.. into a pile and then do the same.

3. Either cut to logs to size where you can carry them, or get a wench and drag them across the yard. If the homeowner doesn't want there yard torn up, get a piece of plywood put it under the log and as the log falls off, move the plywood and do it all over again.

4. Hauling the brush with a wench is easy. Get a choke , a nice sized one. Stack a pile of brush as big as you want and wrap the choke around the buts make sure it's secure and then run the wench. That shouldn't tear up a yard at all.

That's my two cents. I hope all goes well in your venture to find an easier way of doing things. But sometimes there aren't. I just gave you a list of things that may be tougher but will save you a lot of money and really don't take that long to do.

 

[Labman]

This isn't rocket science! Mini or full size skidsteer with plywood at turning/pivot points. .....

Yes, 3/4'' plywood works wonders. I once worked for a guy with a 48'' tree spade on a truck. I even built him a rack to hold a stack of plywood right behind the cab. On straight runs, we used 2'x 8' pieces. That way he could run that big truck through soft yards without damage.

 

[treemandan]

Power broom works great on stump chips and saw dust.... not much good for regular tree clean ups because it glides right over the little sticks...

Best way to get turf super clean is to use one man on a large backpack blower and one man on a rake working together. Tarps are very useful, and you also need a trash can. Use the trash can to do the last little bit of clean up around the truck and chipper.

Using the chipper's winch to pull big tops is fun.. Keep one man near the butt, pulling up on the cable to keep the wood from plowing through the turf..

No skid steer yet

Sucks for you:greenchainsaw:

Ha ha just joking but to answer all the questions listed above... well dare I say it fellas? No you say it for me, chant it: Dingo, Dingo, Dingo. Hell, I would just sit on a log and watch with out it. Seriously, I would stay on the porch.

 

[tree MDS]

I can usually get the tractor to the mess around here - if not they might not like my price too much, lol. Moving wood by hand really sucks once you get a machine.

Aluminum cleanup shovel under the butt of log when winching with groundguy walking along can enable winching where otherwise it might tear things up too much.

I once dragged an aluminum duck boat up a hilly snow covered lawn with the tractor winch, didnt leave a mark, worked sweet. There was no other way really, I'd thought of the motorized wheelbarrow but then it snowed. The boat was junk plus I dont fish - it was my oldest brothers and I dont really like him that much anyway, besides he was in FL, lol.

 

[John464]

1) I very rarely haul stump mulch. For the price I charge when a stump machine + operator is on site is not going to be worth it. I tell them to call your landscaper and if they don't have one I provide them with one(who also throws me leads)
2) Rakes and tarps and buckets and backpack blowers
3) 12ft to 14ft log lengths hauled with skid loader w/ grapple or crane the pieces out
4) Winch, manpower, or grapple

 

[ntsarborist]

1.) How do you clean up and haul the stump mulch to the truck?

2.) How do you clean up the smaller leaves, sticks and debris from the yard?

3.) How do you haul the logs out to the truck?

4.) How do you haul the brush to the chipper?

1.) we use a wheelbarrow to haul to the trucks

2.) rake into piles and load on a tarp or wheelbarrow.a trashcan also works good

3.) we carry the logs out and the larger ones we ahave a dolly for

4.) well theres only one way to get that moved. start draggin

 

[wood4heat]

My dad has an easter egg hunt each year for my kids and all the cousins. I recieved this in an email from him yesterday:

"For what ever reason, the kids started gathering sticks up in my side yard, and throwing them over the cliff. Not sure whose idea it was, but my side yard hasn't been this clean in quite a while

I think I'll have the kids back next fall when the leaves come down."

It seems they accept pay in the form of candy filled plastic eggs.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

..... get a wench and drag them across the yard.

Well, I like the mental image, but oh, man! N.O.W. is gonna hang you for that! :jawdrop:




This is a wench:

This is a winch:

 

[treemandan]

Well, I like the mental image, but oh, man! N.O.W. is gonna hang you for that! :jawdrop:




This is a wench:

This is a winch:

I am glad someone finally cleared that up. I have been using the wench, sorry.

 

[woodchux]

The best way to get limbs and logs to the truck or chipper is a speedline...

 

[tree MDS]

RE: wench

Yeah, I saw that too. I would like to try out the wench as well, looks like a tough ole gal fer sure.

 

[Slvrmple72]

She will drag you across the yard!

 

[talloak]

I have a skidloader but rarely use it to avoid yard damge. For stump grindings I use a lite plastic trash can shovel it in and throw it up on my shoulder. For brush well just grap it and go. For wood a ball cart (sherill sells a nice one)or cut it in fire wood and put it on your shoulder and go :greenchainsaw:

 

[talloak]

RIGHT ON WITH THE SPEED LINE