BX Grass Catcher Conversion Kit

[redharley]

Bellweather,my bx with a trac-vac has been my answer for leaves for some time now.I would never go back to the RAKE for sure.If you shop around for a used one in the the off season they can be had for aound $600 bucks, add a boot to fit your tractor or if your handy adapt the one that comes with your used trac vac and never look back. Stay with 5 hp or larger with 8" hose's and you should be good to go.Add mulcher blades to your deck for a more finer cut. I live on 12 acres my house sits in the middle of 7 acres of oak,hickory + some other hard woods the leaves come from all directions I live your dream for sure. Good luck.

 

[bellweather]

redharley, I did a quick search on the trac vc and it looks interesting. which model do you own? I like the bx model because it's driven by the rear pto.
thanks

 

[keyman1808]

Bellweather, Cyclone rake is another good unit. Softsided, NO pto option for power but it can fold flat and be hung on a wall for storage. My dad has one and it is great. There is one on CL that is a great price. A quick use of searchtempest.com will help you find it. I want to say it was in NH or Maine...not sure. I want to get it myself but other expenseive have arisen and I need to wait. You might want to look at that unit.

 

[bellweather]

Looks good. Not crazy about maintaining another motor but I guess it's less trouble than raking massive piles of leaves. Plus, brand new, it's about half the price of the Kubota bagger unit. Thanks for sending.

 

[keyman1808]

I'm with you but for the money you cant really beat it. I like the kubota setup also but its some big money for that. Let me know how everything goes.

 

[BotaBigot]

Success with mulching depends on quantity and kind of leaves...mine are oak...they decompose slowly, acidify soil, and sheer volume would kill grass...

 

[Tom_H]

Looks good. Not crazy about maintaining another motor but I guess it's less trouble than raking massive piles of leaves. Plus, brand new, it's about half the price of the Kubota bagger unit. Thanks for sending.

Think about resale value and how wide the market would be if you get a unit and don't like it. For an independent unit like Cyclone Rake or Trac-Vac, you would have a certain sized market. For the Kubota, you would need to find someone with a very specific tractor. You'd likely find someone, but probably would have to take a pretty good sized loss on it.

 

[freddyr]

redharley, I did a quick search on the trac vc and it looks interesting. which model do you own? I like the bx model because it's driven by the rear pto.
thanks

i've had trac vac for over 30 yrs, best on the market, never tried the bx model but would be easier with one less motor to fuss with! Make sure u have enough pto hp for it and the mower at same time. i mow and also use a pto leaf blower and im about maxed out! bx2660:thumbsup:

 

[CHDinCT]

I have had a cyclone rake since 2004 and would be lost come fall without it. One added thought on a trailer vac vs a tractor specific unit is that if you change tractors, just get another boot and you're back in business. Not so with a unit specific to your tractor model.

 

[redharley]

Bellweather I would stick to a self powered model for sure small engine not that difficult to service. Resale value is one reason,as said before if you change tractors your unit will still work with a few dollars to buy a new deck boot. as I said before My 5 horse model does a good job for me it is a older model I beleive 580 is the model,or go to the 8 hp model if your pocketbook allows, mine has a larger trailer which I highly suggest if you have a lot of leaves. You can mow a lot of grass before it needs emptied.

 

[bellweather]

thanks for the info redharley and everybody...looks like a good option. my one hesitation has to do with maneuverability. I have some tight corners, trees, stumps, etc. that I have to get around...I do a lot of reversing/forwarding to get at it all.

 

[keyman1808]

The cyclone rake is not that bad to turn with. It does not attach like a trailer it is 2 point mounting with swivel wheels. Makes your trator longer but turning and backing up is much simpler.

 

[bellweather]

How tippy is the CR? Like if mowing along an inclined lawn (as in not traveling up or down hill, but where the low side of the hill is left or right to the direction of travel). According to the spec sheet the "Classic" model is best suited to inclined lawns and tight spaces.

 

[Jnasystems]

I had a trac vac on my last tractor (also a BX) and loved it. It isn't very maneuverable though. I would always trim around obstacles before hooking up the vac making sure to discharge into the lawn. Made the time much lower as I didn't have to be as careful. It sold with the tractor as I moved to another state and had to rent for a year and a half.

Now what I would really like would be a larger dump trailer (run off the tractor hydraulics) and a pto powered blower assembly that also has small chipping abilities. I think that will be a diy project.

 

[Haywire]

I gotta back up a minute here. I talked to the dealer today and the grass catcher is more involved than I thought. I thought it was just a chute up to a bag. It actually includes a blower that attaches to the rear PTO. Still pricey since it depends on the tractor to actually power it, but it isn't as wildly out of whack as I thought.

I asked about the mulcher kit and he said it consisted of a baffle inside the deck that changes the air flow to direct the clippings back into the blades, a block off for the exhaust that extends into the deck a bit (not just a blank off plate) and the blades... it runs about $300 for everything. The blades were $66/set by themselves. I'm sure you could get by with less expensive aftermarket mulch blades.

Ian

 

[keyman1808]

Ian, It is really a nioce unit, expensive but nice. With extra hoses from CR or Agri Fab you can make an attachment to clean your shrub or flower gardens ect ect. I only wish we could get the hard sided self dumping unit they sell in Europe. That would be ideal.

 

[Tom_H]

I gotta back up a minute here. I talked to the dealer today and the grass catcher is more involved than I thought. I thought it was just a chute up to a bag. It actually includes a blower that attaches to the rear PTO. Still pricey since it depends on the tractor to actually power it, but it isn't as wildly out of whack as I thought.

I asked about the mulcher kit and he said it consisted of a baffle inside the deck that changes the air flow to direct the clippings back into the blades, a block off for the exhaust that extends into the deck a bit (not just a blank off plate) and the blades... it runs about $300 for everything. The blades were $66/set by themselves. I'm sure you could get by with less expensive aftermarket mulch blades.

Ian

Correct on all counts.

 

[BotaBigot]

Ian, It is really a nioce unit, expensive but nice. With extra hoses from CR or Agri Fab you can make an attachment to clean your shrub or flower gardens ect ect. I only wish we could get the hard sided self dumping unit they sell in Europe. That would be ideal.

It is a nice, well-made attachment...tedious to install until you get hang of it...and bags fill with leaves quickly (its a grass catcher, engineered for weight of wet grass rather than dry leaves). I've wanted that European bagger ever since I saw French video...

 

[Trafficman]

Rake what!?! That's what kids are for! :laughing: If they gripe ask them if they wanna eat. :licking: That's what dad did, worked too. :thumbsup:
T-Man.

 

[bellweather]

Hey T-man
I like your idea...got any spare kids you can send over? I'll feed em too.

Update - got a decent price on the bagger with boot and conversion kit...comes in a hair over $2K, which still sounds like a heck of a lot. I'm ruling out any kind of tow behind vac, such as Cyclone Rake, due to slope of front lawn and tight spaces. I may just skip the whole thing and continue moving leaves with a hand rake...ugh!