- in Garden , Lawn Sweeper by David Miller
Best Lawn Sweeper Reviews [2024] – Sweep Leaves Like A Pro
Tired of leaves, acorns and pine needles on your lawn? Me too. I’ve got some big maple and pine trees in my yard and they scatter leaves and needles all over the place.
I’ve tried raking but it takes forever. Leaf blowers are too noisy and not nearly as effective as they should be for the money.
Have you got the same problem? If you've got a riding mower then hooking up the best lawn sweeper to it will save you plenty of time and make sweeping that lawn a breeze.
Besides the time and effort it saves, keeping those leaves off your lawn will also help your grass to grow better. Buying a top rated lawn sweeper is an investment not only in your time but in keeping that lawn looking tidy and green.
We put together some lawn sweeper reviews and a buying guide to help you make the best choice.
Best Lawn Sweeper Comparison Table
Image | Model | Type | Hopper (Cu. Ft.) | Sweeper Width (Inches) | Price | Rating |
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Tow Behind | 12 | 42" | $$ | |||
Tow Behind | 25 | 44" | $$$$ | |||
Tow Behind | 27 | 52" | $$$$ | |||
Tow Behind | 20 | 42" | $$$ | |||
Tow Behind | 22 | 42" | $$$ | |||
Tow Behind | 26 | 50" | $$$ | |||
Tow Behind | 13 | 42" | $$$ | |||
Push | 7 | 26" | $$ | |||
Push | 3 | 18" | $$$$ | |||
Push | 3.5 | 21" | $ |
Best Lawn Sweeper Reviews
What is the best lawn sweeper to buy? Check out the top rated products that made it into our lawn sweeper reviews.
This is easily the best lawn sweeper for the money. Every aspect of the design of this sweeper is focused on optimum performance and ease of use.
The 25 cubic feet hopper has a mesh back for reduced weight and a flow thru design to maximize the use of the hopper capacity.
In this newer model Agri-Fab has used a dump lever that allows you to dump without leaving your seat. The brush height is easily adjusted with a pull button lever. The height adjustment levels are marked on an indicator and the design ensures that your height setting never slips.
The tow hitch can be adjusted to an offset position which allows you to cut your grass and sweep up the clippings in one pass.
In spite of its 44-inch sweep and large capacity hopper this lawn sweeper is easy to store. The entire sweeper can be collapsed and folded up for easy storage. You could even fit this in your outdoor bicycle shed.
The hitch height is adjustable so it’ll fit your tractor regardless of the hitch height.
This best selling lawn sweeper picks up everything including grass clippings, leaves, pine needles and pine cones with ease. Give your lawn a buzz with your commercial weed eater and then pick up all those clippings with this lawn sweeper.
The assembly instructions aren’t the greatest so rather check Youtube if you can’t work it out yourself. You'll see this model featuring in most leaf sweeper reviews.
If you’re looking for a smaller, lighter lawn sweeper then this unit from Agri-Fab with it’s durable, lightweight poly construction is a great choice. The hopper size is half that of its big brother but with a 42-inch sweep width you’ll still be covering plenty of ground in good time.
It weighs about 30% less which makes it a good option if you need something more maneuverable. The no-tool height adjustment makes it simple to set the sweeper to the right height and the tow hitch will easily attach to any tractor.
The hopper folds up compactly and the sweeper will store easily up against your garage wall. Again, the instructions aren’t great but assembly was pretty easy and took around 1.5 hours. You’ll need two pairs of hands for some of the assembly though. This is a top rated lawn sweeper and will pick up just about anything!
This great sweeper from Brinly uses 6 high speed brushes and indexed height adjustments to provide maximum pickup of just about any garden debris.
The 42-inch sweep width is a comfortable size and the 20 cubic feet hopper is plenty big enough to reduce your trips to dump.
Pine needles and grass clippings are normally the tough ones to pick up and this sweeper manages to pick up about 70% to 80% on the first pass.It's probably the best lawn sweeper for pine needles that we've seen. After you trim your lawn with your cordless weed eater this sweeper will clean up great.
A lot of thought has gone into designing this lawn sweeper for optimum storage. The hopper and support beams fold up to minimize the amount of space it’ll take up in your garage without having to disassemble it. Assembly takes around 2 hours and is a little challenging with certain parts like the wheels being especially tricky. Once it’s put together it does a good job of keeping your lawn clean in pretty quick time.
This is the best push lawn sweeper for the money. If you don’t have a ride on mower or tractor then this unit with its 26-inch sweep width will still have you clearing that lawn in record time.
At only 25 pounds it’s really light and the well designed handle and big wheels make it a breeze to push and maneuver. Because it’s so light you can easily store it by hanging it from the handle.
You’ve got to remove the hopper bag to empty it but it’s really easy to do. The bag has a 7 cubic feet capacity which is a good compromise between capacity and how often you’ll need to dump.
The Polyprop housing and zinc plated frame have a durable feel about them. The vinyl bag is pretty durable but will probably have to be replaced after a few seasons. If you want a simple but effective leaf picker upper then this push lawn sweeper is your best bet.
This heavy duty lawn sweeper uses spiral brushes to good effect and will pick up almost anything from your lawn. It’s made in the USA and the quality of the materials they’ve used looks pretty good.
The tow hitch has 3 different hitch height points so it will fit most, if not all, tractor hitches.
The hopper has a capacity of 22 cubic feet but filling it to the top makes it a little difficult when you pull the rope to dump it. It’s probably best to dump once it’s half or two thirds full.
Assembly is a bit challenging with special care required when fitting the tension rods. It doesn’t store as easily as some of the other sweepers we’ve reviewed but this is a solidly built lawn sweeper and it works really well.
Make sure the rope to the hopper is properly adjusted to keep the bottom of the hopper from dragging on the floor.
If you want to sweep your lawn in double quick time then this unit with a 50-inch sweep width will do the job nicely. It will suit large, flat and open spaces because it’s not the easiest to maneuver in a tight spot.
It uses 11 spiraled polypropylene brushes that are geared to spin at 4.5 revolutions for each turn of the wheels.
At it’s lowest height adjustment it does a great job with pine needles.
Ohio Steel have used sealed ball bearings on the brush axle which is a nice touch. This is where a lot of trouble starts on cheaper lawn sweepers.
At 26 cubic feet the hopper gives you plenty of capacity and the chute is extra wide (9 inches) to prevent clogging.The hopper is removable and collapses but this is a large lawn sweeper and not the easiest to store. It was one of the easier lawn sweepers to assemble, though.
If you’re tired of making too many sweeps to clean up that massive yard of yours then you’ve got to go large. This 52” wide tow behind lawn sweeper from Agri-Fab is one of the bigger units we’ve reviewed.
They haven’t made it too heavy, though and at 96 pounds it’s still fairly easy to maneuver. The steel frame and the hopper bag are all very sturdy and made from highly durable materials.
The height adjustment is easily done to about 6 distinct settings and the positive lock prevents any slippage.
Again, their assembly instructions aren’t great and it takes a fair amount of time to assemble. Once you’ve managed to put it together you’ve got a great lawns sweeper. It performs really well even with grass clippings and pine needles.
Being fairly big it's going to need a larger storage area so it probably won't fit into a portable garage.
Acorns can be a real pain in the, well, in the foot. They’re also notoriously difficult to pick up with a regular sweeper. This is one of the best acorn picker units we’ve seen. It’s not cheap but it performs really well and will pick up almost all of the acorns from your lawn on the first pass.
The drum rolls easily as you push the acorn picker from behind and when the basket is full it lifts out easily by the handles for simple emptying.
Besides acorns, it will also pick up Almonds, Hickory nuts, Hazelnuts, Black walnuts and Pecans. Pretty much anything with a diameter of between ⅜” and 1 ¼”.
Assembly is pretty simple and the quality of materials makes this a very durable, made in the USA, product. The 18” width of the sweeper is a good compromise between maneuverability and speed of clearing the lawn.
Some of the best lawn sweeper options can get a little pricey but if you’re looking for a cheap lawn sweeper that still does a fairly good job then this unit is a good bet.
It’s lightweight and a breeze to push and maneuver. The 21-inch sweep width is fine for smaller to medium lawns.
We would have preferred a bigger hopper bag though. At 3.5 cubic feet you’re going to be doing a few more dumping trips than you’d like.
It does a fairly good job with leaves and twigs but don’t expect it to cope well with grass cuttings or pine needles. The height adjustment is pretty straightforward.
Because it’s so light it’s pretty simple to store and you could easily hang it in the garage. It’s not the most durable product though so treat it gently and don’t be surprised if you need to replace it after two or three seasons.
If you’re looking for a compromise between the expensive top rated lawn sweepers and the budget units then this is a good option.
It has a 42-inch sweep width and uses four 10-inch brushes to sweep up leaves, pine needles, twigs and grass clippings fairly efficiently.
The universal pin-style hitch connects easily to whatever tractor or ATV you use.
The 13 cubic feet hopper is made from a durable mesh and dumps easily by pulling a rope without having to leave your seat.
The quick height adjustment lever allows for adjustments to be made while sitting on your mower and the non-slip mechanism ensures that your setting stays where you put it. Assembly of this sweeper is nowhere near as simple as the manufacturer claims and the instructions are terrible. Once you get it put together it’s worth the effort.
Lawn Sweeper Buying Guide
Lawn sweepers, also called leaf sweepers, in general rely on the same basic principle: They have rotating brushes that sweep debris off the top of the lawn and scoop it back into a hopper. There are three main types to choose from.
Types Of Lawn Sweepers
Lawn sweepers come in three main types: Push, powered walk behind and tow behind.
Push lawn sweeper
These are manual lawn sweepers and rely on a little elbow grease to get the job done. As you push the lawn sweeper the wheels rotate and these in turn rotate the pickup brushes. As they spin around the sweep leaves into the hopper. Push lawn sweepers are great for smaller lawns where you wouldn’t need a riding mower but still don’t feel like grabbing the rake. They do take a little effort to use but they are still way quicker at tidying up that yard than a rake ever will be.
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Powered walk behind lawn sweeper
These are very similar to the push lawn sweepers except they have a motor (gas or electric) that activates the rotating brushes. A powered lawn sweeper allows you to go a little slower while picking up more debris because you’re not relying on the push speed to rotate the brushes quickly. Again, these are more suited to small to medium lawns but are a great solution if your lawn regularly gets covered in leaves and pine needles.
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Tow Behind Lawn Sweeper
If you’ve got a large lawn then you probably already know how big a difference that riding lawn mower has made to your weekend gardening efforts. Hooking the best tow behind lawn sweeper to your riding mower is also going to save you plenty of time. As the lawn sweeper is towed behind the mower the rotation of the wheels turns a gear that in turn spins the brushes. These don’t have any motors in them so there’s less maintenance required.
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What can it pick up?
The best lawn sweepers will be able to pick up leaves, twigs, pine cones, pine needles and similar debris. Some things are more tricky to pick up than others. If your lawn regularly gets covered in acorns then you’ll need a sweeper with a head specifically designed for acorns because your regular sweeper may struggle with them.
It’s best to give your lawn some time to dry. The leaves will be difficult to pick up when they are wet so don’t try to sweep your lawn before the morning dew has had a chance to evaporate. If it’s been raining and the leaves are really wet then you can forget it.
Even if you have the best lawn sweeper you’ll just be riding up and down and the leaves will stay stuck together on the ground. Nuts and helicopter seed leaves can be more tricky. These aren't the best way to get rid of dandelions either.If you’re trying to pick up acorns or other nuts then you may have to invest in a Bag-A-Nut nut picker upper.
Hopper Capacity
The capacity of the hopper is normally given in cubic feet. If it’s too small then you’ll have to dump it every few passes. If it’s too big then it’ll add a lot of weight to your sweeper and make it less manoeuvrable.
The quoted size of the hopper isn’t necessarily the amount that it can effectively store. The chute that sends the debris into the hopper can get backed up preventing the filling of all of the space in the hopper. Look for a lawn sweeper with a “flow thru” hopper. These are better at using all of the space in the hopper and you’ll reduce the amount of dumping trips you’ll have to make.
Regardless of the size hopper you decide on, don’t try to see how full you can possibly get it. Make sure that you empty the hopper regularly. If you keep filling it to the max every time you’re going to struggle to open it to dump the leaves.
Carrying that extra weight around will also put strain on the wheels and other bits and pieces of the lawn sweeper. If the hopper gets too heavy it may also end up dragging down at the back and lifting the brushes off of the lawn. When this happens you’re not going to be very effective at picking everything up.
You won't be sorry if you get a larger capacity though. Using a lawn sweeper after you've used your best corded electric lawn mower makes picking up extra grass clippings a breeze.
Hopper Dump Handle
Most tow behind lawn sweepers use a rope that you pull to empty the hopper. Normally this allows you to empty the hopper without getting of your rideon mower. It can be difficult to open when the pressure of a fully loaded hopper is pressing up against the hopper door.
A cantilever handle makes it far easier to open the hopper than the rope solution. It really just comes down to your preference but choose a solution that works for you. The mechanism to open the hopper is pretty simple so you can easily do a little DIY fix to make it suit your needs.
Sweeper Width
The width of the sweeper will determine the sweeping path you cover with each pass. The wider the sweeper, the more ground you’ll cover in less time. That isn’t to say that wider is always better. The width you choose really comes down to the size of your lawn, the terrain and any obstacles you may encounter.
If your lawn is fairly flat with large areas with no trees or other obstacles then go for the widest sweeper width you can find.
A wide sweeper is great when you’re doing long sweeps. Just make sure you can make the turn at the end of your sweep. If you need to manoeuvre in between trees or stumps then get something a little narrower and lighter.
As a rough guide you can work on around 21 inches for a small yard and 50 inches for a large lawn.
Tow Behind Lawn Sweeper Hitch
If you’re going for a tow behind lawn sweeper then make sure you get one with the right hitch for your mower or garden tractor. Hitches vary in height so it’s not going to be a case of “one size fits all.” If you’re not sure what height you need then to be safe you can get a lawn sweeper with a multi-height hitch.
If you already use a tow behind plug aerator then try to get a lawn sweeper with the same hitch height so it'll fit your ATV.
Height adjustment
Depending on what you’re trying to pick up you’ll need to get the sweeper height adjusted just right. For pine needles and grass clippings you want to go as low as possible. For twigs and pine cones you’ll need to set it higher.
Some of the cheap lawn sweepers have adjustable sweep heights but the adjustment mechanism will often slip and you’ll have to keep setting it. Go for a sweeper that has discreet height settings and a lock mechanism to keep them in place.
Some sweepers will allow for height adjustment while seated on your tractor so if you really don’t want to have to get up then look out for this option.
Lawn Sweeper Maintenance
Like any other piece of equipment with rotating parts, your lawn sweeper is going to need some maintenance. If it’s a powered walk behind leaf sweeper then you’re going to need to give that motor some attention every year.
Some new oil, spark plugs and a bit of a clean should be fine for the most part. Giving your lawn sweeper a good clean after use and a drop of lubrication on all the moving parts every few weeks will go a long way to keeping this pricey piece of equipment in good nick.
Replaceable parts
A hopper that uses a vinyl or mesh bag will be a lot lighter than the solid versions but eventually it will need to be replaced. Your rotating brushes are also going to eventually need replacing. Make sure that you can get spare parts fairly easily for the leaf sweeper that you decide to buy in the end.
Assembly
Understand that while the pictures you see online are of a fully assembled lawn sweeper it’s highly unlikely that it will be delivered like that. There’s going to be some assembly required but it’s normally nothing a screwdriver and a wrench can’t accomplish.
If you can read a simple assembly diagram and have some basic tools then you’ll be fine. Some suppliers will offer to ship you a fully assembled unit but the shipping costs will probably be higher.
Conclusion
Keeping your lawn free of leaves, twigs and grass clippings is a job that will never come to an end. There are easier ways to do it though and while lawn sweepers can be pricey they save a huge amount of time and are way easier to use than a rake.
If you’re looking for the best lawn sweeper to buy then make sure that you get one that has a wide enough sweep width, decent size hopper and an easy to use dump mechanism. It’s worth doing some research up front. Read lawn sweeper reviews to see how other gardeners fared with the product before buying yours.
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