Just wanted to say thanks for this video! I just bought a regular John Deere bagger this fall to try to handle all my leaves but was disappointed with how quickly it filled up. Mowing up the leaves with the bags off was a real game changer! Thanks again!
@johmu5466 mulching blades do help a little bit, but for them to work the leaves need to stay in the deck getting diced up and if you’re bagging they don’t get a chance to do that. They just exit the deck too fast after getting chopped once. The double cut method works well because you don’t have to swap blades or install a mulch plug, you just remove the collection bags and that takes 10 seconds to do. Hope that helps👍
Great video and tips , i bought a used Troy Bilt from a neighbor he threw.in the bagger attachment and sorta worked first time picking leaves and pine needles. Next go around clogged immediately so ended up pling out lawn sweeper.
I tried what you described on a recent heavy leaf fall. I was surprised how well it worked. Instead of emptying the mower bags every couple of swipes I reduced the bag emptying considerably. Thanks for the tip.
It makes a HUGE difference, glad you found it helpful. Make sure to check out my leaf sweeper video, that’s my ultimate favorite leaf cleanup tool. th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
I have a 4 acre property and I been struggling with the leaves. Trying to bag them on the 1st pass having to empty and unclogging the Shute continuously. I’m so glad I came across this video. I’m going to try it tomorrow. This is my 1st fall at this property. I used to live in the city where I didn’t have any leaves to deal with. Thank you.
Come back here tomorrow and let me know how it worked out for you, seriously. Also check out my lawn sweeper video I just uploaded. Give ‘em hell Frank!
I run over the leaves 4 or 5 times out the side chute. Then I corral them into one area. Then I put on the chute and pick them up. My yard , one big tree, used only ONE brown bag :) th-cam.com/video/Zg0cq3JsYdI/w-d-xo.html
Your process is good 👍👍. I do something similar with my Husqvarna YTH18542.... Except I switched to mulching blades (that still work well with the bagger) and a mulch plug. So for the last step, I mulch remaining leaves into the lawn. 😊😊
Your method is pretty darn good. The only variation I've seen that works a little better for me is to make that first pass a mulch plug pass, so take the bagger tube off completely. Great video though!
You have a good yard, my yard is terrible when I try to bag, I have pine trees that have low root structure and it's a huge pain mowing and bagging, have to be real careful.
I mulch with my craftsman by taking the chute off and putting the mulch attachment on. I may go over thicker spots several times. Then I put the chute on and bag it all up. Some mulched leaves are left behind, but they are good for the grass.
I’m just lazy is all, so I just pull the bags and run it. You’re right that some leaves are good, but what most people in this comments section aren’t acknowledging is that heavy, wet leaf coverage can also be very bad. If you have a lot of trees, you have to get the leaves off the grass. It’s just too much to mulch alone.
@@suburbanacreage I agree 💯. I have a lot of trees. Oak mainly. I'm in upstate NY and the worst is probably over, but I'll still end up doing the leaves several more times before the end of the month.
@Nick-NY I have Red Oaks that just casually drop leaves all winter long so no matter how good of a job I do in the fall, by the time snow melts in the Spring the yard looks like crap. What can I say, I love the pain!
I kinda like this idea. I’m not one to worry about the leaves on the ground in the fall. I have the opinion that they are needed for protecting the lawn for the winter. I’ll probably try this idea this fall.
Thanks for the tip on running the mower around without the bags to chop the leaves finer. I am going to try it next time. I had been keeping up with the leaves until yesterday when the maples just all got together and said today we shed then last night we had a bad rain storm so this morning I have a heavy cover of wet leaves to deal with. which has been a problem with the John Deere setup. I will let you know how I make out. Dick B. USA
Oh man, wet leaves are the worst. Fall cleanup is a battle of determination. You can’t let those Maples demoralize you. Right now it’s the Oaks for me. Stay strong my friend, the battle may be lost, but the war will be won.
@@suburbanacreage You are the man. Tip on running without the bags and shredding the leaves before trying to pick them up worked great. Still a bit of cleaning up around the edges but bulk in now shredded and on the mulch pile and it got cold working out there her in north east Massachsetts. I noticed that even the DR vac system had trouble sucking up the leaves in another video, but today was a total success with my John Deere unit. Thanks again, Dick B. USA P.S. tried lawn sweeper many years ago and didn't have much luck with it so I will watch your sweeper video.
You might want to try a leaf sweeper too, very effective at collecting lots of leaves fast. Fall leaf cleanup using a lawn sweeper th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
@@suburbanacreage I actually got that sweeper last year! But I had trouble having it do what I wanted because the broom doesn’t stop. I didn’t think about backing into a pile. I took some into neighbor’s farm field and I have woods. I might have to practice more. I, too, have very tall trees with many leaves LOL.
Just finished another round of leaf removal with my power flo. I never have the issues you seem to have. I actually do the opposite leaving the deck all the way down lifting it when leaves pile in front of the deck. I would guess it has a lot to do with the species of leaves you're dealing with and how dry they are. And also, the type of blades you're using. I also use a pull behind sweeper from time to time and the power flo does a much better job.
Thanks for this post. I have not tried the first pass with the bags out but the rest of the system working. I have taken the power flow off and shot the leaves out the aperture. It is hard work for this 72 year old lady to do that. But tomorrow I am going to try your method.
“Time” vs “work” is an important metric and everyone is different. I’m super excited to have a 72 year old lady as part of my audience. Please please please come back tomorrow and let us know how it went.
@@suburbanacreage I live in Ontario and my leaves will be damp in the morning. I will do it in the afternoon. I have been processing leaves for days. Sometimes I have to use a rake to dig and get the leaves in our roadside drainage ditch. These I put in the Jon Deere cart and put in one of my leaf piles.
I have the MCS system where you can empty from the seat but like everyone says it fill up fast. I have a SST18 I use first to get the leave mulched 1at. It has the 44" mulching deck. Looking into the MC519 setup next
I took off the bags in the back like in this video, but I cleaned up all the leaves in one pass. I set up a propane torch in such a manner that the dry leaves blowing with quickly moving oxygen would ignite and create a large, extremely hot fireball behind the tractor and burn up all the leaves before they hit the ground! The ashes that fell behind the tractor contain nutrients for the lawn.
Keep in mind, on most of those passes in the video the deck is in an unnaturally high setting to do the initial chop. I wouldn’t normally mow with the deck up all the way like that. Haven’t heard of a baffle kit, but I do like spending money on my tractor accessories. I’ll look into it, thanks!
I’ve been doing this for years. Just wait till the leaves are dry as possible and just keep on running over the piles. When the debris build up under the deck use a blower to clear it. Actually it’s quicker than raking and stuffing the plastic bags 👍
My sweeper filled up every few feet! Using a mulching adapter on my JD 185 deck does a great job. I leave most of the mulched leaves on the lawn for the worms. This does not add to disease or change soil PH from what I've read. May not be an option in the city/for everyone.
I'm going to give it a try. When I just try mowing with the bagger to pick up leaves half of them spit out the side of the deck even using high lift blades.
Come back in and let me know how it works out for you. A few of the commenters have said they've had great success. Most of my video comments sections are full of people calling me an idiot, so that's cool that this method is working well for some of the viewers.
@suburbanacreage You're not an idiot. I've been using the bagger system fir years...surrounded by maples. And yes..leaving too many leaves, even mulched, will kill sections of turf. Ask me how I know. Bagging them up with the blower works FLAWLESSLY every year
I find that hard to believe but I might have to try it out. A lawn sweeper is really my preferred method for leaves, pick them up whole, then cut the grass.
My biggest problem that I run into is just the sheer amount of leaves. It would take many passes to advance the leaf line across the whole yard into the woods and halfway through the leaf density would be too thick to run the mower through. I have tried though!
Im going to upgrade next year to a deere x380 but I dont love the idea of a power flow unit. Right now i use a XT2 cub with basic 2 bagger and its so fast to unclog if needed. I also can also reach the bags and check continuously to feel when they are full, looks like you just have to guess with the powerflow?
I’ve done this method for years and it works but it’s time consuming. I’d like to see a leaf sweeper method. I’m always curious to speed up the process with a different collection method.
Man I really dropped the ball on making that video. I can’t ignore two requests, plus I said I’d do it. LED video coming up and I’ll tag you when it gets posted. Thanks for watching and sub for more.
If you haven’t tried a lawn sweeper you definitely should. It’s the fastest way to pick up sticks and leaves. I know you’re thinking there’s no way it grabs branches and big sticks…but it does! I’ve swept up some truly impressive sized lumber with mine. th-cam.com/video/Yof55EkQi7o/w-d-xo.html
I’m new to the whole John Deere thing. I have a question I have a Deere lt155 with the same bagger as you but not with the power flow thing. It seems like the rider is not bagging the leaves what could be the issue? No clogs I would like to add, also it does pick up cause in the bags there are grass and random sticks etc.
If you have this bagger system and it's clogged, what do you have to do to unclog it? I can figure out how to separate the chute to get in a get the clog out
Tried to run over a bunch leaves there bud? Yeah, I’ve been there! I like to first shut off the mower and then pull the chute off. Next I stick my hand down into the power flow head and manually turn the impeller. That should free it up pretty quick. You can remove the key and spark plug boots depending on how adventitious you’re feeling. Good luck!
I might've missed it but does this work if the leafs are wet from a recent rain? Another question is, do you need to have a double-bladed/crosshair setup (2 cutting blades for each cutting side) or is the regular setup enough to handle this?
Superb ! Didn't ever think of mulching up the leaves with bagger kit without the bags on. I have a 3/4 acre yard with a lot of trees. Before I had to put on & take off bagger system while mulching leaves. Looking forward to using your method.
It’s not the most efficient way to pick up leaves but if a bagger is all you have, it works pretty well. Stay tuned for my lawn sweeper video coming up. That’s my preferred method but the sweeper was broken that fall so the bagger got used. Thanks for your support!
Is the extra blower worth it? I found out mine to do just fine but I use a Toro every Monday that has the extra blower and I kinda like it. What do you recommend?
I can get by doing that if the leaves aren’t too thick otherwise the mower really bogs down. Good to hear other people are doing a mulch step first followed by bagging. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this video. Mulching first is a good idea. I have a new John Deere 220 with a bagging system. But what I find frustrating is the 220 sprays the leaves everywhere as you approach them. I had a 115 and that mower never did that. As I approached leaves and debris with the 115 it did not disturb the leaves in any way and sucked them up with no problem!!! What is the difference? Does the 220 blade rotate in a different direction? Why does the 220 create a “wind” as you approach leaves making it harder and requiring multiple passes? I miss my 115!! Any suggestions??? The 220 bags also seem smaller than the 115, another frustration.
I’d double check the level of the deck and really make sure the front is sitting slightly below the back. Think of a helicopter rotor pitched to fly forward, that’s the effect you want with your deck. I have a few videos on that too: th-cam.com/video/ZkmzBqQxzkI/w-d-xo.html
@@suburbanacreage Thanks. I’ll have to give that at try, and first see if the deck is level when it was delivered to me. Hard to believe that 17 years use of my 115 I never had to worry about that. Is it possible that the 115 with a 17hp engine didn’t create as much “wind” as my 220 with a 22hp engine? I had less trouble with the 220 if I used the right side to try to scoop up leaves and debris, but that is the side with the bagger so seems counter productive
@@suburbanacreage I saw a review on a JD website that someone was very disappointed in their new 220 because the dust and debris would fly up and make a mess on top of the deck and other areas… to the point where he said he would not buy again Thanks for the response
Thanks for watching, here’s the LED headlight mod video: How to install LED headlights on your John Deere lawn mower th-cam.com/video/dF4CDsI8Y08/w-d-xo.html
I'm buying a John Deere Zero Turn for my small property. This is partly due to fall cleanups. Thanks for this video. When your lawn sweeper is working... would you repeat step 1 as well (mulching up to take less room in the sweeper hopper)?
Tough question and it’s a matter of preference. Smaller chopped up leaves allow you to fit more in the hopper of the sweeper, but smaller pieces are harder to pick up so it’s not as clean of a sweep. I usually grab the leaves whole, even if that means a few extra trips to dump them out. Here’s my video on the sweeper if you’re interested. th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
That’s a pretty involved four step process, Mark, but you really have an incredible piece of property there in Minnesota! What is it like to live in such a beautiful area all year long and we’re you born and raised in your town? Thank you so much for sharing your way of life, being from the Pacific coast of Califonia I am always intrigued by areas that have such incredible seasonal changes.
Wish I watched this video yesterday morning. I discovered mulching the leaves first by accident. The chute and bags were filling up so quickly I just said f it and kept mulching with the bags full. Then I emptied them and was driving around and noticed how long the guage was spinning with the leaves mulched first. I thought I discovered a trick lol.
That’s what I thought too so decided to make a video in hopes that it would help others. Nothing wrong with two people coming up with the same solution independently. If nothing else it just proves that the mulch first method is valid if different people are having success with it. Thanks for watching!
The sweeper is fast compared to the Bagging method. It’s really good at picking up large leaves and the collection hopper is big so it can hold a lot too. Leaves aren’t heavy, so space is the limiting factor when picking them up and the sweeper can simply pick up more leaves faster. Dumping the sweeper is so easy too, then you’re going back for more. You don’t have to even get off the tractor. Subscribe to the channel because I have a lawn sweeper video coming up soon.
Yeah the bagger is super heavy and throws everything off. I mention it briefly in the video but you have to adjust the deck to compensate for all that weight off to the side and it’s a little bit harder to do.
I was using the stock blades but I thought they were kinda difficult to sharpen so I switched to Oregon and they are a very standard cutting blade that is closer to the high lift style you’d normally use with a bagger.
I don’t think so because the advantage from mulch blades and a plug in the deck is that it keeps the grass or leaves trapped in the deck so it gets diced up multiple times. If you are side discharging or have the powerflow bagger running like in the video, the leaves get a decent chop but then they exit the deck. For mulching blades to have the most impact, you’d want to trap them in the deck for maximum pulverizing. If I only had light leaf coverage, I’d mulch everything and not do any pick up. But with heavy leaf coverage, there are limitations as to what can be mulched and left on the grass.
"Light mulch" you're doing it wrong; you need mulching blades and a mulch kit for the underside of the deck, and you also don't use the discharge chute. This keeps debris churning more under the deck so it can be size reduced more. At the very least, block the exit chute. Any way, depending on the size of your lot/mowable and the volume of leaves, it might make better sense to do what I did on a previous property. JDX530 mower with the power chute and the largest bagger they sold at the time (12 years ago). Directly bagging leaves just resulted in dumping the bagger - it was impractical to do this, I'd spend the entire time just driving back and forth to the spot on the property I'd dump leaf and grass refuse. Then I got an idea - I had a JD cart (bought @ Lowes), so why not make a "screen" top for it, then just adapt the power chute itself with a short piece of (large) flex hose to blow the leaves into the cart? Basically similar to the tow-behind mulching dumpers you'd see a private contractor use in the fall, except I used the mower as the shredder/blower. I only used it a couple years before selling the property, but this method worked extremely well - a lawn that would usually take me 4 or 5 full days of blowing (leaves to the forest edge, just to reduce bulk) and mowing during the fall season would now take about 1 full day (2 half days).
The purpose of the “light mulch” is simply to reduce the size of the leaves to allow them to be picked up more easily without the constant emptying of the bags and clogging of the chute. To perform a true mulch, you’re right, you’d use mulching blades and block the discharge chute to grind them up real good. I like your idea about the JD lawn cart. Might have to give that a try myself. Thanks for watching.
If you allow the chute to clog you instantly create a mulch deck. The leaves get mulched without blowing out through the collection chutes. Same thing is achieved, just easier since nature creates the clog which acts like a closed mulching deck.
Very true Mike and if I had a small amount of leaves that could just be mulched into the grass, that’s exactly what I’d do. I have way too many leaves for mulching alone and if I mulch them too fine they are harder to pick up. My goal was to run them over once to make them slightly smaller but still able to be picked up with the bagger on the next pass without clogging up the chute.
@@suburbanacreage I also have industrial leaves. I allow the chute to clog in order to create an optimal mulching. I then clear the chute and vac the mulched leaves into the tractor collection bags.
I am doing exactly same thing you mentioned. Purposely clogging the chute. Do you think that doing this will give too much stress on mower?@@mikekellum6238
This is a strange and pointless way of working! We vacuum up the leaves with the lawn mower and in the process they are shredded. loaded onto the truck and we use it for compost or for hedges and bushes as frost protection when we put it on the trunk. In spring it is also a nutrient and the shredded leaves also contain many insects that serve as food for birds!
I think the difference might be the amount of leaves. As you can see I have a ton of trees. The leaves can get so thick that the mower can’t even drive through them. Bagging them without a mulching pass will either clog the chute or fill the bags instantly. By making a mulching pass first, I can collect more leaves on subsequent passes because they are chopped up even smaller.
Check out my lawn sweeper video for another great way to deal with tons of leaves. Fall leaf cleanup using a lawn sweeper th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
As stated in the video, my preferred method is taking them whole with a lawn sweeper but it was broken that fall. Check out my recently uploaded lawn sweeper video for a more purpose built leaf removal system. Thanks for watching!
Heavy leaf coverage will kill off your grass. A few leaves can be mulched and be very beneficial to the lawn but too many leaves will choke out and kill the grass.
You're right but if the leaves get too thick you can smother the lawn and kill the grass. I have a ton of trees so mulching and leaving on the lawn works for a little bit, but it just gets to be too much.
MOUSEPROOF your house without any traps, poison, or killing a single mouse.
th-cam.com/video/81SmiHi4Mn8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=JhcCZ-_Sdr_dQHBj
Just wanted to say thanks for this video! I just bought a regular John Deere bagger this fall to try to handle all my leaves but was disappointed with how quickly it filled up. Mowing up the leaves with the bags off was a real game changer! Thanks again!
Glad you found the tip useful and thanks for watching.
@@suburbanacreage
Thanks for the video…please see my comments about the 220 vs 115 picking up leaves…
Thoughts ?
Do you have mulching blades?
@@Braze-xxx Great question - I'm interested to know this too, and if so maybe what brand...?
@johmu5466 mulching blades do help a little bit, but for them to work the leaves need to stay in the deck getting diced up and if you’re bagging they don’t get a chance to do that. They just exit the deck too fast after getting chopped once. The double cut method works well because you don’t have to swap blades or install a mulch plug, you just remove the collection bags and that takes 10 seconds to do. Hope that helps👍
Great video and tips , i bought a used Troy Bilt from a neighbor he threw.in the bagger attachment and sorta worked first time picking leaves and pine needles. Next go around clogged immediately so ended up pling out lawn sweeper.
I tried what you described on a recent heavy leaf fall. I was surprised how well it worked. Instead of emptying the mower bags every couple of swipes I reduced the bag emptying considerably. Thanks for the tip.
It makes a HUGE difference, glad you found it helpful. Make sure to check out my leaf sweeper video, that’s my ultimate favorite leaf cleanup tool.
th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
I have a 4 acre property and I been struggling with the leaves. Trying to bag them on the 1st pass having to empty and unclogging the Shute continuously. I’m so glad I came across this video. I’m going to try it tomorrow. This is my 1st fall at this property. I used to live in the city where I didn’t have any leaves to deal with. Thank you.
Come back here tomorrow and let me know how it worked out for you, seriously. Also check out my lawn sweeper video I just uploaded. Give ‘em hell Frank!
I run over the leaves 4 or 5 times out the side chute. Then I corral them into one area. Then I put on the chute and pick them up. My yard , one big tree, used only ONE brown bag :) th-cam.com/video/Zg0cq3JsYdI/w-d-xo.html
Nice video! One bag is pretty impressive. That’s some finely chopped leaf confetti!
Your process is good 👍👍. I do something similar with my Husqvarna YTH18542.... Except I switched to mulching blades (that still work well with the bagger) and a mulch plug. So for the last step, I mulch remaining leaves into the lawn. 😊😊
Your method is pretty darn good. The only variation I've seen that works a little better for me is to make that first pass a mulch plug pass, so take the bagger tube off completely. Great video though!
That's the method I use.
You have a good yard, my yard is terrible when I try to bag, I have pine trees that have low root structure and it's a huge pain mowing and bagging, have to be real careful.
I mulch with my craftsman by taking the chute off and putting the mulch attachment on. I may go over thicker spots several times. Then I put the chute on and bag it all up. Some mulched leaves are left behind, but they are good for the grass.
I’m just lazy is all, so I just pull the bags and run it. You’re right that some leaves are good, but what most people in this comments section aren’t acknowledging is that heavy, wet leaf coverage can also be very bad. If you have a lot of trees, you have to get the leaves off the grass. It’s just too much to mulch alone.
@@suburbanacreage I agree 💯. I have a lot of trees. Oak mainly. I'm in upstate NY and the worst is probably over, but I'll still end up doing the leaves several more times before the end of the month.
@Nick-NY I have Red Oaks that just casually drop leaves all winter long so no matter how good of a job I do in the fall, by the time snow melts in the Spring the yard looks like crap. What can I say, I love the pain!
@@suburbanacreage lol. Yeah, for some reason Oaks hold onto some of their leaves all winter.
I kinda like this idea. I’m not one to worry about the leaves on the ground in the fall. I have the opinion that they are needed for protecting the lawn for the winter. I’ll probably try this idea this fall.
I think leaving leaves on the lawn promotes snow mold - but that's just what I've experienced before.
Today we had to unclog the pipe after every unload. So i'm going to try this method and let you know how it works. New subscriber.
Thanks for the tip on running the mower around without the bags to chop the leaves finer. I am going to try it next time. I had been keeping up with the leaves until yesterday when the maples just all got together and said today we shed then last night we had a bad rain storm so this morning I have a heavy cover of wet leaves to deal with. which has been a problem with the John Deere setup. I will let you know how I make out.
Dick B. USA
Oh man, wet leaves are the worst. Fall cleanup is a battle of determination. You can’t let those Maples demoralize you. Right now it’s the Oaks for me. Stay strong my friend, the battle may be lost, but the war will be won.
@@suburbanacreage You are the man. Tip on running without the bags and shredding the leaves before trying to pick them up worked great. Still a bit of cleaning up around the edges but bulk in now shredded and on the mulch pile and it got cold working out there her in north east Massachsetts. I noticed that even the DR vac system had trouble sucking up the leaves in another video, but today was a total success with my John Deere unit.
Thanks again, Dick B. USA
P.S. tried lawn sweeper many years ago and didn't have much luck with it so I will watch your sweeper video.
Just got my first mower with bagger for leaves and YES, I'm emptying the bags all the time. I'm excited to try this method.
They fill up quick! Not bad if you only have a small amount of leaves but awful if you have heavy leaf coverage.
You might want to try a leaf sweeper too, very effective at collecting lots of leaves fast.
Fall leaf cleanup using a lawn sweeper
th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
@@suburbanacreage I actually got that sweeper last year! But I had trouble having it do what I wanted because the broom doesn’t stop. I didn’t think about backing into a pile. I took some into neighbor’s farm field and I have woods. I might have to practice more. I, too, have very tall trees with many leaves LOL.
Just finished another round of leaf removal with my power flo. I never have the issues you seem to have. I actually do the opposite leaving the deck all the way down lifting it when leaves pile in front of the deck. I would guess it has a lot to do with the species of leaves you're dealing with and how dry they are. And also, the type of blades you're using. I also use a pull behind sweeper from time to time and the power flo does a much better job.
Thanks for this post. I have not tried the first pass with the bags out but the rest of the system working. I have taken the power flow off and shot the leaves out the aperture. It is hard work for this 72 year old lady to do that. But tomorrow I am going to try your method.
“Time” vs “work” is an important metric and everyone is different. I’m super excited to have a 72 year old lady as part of my audience. Please please please come back tomorrow and let us know how it went.
@@suburbanacreage I live in Ontario and my leaves will be damp in the morning. I will do it in the afternoon. I have been processing leaves for days. Sometimes I have to use a rake to dig and get the leaves in our roadside drainage ditch. These I put in the Jon Deere cart and put in one of my leaf piles.
@@suburbanacreage it is working GREAT! I had some concern about doing set 1 driving fast. I took some photos before and after I did the bagging.
I have the MCS system where you can empty from the seat but like everyone says it fill up fast. I have a SST18 I use first to get the leave mulched 1at. It has the 44" mulching deck. Looking into the MC519 setup next
I took off the bags in the back like in this video, but I cleaned up all the leaves in one pass. I set up a propane torch in such a manner that the dry leaves blowing with quickly moving oxygen would ignite and create a large, extremely hot fireball behind the tractor and burn up all the leaves before they hit the ground! The ashes that fell behind the tractor contain nutrients for the lawn.
I really hope you actually did that and got it on video. You’re my hero!
Interesting idea. I will try that. Btw, you need a baffle kit to stop all the leaves from blowing out from under the deck.
Keep in mind, on most of those passes in the video the deck is in an unnaturally high setting to do the initial chop. I wouldn’t normally mow with the deck up all the way like that. Haven’t heard of a baffle kit, but I do like spending money on my tractor accessories. I’ll look into it, thanks!
I’ve been doing this for years. Just wait till the leaves are dry as possible and just keep on running over the piles. When the debris build up under the deck use a blower to clear it. Actually it’s quicker than raking and stuffing the plastic bags 👍
My sweeper filled up every few feet! Using a mulching adapter on my JD 185 deck does a great job. I leave most of the mulched leaves on the lawn for the worms. This does not add to disease or change soil PH from what I've read. May not be an option in the city/for everyone.
I'm going to give it a try. When I just try mowing with the bagger to pick up leaves half of them spit out the side of the deck even using high lift blades.
Come back in and let me know how it works out for you. A few of the commenters have said they've had great success. Most of my video comments sections are full of people calling me an idiot, so that's cool that this method is working well for some of the viewers.
@suburbanacreage
You're not an idiot. I've been using the bagger system fir years...surrounded by maples. And yes..leaving too many leaves, even mulched, will kill sections of turf. Ask me how I know. Bagging them up with the blower works FLAWLESSLY every year
@michaelhouy1382 Maple leaves are big and clog the chute very easily. Beautiful trees though, I must say.
Great vids! Thanks for posting. How bout that LED headlight video?!
Nice, I've been doing this for the last 3 weeks here in North Carolina
Most of my Midwest viewers already have snow on the ground. I keep cleaning up leaves every weekend until the snow prevents me from doing so.
i used your video and had success . great tips thanks a lot
Love to hear it! Thanks for watching.
Try the ARGUFAB Terraking bag instead of your bags for the bagger. It works very well
Try using Gator blades. No pre-mulching needed. Its faster and gets even more in the bag.
I find that hard to believe but I might have to try it out. A lawn sweeper is really my preferred method for leaves, pick them up whole, then cut the grass.
I grind 🍂🍁up with Gator Blades & Mulch cover on deck til most leafs are down.
Husqvarna tractor does great job on fall clean up
You could use the mower to discharge the leaves toward the wood line or do you find it easier to bag.
My biggest problem that I run into is just the sheer amount of leaves. It would take many passes to advance the leaf line across the whole yard into the woods and halfway through the leaf density would be too thick to run the mower through. I have tried though!
Im going to upgrade next year to a deere x380 but I dont love the idea of a power flow unit. Right now i use a XT2 cub with basic 2 bagger and its so fast to unclog if needed. I also can also reach the bags and check continuously to feel when they are full, looks like you just have to guess with the powerflow?
Nice. I like the low manual labor. Lol. I don’t have a mulcher but I’ll give it a try. Easier then picking them all up with a shovel.
Anything is better than an entire weekend with a rake. Power tools for the win!
I’ve done this method for years and it works but it’s time consuming. I’d like to see a leaf sweeper method. I’m always curious to speed up the process with a different collection method.
I have a video about the lawn sweeper method here: th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
Great video, also curious about the LED upgrade
Man I really dropped the ball on making that video. I can’t ignore two requests, plus I said I’d do it. LED video coming up and I’ll tag you when it gets posted. Thanks for watching and sub for more.
@@suburbanacreage I can’t wait!
Thank you!!
how do you keep up with the twigs and branches that fall on the ground?
If you haven’t tried a lawn sweeper you definitely should. It’s the fastest way to pick up sticks and leaves. I know you’re thinking there’s no way it grabs branches and big sticks…but it does! I’ve swept up some truly impressive sized lumber with mine.
th-cam.com/video/Yof55EkQi7o/w-d-xo.html
I’m new to the whole John Deere thing. I have a question I have a Deere lt155 with the same bagger as you but not with the power flow thing. It seems like the rider is not bagging the leaves what could be the issue? No clogs I would like to add, also it does pick up cause in the bags there are grass and random sticks etc.
If you have this bagger system and it's clogged, what do you have to do to unclog it? I can figure out how to separate the chute to get in a get the clog out
Tried to run over a bunch leaves there bud? Yeah, I’ve been there! I like to first shut off the mower and then pull the chute off. Next I stick my hand down into the power flow head and manually turn the impeller. That should free it up pretty quick. You can remove the key and spark plug boots depending on how adventitious you’re feeling. Good luck!
Thank you, this is really helpful 😊
Leaf season is coming up!
I might've missed it but does this work if the leafs are wet from a recent rain? Another question is, do you need to have a double-bladed/crosshair setup (2 cutting blades for each cutting side) or is the regular setup enough to handle this?
Wet isn’t ideal, but hey what can you do? I did everything with a single blade, normal cutting setup that I use all year.
@@suburbanacreage Thanks for the answers! Didn't think I'd get a response that quickly.
@vLYoshii bro I live in the comments! Thank YOU for watching my content
+ another advantage : this is really fun to do ❤️
maybe a stupid question but why can you not use the bagger and mulching it at the same time?
Superb ! Didn't ever think of mulching up the leaves with bagger kit without the bags on. I have a 3/4 acre yard with a lot of trees. Before I had to put on & take off bagger system while mulching leaves. Looking forward to using your method.
It’s not the most efficient way to pick up leaves but if a bagger is all you have, it works pretty well. Stay tuned for my lawn sweeper video coming up. That’s my preferred method but the sweeper was broken that fall so the bagger got used. Thanks for your support!
If you spray quik spray wax inside the tubing .and let it sit for 20 mins . Your leaves wont clog up
Is the extra blower worth it? I found out mine to do just fine but I use a Toro every Monday that has the extra blower and I kinda like it. What do you recommend?
I have a chute blocker on mine so I mulch them and then bag them
I can get by doing that if the leaves aren’t too thick otherwise the mower really bogs down. Good to hear other people are doing a mulch step first followed by bagging. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this video.
Mulching first is a good idea. I have a new John Deere 220 with a bagging system. But what I find frustrating is the 220 sprays the leaves everywhere as you approach them. I had a 115 and that mower never did that. As I approached leaves and debris with the 115 it did not disturb the leaves in any way and sucked them up with no problem!!! What is the difference? Does the 220 blade rotate in a different direction? Why does the 220 create a “wind” as you approach leaves making it harder and requiring multiple passes? I miss my 115!!
Any suggestions???
The 220 bags also seem smaller than the 115, another frustration.
I’d double check the level of the deck and really make sure the front is sitting slightly below the back. Think of a helicopter rotor pitched to fly forward, that’s the effect you want with your deck. I have a few videos on that too:
th-cam.com/video/ZkmzBqQxzkI/w-d-xo.html
@@suburbanacreage
Thanks. I’ll have to give that at try, and first see if the deck is level when it was delivered to me. Hard to believe that 17 years use of my 115 I never had to worry about that. Is it possible that the 115 with a 17hp engine didn’t create as much “wind” as my 220 with a 22hp engine?
I had less trouble with the 220 if I used the right side to try to scoop up leaves and debris, but that is the side with the bagger so seems counter productive
@twil2389 yeah it’s weird that it’s so different and I’m a little stumped myself. Same deck height between the two I assume?
@@suburbanacreage
I saw a review on a JD website that someone was very disappointed in their new 220 because the dust and debris would fly up and make a mess on top of the deck and other areas… to the point where he said he would not buy again
Thanks for the response
Did you ever make the video installing the led bulbs?
It is in the works and coming up soon. I’ll tag you when it drops.
Great idea! Thanks
Let me know how it works for you.
Good idea
Thanks for the process tip for using my power flow bagger. Did you make the LED video?
Thanks for watching, here’s the LED headlight mod video:
How to install LED headlights on your John Deere lawn mower
th-cam.com/video/dF4CDsI8Y08/w-d-xo.html
I'm buying a John Deere Zero Turn for my small property. This is partly due to fall cleanups. Thanks for this video. When your lawn sweeper is working... would you repeat step 1 as well (mulching up to take less room in the sweeper hopper)?
Tough question and it’s a matter of preference. Smaller chopped up leaves allow you to fit more in the hopper of the sweeper, but smaller pieces are harder to pick up so it’s not as clean of a sweep. I usually grab the leaves whole, even if that means a few extra trips to dump them out. Here’s my video on the sweeper if you’re interested. th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
So is this cutting the yard at the same time ?
Sure could be but in the late fall in Minnesota there isn’t a whole lot of growth going on so it’s mostly just about the leaves.
Thanks for share this video.
it was very helpful. 👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you for watching. Sub for more!
Done. 👍🏼
That’s a pretty involved four step process, Mark, but you really have an incredible piece of property there in Minnesota! What is it like to live in such a beautiful area all year long and we’re you born and raised in your town? Thank you so much for sharing your way of life, being from the Pacific coast of Califonia I am always intrigued by areas that have such incredible seasonal changes.
Wish I watched this video yesterday morning. I discovered mulching the leaves first by accident. The chute and bags were filling up so quickly I just said f it and kept mulching with the bags full. Then I emptied them and was driving around and noticed how long the guage was spinning with the leaves mulched first. I thought I discovered a trick lol.
That’s what I thought too so decided to make a video in hopes that it would help others. Nothing wrong with two people coming up with the same solution independently. If nothing else it just proves that the mulch first method is valid if different people are having success with it. Thanks for watching!
What does your sweeper do for you that you would use over bagging??
The sweeper is fast compared to the Bagging method. It’s really good at picking up large leaves and the collection hopper is big so it can hold a lot too. Leaves aren’t heavy, so space is the limiting factor when picking them up and the sweeper can simply pick up more leaves faster. Dumping the sweeper is so easy too, then you’re going back for more. You don’t have to even get off the tractor. Subscribe to the channel because I have a lawn sweeper video coming up soon.
Great work bro Like 👍. Definatly great stuff 🙏
Thank you for watching
Good info.
How to changes sater with LA John deere lawnmower
Great advise
Thank you.
I have the power flow 3 bag system on my JD590 and find the deck very hard to level with the power flow mounted... same with you?
Yeah the bagger is super heavy and throws everything off. I mention it briefly in the video but you have to adjust the deck to compensate for all that weight off to the side and it’s a little bit harder to do.
Are you using the stock 3-in-1 blades or the high lift blades that come with the bagging system?
I was using the stock blades but I thought they were kinda difficult to sharpen so I switched to Oregon and they are a very standard cutting blade that is closer to the high lift style you’d normally use with a bagger.
hello, how much area do you mow in one hour?
Around an acre I’d guess. Hard to say because I have an irregular lot size and a bunch of trees to slow me down.
I have an 1 acrre.. 2 hours just mulching
Great video thx
Great video thanks
Leaf season is coming! Check out my lawn sweeper vid too th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.htmlsi=hLnune0h40K-hSot
Hey Mark, will using mulch blades will cut down the time any? Asking since my dad runs a similar setup to yours.
I don’t think so because the advantage from mulch blades and a plug in the deck is that it keeps the grass or leaves trapped in the deck so it gets diced up multiple times. If you are side discharging or have the powerflow bagger running like in the video, the leaves get a decent chop but then they exit the deck. For mulching blades to have the most impact, you’d want to trap them in the deck for maximum pulverizing.
If I only had light leaf coverage, I’d mulch everything and not do any pick up. But with heavy leaf coverage, there are limitations as to what can be mulched and left on the grass.
Yes! I use mulching blades on my Husqvarna and end up clean yard! No pickup nesacerry
Thank god I live in Florida
"Light mulch" you're doing it wrong; you need mulching blades and a mulch kit for the underside of the deck, and you also don't use the discharge chute. This keeps debris churning more under the deck so it can be size reduced more. At the very least, block the exit chute.
Any way, depending on the size of your lot/mowable and the volume of leaves, it might make better sense to do what I did on a previous property. JDX530 mower with the power chute and the largest bagger they sold at the time (12 years ago). Directly bagging leaves just resulted in dumping the bagger - it was impractical to do this, I'd spend the entire time just driving back and forth to the spot on the property I'd dump leaf and grass refuse. Then I got an idea - I had a JD cart (bought @ Lowes), so why not make a "screen" top for it, then just adapt the power chute itself with a short piece of (large) flex hose to blow the leaves into the cart? Basically similar to the tow-behind mulching dumpers you'd see a private contractor use in the fall, except I used the mower as the shredder/blower.
I only used it a couple years before selling the property, but this method worked extremely well - a lawn that would usually take me 4 or 5 full days of blowing (leaves to the forest edge, just to reduce bulk) and mowing during the fall season would now take about 1 full day (2 half days).
The purpose of the “light mulch” is simply to reduce the size of the leaves to allow them to be picked up more easily without the constant emptying of the bags and clogging of the chute. To perform a true mulch, you’re right, you’d use mulching blades and block the discharge chute to grind them up real good.
I like your idea about the JD lawn cart. Might have to give that a try myself. Thanks for watching.
Why don’t you blow them into one spot together and then stuck them up. It’s be much cleaner. I use a hi lift blade
If I try to take too many leaves in at once, my chute clogs like crazy and I have to stop and manually clear it.
Using a bagger, wow omg!
Step 1: Fix your sweeper
Step 2: Sweep.
Goldberg...The Spear
I hand raked and hand bagged a full acre before this guy even started to pick up leaves with his tractor 😝
Work harder not smarter! Enjoy the raking 👍
If you allow the chute to clog you instantly create a mulch deck. The leaves get mulched without blowing out through the collection chutes. Same thing is achieved, just easier since nature creates the clog which acts like a closed mulching deck.
Very true Mike and if I had a small amount of leaves that could just be mulched into the grass, that’s exactly what I’d do. I have way too many leaves for mulching alone and if I mulch them too fine they are harder to pick up. My goal was to run them over once to make them slightly smaller but still able to be picked up with the bagger on the next pass without clogging up the chute.
@@suburbanacreage I also have industrial leaves. I allow the chute to clog in order to create an optimal mulching. I then clear the chute and vac the mulched leaves into the tractor collection bags.
I am doing exactly same thing you mentioned. Purposely clogging the chute. Do you think that doing this will give too much stress on mower?@@mikekellum6238
This is a strange and pointless way of working! We vacuum up the leaves with the lawn mower and in the process they are shredded. loaded onto the truck and we use it for compost or for hedges and bushes as frost protection when we put it on the trunk. In spring it is also a nutrient and the shredded leaves also contain many insects that serve as food for birds!
I think the difference might be the amount of leaves. As you can see I have a ton of trees. The leaves can get so thick that the mower can’t even drive through them. Bagging them without a mulching pass will either clog the chute or fill the bags instantly. By making a mulching pass first, I can collect more leaves on subsequent passes because they are chopped up even smaller.
Don’t judge a residential maintenance advice video by the standards of someone who charges to take debris away and then makes money from it.
If you use a power flow for commercial uses it’s no wonder you spend this much time on TH-cam 😂
trade for a zero turn with mulch kit, Thank me later
Check out my lawn sweeper video for another great way to deal with tons of leaves.
Fall leaf cleanup using a lawn sweeper
th-cam.com/video/H412KF3f-40/w-d-xo.html
Seems like a lot of wasted gas and time with some leaves still remaining.
As stated in the video, my preferred method is taking them whole with a lawn sweeper but it was broken that fall. Check out my recently uploaded lawn sweeper video for a more purpose built leaf removal system. Thanks for watching!
Rhett
Why do leaves get such a bad rap, God put them on the ground for a reason, it's called topsoil!
Heavy leaf coverage will kill off your grass. A few leaves can be mulched and be very beneficial to the lawn but too many leaves will choke out and kill the grass.
You’re feeding the woods with those leaves and not your lawn. Mulching the leaves and leaving them on your lawn will contributes to soil health.
You're right but if the leaves get too thick you can smother the lawn and kill the grass. I have a ton of trees so mulching and leaving on the lawn works for a little bit, but it just gets to be too much.
A lot of wasted work