# Pine Needles Collection Project



## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

I live in a stand of White Pines......so every fall collecting the pine needles becomes a bit of a daunting process because of the sheer volume that drop. The area I pick up is not large....about 1/2 of an acre or so with about 18-20 trees. In a good year they can generate 30-40 bushel of needles. That's equates to a lot of trips to the dump area.

Over the years, I have tried many means of collection and have found that the most suitable and economical way for me is with a lawn sweeper. The challenge in this method lies in the weight of the needles (as compared to leaves) and the hopper capacity of the sweeper. After several years of hard fall use, my sweeper basket had started showing signs of wear and fatigue. So this fall I decided to replace the basket with a more suitable collection hopper with a larger capacity and designed for rougher service.

I designed and built a basket that would attach easily to the sweeper, had a larger capacity, and would handle the weight without to much stress on the outfit as a whole. After a lot of thought as to the design, I went and purchased some 3/16 x 2 x 2 angle iron, an 8' length of 5/8" ground rod, threaded rod, a couple of pillow blocks, some trailer anchors, a couple of pneumatic tires, 1-sheet 1/2x4x8 OSB and a scoop of misc. nuts and bolts and set about the task of building this new contraption.

In as much as I cannot weld anymore (defibrilator) I am forced to bolt everything together when I make something. So I cut the angle iron and assembled the frame with lap joints, carriage bolts and nuts. I used the ground rod and the pillow blocks as the axle and bolted them to the frame. After recgonizing a few minor design flaws, I utilized some flat stock and a couple of trailer anchors to complete the frame. I attached the side panels to the frame with carriage bolts and added the threaded rod to keep the sides stable. I put on a sliding rear panel to make emptying easier and dropped in the floor.

All in all, I'm pleased with the way this new device has worked. It allowed the collection process to go faster and held up really well. When all was said and done I disassembled the sides and back and am able to store it in very little space.


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## raylinkz (May 28, 2010)

Great project Randy, it really looks good and stout. 

I just purchased a used JD sweeper and started 'rakin' leaves and pine straw. Under one of my pine trees I gathered what must be about 12 cu ft of pine straw. It filled my hopper very quickly. I'll consider your method as it is way more elegant than my thoughts of pulling a homemade pinestraw bailer behind my sweeper. I have about 4 acres of pine woods to try to keep the fire hazard down. Now if those small bailers weren't so expensive.

Paul


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Thanks for the feedback Paul! The quick hopper filling phenomonom is what got me to thinking about other methods. I forgot to mention that I also use an acreage rake to windrow the needles prior to collection. It assists in getting the needles on top of the grass for ease of sweeping. I'm thinking I might enlongate the hopper to give it even more capacity as the sweeper didn't have any problem throwing the needles to the rear of it. I've located the tires 2/3 of the way back so it wouldn't get heavy in the rear and lift the sweeper off the ground.

Here's a pic of the rake.


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