Pull behind leaf vacuum

[texas42]

Texas42, yeah I'm not too worried about the Trac-Vac. I've only seen one advertised in my area, and it was beat up pretty bad. Of course, any piece of equipment can get beat up by a careless owner.

Question: In looking at the specs on CR's website, their two first entries suggest using a deck size of 38" - 42". Do you know a reason for this? That almost sounds like the units can't take any extra leaf intake to me. Both of my mowing decks are over that amount size wise. One deck is 50" and the other is 54".

I found another used CR that is close to new, but I need to find out about the deck opening first. No need to buy something used that will not work with my current equipment.

I understand your question, If you look at CR's website, as they go up in size, and price, the debris cart gets larger, the engine gets more HP and the vacuum hose gets bigger. i would guess they feel no use putting a big motor and hose on a small deck. Also, be aware when the unit gets full the larger unit might be too much for a small lawn tractor to handle on inclines. i wouldn't worry about the used machine deck boot, CR will sell you just the deck boot that you cut with a jig saw to fit your deck.

 

[windcatcher]

I understand your question, If you look at CR's website, as they go up in size, and price, the debris cart gets larger, the engine gets more HP and the vacuum hose gets bigger. i would guess they feel no use putting a big motor and hose on a small deck. Also, be aware when the unit gets full the larger unit might be too much for a small lawn tractor to handle on inclines. i wouldn't worry about the used machine deck boot, CR will sell you just the deck boot that you cut with a jig saw to fit your deck.

I had a nice online chat with one of the Cyclone reps. They were patient and kind too. They answered a lot of my questions. You guys are right, they do care about customer support. I still need to get out there on the back property and figure out the slope percentage. Everyone of the manufacturers I've contacted said, "do not use on any property greater than a 20% slope". This is in regards to the splash lubrication engines. Right now, it's so wet out there that I don't dare try to take any reasonable measurements. It's cold too, and wet, cold mud and I don't like each other.

I did see a youtube review of a Dr Power leaf vacuum system that was terrible. In fact, I saw two of them. I guess a gorilla can tear anything up and the same goes for owners of outdoor power equipment too.

Right now, Cyclone is in the lead for me.

 

[windcatcher]

Ok, I just came back from the field in question for the slope % in question. I did this three ways with the third method using two different measurements.

The first was by using an angle meter app on my cell phone. It said I had an agle of 7 degrees. This was with me putting the phone on a board at the bottom of the slope and pointing uphill.

The second way was by using a clinometer app on my cell phone. Same thing, placed phone in same spot on a board pointing in the same direction uphill. It said a slope of 7%.

The third way was by using my GPS which gave me the elevation in feet. I chose the same spot at the top of the hill, then measured downhill in two different directions for 100 feet. On both measurements at 100 feet I had a difference of 7 feet for the run. Doing the calculations I found online, I came up with a slope of 7%. I feel pretty confident about the figures coming out the same.

What this means is that with CR, DR and Agrifab, according to the calculations, I'm well within the boundaries of the 20% slope allowance. In other words, do not use any of these spash lubrication engines on any hill of greater than 20%.

Nuff said. Now for the continued search.

 

[Tompet]

Having a Trac-vac would be nice, but both of my tractor type mowers do not have the pto options. Those tractors never had the options available to them.

I'm now combing the craigslist ads and any other place I can find to see if there are any used Cyclone units for sale in good condition and for a reasonable price.

Trac vacs are excellent. All steel construction and nearly bulletproof. They make many models including pull behind with tongue mounted gas engines (what I have), z turn, not just pto driven. I've had two, one with a six inch hose which I gave to my brother after I picked up a used 8" model.
Yes, the company pretty much only communicates through dealers, but it's not that big of a deal. And nowadays parts are available online.

I always told my brother to come check it out and he didn't think much of it...until he had one!

Used ones are pretty regular around hear on CL for great prices.

 

[MossRoad]

Ok, I just came back from the field in question for the slope % in question. I did this three ways with the third method using two different measurements.

The first was by using an angle meter app on my cell phone. It said I had an agle of 7 degrees. This was with me putting the phone on a board at the bottom of the slope and pointing uphill.

The second way was by using a clinometer app on my cell phone. Same thing, placed phone in same spot on a board pointing in the same direction uphill. It said a slope of 7%.

The third way was by using my GPS which gave me the elevation in feet. I chose the same spot at the top of the hill, then measured downhill in two different directions for 100 feet. On both measurements at 100 feet I had a difference of 7 feet for the run. Doing the calculations I found online, I came up with a slope of 7%. I feel pretty confident about the figures coming out the same.

What this means is that with CR, DR and Agrifab, according to the calculations, I'm well within the boundaries of the 20% slope allowance. In other words, do not use any of these spash lubrication engines on any hill of greater than 20%.

Nuff said. Now for the continued search.

:thumbsup: Now you know for sure and no guessing about it.

 

[windcatcher]

:thumbsup: Now you know for sure and no guessing about it.

MossRoad, thanks for your help. It was fun getting out there and finding out for sure. Another mathematical calculation to my pocket now.

 

[MossRoad]

MossRoad, thanks for your help. It was fun getting out there and finding out for sure. Another mathematical calculation to my pocket now.

I used to hate cell phones. Found out I really only hate being called by people I don't want to talk to at the moment. :laughing: When I want to talk to them, the phone is great!

So many handy apps available, plus having a really good dictionary, encyclopedia, maps, etc... is just fantastic.

Some of my favorites are the surf forecast for Lake Michigan (currently unavailable due to govt shutdown), as I like to go up there when the waves are huge and watch the surfers and the waves break over the light houses.

I like the flight radar apps where if you see a plane flying over, you can pop it up and see what it is, who it belongs to, where it's coming from, going to, the route it's taking, etc.... I really like this one because I often hear a radial engine, or a weird turbine or jet, but cannot see it due to clouds, haze, etc... pop it up and there it is right on the map over me.

Ice fishing reports. Great to find ice conditions before driving.

Maps that show traffic congestion.

Tree and plant identifiers.

Animal identifiers. Especially handy for snakes, frogs, fish, etc....

Fishing laws.

All good stuff. :thumbsup:

 

[tjkubota93]

I used to hate cell phones. Found out I really only hate being called by people I don't want to talk to at the moment. :laughing: When I want to talk to them, the phone is great!

So many handy apps available, plus having a really good dictionary, encyclopedia, maps, etc... is just fantastic.

Some of my favorites are the surf forecast for Lake Michigan (currently unavailable due to govt shutdown), as I like to go up there when the waves are huge and watch the surfers and the waves break over the light houses.

I like the flight radar apps where if you see a plane flying over, you can pop it up and see what it is, who it belongs to, where it's coming from, going to, the route it's taking, etc.... I really like this one because I often hear a radial engine, or a weird turbine or jet, but cannot see it due to clouds, haze, etc... pop it up and there it is right on the map over me.

Ice fishing reports. Great to find ice conditions before driving.

Maps that show traffic congestion.

Tree and plant identifiers.

Animal identifiers. Especially handy for snakes, frogs, fish, etc....

Fishing laws.

All good stuff.

I set mine up so the only people that ring it are wife, kids daycare and the guy at work that doles out the OT. If I don't want to go in, I push the b tch be gone button and he can leave a message. (That's rare I'm greedy)
Everyone else, phone doesn't ring. If it's a friend or relative i will call back, or they will call the wife's phone looking for me.

 

[tjkubota93]

I really like my cyclone rake.

It was left unused at my house. I would never have bought one before, but now I would not be without.

They are easy to deal with getting parts. I told them previous owners name, they know exactly what he bought. So they transferred his records to my name. Now I can call, tell them who I am and they know what parts fit my machine. You can also buy online. The parts aren't too unfairly priced.

 

[windcatcher]

I really like my cyclone rake.

It was left unused at my house. I would never have bought one before, but now I would not be without.

They are easy to deal with getting parts. I told them previous owners name, they know exactly what he bought. So they transferred his records to my name. Now I can call, tell them who I am and they know what parts fit my machine. You can also buy online. The parts aren't too unfairly priced.

Thank you for chiming in. So far, I've yet to hear from anyone who owns a Dr Power leaf vacuum. That concerns me a lot. Why aren't there any owners chiming in here or other places? The only reviews I've ever seen have been on the Dr Power website, and I take those with a grain of salt. I've chatted with some Cyclone company reps, and every time time they were kind, considerate, patient, and more than willing to help. The prices are a bit high to me, but you pay for quality too.

It's still about 7 1/2 (=/-) months until the leaves fall again. I hope to have plenty of time to make a good educated decision on what to purchase by then.

 

[tjkubota93]

Buy high a quality used machine

 

[windcatcher]

Buy high a quality used machine

I'm keeping an eye out for one. North Carolina has been an economically depressed area (textiles which are now gone for the most part) for many years. People just don't spend money for leaf collectors. They rake the leaves and burn them.

More than likely, I'll have to bite the bullet and purchase a new unit.

 

[KennyG]

Buy high a quality used machine

I tried this for a while and found only rusted out Agri-Fabs and 20 year old TracVacs. So I bought a new Cyclone Rake. After 8 trouble free years, the initial purchase price is a distant memory.

 

[windcatcher]

I tried this for a while and found only rusted out Agri-Fabs and 20 year old TracVacs. So I bought a new Cyclone Rake. After 8 trouble free years, the initial purchase price is a distant memory.

I'm perobably going to lean this way too KennyG. So far, the used units I've looked at are either far too small to use my 54" cutting deck or have been run hard and put up wet. Buying new may sting the pocketbook, but at least I'll know what's in the machine, plus I will have a warranty.

BTW KennyG, there was a saxaphone player years ago with your same name. Is there any chance you've picked that name up for your moniker? I do know the guy could play a mean saxaphone.

 

[KennyG]

BTW KennyG, there was a saxaphone player years ago with your same name. Is there any chance you've picked that name up for your moniker? I do know the guy could play a mean saxaphone.

Nope. High school name I had before he even existed.

 

[Toomanymaples]

Steiner makes a pull behind sweeper that I would love to have:

Lawn Sweeper Tractor Attachment - Steiner Turf

Saw this myself, instantly wanted one. I called Steiner and asked how it did with leaves. The sales rep said it didn't do great with leaves and only would pick them up if there was grass.

 

[TMGT]

My dad has an older DR, and honestly it's not good. My uncle originally bought it and ended up giving it to my dad a few years ago.
Have had to replace the engine twice, once because the impeller cracked and there was no way to get the impeller off, second time the crank broke internally. The sides are multi peice plastic and because it's so tippy itll fall over if its fairly full, then the side will pop off and dump leaves everywhere. Emptying is an ordeal that can be time consuming and involve more hand work assistance then I think should be necessary.

In 2010 I built my own vac based loosely on the CR, it has had some improvements over the years but basic design is the same, it's not perfect but works well. This year I helped my dad do his yard so we were running both machines at the same time, I would never put up with the DR after that, way too much hassle.

The newer DR seems to have made some improvements, but honestly their engineering in the past left a lot to be desired and I dont think i want to test it with my hard earned money.

My vote is for CR, I would have bought one if I could have afforded it at the time.

 

[ChuckT]

We had a Cyclone Rake. The rubber/plastic impeller failed. It just came apart. And after warranty, of course. $300.00 for a new impeller (I think they changed the material) so be warned.
Just as clumsy as has been described here. But it really did the job.

 

[windcatcher]

There has been some great information shared here, and I for one appreciate it a lot. I have checked into two used CR units, and because of prior life experiences, I steered away from both units.

I'm planning of saving up the money to try and purchase a new CR unit. I've been able to see a brand new Dr. Power unit up close, and I really wasn't impressed with the overall quality of the unit. They are improving, but they still aren't up to snuff enough to get me to purchase one.

 

[keljan11]

I'm sure this post is probably long over, but just wondering if you've checked if there are any of these machines available at a rental company in your area, just to try them out, or even to see how easy they are to start up. For that matter, maybe there is one at a school in your area.