Leaf Vacuum options if you have utility tractor and zero turn mower

[Bullwinkle123]

So I have a regular 22 inch toro self propelled lawn mower, I mulch MY leaves back into the earth. the only thing I have to do different between my neighbors who all put their leaves to the curb is instead of cutting my grass once a week in the fall, I usually have to do it about every 4 days until the snow flies which is no big deal it's better for the lawn better for the trees so I don't understand why my neighbors don't mulch leaves back into the ground.. anyways instead of buying a vacuum why don't you buy the mulching kit and just cut your grass a couple of more times especially since you say you enjoy cutting the grass yeah there's a little science involved in that you know you have to wait a couple extra days to mulch the leaves because the grounds little soft but anyways I'm jumping off my soapbox ,,,but I just watched my neighbor replace his cub cadet with the new JD with the big leaf sucker on the back and I'm thinking to myself why don't you just the mulching kit ,because you have to drive around sucking up the leaves it would be the same as mulching then back into the earth were they came from.

Yeah, I had mulching mowers in the past, but same as with the bag, the volume of leaves would eventually overwhelm the mower's capacity to mulch or bag. Whether that's because of wet new england autumns or because my honda mowers were just not up to the task I couldn't say. Perhaps if I mowed more frequently it would have worked (bag or mulch), but I can't be out there every day mowing.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

The problem I found with the leaf vacuums is when the leaves get wet they clog up the machine.

What's why I was thinking one of the bigger Cyclone Rake or similar solutions was better, more built for the task of large volumes (including larger leaf pathways in 8" tubes, etc).

Maybe mulching with a ZTR is the way to go, certainly we're talking a lot more horsepower per blade than my walk-behind residential mowers of old. Hmmm. Well, not leaping anything for now other than the mower acquisition, so lots of good opinions/experiences here to reflect upon.

 

[tradosaurus]

I had a little house with a postage stamp sized lot surrounded by trees with a vanilla 21" mower and bag. The bag basically became useless once the leaves really came down, filling the bag after about 3 steps. Let's say that bag is a 1.5 cu foot bag.

So, I'm _assuming_ that the problem scales in the same unfortunate way with a 2 acre yard. What size are those big 3-bag rears. 9 cu foot? So 6x the storage. But the lot size is easily 6x the size, and surrounded by forest instead of a few urban yards. It feels like I've just changed scale of things, but not the fundamental math.

That's why I was looking for something with more capacity/capability with a Vac Trac or something. Or is my mental hypothetical math wrong here?
All I know from experience is that teeny tiny yard with teeny tiny mower _always_ required tarp and blower once the leaves got heavy.

Good luck with any leaf vacuum when the leaves are slightly damp. Mulching kit for your mower is the way to go.

 

[KennyG]

I have about the same system as texas42, with a 2320 and a large Cyclone Rake. Wet leaves don't plug it unless you pick up sticks. I have too many leaves to effectively mulch them back into the lawn. I typically get a plugged tube about once a year. I usually end up with a compost pile about 15 to 20 feet in diameter and 8 to 10 feet high.

If you use a smaller mower or ZTR, the secret is self control. Stop and dump it when the bag is only half full.

If you decide go with a leaf vac, I can't say enough good things about Cyclone Rake. I've had mine for about 10 years and it's been great. It quickly disassembles and hangs on the wall for storage. The collection bag is in perfect condition but has replaceable wear patches if it ever needs it. The remote hose makes quick work of flower beds, etc.

 

[dalola]

Another vote for mulching. Besides being easier (just riding around on your ZTR...) , leaves make good organic material to go back into the earth.

Get a set of G6 gator blades from Oregon, when you get your ZTR. A good ZTR has the tip speed, when combined with G6 gators, to pulverize leaves very effectively, especially maples & oaks. Those leaves are thin and easy to control. I live among the sycamores, so yeah, I know all about fall leaves! I prefer to mulch on days where it's a little damp, or early in the morning, to keep the dust down.

I would never ever consider bagging! Not with 3 acres of sycamores!

 

[tradosaurus]

Another vote for mulching. Besides being easier (just riding around on your ZTR...) , leaves make good organic material to go back into the earth.

Get a set of G6 gator blades from Oregon, when you get your ZTR. A good ZTR has the tip speed, when combined with G6 gators, to pulverize leaves very effectively, especially maples & oaks. Those leaves are thin and easy to control. I live among the sycamores, so yeah, I know all about fall leaves! I prefer to mulch on days where it's a little damp, or early in the morning, to keep the dust down.

I would never ever consider bagging! Not with 3 acres of sycamores!

I would have never believe mulching would have worked for me as if left unattended my leaves would be 6" deep. I found mulching two or three times a week (or as soon as a layer of leaves have fallen) is the key during the falling of leaves. About early November I will put on the mulching kit and leave it on until March.

 

[Randy Gann]

My brother gave me his old Cyclone Rake that he pulled behind his John Deere lawn tractor with a 42 inch deck. I converted to pull behind my 60” Toro Z turn. Used 2 years and does a great job except the unloading dumping takes longer than actual collection. So last year I tried mulching instead. Much easier! Just have to watch the yard and go mow/mulch before the leaves get too deep.

 

[dalola]

I would have never believe mulching would have worked for me as if left unattended my leaves would be 6" deep. I found mulching two or three times a week (or as soon as a layer of leaves have fallen) is the key during the falling of leaves. About early November I will put on the mulching kit and leave it on until March.

A lot depends upon your mower. I can easily chop through 6" of leaves with my Yazoo & G6's, no problem. Of course, it's much slower vs. grass mowing. So, unless the grass also needs cut, I will typically chop leaves every two weeks, pending weather conditions, until the mighty sycamores are bare, usually early Dec.

Beautiful trees, but man they are dirty, the leaves are insane, and difficult to keep grass under. I have many that are 80-100' tall, with a 10-12' circumference. I'm on a river bank, so they are happy trees.

 

[mred2]

KennyG, I have to agree with you. I have the largest DR Vac. Just to much to mulch. We have a lot of flower bed and small dog wood trees. My wife wants to rake it. It is not like we are throwing the leaves away. They go into compost and then back into the ground. My leaves are over a foot deep in most of the yard. And I don't like to burn due to fire might get away from me. We have a lot of woods around us. I pull mine with a 15 year old, 26 hp hasqvarna. And I agree, dump it when over half full.

 

[Carl_NH]

My brother gave me his old Cyclone Rake that he pulled behind his John Deere lawn tractor with a 42 inch deck. I converted to pull behind my 60” Toro Z turn. Used 2 years and does a great job except the unloading dumping takes longer than actual collection. So last year I tried mulching instead. Much easier! Just have to watch the yard and go mow/mulch before the leaves get too deep.

I don't have experience with the Cyclone Rake dumping/cleanout, but I can imagine its due to the soft sides? My Trac Vac holds 30 CF or 1.2 CU Yards - which is a lot of shredded leaves. It has the metal tapered cart design which allows the material to easily empty - two minutes max, back up to pile, unlatch rear door, tilt the cart, drive forward, reinstall rear door and vac tube. I do on average 12-14 loads a year which is a large pile 15' x 8' high which I compost for the next year and put on the lawn.

I do mulch all my leaves into the lawn early in the fall, but once they come down after the first or second frost there are too many/too thick to mulch into the grass. Thats when I mulch into windrows and vac them up. By doing windrows, it reduces the leaf mass by 80% (less loads, less dumping) and composts faster too.