Moving mulch - Anyone have a Johnny Bucket JR

10 years ago

Just wondering how you all move very large piles of mulch year after year. I know a few of you have large yards such as Ken. Do you do it the old fashioned way shovel and a yard cart? I moved 20 yards of mulch in the spring of 2012... took me 2 days and a very sore back for a week. It felt more like work than fun... but that may change in the future....

I'm seriously considering getting a Johnny Bucket JR next year... if I can save enough up in time. It lifts and dumps with a push of a button. The only downside is that the bucket isn't nearly as large as my cart... so I would probably have to take 2-3 scoops in my cart then take it out back to dump. It would take both of my tractors... my Cub Cadet with the scoop & my craftsman with the cart. But it seems that it would be much easier and fun. However, it's the price that could have me rethinking $1200

I never thought they made anything like this for my tractor... I was just going to continue the old shovel method and hopefully in the future (10+ years) get me a large tractor.

hmm....

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Comments (11)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
before you invest.. put the shovel in the dirt..

and go buy a mulch fork like at the link ...

i almost spit our my teeth.. when a non-garden neighbor brought one over for me to try

i had been working way too hard for 2 decades... whats that all about

ken

ps: this gizmo ... i would bet my nickle.. you will regret it... you will think the 1200 is a bargain.. but it will be so underpowered or undersized.. that you will wish either.. you bought the actual tool you need.. or that your spent 1200 useless dollars ... unfortunately a bobcat.. used looks in the 35K range.. lol ... i have a barn half full of such.. ONLY .. ONLY... if you cant try one out.. would i suggest you buy one...

Here is a link that might be useful: link
whaas_5a
10 years ago
Posted an ad on craigslist, used my judgement in communication and now I have a guy that loads the mulch in the cart and I spread the mulch.

$240 to put out 50 yards and all I do is spread it. Need to replace every 2-3 years. But as each year passes, I'll need less as the skirt of my conifers are self mulching.

If would take me 12-15 years to breakeven on that bucket you mentioned plus takes it takes half the time with another helper and isn't putting wear and tear on my rider.

Thats just my thought process for my situation.
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ricksample
Original Author
10 years ago
I'm definitely afraid of wasting 1200... it only it were cheaper I wouldn't worry about it. It has great reviews online. Everyone says it operates quick and its constructed of thick steel. I can't find any negatives... but my biggest concern would be size.

Right now I just use a standard digging shovel for my chips. I don't think that mulch shovel would work on these, it may just fall through the cracks.

Once the house is paid off, I'll get me a large tractor with a bucket and brush hog. But that's definitely out of my reach for now. If this works like its supposed to, by picking up a full load of chips in one push, it would be well worth it. I'm more afraid that it'll only pick up a little at a time or I would have to do multiple pushes and shake the bucket in order to get a full load. It looks like it'll take a good 3 full scoops with the Johnny bucket to fill my lawn cart VS the 30 or so shovel scoops. see the link below for the video

Here is a link that might be useful: In Action
ricksample
Original Author
10 years ago
Good point Will. Mulching really is one of the few downsides of making all these beds. I don't have a problem with shoveling mulch.... I plan to do around 15 yards every spring and another 15 every fall for the next I don't know how many years. I was mostly looking for a faster way to mulch. Last year I did 20 yards and it was a little to much. 15 yards definitely wouldn't be as bad now that I think about it.

Your right though... once the conifers get larger I'll need less and less mulch... especially once they start filling in. Unfortunately for me that won't be for many years since it'll take me at least the next 5-6 years to get all the beds made and conifers planted. It's just the initial mulching that's harder, more costly and more time consuming. Once every bed is mulched and every plant put into the ground... I'll just have to add mulch occasionally and as the plants get larger I'll get to decrease the amount used.

That may be a bad investment after all
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
I don't think that mulch shovel would work on these, it may just fall through the cracks.

==>> thats what i thought.. and i tried it on a bunch of different piles.. and its amazing ...

on your video.. did you notice the death defying ramp to get it into a garden cart ....

the first thing you do.. is dig a hole/ramp ... to drive down into ... so the cart is level or slightly below the ground.. so you can simply push mulch into it ....

ken
ricksample
Original Author
10 years ago
I just want to make sure were on the same page... wood chips VS shredded brush lol... I've been getting my mulch in chips... not shredded. If you think it'll work on these, I'll give it a shot. It's an inexpensive solution that could have a positive impact. The downside to these large chips is that anything over the shovels edge will fall off. Shredded mulch is tangled and holds together better, keeping it from falling.

Sort of off topic question Ken, but next year I'm going to try my hardest to get some free shredded brush. The problem is when you call most places like I did last year they tell you they will deliver you a load of shredded brush (about 5-6 yards) for $100. Obviously they are trying to make a little money instead of sending it to a green recycling center or land field. What's a better option... paying $100 for 5-6 yards of shredded brush or paying for the same amount $160 for chips?

I order my chips by the 20 yards... so the price would be much higher. The $160 is just so we can compare apples to apples.

It looks like the wood chips will take a good 5 years to fully brake down... shredded brush I don't know what do you think... 2-3 years?

The problem is that we do have green recycling centers around here that take brush at no charge... it's easier for them to just dump off there anytime than to go to different homes dropping the stuff off. Next year I'm going to post ads in the paper or on craigslist offering $10 a yard or something to see if I get any bites. But even if I do, it may be more worth my while to get the chips since they should last twice as long unless I can get the brush for free.
David Shawver
10 years ago
I have a Johnny Bucket JR on my Husqvarna YT46LS. I also ordered and use the bucket extender and tooth adapter. To make the best use of it I also purchased some lug tires and wheel weights. I can't say enough good things about the product. I've used it to haul 4 dump truck loads of free wood chips, Many cubic yards of top soil and gravel. That thing is a beast. My only improvement suggestion would be to increase the speed of the up and down lift. I have the turbo tilt which is very speedy but the up and down side is rather slow. In the future I plan to purchase a set of clamp on light weight forks to assist with moving our container gardens between greenhouses. Now my mower investment can do a whole lot more than just mow....:)
gardens1
10 years ago
Rick, definitely take Ken's advice on the fork. When I first started mulching, I saw Ontario Hydro working about 2 miles from my home, clearing what everyone commonly calls cedar (thuja occidentalis) away from hydro lines and putting it through a chipper. I politely asked what they were going to do with the chips and they asked if I wanted some. I smiled and said I'm just straight up the highway, I'll take as many loads as you'll give me! They brought me about 5 truckloads and made me very happy! There was no way I was going to use a shovel on that, it just doesn't work very well. Hubby thought I would never use it all - ha! That was several loads ago. So when I'm ready to mulch, I go grab a manure fork from the barn. If I'm lucky, I even get my oldest son to load the mulch for me and drive it to where I need it. He gets to drive the tractor, and I get help. Seriously though, shovels just don't work well on that stuff. Forks work much better, and you'd be surprised at how little spills through between the tines.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
chipped brush??? ... yeah.. sure .. i will believe it when i see it ..

i have two tree guys who dont want to drag it 60 miles home.. so they call and dump ...

the good stuff is chipped ...

the bad stuff is wicked full of long straggly sorta chewed up small branches ... this is a nightmare to pull apart even with a good fork ... but its still wood .... its the sharpness of the chipper blades.. and the type of tree that dictates ....

one time they threw in a bunch of ... i am blanking.. the red leaved bushes with thorns ... barberry ... crikey.. i wont let them live that one down ... it shredded.. and those things poke right thru heave leather work gloves ...

frankly.. you have to go see.. what they offer for the money ... just like if you were buying soil... hold it.. smell it... etc ...

i dont know what else to tell you ...

wonder it gwrace is a car ride away.. to see how it works in person ... but it sounds like he doubled the cost of his mower with all the add ons.. but it also sounds like he is in the biz... as in its as a CODB ... cost of doing biz ...???

ken
mikebotann
10 years ago
I use a six tine, long handle fork and a wheelbarrow for moving woodchips. Works for me. Even one with five tines works.
The fork in Ken's link can also shovel wet sand, as well as screened topsoil. As Gardens1 said, "You'd be surprised".
When I was landscaping, we used a fork that looked like a scoop shovel with tines. That thing could really move mulch! It could also move purchased topsoil faster than a shovel ever could. It wasn't a back breaker if you used your knees correctly, instead of your back to do the lifting. I'm 70, now and not in a hurry, so I use a 6 tine fork with a long handle, instead of the many tined short handled fork.
If the chips are dropped on a driveway a flat shovel will work, but not as fast as a fork. Never have the chips dropped on a tarp. It's a lot more work. A fork or shovel will always hook on the tarp.
Mike
ritmatt
10 years ago
This is a really old thread and I'm sure the OP has long since lost interest, but for the sake of future readers that may happen upon this discussion using the forum's search function, I thought I'd weigh in.

I agree with others that a mulch or manure fork is a far more efficient tool than a typical shovel to move mulch. However, for moving mulch from a hard, flat surface (such as the back of a pickup or a driveway), nothing beats a good snow shovel or grain scoop. These can move quite a bit more material than any mulch fork I've seen, saving a lot of time and effort. I prefer the kind with a short handle, a D-grip, and an aluminum scoop (there are lots of manufacturers for these, but see link below for an example).

I use the grain scoop for removing mulch from my truck or off my driveway, and I use a mulch fork for digging off the top of a pile or off any natural surface (the ground, for instance). With these two tools and a wheelbarrow, I can quickly and efficiently move mulch anywhere it needs to go.

Happy mulching!

Here is a link that might be useful: Example Grain Scoop

Moving mulch - Anyone have a Johnny Bucket JR

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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