As summer nears its end, the old-fashioned rake becomes the tool you reach for more often than the lawn mower, the lopper, or the ladder. And it doesn’t take long with the rake to ask yourself, “isn’t there a better way to do this?” For the first few minutes, raking is almost pleasant, but drawn out over hours and days, it’s backbreaking work. Fortunately there is a better way. It’s a lawn vacuum. Just like a household vacuum sucks lint and crumbs out of your carpets, a leaf vacuum sucks leaves, twigs, pine cones, nuts, grass clippings, and anything else off your lawn, leaving it looking clean and pristine.

Your first thought may be that using a leaf vacuum rental would be your best bet for this once-a-year task. But is it really the best option? Consider the benefits of purchasing one for year-round use. You’d be better off owning a leaf vac rather than relying on a rental if:

1. You have a large property.

When you search around for a leaf vacuum rental, you’ll probably find tow-behind models are difficult to find. If you have a large property—roughly ⅓ of an acre or more, depending on the amount of trees—a tow-behind model will get the job done much more efficiently. Walk-behind models are fine, but their low capacity means you spend a lot more time dumping leaves…not so bad on a small lawn, but it can wear you out on a big one. With a tow-behind model you typically have a much greater capacity.

2. You like a pristine lawn year ’round.

Renting a leaf vac for a one-time use in the fall is one thing, but what about spring clean-up? And the piles of grass clippings that summer mowing brings? With a leaf vac at your disposal year ’round, you can take care of all of the above—on your own schedule. Clear the debris that winter leaves behind, and use the vac as a high-capacity bagger in the summer, then do bring it out again for fall leaf cleanup.

3. You prefer to work on your own schedule.

If you’ve ever rented equipment, any equipment, you likely know the drill. Since you normally pay a day rate, you end up racing the clock. Maybe you don’t mind putting in an extra long day or two, but one thing you may have noticed about leaf season is that the leaves don’t all come down at once. There can easily be a month or more between when the first leaves fall and when the trees are bare. So if you choose to rent you need to time your rental. Do you wait until the very end of the season, and deal with a messy yard for weeks? Do you rent twice, or three times? When you own your own equipment, you pay no penalty for getting things done on your own time. Make the yard spotless for that football weekend…then take another pass before the in-laws show up for Columbus Day. You’re the boss!