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I am looking forward to Pinestraw season. This year I am gathering materials to build a new and improved baler. It looks like we have maybe two more weeks of grass and then I can go to work on my baler in ernest.

I will post pictures when I get started.

jekjr said:

I am looking forward to Pinestraw season. This year I am gathering materials to build a new and improved baler. It looks like we have maybe two more weeks of grass and then I can go to work on my baler in ernest.

I will post pictures when I get started.

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The needles will soon be falling off the pine trees here, too. This time last year they were already falling. Here we just put it at the curb and get rid of it with the leaves....no one uses it for mulch.

Down here many pitot on beds for mulch. We bale it and sell it when we can find clean straw.

jekjr said:

Down here many pitot on beds for mulch. We bale it and sell it when we can find clean straw.

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Yeah I think it looks nice on the flower beds. Here the only time it's done is on properties that are full of pine trees, so people just keep the pine needles that fall for around the trees, because if you put mulch down and try to rake up the pine needles it will rake up the mulch as well. But other than that it's 100% mulch.

Pine straw looks good when it is done right.
We trench around the beds. Then tuck the straw with a flat shovel or roll it with a blower.
I try not to do it much. Not a lot of profit. Unless you can bale your own.

Carscw said:

Pine straw looks good when it is done right.
We trench around the beds. Then tuck the straw with a flat shovel or roll it with a blower.
I try not to do it much. Not a lot of profit. Unless you can bale your own.

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In our part of the world I would say that pine straw is by far used more than any other kind of mulch.

I built a pine straw baler a while back out of wood with an air cylinder to compress the bales. I am now in the process of building one out if metal. I am going to put it in a better trailer. I am excited about getting it going. I hope to work on it this week.

jekjr said:

In our part of the world I would say that pine straw is by far used more than any other kind of mulch.

I built a pine straw baler a while back out of wood with an air cylinder to compress the bales. I am now in the process of building one out if metal. I am going to put it in a better trailer. I am excited about getting it going. I hope to work on it this week.

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Yeah I remember the pics you posted of the baler. It looked nice. Keep us posted on your new one.

lawn mower fanatic said:

Yeah I remember the pics you posted of the baler. It looked nice. Keep us posted on your new one.

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I am revamping my rake as well. I am putting two linear actuators on it. One to lift it and one to angle it. That should greatly enhance the way it rakes. It will give me the ability to put down pressure on as well.

jekjr said:

I am revamping my rake as well. I am putting two linear actuators on it. One to lift it and one to angle it. That should greatly enhance the way it rakes. It will give me the ability to put down pressure on as well.

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Sounds like it will work well for you! :thumbsup:

jekjr said:

I am revamping my rake as well. I am putting two linear actuators on it. One to lift it and one to angle it. That should greatly enhance the way it rakes. It will give me the ability to put down pressure on as well.

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I put a front hub from a lawn mower on the front to use to make it swivel left and right. I also ordered the actuators and switches today. We have a couple of yards to cut tomorrow and then I am going to start laying some stuff out on my new baler as well.

I bought an air compressor yesterday to power my new unit. We used an electric air compressor on the trailer with a generator on the trailer to pull it. This new compressor is gas powered.

9 gal. 212cc 135 PSI Wheelbarrow Air Compressor EPA III

jekjr said:

I put a front hub from a lawn mower on the front to use to make it swivel left and right. I also ordered the actuators and switches today. We have a couple of yards to cut tomorrow and then I am going to start laying some stuff out on my new baler as well.

I bought an air compressor yesterday to power my new unit. We used an electric air compressor on the trailer with a generator on the trailer to pull it. This new compressor is gas powered.

9 gal. 212cc 135 PSI Wheelbarrow Air Compressor EPA III

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Now that's a heavy duty compressor!

lawn mower fanatic said:

Now that's a heavy duty compressor!

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I use that same machine for sprinkler blowout

exotion said:

I use that same machine for sprinkler blowout

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How long have you had it and have you had any problems with it.

jekjr said:

In our part of the world I would say that pine straw is by far used more than any other kind of mulch. I built a pine straw baler a while back out of wood with an air cylinder to compress the bales. I am now in the process of building one out if metal. I am going to put it in a better trailer. I am excited about getting it going. I hope to work on it this week.

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I remember you posting about it.

jekjr said:

How long have you had it and have you had any problems with it.

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Over a year it sits for months starts every time. Has a ton of air seems like I rarely have to wait for a charge. Not the best cfm but only comes into play when I'm trying to do something I shouldn't

Started over the weekend modifying my rake to work on the front of my 4wheeler. I have two linear actuators to install. One to raise the unit off the ground and one to change the angle on it so that it will push straight on or rake to the side kind of like a snow plow plows. Hope to get my baler finished before too much longer. Hope to post some pictures before too much longer.

Do post pictures of it!

And you if you can, of your mowing setup. You seem to have a lot of equipment.

Lawnboy18 said:

Do post pictures of it!

And you if you can, of your mowing setup. You seem to have a lot of equipment.

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I am currently working on three different projects all with a short deadline. My newest straw baler which is fast coming together. My straw rake which I am modifying to put on the front of my 4 wheeler, and a leaf box on a lawn cart trailer to pull behind my Kubota zero turn.

The leaf box is currently a frame work of light metal that I am going to cover with tin. I took a 6' heavy stovepipe fitting and will use it for a transition piece to hook the hose that runs from the blower on my mower deck to the trailer.

The reason I am building this contraption is I have some properties that have a considerable amount of leaves that have to brought a distance to dump. It is just too much work to use the regular bagger on the mower to do it because I have to dump too often. A comparable unit from Tractor Supply was over $1000 on sale a while back. It of course has a motor pulling the blower on it. I am going to utilize the blower on the deck of my mower I and bought a section of hose to run from the mower to the trailer. If it works as I hope it will, I will be out less than $100 for materials to build it since I am going to utilize things I already have to build it. I am building it so that I can easily remove it from the trailer and reinstall it so that the trailer is not tied up with it from now on.

Lawnboy18 said:

Do post pictures of it!

And you if you can, of your mowing setup. You seem to have a lot of equipment.

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What do you mean of my mower setup? Equipment total?........

Yea, or a picture of all the stuff in the trailer. I love to see pictures like that.

Lawnboy18 said:

Yea, or a picture of all the stuff in the trailer. I love to see pictures like that.

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I will try to get some tomorrow.

Great!

Lawnboy18 said:

Great!

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Yucky day today. I will get to it though. Sorry.

Lawnboy18 said:

Yea, or a picture of all the stuff in the trailer. I love to see pictures like that.

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Here is a few pics.

Nice equipment! That trailer is full! What is the size of the trailer?

Lawnboy18 said:

Nice equipment! That trailer is full! What is the size of the trailer?

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16' V nose.

Good size! That V nose gives you a few more feet also!

jekjr said:

Here is a few pics.

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I like how everything has a place on the walls of the trailer. :thumbsup: