Rating By Owners for the Agri-Fab 42″ Lawn Sweeper
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $299.99
Who Is The Agri-Fab 42″ Lawn Sweeper For?
Owners are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of the Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper’s performance and ease of use.
The small size makes it nimble when moving around and easy to store. Yet it’s still large enough to not require excessively frequent emptying.
It’s suitable if you’re taking care of a medium-sized lawn without many inclines.
Overview
Review Background
- Author: Ray
- Updated: July 5, 2016
- Research Sources: Amazon.com, HomeDepot.com, and Leaf Blowers Direct
- Verified Purchases (?) Used For This Review: 140
- Average Amazon Rating*: 3.7 out of 5.0
- Average HomeDepot Rating*: 4.0 out of 5.0
- Average Leaf Blowers Direct (LBD) Rating*: 4.0 out of 5.0
- Average Total Owner Rating (Amazon + HomeDepot + LBD)*: 3.9 out of 5.0
* On Publishing Date.
Product Facts
- Official Product Page.
- Model Number: 45-0320.
- Lawn Type Compatibility: works with all common residential lawns.
- Lawn Tractor/Riding Mower Compatibility: works with machines that have a universal hitch (check with the manufacturer about your specific towing machine).
- Weight: 68lbs (30.8 kg).
- Assembled Product Size (L x W x H): 67″ x 51″ x 24″ (170.18 x 129.54 x 60.96 cm).
- Carton Size (L x W x H): 51.75″ x 12.63″ x 11.50″ (131.445 x 32.08 x 29.21 cm).
Riding Lawn Mower Required
Then check out the best selling riding lawn mowers on Amazon. Most are shipped for free to your door if you live in the USA.
The Agri-Fab 44″ has a universal hitch attachment that works on standard hitches. Riding lawn mowers with a standard hitch should work with it.
Residential riding lawn mower
(this one is hybrid gas-electric)
The Agri-Fab 44″ has a universal hitch attachment that works on standard hitches. Riding lawn mowers with a standard hitch should work with it.Product Video
Agri-Fab 42″ tow behind lawn sweeper video.
What Owners Say About The Agri-Fab 42″ Lawn Sweeper
What Owners Like
The majority of owners report that the Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper is very good at picking up leaves, grass and most other garden debris.
People mention that it is lightweight and easy to assemble.
The hopper is deemed large enough (12 cubic feet) to hold a lot of debris, preventing the need to constantly dump the contents. The cantilever attachment to the hopper means that you would not have to constantly leave the tractor seat to empty out the collected debris.
After use, the Agri-Fab 42″ easily folds away for efficient storage.
Many owners of this lawn sweeper are so satisfied that they have bought a second one after the previous wore out due to years of use.
What Owners Dislike
Most of the problems with the Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper seem to begin before use.
In particular, the assembly of the product can cause headache. Several owners complain of incomplete or damaged parts in the box. This was blamed on poor packaging with both the outside shell as well as the individual parts inside the box sometimes not being properly wrapped.
There are reports of parts being shipped inside unsealed bags. Furthermore, there are instances of no protective packaging over items such as the support bars that fit around the hopper, which caused them to bend.
On occasions where the parts delivered were complete, several people (even those who were ultimately happy with the product) were unhappy with the poor assembly instructions, and the ensuing difficulty of assembly. The instruction diagrams can be difficult to decipher. There is a lack of written instruction, resulting in over-reliance on the unclear diagrams.
In terms of performance, some people say that the Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper is flimsy and poorly manufactured, causing problems such as the wheels not turning properly at higher speeds. This affects the efficiency and rate at which debris can be picked up.
There are reports of the hopper bag tearing easily and lacking durability, as the bag can catch on lawn debris. Due to the inadvertent catching, the bag may sometimes empty itself unintentionally unless it is fastened extra securely (you can try duct tape).
What The Lawn Sweeper Picks Up Well
The following are reported by owners to be picked up by the Agri-Fab 42″ tow behind:
- Leaves
- Grass clippings
- Thatch
- Pine cones
- Pine straw
- Stones
- Douglas fir cones
- Twigs
- Flowers
- Burr balls/Sweetgum tree balls
- Acorns
- Sticks
- Wet grass
- Wet leaves
- Hay
- Manure
- Pinestraw
- Helicopters
What The Lawn Sweeper Does Not Pick Up Well
No specific issues are reported with any particular debris. However, most tow behind lawn sweepers do not do well with wet leaves, grass, pine needles, and larger items (including large sticks and branches).
Reported Lawn Sweeping Time Savings
One owner of the Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper cleared an acre and a half of wet grass in just 20 minutes.
Another said that what would have taken two days of “back-breaking raking” was completed in just a few hours with this lawn sweeper.
Fun Factor
The Agri-Fab 42″ gets a lot of positive reviews regarding effectiveness, which makes it much more fun than raking. The challenge is the assembly, which sounds like it is far from fun for most people.
Many lawn owners enjoy getting on their riding lawn mower or tractor and working on their property.
If constructed properly, the Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper delivers both an organized lawn and a playful time to make it happen.
Ease Of Assembly (With Approximate Assembly Time)
The ease of assembly polarized the majority of owners with some finding assembly easy and others finding it quite difficult.
Most people took 2-3 hours to assemble the lawn sweeper.
It is widely reported that the assembly instructions for the Agri-Fab 42″ are difficult to follow.
Those who had problems with the assembly say the Agri-Fab 42″ works very well once everything is put together correctly.
Ease Of Use
The Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper is generally easy to operate and no major problems are reported in terms of operation.
The height can be adjusted easily.
Ease Of Storage
The hopper bag is detachable and you can dissemble the steel rods by removing a couple of pins to make it easier to store.
Fatigue Reduction
The lawn sweeper is easy to operate with minimal manual labour required. It is emptied out from the seat of a riding lawn tractor, which means you can dump the contents using little energy.
Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper pull rope for easy emptying
The Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper will reduce the time and energy required to clear your lawn by an order of magnitude when compared to raking.
Build Quality
The Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper is lightweight, which some people see as an advantage. Others complain that it makes the product more brittle and easily damaged.
Packaging Quality
One owner notes how the pins and washer parts for the lawn sweeper were loosely packaged, and that on arrival the package had been punctured and consequently parts were missing. In fact, several people have had problems with missing parts.
It is advised that you thoroughly check the condition of the box on delivery and ensure all parts are included. If not, contact the manufacturer.
Emptying Mechanism
The hopper is emptied by the pull of a rope (attached), and you can do this without leaving the tractor seat. Most people find the emptying operation easy. However, one person reports that pulling the rope can be hard to do with a hopper full of wet grass, while another reports that the rope should have been longer to avoid having to leave the tractor seat.
Safety Issues
None reported.
Customer Service Experiences
People are generally pleased when dealing directly with the manufacturer (Agri-Fab).
Most owners are satisfied with the ease and speed with which Agri-Fab ships out missing parts.
Performance Tips From Owners
- If you mulch leaves before sweeping, the Agri-Fab 42″ becomes far more efficient at clearing your lawn.
- The lawn sweeper works best with high tow hitches. See the Lawn Tractor Compatibility section for tips if you have a John Deere tractor, as they tend to have a lower hitch.
- Many owners agree that the Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper is much better at picking up dry leaves off a dry lawn than wet leaves. If the lawn happens to be wet when you want to use the lawn sweeper, delay the work until it has dried off as much as possible.
Additional Details
About The Manufacturer
Agri-Fab is an American company based in Illinois that specializes in the manufacturing of lawn and garden care equipment (focusing on attachments). Lawn sweepers remain their primary product after having built them for 40 years. Agri-Fab also produce lawn aerators, lawn dethatchers, lawn rollers and lawn spreaders.
Manufacturing Country
United States of America.
Warranty Coverage
The manufacturer’s warranty is 3 years and requires you to register the product with Agri-Fab.
Lawn Tractor/Riding Mower Compatibility
The Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper should connect easily to most lawn tractors/riding mowers that have a high tow hitch (at least 8 inches off the ground). There are reported issues with John Deere tractors, as these have hitches that are only 6 inches off the ground. One inventive owner of the lawn sweeper built a riser block and another used a spacer (adding 2-3 inches) to successfully mitigate the John Deere compatibility issue.
Return Policy
The return policy depends on the retailer you purchase from. In the case of Amazon, you may be able to return it within 30 days after ordering, depending on the condition of the package.
Check with your chosen retailer about their return policy before ordering.
Replacement Part Availability And Cost
Parts for this lawn sweeper are available via the Agri-Fab parts website.
Product Manual Download
You can download a PDF copy from the manufacturer’s web site.
The Verdict
The Agri-Fab 42″ lawn sweeper is a high quality and durable machine with many satisfied buyers. It takes up less storage space than larger lawn sweepers such as the Agri-Fab 44″ and costs less too.
This product has large and durable semi-pneumatic wheels ensuring more traction with the lawn surface and a higher rate of debris collection. This is further helped by the use of sturdier polypropylene brushes with good coverage at 11 inches in diameter, resulting in an efficient sweeping motion.
The sweeper comes with a 12 cubic foot hopper bag with a cantilever, allowing easy dumping of debris without getting up from your tractor.
The most common complaints are about missing parts and the poor assembly instructions included in the box. Agri-Fab has solved the assembly issue via the assembly instruction video posted on their site (see above).
