There are several uses for lawn rollers. Knowing how and where to purchase or rent them is also essential when it comes time to use one. There are different types and uses for lawn rollers so we’ll look at a couple here.

So why exactly would you use a lawn roller?

There are several main, or popular, reasons for using lawn rollers. One is if you’re getting ready to seed or overseed your lawn and the other is if you’re laying sod. Another purpose, which really goes along with what we’ve suggested in all our lawn sweeper articles, is for smoothing out a lawn and making it more level for easier and more precise mowing. As we’ve stated many times before, lawn sweepers work the best on ground or yards that are level and void of any big mounds, bumps, roots, or ruts. So utilizing a lawn roller is a good way of improving the efficiency of your lawn sweepers. If you have a big mound in your yard, you can remove dirt from around the edges of the mound and then roll it with the lawn roller. Think of it sort of as a huge divot left by a golf ball and the process that goes into refilling your divot. And if you golf anything like I do, you have a lot of them!

Rolling For Seeding

Before overseeding you can roll the lawn several times to pad down the grass, and then rake away all the dead grass and seed. However, if you’re seeding for the first time, there’s a lot more steps to take before you use your roller. First is testing the Ph level of your soil which should be around 6. To 7.5. Next you’ll want to make sure you get all large rocks, sticks, and any other debris clear so it’s nice and clean. If you have big dirt clogs or mounds of soil that is compacted, us a tiller or hand tiller to break them up into more “dirt” than clump. While tilling is the best time to spread out any starter fertilizer or soil additives you plan on using. Next I like to use a regular garden rake or light screen to level the soil as much as possible before using the lawn roller. Now it’s time to use your lawn roller. Roll as many times as necessary to get the most even ground which helps with proper water drainage.

Lawn Roller and Laying Sod

The laying and planting of sod is when you most often see and use lawn rollers. Most rollers use water as their main source of weight since they can be stored relatively light compared to their operating weight. Unless you’re installing a lot of sod and may even do some each year, there’s no need to really purchase a lawn roller. However, if you live on a farm or have a lot of land and do a lot of work, you may benefit from purchasing one; although they can be quite expensive. In most cases, renting one from your local lawn and garden store is probably your best bet.

Once your sod is rolled out, making sure your edges are all tightly together and staggered, (this article is about lawn rollers not laying sod) you’re ready to roll your new sod! Simply speaking, the lawn roller’s purpose is to remove any large air pockets and make sure the sod is firm contact with the soil beneath it giving the roots of the sod a good chance for healthy growth. If you don’t roll, you may end up with some roots not touching the soil underneath and dead spots in your lawn.

Types of Lawn Rollers

Like most garden equipment, rollers come in many different shapes and sizes. The most common are the rollers that are filled with water for weight. This makes them easier to transport when not in use. There are rollers that are filled with sand or concrete, but those are best used for sod farms or places where they won’t need to be transported far or often. Basically there are two ways of pushing or pulling the roller; by hand or by tractor. Both work well and it obviously depends on your need or equipment. Most can be rented for anywhere from $13 to $30 depending on the type.

If you’re thinking about purchasing a lawn sweeper, there are a number of things you’ll want to take into consideration prior to making your sweeper purchase. Using reviews is one such way to insure you’re getting what you expect. As with any purchase, especially if shopping online, you want to keep your expectations in check. Getting the most out of reviews is one such way. Even with that in mind however, there comes a time when you’ll just have to make a decision. Here are a few tips to think about when reading lawn sweeper reviews online:

• Has the individual noted both good and bad qualities about the particular sweeper, or do they seem to be onesided (specifically on the “good” side). With online sales ever increasing, you have to be weary sometimes of people with ties to a specific brand of yard sweeper coming online to fluff up reviews. This tactic is common in many online review sites and is more prevalent with certain products, but it does happen with lawn equipment as well.
• What were the expectations of the individual who posted the review prior to purchasing their lawn sweeper? Many times people expect their yard sweeper to pick up everything that gets deposited on their lawn. We see a lot of bad reviews for sweepers that that owner didn’t feel lived up to their expectations in this area. It’s important to remember that a yard sweeper is not going to pick up everything. Large sticks, pine cones, and almost anything wet is often not the ideal debris to be picking up with a lawn sweeper. Having realistic expectations of your purchase prior to making the decision to buy is important in getting the right product for yourself.
• Look to see if there are any re-occurring themes in the review for a particular sweeper. Many times you can get a really good idea of the quality or features of a sweeper because the reviews will continually bring up the same issues. For example in our research we found one common review statement about the Yardwise 25” Sweep It Push Yard Sweeper to be that seemed cheap in quality. Obviously this is not the best review you want for your product, but since it’s the cheapest one we list and review here on BestLawnSweeper.com, that’s to be expected. Even with that said and a “you get what you pay for attitude” most reviewers felt the Yardwise lived up to their expectations and was a good purchase over all.

We’re trying to post new lawn sweeper reviews as often as we can or a new model comes out, but most online shopping sites have great reviews on the products you may be looking for. Try and avoid the actual manufacturer’s site as best you can, obviously they’ll be biased about the features and performance of their equipment.

Here is a list of some of the yard and lawn sweepers we’ve reviewed on our site:

Under $100

Yardwise 25” Sweep It Push Yard Sweeper

$100 to $200

Precision Products 26” Push Lawn Sweeper

$200 to $300

Agri fab lawn sweeper

Tow Behind Yard Sweeper

Parker Suburbanite 36” Tow Behind Lawn Sweeper

Like any online or brick and mortal store purchase, at some point you’re going to have to make a decision. I know how difficult it can become to pull the trigger on a purchase sometimes or get caught up in analysis paralysis. When thinking about lawn sweeper reviews, just keep the basics in mind mentioned earlier: expectations achieved by the person who is doing the review, watching for common themes in the reviews of the particular sweeper, and keeping your own expectations in check when finally making your purchase.

When looking for a yard sweeper, the main thing is to really think about your expectations. What do you want to accomplish? Most yard sweepers, obviously are used for simply sweeping leaves. Which they work great for by the way.

As do most people, I dislike raking leaves. I guess “dislike” would be a kind word. Don’t get me wrong, I love working in the yard, but I also like being as productive as I can, and spending hours raking leaves doesn’t seem too productive to me when there’s better tools and equipment out there for the job.

Enter the Yard Sweeper! These things are great, you can either get a manual or push model, such as one of our favorites, the Precision Products 26-Inch Push Lawn Sweeper, or one of the bigger boys to tow behind a garden tractor. For a tow behind, one we see getting the best reviews is the Agri-Fab 38-Inch Tow Lawn Sweeper which lists for around $270. Now, with that said, the Agri-Fab is only our favorite here because that’s the most popular model and one where we found the most reviews. We also have a full page review on the Parker Suburbanite – 36in. Wide Tow Behind Lawn Sweeper. This guy is really nice but lists up around $900. Which is a lot for even the serious lawn enthusiast?

The more expensive models such as the Parker Suburbanite is touted to be more for turf professionals and those who take care of turf surfaces for a living. And yes, like anything else, you do get what you pay for. But lets look at a couple important factors when looking to purchase a yard sweeper or lawn sweeper.

First, what do you expect it to do? Meaning, do you expect it to pick up only leaves? If that is the case, then most of the push models (and most certainly the more expensive ones) will do just that. However, it is good to note that they do best when sweeping up dry leaves. That is pretty generally across the board on all lawn sweepers.

If you’re looking for something a little more industrial, and you have a lawn tractor or ATV to pull the sweeper, then some of the more expensive ones may be your better choice. Most sweepers in both categories will pick up small sticks and even some smaller pine cones and maybe pine needles. Check out our reviews and those around shopping sites to see which may work best for you.

And always consider storage space available also and keep in mind that most yard sweepers work best on mostly even lawns.

Whatever model you choose, make sure you know what to expect. Many lawn and yard equipment like sweepers are made for certain jobs. Having the right expectations will making your shopping experience more enjoyable. Oh, and also remember, that unless you purchase a used one, most lawn sweepers come with “some assembly required.”

Looking for a yard sweeper? There so many different choices out there when it comes to lawn and yard sweepers. How do you know which one is the best for you? Try reading Choosing The Best Lawn Sweeper to get an idea of what factors to look for when searching for your yard sweeper.

I don’t know about you, but I hate raking leaves. As a child I had to clear out the fence between our yard and the neighbors every fall. I hated doing that. If only I would have had a yard sweeper then, and used it a few times as the leaves fell, it would have saved me a bunch of time.

The first thing you will want to think about is whether or not you have a riding lawn mower or something to pull the sweeper with. This will obviously depend on the size of your yard. Storage is another thing to keep in mind; some of these sweepers are quite wide and can take up a lot of space in your garage or storage shed in the off months.

Let’s look at a few different ones.

Sweepit! Multi-Function Yard Sweeper

This sweeper sells for around $90 and, from our research; you will find it listed as the Yardwise 25″ Sweep It Yard Sweeper. Sears show’s this item to sale for $94.99.

Some reviews on this item say it does take some time to assemble, so be ready for that. The reviews vary from 20 minutes to 1 ½ hours. Although that seems like quite a difference to me… hmmm, maybe someone forgot some parts. Most like this yard sweeper also for it is lightweight and easy to maneuver.

Precision Products 25’ Push Yard Sweeper

The Precision Products 25’ Push Lawn Sweeper is another one of our favorites. It runs a little more than the Yardwise, averaging around $112. Some pro’s and cons of this sweeper is the low hamper capacity, which is common on the lower end push sweepers, and not the greatest customer support from the manufacturer. Something to think about is there are some moving parts on these things obviously, and things can go wrong. But for the most part, if assembled properly and used correctly, these things can and do work as expected.

Again, as we pointed out in Choosing the Best Lawn Sweeper, it is important that you have reasonable expectations for the equipment you choose. Most of these lower priced yard sweepers are designed for lightweight work. Many will not pick up wet leaves, big sticks or pinecones, or work well on lawns that are uneven. We always stress to know what to expect so you are not disappointed with your purchase.

If you do have a garden tractor or SUV, you may want to look at purchasing a pull-behind or tow-behind variety. These yard sweepers are more expensive obviously, but can handle some of the more tough jobs better than the less expensive pull models.

Parker Suburbanite – 36in. Wide Tow Behind Yard Sweeper

The Parker Suburbanite – 36in. Wide Tow Behind Lawn Sweeper is sort of difficult to find reviews on and we haven’t used this product ourselves. However, it seems to be constructed really well, which would be expected at around $900. It is constructed from a frame made from tubular steel and has cast iron wheels. Not much plastic on this bad boy. With a width of 36 inches, this yard sweeper can cover a yard in now time. The best part, it can hold 17 cubic feet of material and comes with a stronger vinyl hopper material than seen on the less expensive sweepers.

We can’t stress enough the importance of having the right expectations when purchasing yard sweepers. Just keep that in mind when shopping.

Choosing the best lawn sweeper is important. Some questions you’ll want to ask yourself are:

•    What will you be picking up with the yard sweeper?
•    Do you have a lawn tractor?
•    How big is your yard?
•    How much storage do you have?
•    How much do you want to spend?
•    Do you prefer a tow behind  or push lawn sweeper?

The best choice is always going to be the one that fits many of the above categories. Many people enjoy the larger hamper sized lawn sweepers but do not take into consideration the storage space needed store them. Especially since, depending on where you live, the sweeper may be a seasonal piece of lawn equipment. Will the large hamper or hopper capacity and width be worth the trade off for valuable storage space?

Another area of consideration is your expectations. Are you wanting to pickup leaves? Do you have several pine trees that are shedding their needles constantly that you need the sweeper to pick up? What about pine cones, are they small or large cones?

If you’re not even sure what a lawn sweeper is, check out What is a Lawn Sweeper to get started. If you’re already sure of your needs, check out the different categories we have listed here. We’re consistently updating the list and searching out the best reviews on each product in all categories.

Main Advantages of a Lawn Sweeper

It’s always good to remember that lawn sweepers (sometimes called; garden sweeper, yard sweeper, and turf sweeper) are a good alternative to gas powered leaf blowers. They’re better for the environment (the manual push ones obviously) and you don’t have to worry about fussing with gas/oil mixtures! Additionally, leaf blowers only move the leaves which mean you still have to collect them anyway. Not so with the lawn sweeper, so you’re saving yourself a step. Another great advantage is that they pretty much sweep your lawn. So you don’t get piles of grass and leaves which can kill the grass in those areas.

Types of Lawn Sweepers

There are two main types of lawn sweepers, the tow behind lawn sweeper and push lawn sweeper. Now you may also hear this equipment referred to as a yard sweeper as well, but they’re basically the same thing; meaning they sweep your yard or lawn.

Tow Behind Lawn Sweeper

A tow behind sweeper is, shockingly, towed behind something. Most often you’ll see these made to be pulled or towed behind a garden/lawn tractor or even an ATV. I know some schools in my area use ATV’s to tow lawn sweepers over their turf fields to pick up leaves and debris, we review the Parker Suburbanite Tow Behind Lawn Sweeper which is advertised for turf professionals. It’s pretty darn expensive though and is in our over $800 category which puts it out of reach for most common home owners.

One of the benefits of the tow-behind is, depending on the model, you can dump the hopper without leaving the seat of your tractor. Although make sure you check the features because some of these do not offer this and honestly, I don’t see getting one that doesn’t have this feature. Tow behind yard sweepers also take up a lot more room to store and maneuver around the yard so you’ll need a yard which allows for the wide turning radius of some of these sweepers.

Push Lawn Sweeper

Push yard sweepers are manually operated, meaning by you the person using it. These are the most commonly used sweepers as they can be purchased pretty inexpensively. Most of these models do pretty well and take up less space to store and do pretty much the same thing as their tow-behind counterparts. Although smaller, they still can take up quite a bit of space in the garage although some do fold down for easier storage. Some of these are even light enough to hang on the wall or from hooks in your garage or shed. The main thing to think about when looking at tow behind sweepers is how much hopper or hamper capacity to you want. Obviously there are other considerations such as construction, warranty, price, etc, but hopper capacity is important. Also, whether or not the sweeper is easily pushed as the hopper fills with leaves. This is when better construction comes into play.

Before You Purchase

The main point to remember when choosing a lawn sweeper is to take into consideration the bulleted points listed above. Making the right choice for your expectations will ensure you get the most value and use out of your purchase. And be sure to check out some lawn sweeper reviews.

Getting the right tool for the job is essential, especially in yard work. No one likes to work harder than they have to right?

Other Considerations and thoughts on yard sweepers and lawn care

It is always a good idea take into consideration what happens when you leave dead grass and leaves on your lawn. Think about it, grass is a plant and needs oxygen and sunlight to grow healthy. When we leave dead grass and leaves on our lawn, we’re depriving the growing grass of needed air and sunlight. Have you ever left a garden hose or something piled on your lawn? Only to move it later and find that the grass is discolored and dying underneath? Any type of yard sweeper or blower is going to help your lawn breathe better thus making it healthier. You may also consider something like a yard or lawn vacuum. Most of these work just like a vacuum, from hand held, push, to riding, some of them even double as wood chippers.

Even if you have to use a hand rake, clearing old debris off of your lawn is only going to make it healthier. Obviously we like the yard sweepers here because that’s what we’re all about, but in the long run we all want a healthy green lawn. So not matter how you get there, just remember to keep it clear of things that block sunlight, air, and water. Also keep in mind that yard and lawn sweepers work best on level, even lawns. Lawns with large ruts, mounds, or roots obviously don’t work as well. There are ways you can level out your lawn and using a lawn roller may be something you’ll want to consider if your lawn has some big bumps in it.

Top Rated Lawn Sweepers

Taking a look at the bulleted list above, the top rated yard sweeper will be different depending on your needs. According to customer reviews from Home Depot, the Brinly 42 In. Lawn Sweeper received the best reviews. For lawn sweepers under $200, we would have to suggest the Precision Products 26 inch push lawn sweeper.

If you hate raking leaves as much as I do, then a lawn sweeper is for you. Basically, one to sweep your lawn. Yes it really is that simple.  Some lawn sweepers are pulled behind riding lawn mowers. Which definitely makes them easier to use. However you do have to own a riding mower to use one. Other types are self-propelled and human powered. As with the different types, price ranges vary greatly also. The self-propelled and tractor pull-behind are going to be more expensive but require less manual labor. Which isn’t this the reason we’re looking at them in the first place?

One complaint of lawn sweepers is the assembly. Much like gas grills sometimes they can be difficult to assemble. So when looking to purchase one it always helps to find a saler who may assemble the product for you at no extra cost. When deciding to purchase a sweeper, there are many different options, sizes, and price ranges to take into consideration.

The different specifications can include: description, working width, hamper capacity, brushes (width and count), wheels & tires, bearings, reverse capability, storage, and warranty.

When deciding on a model or type, it’s best to determine your specific needs and most importantly lawn surface area and whether or not you have a riding mower.  And of course price is a big factor, which can range anywhere from $150 to more than $600. The less expensive models are obviously powered by you, the human, whereas the most expensive being attached to lawn mowers or garden tractors.

The sweeper works by using a set of brushes or combs which spin on a cylinder (usually the wheel axle) while the sweeper is moved across the lawn. As the brushes spin or rotate, they “sweep” leaves or other debris into a hopper or hamper. It really is like using a vacuum sweeper on your lawn. Additionally, it helps if your lawn is cut fairly short and is somewhat even.

It’s also important to point out that push lawn sweepers are a great alternative to leaf blowers. They’re a lot more ecologically friendly and not to mention you don’t have to purchase gas or worry amount which gas can has the gas/oil mixture in it!

So if you really hate raking leaves and have some extra cash to spend, why not try out a lawn sweeper? And make sure to stick around BestLawnSweeper.com as we’ll be comparing lawn sweepers, lawn care tips, and discussing the differences in products.