Ohio Steel 50SWP26 Pro Sweeper, 50"/26 cu. ft ,Black

I bought this sweeper for picking up leaves and pine needles in the fall, and after using it four times now I am completely satisfied. It has cut down on the time I spend cleaning up my yard in the fall significantly.Before I got the sweeper I was using a double bagger and mulching all the leaves for about the last decade or so. While this works, if the leaves and pine straw are thick on the ground, the chute between the mower deck and the bags had a tendency to get clogged. I would have to stop, disassemble the chute, reach into both halves and empty the debris, otherwise mulched leaves would be flying out from underneath the mower deck. Beats raking by hand, but still time consuming and aggravating when you're trying to get done in a reasonable amount of time. For perspective, my yard is .54 of an acre and I have pine, maple, pecan and dogwood trees on my property. I also get a lot of leaves from my neighbor's giant oak tree if the wind blows right.Here's a summary of this tool if anyone's looking to get one.Packaging:The unit arrived in one heavy duty cardboard box. In my case the box was not damaged upon delivery, but it was opened because the staples had come loose. I think more staples should have been used around the perimeter of the box, not just the two ends. Luckily nothing was missing as all the hardware and tubing is in its own taped box that had a plastic strap around it. The main body which houses the brush was mostly undamaged except for a slight gouge. The paint was gone from this gouge but it was easily fixed with some primer and closely matched spray paint.Assembly:Pretty straightforward in my opinion. I did this by myself outside on a nice day in about 50 minutes without any trouble. I got thrown for a loop momentarily when some of the numbered hardware in one step does not correspond with the numbered hardware in the provided hardware package. In other words, around step 5 the hardware in the package does not match with the hardware that is supposed to be used in that step. I think it's actually used in step 6. I can't remember at this point as I did this in September. But it's easy to figure out in a minute or two.My included pictures show the labeling of the hardware and that the instructions are large, clear and easy to follow. Anyone that has assembled flat pack furniture or a grill or similar lawn equipment should have no trouble getting this sweeper up and operational.Use:I had never used a sweeper before, but reading the few pointers in the instruction manual were helpful to getting me on my way. Slight learning curve maybe that can be overcome in about 10 minutes of use. It does a good job of picking up debris. In my other pics one can see the contrast between the swept and unswept areas in my backyard. Does it throw leaves around? Yes, but very little and only when it becomes full. I just come back and get the stragglers when the main parts are swept up. Also, I do have some small dips here and there and tree roots. Those will affect the performance of the sweeper....it won't pick anything up since the brushes have no contact with the leaves. I just use my blower to clear those areas out first and get them to a much flatter and more wide open area. Then the sweeper can do its job. If you have a particularly bumpy yard this thing may not work that well for you as it would for someone with a relatively flat area. But honestly, unless your yard looks like a plowed field, you should be ok.Driving in reverse is almost impossible as it's such a short "trailer". Very easy to jack knife yourself. Just pull up to your pile or dump site and with a bit of practice you can back up about 5 or 6 feet with no issues.Summary:I hope this thing lasts because it's a big help and I enjoy using it. It seems like it's made pretty solid and of decent materials, so fingers crossed. I paid 383.00 with tax for mine and I think it's worth it. My bagger cost 300.00 and as mentioned above, it can't hold a candle to this thing. I'm pretty sure I can hold as much if not more debris in the sweeper's hopper, so that's a plus.Where I live, the town picks up yard debris once a week. With the bagger, I was mulching and this compacts the debris. So I was left with a heavy pile of almost compost like material laying on the lawn for up to a week. If it rained this pile got water logged and would kill my grass by smothering it. With the leaves being loose coming out of the sweeper, this makes my piles lighter and more airy. So my "footprint" increased but my grass isn't getting smothered....something else to think about maybe.Also, for reference, I am pulling this behind a Husqvarna with a 46" deck (YTH22V46).I hope this review helps someone else make a decision that is helpful to keeping up appearances in their yard

A great piece of equipment. I didnt really know if this product would work or not but it does wonders for grass clippings. I use the grass clippings for my chicken coop wet or dry grass. So far I'm incredibly impressed and I only used it for an hour. If you're looking to pick up grass clippings, leaves or light sticks, this is the product for you. And the equipment seems like it's a very good quality. This machine will make it so if you only mow once a month and want your yard to look nice after, it'll pick up the clippings.I mow like every 2 to 3 weeks due to my busy schedule and it makes my yard look like I mow it every week. Hopefully the brushes last a long time.

I like the sweeper but the brushes were not supplied with tightened bolts and the sweeping brushes fell off. Instruction manual did not recommend tightening all bolts. Once the bolts were purchased and installed the sweeper works great.

this item is a great time saver. I pull it behind a zero turn, Gravety mower. It picks up grass and leaves very well. Pretty easy to dump if you do not let it get completely full. It works very well. I would like to see it engineer where you could turn the sweeper on or off as it is being pulled. Currently if the wheels are turning the sweeper is turning. The only problem is if you have to travel over an are with gravel like a road or driveway, you are sweeping the rocks tool. But I was totally impressed how well it picks up leaves in the fall, and grass clippings in the summer. Great Item!

Bought this for my husband for Christmas, he LOVES IT! Was easy to put together and works great! We have over a 2 acre lawn and this picks up grass and leaves effortlessly. The only negative we have is the rope used to empty it was a pain and got caught in things so we removed it and he just gets off the tractor and pulls the basket forward manually and empties it, easy peasy! Best gift ever for a man who is meticulous about his lawn and was getting to old to rake it!