I want something to more efficiently collect leaf debris in 1-3’ isles after we mow our crops. Weve done this with brooms and collection buckets for some time, but this is time consuming and I sometimes worry about the cleanliness of it from an ipm perspective. I think a vacuum is going to be the way to go, but I’m having trouble finding one that will fit where we need it that can handle the volume it needs to be able to. These are ornamental crops that need to fit on a 10.5” tall shelf for shipping and our standards require a certain amount of branching on each plant, so not mowing is not an option. I’m considering something like this with a 75 foot hose, but I worry suction loss will be significant and that the hose will be a bear to handle. I also don’t know that this will be any better from an ipm perspective since it lacks air filters. Y’all have any ideas?
by jefferyJEFFERYbaby
2 Comments
You will definitely lose suction at 75 feet. You could always try and build something custom using the parts from one, though. It’s just a motor with an sharpened impeller and some molded parts to connet to the air hose and discharge the shredded leaves. You could try and cut down the trailer and make something long and skinny instead of wide. Or, since plants are only 10.5″ tall maybe you could increase the height so it goes over the rows, kind of like a high crop farm equipment.
Maybe walk down the aisle with a shopvac with a long cord.