Homemade Lawn Clipping Blower

Homemade Lawn Clipping Blower Jerry Reid puts his lawn clippings where he wants them, whether on the lawn or into the weeds. He can adjust the direction on the go or remove his adapter to blow the clippings vertically. That gives him a smooth spread and no windrowing, which is common with OEM mower output in heavy grass. Reid’s lawn-clipping blower was a by-product of his leaf collection system (Vol. 50, No. 3). He’d modified the mower’s output by adding a tube that directed shredded leaves to the leaf cart. He also replaced the mower blades with shredding blades. However, when the leaf cart was removed and the mower blades were returned, the grass clippings were blown into the air. “When the grass clippings covered the front porch, my wife was not pleased,” recalls Reid. “At first, I put a bucket over the output tube, but then it had to be cleaned out periodically.” Reid’s solution was an elbow he could use to direct the flow of lawn clippings. Although he acknowledges that he could have purchased a swivel elbow, he chose to make one from salvaged materials. He designed it to fit loosely over the output pipe. A piece of aluminum tubing salvaged from an old lawn chair was attached to the end of the elbow to serve as a handle. “The elbow is loose enough that I can tilt it to direct the clippings toward the ground, like a regular discharge,” says Reid. “I can also direct the clippings up and away from the edge of the lawn and into the woods at the side of the lawn.” The only downside is that he has to hold the handle with one hand while mowing. Reid notes that in fabricating the elbow with salvaged materials, he had to fill some gaps with putty or caulk. “I also had to add a spring between the discharge tube and the elbow, or the air flow would blow it off,” says Reid. “The air pressure is enough that I can use the mower like a leaf blower if needed. It’s enough pressure that it hurts my hand if placed in the flow.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jerry Reid, 173 Henry Taylor Rd., New Market, Ala. 35761 (ph 256-519-0819).

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