Picking up Sticks

Last year I got a job to clean up all these sticks under a willow tree in mid-March so they could mow, because there were so many it would damage the mower. I had to just rake the sticks into piles and then put them onto a tarp and into a larger pile. Most of the sticks are around 1-2 feet long, but some can be 3 or 4 feet long. A lot of them are kind of bendable. After they were in a big pile they wanted me to put them into trash cans to get rid of. It took like 6 trash cans! :shocked: Anyway, my question is: Is there an easier way to pick them up? I am fine with putting them in a trash can, but it just took forever to rake them up. It took around 7-8 hours to do because I had to rake a good half acre! They will be calling me this year to do it so I was wondering if there are any faster ways to do it without spending much money because I only do it once a year!
Here is a picture of the pile of sticks. This was when I was like 1/2 of the way done! The pile is like 6.5 ft. long x 3.5 ft. high x 3 ft. wide! And that was nowhere near all of it!


Thanks in advance! :smile:

willow trees are nasty dirty trees. this is where a big back pack blower pays for itself.

AmericanTurf said:

willow trees are nasty dirty trees. this is where a big back pack blower pays for itself.

Click to expand...

You think a backpack blower can move 2 ft. long sticks?

Yes sir. Mine does all day long. They blow winds at hurricane speed you know. Mine blows at 200 mph wind!

AmericanTurf said:

Yes sir. Mine does all day long. They blow winds at hurricane speed you know. Mine blows at 200 mph wind!

Click to expand...

OK cool. My handheld blower will blow at 191 mph. The reason a backpack is better than a handheld is because there is a greater volume of air coming out of the tube.

A blower would still take some time but without the sore arms. I'm thinking my dethatcher would be a good tool to use for willow branches.

AmericanTurf said:

A blower would still take some time but without the sore arms. I'm thinking my dethatcher would be a good tool to use for willow branches.

Click to expand...

OK thanks for the info! I remember I was glad when I finished that job last year because the week after that I started mowing......which is MUCH easier!!

AmericanTurf said:

Yes sir. Mine does all day long. They blow winds at hurricane speed you know. Mine blows at 200 mph wind!

Click to expand...

Have you ever gone airborne like James Bond?:smile:

motoman said:

Have you ever gone airborne like James Bond?:smile:

Click to expand...

Only a couple times! :laughing::laughing: haha just kidding.

OMG! lol I forgot I took these pictures this last Fall. Its from a huge Willow. I used the backpack plower to blow it it piles, then came in with the grasshopper with vac to pick it all up.