At the moment we have Eliet 401s and 501s scarifiers and a 60cm efco which is a bit of a beast. We also have a mccullough push garden / leaf vacuum which is getting on a bit, but refuses to die.
So with smaller lawns, say upto 400sqm, we use the Eliets, make a pass, rake / blow and bag up; then repeat as needed.
For larger lawns, we tend to use the McCullough to collect the scarify waste. Occassionally we'll use our 42" Kubota ride-on, but that struggles with wet waste.
With domestic clients there is always a gate access trade-off; many times a 48" ride on will not fit. Plus people are looking for a good finish and so rough tractor markings are a no go.
For me, an ideal machine size wise would be a westwood/countax ride on, 30cm mowing deck, powered collector and swap out the collector for the scarifier attachment as needed. However, this is not a commercial machine and though it won't have heavy use, longevity is an issue. Also, I'm getting comments from people around the power of the engine not being up to driving the scarifier, and the scarifer not being robust / slipping belts.
So, what do people do and any experience of the westood scarifiers?
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I would think you won't get enough power out of a tow behind unless it's attached a pto
Do you ave grass tyres on your tractor?
http://www.sisis.com/rotorake-tm1000/
HI Robbie,
we don't have a tractor as for our domestic lawns too wide. Likewise the rotorake is 143cm wide, so too big.
We're trying to find a solution max 42" wide (same width as our kubota ride on), but preferably smaller. Hence the 30" idea of the westwood.
Plus it's not really the scarifying thats the issue, more collection.
Hi Richard,
yes we've looked at the billy goats and also the little wonder vacs. Have held off until the McCullogh bites the dust, which does a good job for now. Damm heavy when it's full though and not self propelled. Also a bit of a pain to empty.
I had a westwood for many years for my lawn, and it made a good job of picking up scarify waste as long as only a single pass worth.
I have heard mixed reports about Billy goats, do they work for picking up scarifying waste?
We had one of the large model billy goats (see our one in the pic - with a gearbox & large B&S engine - this was the £3k model). It was just too cumbersome and unpleasent being behind it (you get covered in fine dust/grit). Was very sensitive to gap between nozzle and floor. Wet leaves performance was marginal. It would not pick up acorns or conkers even on full power. Should be ok to pick up scarified moss/grass, but not cores/plus unless dry?
I think if your on a static site they are fine, but for mobile teams it took up too much space in the Unit &Vans, was a pain to load & use regularly so we got rid of it some while ago.
I've got a mcullough windy(I think it's called that) it's ok but only if fairly dry
thanks gary - usefull re billy goat. Same with the McCullough, but it was only £400 compared to £1500 plus for the billy goats. So we forgive it a lot as it's good value. Also, can't believe it's still going - this will be it's fourth season of hard work. We're on our 3rd bag, and it looks really rough, but is still useful.
Yep the same Windy / McCullough as you. Just looked on line and they are £330. Having larger softer wheels would be a big improvement.