Plastic Tote Leaf Hauler

Plastic Tote Leaf Hauler Mark Yax has the perfect dustpan-style leaf hauler. The modified plastic tote can be hooked to an ATV or garden tractor and pulled to a pile of leaves. Drop the lid and rake them in. Fold up the lid, pull it to the yard debris pile, and flip it over to dump out the leaves. “The plastic side slides over the terrain without a problem,” says Yax. “When the leaves start to fall, it’s really handy.” Modifying the tote was simple. Yax notes that the top of the tote has heavy-duty plastic hooks designed to pull the tote out of its cage. He found them equally handy for securing a length of nylon rope for towing. With the tote on its side, he cut away the original bottom, leaving part of each side still attached. This created a 4-ft. wide dustpan. He then reattached it to the new bottom.  “I used a piano hinge with bolts and wing nuts to connect the dustpan to the tote,” says Yax. “I also used a ton of pop rivets and washers to reinforce the hinge.” Yax has found other uses for plastic totes around his place. He cut the bottoms off several that he uses as mini sheds. “I set one over my excavator bucket and another one over my buzz saw,” he says. “They keep the rain off and offer some protection. I painted the one over the buzz saw Army green to make it less conspicuous.” Yax gets some of his totes from friends, who use the cages for firewood. Others come from a local highway department that buys highway paint by the tote. “They told me to take all I wanted,” he says. “I think there are a lot of possible uses for them if people thought about it. I could see cutting them up for roofing to use over a small shed or outhouse. They would keep the weather out and let in light.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark S. Yax, 36755 Pettibone Rd., Solon, Ohio 44139 (ph 440-668-6296; valmarktool@aol.com).

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