Leaf pickup/what worked best

[scott_in_ny]

I have a BX-22 with 60" deck.

I just found out that my town will no longer pick up leaves unless bagged. That is not an option for me. 3 plus acres of old ash,sugar maples,japanese maples. I have piles of leaves and some neighbors may complain if I just let them sit all winter when they blow into their properties.

I used to just blow the front yard leaves to the street in a pile with the backpack and 9hp little wonder walk behind. The back I would drive over with the mower and mulch.

Next fall I want to p/u the leaves and compost them in the way back yard.

All you guys with the DR's ,vac's, etc...... what worked best for you.

Pro's and cons.

I read some of the other posts but want some more info on the vaccum/shredders etc.......

Thanks

 

[Dusty]

I have both the Cyclone Rake and a Kubota bagging system for my BX, but this year I decided to try what others are suggesting, by mulching the leaves. Today, I spent about 3 times as long mulching and blowing the leaves to the outer edge of the lawn. I wanted to give it a fair comparison to see which would be the better method. Picking them up and dumping them when the bags were full or to mulch and blow them back into the woods. I have come to the conclusion that even though emptying the bags is a pain, it is still faster than trying to mulch and blow them to the outside edge of the lawn. My vote is for either the Cyclone Rake or the Kubota bagging system. I choose the one that is going to be the easiest to install at the time, and use both during the season, depending on the area that I am going to be working. Dusty

 

[LBrown59]

Just leafing them alone works best for me.
It's cheap quick and effortless .

 

[Volfandt]

Last year my Cyclone Rake (CR) made easy short work of clearing the leaves and thoses leaves and grassclippings made this years compost that have kept the Mrs' flowers fed & side dressed all summer long.
The CR worked out great and I've got two new compost piles cook'n for next spring's feedings.
That said, I recently installed some gatorblades on my BX23's 60" MMM and the results have been nothing less than amazing! They chop up the grass and leaves so well that I only had to run the CR ONCE this fall for leaf pickup!
And I used it primarily because I needed some "browns" to go with the "greens" in the compost piles
I'll know better how they'll do come spring and summer when the grass grows quicker and thicker but for fall leaf pickup I could have probably gotten away without running the CR, if not for the need for clippings to compost...

Volfandt

 

[scott_in_ny]

Thanks for the replies.

Dusty, If you could have only one or the other which would you choose.

The Kubota bagger system or the cyclone rake.

pros/cons

Thanks

 

[ToolDad]

I went through this decision process last year with my BX2200. There is a thread somewhere on TBN where I commented, but lost that with the server update. So, I purchased the CR Professional in 11/05. Worked pretty well, though did not pick up as thorougly as I expected. The main con that I experienced was the maneuverability. It backed great with the two point hitch, but no matter how much allowance I tried to afford it, I could not help but run into trees and plant beds when turning (extra 7ft hanging off the back).

So, I opted to return the unit in May and purchase the Kubota catcher. Thus far I am satisfied with grass collection, but of course you have to empty more often as it as ~25% of the capacity. Have not done much yet with leaf pickup so it is hard to comment yet, but I will be doing so in the coming week and will plan to let you know.

 

[coveredbridge]

I am in my second leaf pick-up season with my Cyclone Rake, and I am very pleased with it. I spent a good chunk of this past weekend with it, and I have a mountain of chopped leaves on this year's compost pile to show for it. Last year's are composting nicely, but will probably need another year to cook.

I think that what distinguishes the CR from the other leaf vacs is the ability to store it much more compactly than the DR, trac-vac, etc. That's important to me because storage space always seems to be at a premium. I also like the composite (plastic?) blower fins rather than the metal ones. They claim the composite will flex when struck my small stones, etc. that get picked up, as opposed to steel fins which may get bent, throwing off the balance.

As for cons, the CR makes a lot of exhaust dirt, especially if the leaves are dry, and you can wind up covered in it if the wind is blowing the wrong way. It can get in your eyes too, even when wearing safety glasses, which is probably why Woodland Power provides goggles with the CR. I don't know if the other leaf vacs have the same problem or not.

Also, I know that some of the DR models also have a chipper function for small branches, etc. The CR does not offer this feature. That wasn't an issue for me, but may be a consideration for you.

Overall, I am very pleased with the CR.

 

[AMR]

The old BX23 with bagger worked just right this year.

 

[Dusty]

It is hard to compare the two, because they are both different. As was said, the extra 7' of rear attachment does present its own set of problems. It does hook up much faster than the Kubota unit. I have found that the front end gets light with the Kubota unit if I am picking up heavy wet grass. One of these days, I will get a front weight bar to eliminate this problem. The Kubota is a lot quieter than the CR. I have had the CR for a few years and I am on my second collection bag. The first one, the zipper ripped. This one is now also giving me zipper problems. I don't like the fact that the top screen on the CR is always clogging and if I get a full load in the CR, then the bag sometimes falls off the cart while emptying. Gasoline motors are a real pain to keep going, so if I had to choose between the two, I would probably go with the Kubota. I had the CR from before I purchased the Kubota, and I got a good buy on a used Kubota bagger, so now, I can have the best of both worlds. I only wish that I had a larger place to store them all.. Dusty

 

[pashworth]

Volfandt or anyone else with Gators,
I just got my CR Commercial last month. Excellent job of catching everything my 60" MMM throws at it. Since the vacumm only "catches" debris that the mower deck cuts, do you find that the Gator blades have a higher lift or pull on the leaves than the standard Kubota blades?
Thanks,
Paul