Building my own Leaf/Grass Vacuum system

SkunkWerX · May 25, 2007

I am now into the next project, a Trac Vac" style tow behind leaf and grass Vac system.

Found new blowers and motors on Ebay.

eBay - easy rake, Outdoor Power Equipment, Home Garden items on eBay.com

I already have a Yard cart, 4' x 6' bed, and it tilts.

I plan on using leftover metal siding from my pole building to make a "take apart" box unit for the open trailer. Will try to make it easy assembly so it can be stored flat and out of the way.

Will get Hose from Wynn or Mcmaster.

Fabricate my own Discharge chute for the MMM and Box flange for the output to connect to.

My lawn sweeper is on "life supprt" right now, gear is stripping out, frame suffering, and I think it's about time to shoot it and put it out of it's misery.

Will post pics as parts arrive and plans come together.
Blower/Motor is scheduled to be delivered today, giving the long weekend to plan and ponder.
I am thinking the metal siding from the Pole Building is going to make for an excellent collection box.

hagman · May 25, 2007

SkunkWerx,

I am considering doing the same thing. I will follow your thread closely about this with great interest. So far from what you described your project sounds exactly like what I envisioned doing. Good luck with it.

Hagman

Mud Dr. · May 25, 2007

I've been pondering about building one of those myself. The live oaks are beautiful, but they drop a ton of leaves. Keep us posted on your progress. Sure be nice to shred them too before putting them to the compoct pile.

SkunkWerX · May 25, 2007

Hagman and Mud Dr. ,

After looking at the various angles of the plan, the real money is in the Motor/Blower. After that, decent hose is gonna run about $10 p/ft. plus shipping. Even using a standard tow behind Craftsman style garden Cart, they can be had used for $50, and even less if you have time to shop.

So, with that, I decided not to mess around with the heart of the system, I spent the Bucks to get a unit designed to do the job. I've been using a sweeper for many a year, and while it beats raking, I think the Vac unit is going to be way better.

PS: it arrived!! Shiney /Brand spankin new, with Owners manual and ful B&S manual.

Here is a pic of the Motor end of things:

And here is the Blower unit, 7" inlet and outlet:

Finally, a close up of the impeller, quite beefy, looks to be 1/4" thick steel.
(It's really cleaner than it looks, the white stuff is styrofoam from packing).

zzvyb6 · May 25, 2007

I built my own, too. Only needed 5.5 hp though. Turns out hose diameter is biggest factor in thruput with a 72" mower deck. I finally settled in on 12" obtained from a local lawn & garden shop (by the foot). I can probably get some pix if you are interested. It will suck up a brick via any mower deck that will pick it up. I hook it up to my 48" front mower or the 72" mmm.

SkunkWerX · May 26, 2007

zzvyb6 said:
I built my own, too. Only needed 5.5 hp though. Turns out hose diameter is biggest factor in thruput with a 72" mower deck. I finally settled in on 12" obtained from a local lawn & garden shop (by the foot). I can probably get some pix if you are interested. It will suck up a brick via any mower deck that will pick it up. I hook it up to my 48" front mower or the 72" mmm.

I have been reading about hose size, and was considering bumping this one up from 7" to 8"??

Question: Does the inlet have to match the outlet?

The reason I ask is that the air leaving the impeller is compressed and velocity is increased, so, could I have , say, an *" Inlet from the mwoer deck and keep the rigid 7" outlet??

Mud Dr. · May 26, 2007

Skunk, those impeller blades are a lot heavier than I woud have imagined. They should generate a good bit flywheel momentum. I am curious to see how much chipping or shredding they do to reduce the volume of bagged leaves. Some of the manufactured units I looked at had some serrated teeth on the impellers to aid in the shredding process. I have been using a typical rear bagger to pick up my leaves, but with 5 live oaks in my yard and the neighbors 2, that's a lot of trips to the compost pile.
How are you going to attach to your mower deck?

SkunkWerX · May 26, 2007

Mud Dr. said:
Skunk, those impeller blades are a lot heavier than I woud have imagined. They should generate a good bit flywheel momentum. I am curious to see how much chipping or shredding they do to reduce the volume of bagged leaves. Some of the manufactured units I looked at had some serrated teeth on the impellers to aid in the shredding process. I have been using a typical rear bagger to pick up my leaves, but with 5 live oaks in my yard and the neighbors 2, that's a lot of trips to the compost pile.
How are you going to attach to your mower deck?

Good thought! i have seen some serrated teeth, and it looks like I have a couple of inches to mount some "teeth". Was thinking about 1/8" x 2" flats, with "V" teeth ground into them??

Mounting to MMM deck by making a metal discharge chute.
Removed my plastic stock chute, and am now fabricating a discharge chute.

pics will follow this eve.

SkunkWerX · May 30, 2007

Update:

I did get the discharge chute built to fit the BX2350.

Decided I didn't want to dedicate a trailer for nothing but collection, given the Motor/blower would have to mounted on the tongue. Instead, i have opted for a 3 PH set-up to hold the Motor/Blower.
Then a trailer will tow behind.

The 3 PH attachement is compact can be easily stored, leaving the trailer for other duties year round. Mounting and removing the motor/blower from the trailer tongue wasn't too appealing.

Fabricated an 8" Inlet Adapter, which allows an increase on the intake side from 7" to a 8" hose.

Here it is, so far.

sandman2234 · Jun 3, 2007

I purchased a couple of new impeller blades to do the same thing you guys are doing, then came across a deal where I purchased not one, but two of these blowers. I put the one without the storage bin on ebay after seeing one sell that was just like it. I guess there was only one person willing to pay that amount, so I still have it. I don't use either of them, since my Steiner has a blower on it and I just blow the leaves into a side ditch I have. However, after the accident and my termination, I may be putting both of them on ebay along with the extra impellers.
David from jax

sandman2234 · Jun 3, 2007

SkunkWerX · Jun 3, 2007

Don't worry about hi-jacking the thread, anything about blowers/vacs is good stuff.

I just got back from a weekend trip. On Friday, right before i left my 8" hose had arrived, so I can now get back to the project, hooking up the parts that are ready.

Last will be making to topper for the collection trailer, won't be a problem, just some more work.

sandman2234 · Jun 4, 2007

A good piece of heavy duty cloth that is loose woven to allow air to flow thru it but stop the dust would make a good top. The leaves that are picked up usually drop to the bottom, especially if your chute is turned down, but the dust just goes everywhere. Stopping most of it would be a very good idea, but you can't stop the air flow or you will cavitate the blower.
David from jax

BTDT · Jun 5, 2007

However, after the accident and my termination, I may be putting both of them on ebay along with the extra impellers.
David from jax

David, this doesn't sound good. Is the rest of the story in another thread somewhere?

sandman2234 · Jun 5, 2007

Due to some legal ramifications, I requested that complete post be removed.
Keep my family in your prayers.
SkunkwerX,
Have you considered what you are using for a top and how the whole unit will control dust?
I recently purchased a parts machine Jacobson diesel mower and the air filter on it is looking pretty good to double filter the engine on my lawn mower, which is what I use to pull the Giant Vac with.
David from jax

Berniep · Jun 5, 2007

I inherited a system almost exactly like you are building. It works well and it is very handy if I get rained out on the weekend and the grass gets too tall.
It can also be used as a leaf blower to make piles for the kids, by just grabbing the outlet hose you have a riding leaf blower. The biggest problem is dumping the grass and leaves. My cart is a dump type and the back has a swing door. You have to phisically drag the grass clippings out of it, I have even backed it up to a ravine and put the cart verticle and the stuff still will not fall out. Even relativley dry grass is damp when you cut it and pack it in the cart with the blower

sandman2234 · Jun 5, 2007

Bernie,
Have you considered any ideas that would allow the leaves or grass to come out easier? Simple things like spraying "Pam" or silicone on it might work, or purchasing a piece of flat plastic such as Delron. Some of those plastic's are very slick, and very abrasive resistant. A lot of it is used as bearings in places where metal bearings won't work, like around acid tanks, etc.
I don't have a clue about the prices of the stuff, but maybe something will be cheap enough.
Strange that I mention "Pam and Silicone and cheap" in the same paragraph. Wonder what Pamela Anderson is doing these days? (actually really don't care)
David from jax

SkunkWerX · Jun 5, 2007

Hey guys,

I had a chance to use an actual Trac vac for several uses.

The way they deal with the output into the trailer/hopper is to place a vent on top, above where the outlet goes into the side of the hopper.
My best explanation of what happens is akin to a dust collection system in a woodshop.....the blowing air escapes out the vent, the "heavier than air" particles lose their "lift" as the air escapes and they don't make it out of the vent. When i looked back I could tell when i was nearly full, as i would see smaller particles comig out of the vent. it's like a reverse hood scoop on a muscle-car.

That is what I am gonig to start with, and maybe a strip of window screen at the back end. I may place a lip, or something on the outlet flange, which would serve to disrupt the the debris as it's going into the hopper/trailer and let the lack of flow, that is being created by the scoop/vent do the rest.

It was really amazing that you didn't need filter material to accomplish the task on the Trac Vac. I'll toss around vent ideas, versus window screen, or filter cloth, etc.

I think it will be a balancing act to find the right amount of Vent area that allows the solids to "fall out" as the air escapes. If 2% of the material escapes, so be it, it's the other 98% I'll deal with.

Dumping: At first i may just be using a removeable rear panel, later on, if I decide to get fancy, I may use some storm door closers, or SUV hatch pistons to allow the door to raise at the bottom, hinged at the top.

Depends on the moisture and the material how well it slides out.
I don't mind assisting it out with a pitchfork, only takes a few minutes and beats raking the lawn!

sandman2234 · Jun 5, 2007

Just thinking that a piece of PVC pipe the same size as your hose, mounted across the top of the trailer top (inside) with a bunch of half inch holes drilled in it and a two inch gap cut out of the bottom of it. The 1/2" holes would disapate the air and the two inch wide gap all the way across the bottom would allow for leaves to fall out. Starting with a two inch wide gap, and going up from there to allow for the leaf size and how much mulch you put thru it. (Easier to cut more than to try and replace a piece, although a sheet metal cover would be easy to make.) A two inch gap would probably handle most of the mulch that makes it thru my blower.
By the way, what is the thickness of the blower casing you purchased. I know mine is a commercial unit, but yours appears to be a little on the thin side, but pictures are often misleading.
Just a thought,
David from jax

Berniep · Jun 5, 2007

Don't over think the outlet on the trailer. Mine works just fine with a flat deflector welded to the end of it at about a 45 degree angle. Originally the designer (my wifes father) had about a 2 foot square vent in the top. It was made from some metal that is kinda hard to describe. It's a piece of sheet metal, about 16 gauge that is not quite screen in that it is a solid sheet but it has little holes so close together that you can see through it. I thought this wasn't enough and it would sometimes plug up with debris. I found enough of the same metal to cut the whole top out and make the whole top the vent, performance was improved.

As far as mods to make it unload faster here are a couple of options I have thought of. A piece of chain link fence cut so that will wrap from the bottom rear up over the vent in the front and to some point on the top so I could tie it to a tree and pull it out the back. Another option I have entertained is to do away with the back door and make the sides top and back one piece and make them pivot up on some hatch-back struts to make it easier to dump without the sides to cause drag. .
Sandman, you have given me another idea. I deliver to a place that sells uhmw(sp) sheet, that might be the ticket to get the "brick" to slide out.
I will have to see if they will cut me a deal.

Building my own Leaf/Grass Vacuum system

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