Best Tow Behind Leaf Collection?

[rswyan]

I have never experienced that self dumping action. Leafs are packed in their like sardines. I have to rake at least half of them out before it will dump. If I do a pre mulching with another lawnmower they pack even tighter.

Yup ... same here ...

It is a very rare occasion when our Trac-Vac (model 860 I think) will easily dump on it's own accord .... usually, it is only when the materials are very dry.

That's due to several factors, despite the hopper being narrower in front than in the rear (a "feature" Trac-Vac touts as making things "easier")

Poor design, probably attributable to economic considerations: the way that tow-behind Trac-Vac's are built they use small wheels/tires - this puts them:

1. low to the ground and

2. limits the dump angle ...

If the bottom/floor of the hopper - which is metal - isn't in smooth, pristine condition that adds resistance to getting the load out.

I have about 5 or 6 acres of lawn ... there have been times, that for one reason or another, things have gotten out of hand and the grass got very long ... I have, on several occasions, had to empty the vac 15 (or more) times for a single mowing ... that's just how much grass there was.

Having to dig the grass out of the unit with a pitchfork or rake - which should dump - is a royal PITA.

 

[rswyan]

Rswyan I agree with you! I have been looking at the Happy homeowner trailers that are being talked about and can't see trying to dig the leafs or grass out of them. I hope to make a semi-mounted, pto, self-unloading vac in the next few years. if you have a few leaves it would be ok but if you have LEAVES then something more is needed. Ed

'Zactly ... :thumbsup:

 

[rswyan]

I have both a self dumping Giant Vac and the new (purchased last fall) DR vac. Both empty themselves very well. The only time I ever had to dig leaves out was when I left the Giant Vac full for a week before emptying. I consider the emptying effort equal between the two. There's more separate actions on the DR, but the Giant Vac requires more strength to lift the heavy steel door and relatch it. Pic of Giant Vac attached.

yankee,

That's kinda the design I'm talking about ... with one exception:

Yours appears to be an older Giant-Vac ... on the newer ones the door was mounted on a pair of spring-loaded arms, kind of on an eccentric.

The eccentric held the door in place against the hopper (no "latching" required), but allowed it to be pulled out and up. A similar mechanism is used on fold-up garage doors ... although the only place I can recall seeing that specific type of garage door was in California.

I would think that the action of that type of mechanism would be quite amenable to be operated by a hydraulic cylinder.

In that case, one wouldn't even have to leave the seat ... other than to refuel the vac motor

 

[Garycw]

They're not all there cracked up to be. Only as good as the mower that your using. If the leaves get higher than the deck can go over, it just pushes them. After a bit they're packed in on top of deck and between wheels. Pretty soon you can't steer and the exhaust catches leaves on fire. ... And mower. You almost have ho vac every other day for a cpl weeks to stay ahead of it. That's my experience with them. True you can move a lot of leaves, just not as easy as the commercial shows.

 

[KennyG]

Would part of that activity include disconnecting and then reconnecting the discharge hose from the vac blower to the bed/hopper ?

Do you also have then undump the bed and refasten/secure it ?

... see what I'm gettin' at ?

I guess it all depends on how much automation you think you need. Yes there are two quick release latches to disconnect the chute. And yes, you have to manually lower the bed and reconnect after dumping. However, I haven't had to manually rake more than the last 10% of the leaves out of the bed, and I only to that on the last load of the day when I want it really empty. I'm trying to imagine a rig that dumps the bed while keeping all the hoses and chutes connected and it seems like that would be a really big machine.

 

[Ed of all trades]

My Massey does great, I can mow over a huge amount of leaves. My mother in law lives in oak woods and I have to mow it 3 times a year to mulch the leaves. A few years ago the youth group from her church came after I had mulched twice and got up her leaves. the piled them on my gardens. 3200 sf of garden and the leaves were about 1 1/2 ft deep on it all. I want something like yankeyrider but with more size and a latch on it like a round baler, pull a hydraulic leaver and it opens push it and it closes and latches, from the tractor seat. I have as many leaves as she does on top of hers but I just mulch mine. Ed

 

[4570Man]

I always mulch the leafs with my Dixie chopper first. If the leafs are thin just a mulching is sufficient. If the leafs are thick mulching them greatly decreases the amount of leafs I have to suck with the bagger. The mulched leaves don't bunch up in front of the deck, and since the Dixie chopper is a rear engine mower I can bunch up leafs in front of the deck without the fire danger. I find it quicker to set the deck as high as it goes and mow over the thick leafs as fast as you want to go, and then lower the deck to normal level and finish mulching.

 

[4570Man]

The inside of a cyclone rake just isn't very streamlined. The worst problem is that the cloth sides swell out around the frame making it impossible to dump without removing some material. The bottom has a wire frame which doesn't slide very good. I put a piece of plywood on the bottom which helps some. You do have to unhook the hose to dump, but it only takes a few seconds.

 

[rswyan]

I guess it all depends on how much automation you think you need.

The older I get, the better that automation looks ...

Yes there are two quick release latches to disconnect the chute. And yes, you have to manually lower the bed and reconnect after dumping. However, I haven't had to manually rake more than the last 10% of the leaves out of the bed, and I only to that on the last load of the day when I want it really empty.

Could be the difference between a C.R. and T.V. ... is the hopper on yours plastic or steel ?

I would think smooth plastic might allow easier dumping.

Personally, I have a real distaste for Palmor Product's Trac Vacs, mostly from a design/workmanship perspective.

I'm trying to imagine a rig that dumps the bed while keeping all the hoses and chutes connected and it seems like that would be a really big machine.

Well, I'm mowing/leaf collecting using a 30hp tractor with 6' wide belly mower ... on 5 or 6 acres of lawn/yard.

If the grass is thick and tall, or there are a lot of leaves, I want something pretty good sized so that I'm not having to dump it every time I turn around

And if it's easy to dump, I just might mind that aspect a little bit less

Getting the unit to self-dump isn't really so much a function of being large, as it is of design.

By making the floor of the hopper angled downward towards the rear of the unit, it will self-dump ... given a steep enough angle.

A PTO-driven Agri-Metal sweeper unit of the design type I'm talking about:

The one I'm planning to fab will be roughly similar dimensionally: 4' or 5' wide, 6' or so high, and probably 8' to 12' long. It won't be PTO-driven however ... if I'm flush at the time I build it, it will probably have an engine with electric start.

I have some of the components already (tires/wheels, steel) but still need to pick up some more stuff ... mainly sheet metal.

 

[rswyan]

Smithco unit of similar design: