I used to have one. They do help once you get them set right. Need to go fast for them to throw the grass into the hopper. And get the biggest one you can. They fill up fast. I only had a section of my yard I used it on. Idk about doing a large property with it. I would mow everything into the middle to make less passes with it.

 

Wonder if something like this cyclone “rake” might be even better

America's #1 Lawn and Leaf Vacuum | Cyclone Rake

The Cyclone Rake yard vacuum is the premiere leaf and lawn vacuum in America. Hand built and supported by an amazing and friendly Customer Service Team, it makes tough jobs easy.

www.cyclonerake.com

 

I grew up on 3 acres using one of those. They actually work really darn well as long as you have a place to dump it. (Makes good compost) Only stopped using it when the MC system came out. I think its a great choice when the clippings are too thick. Works with leaves too.

 

Thanks - what’s the MC system?

 

Anyone using a lawn sweeper for grass clippings? I’m tired of mowing twice and still having grass lines all over the place… wondering if one of these is a better alternative to a bagging system ?
Thoughts?

5 Best Lawn Sweepers - Sept. 2025 - Chicago Tribune

Our team of experts has selected the best lawn sweepers out of hundreds of models. Don't buy a lawn sweeper before reading these reviews.

reviews.chicagotribune.com

Used one for years, loved it, worked well IMO.
Dump from the tractor seat and keep right on going.

 

Have you tried mulching?

I have a 42 inch JD sweeper that works good for leaves. More recently I used it to get some clumps out of a tilled field. It fills up fast for those. Never tried it for grass clippings but I assume it would work.

 

Grass clippings is free food for your lawn, I would try mulching 1st.

With today's gas prices I wouldn't want to be going over my lawn twice each time I mow.

 

I use one every week. There are certain spots/areas in my yard that get longer than others and I’ve tried mulching and mowing twice but found sweeper does good and looks nice when done and dogs are not tracking grass in house. Mine is a 52“ and I just dump in a pile and rake in to my tractor bucket and dump over the fence to the cattle.
Mine yellow but looks pretty much like this one.

 

We have a John Deere 44” Tow-Behind Lawn Sweeper (LP49038) that we use for both picking up grass clippings and primarily for picking up small twigs and pine cones. Works great for both jobs! The only complaint we have with it is how you empty it. It takes some experimentation but after a few loads you learn what works best for emptying. We are happy we purchased it.

 

I bought an Agrifab one recently from Lowes. I've only had it a month, so I don't know how long it will last, but it's performance this month has been excellent!

 

I bought one for yard cleanup after mowing with the zero-turn.

What I like about it over a dedicated collection system is that I can shift it to anything that it can hitch to. So far that would be the tractor and the zero-turn. Since I'm the only one that mows the yard it's kind of a moot issue since I'll only be driving one or the other but it's still nice to know that the work can be parallelized somewhat if I wanted to. It is a little difficult to move with a zero-turn as I have several times simply dragged it behind me for no reason other than I turned too far. I blame that more on the zero-turn not really being conducive to towing things as you have to stop driving it as a zero-turn. Maybe it's just me though.

One big issue with these collection systems, in my opinion, is that they're stupidly simple and I think they need to be just "simple". For example, mine comes with a rope that can be used to clear the bag but there's no good place to store the rope and a full bag is too heavy, for me at least, to pull open from mower seat at the rope's attach point (middle handle of the bag). I have multiple times had to clear the rope from the sweeper as well as get off the mower to open the sweeper. A well placed pulley system wouldn't add too much to the cost and could solve both problems. I even explored using an Arduino to drive an electric mower to open the bag but it has proved to be beyond my skills.

 

Benthegirl:

From what I read on the Internet, and we always trust what we read on the Internet, the John Deere LP49038 sweeper is manufactured by Agri-Fab and branded for John Deere (i.e., the John Deere sweeper is the same sweeper as the Agri-Fab 44” sweeper, model 45-0492).

 

From what I read on the Internet, and we always trust what we read on the Internet, the John Deere LP49038 sweeper is manufactured by Agri-Fab and branded for John Deere (i.e., the John Deere sweeper is the same sweeper as the Agri-Fab 44” sweeper, model 45-0492).

Same for the Brinly-Hardy 10 cu. ft. 650 lb. Tow-Behind Poly Utility Cart at Home Depot Brinly-Hardy 10 cu. ft. 650 lb. Tow-Behind Poly Utility Cart PCT-101BH

vs

 

Have the 42” JD one made by Brinly. Quite happy with it. Also I have mulch control so don’t do too much with it as far as clippings. But it does pick up clippings well if needed. Leaves sticks and other debris I use it for it’s great. Good on spring clean up and I’m thinking of getting the dethatch attachment for it. None of these sweepers are perfect as a power flow or trac vac but pretty darn good for the investment and saves a lot of raking. I had a bagger on my old x300 but prefer the simplicity and versatility of the sweeper when needed and mulch as much as possible rest of the time

 

I have the one that’s rat # 1 in the 5 you show. It’s junk. It works for awhil and then the plastic gears strip out. I have replaced the wheels/ gears twice. It may be fine behind a small lawn mover. But I pull it with an atv or the 1026r. Sticks tend to jam up the brush so the wheels will drag, the plastic gears can’t take it and strip .

 

I have the 42" JD lawn sweeper I bought in 2007 and have had good service from it. Three years ago I finally replaced the bag which had a couple holes torn through it when my Brain Dead EX son in law borrowed the sweeper and used it for a rock picker. I got by for about five years by patching the holes with "Gorilla Tape" I also replaced one bent arm which got bent when he was trying to dump loads way too heavy for the sweeper. Two years ago I replaced all the brushes. (a very simple task).
We use the sweeper each spring to clean lawn debris in the spring after I go all over our lawns with my ATV and 4' wheeled "York" brand rake to loosen thatch, small stones thrown onto the lawn from snowblowing my gravel driveway and pine cones dropped from 60' tall pine trees in my front lawn. (hundreds of them). We dump the sweeper in an open field behind our lawn area. When we're done sweeping I pick the piles up with my tractor and bucket and carry the debris about 200 yards to my compost pile I have been adding to for several years. I have to make quite a few trips which tells me the sweeper does a pretty good job picking things up. We rake, sweep and mow roughly 4 1/2 acres of lawn
This spring the sweeper quit working. The shaft which holds the brushes wouldn't turn when pulling the sweeper. I removed the wheels and covers behind the wheels to find the drive gears worn. My dealer had everything I needed to repair the drive system right in stock. New plastic gears, right and left steel pinion gears, pins to drive the pinion gears and the 'C' clips to hold the wheels on. The price to rebuild the whole drive system was just over $30 for everything before tax. Total labor was less than 1/2 hour but I could cut the time down now that I have done it once and know how it works and what to look for. The sweeper works as good as new and I expect to get several more years use from it.
I like buying things parts are readily available for if and when you need them.

 

I have been using the AgriFab for a few years now. I also use the thacher attachment. It works well when properly adjusted. Thumbs up and 5 stars.