Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection

   / Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection #1  

AndyH

New member
Joined
Jun 7, 2000
Messages
22
Tractor
Ford 1220 4WD HST; John Deere GT235
I've been looking into various leaf/debris collection systems for use with my Ford 1220, particularly the Cyclone Rake from Woodland Power Products in West Haven, CT. In general, I haven't found a great deal of discussion about them in the archives here, or on the CTB (slightly more at the GardenWeb Forums). Two primary questions:

1. Has anyone used a Cyclone Rake on a tractor having a 3-point hitch? (Unlike other vacuum systems which are towed from a hitch, the Cyclone Rake is apparently designed to attach rigidly on the flat rear plate of smaller lawn and garden tractors. While the rigid attachment helps the unit's maneuverability, especially when backing up, it's not clear how you'd attach it to a compact. Unfortunately, the Cyclone factory rep I talked to had no idea what a compact tractor or a 3-point hitch are. Because the 3-point arms will move as I raise and lower my mid-mount mower deck, the Cyclone Rake would need some other way to attach.)

2. Has anyone had any experience with the Cyclone Rake, or other vacuum systems (e.g., Trac-Vac, EZ-Vac (BlueBird International), Goossens, Giant Vac, or Agri-Fab)? Worth the price? How effective are they when using an intake hose to vacuum planting beds, as opposed to open lawn areas where the intake is attached to your mower deck?

Thanks for any or all feedback.

Andy
 
   / Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection #2  
Andy, good topic. I'd like to learn more myself. I've used vacuums but never owned one. The ones I used all seemed to work great. I would like to mount one on a garden tractor and use the tractor's power (belt) rather than a seperate engine. I'd also like to hear about volume reduction efficiency (shredding) from experienced users.
 
   / Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection #3  
Sorry Andy! I guess the other readers think this topic sucks like a vacuum collection system.
 
   / Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection #4  
Why don't you attach it to your drawbar?
 
   / Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection #5  
Andy,

I have no experience with the Cyclone rake or any of the others. I have been looking at the Cyclone rake myself. Like you I would have to attach it to the draw bar. From looking at how the wheels are attached to the Cyclone rake. This should not effect it too much when you raise and lower the mower. Plus it should make it easier to back up.

It’s a surprise to hear that the manufacture tech you talked to did not know what a 3 pt hitch was. We can not be the first people to look at the unit and want to put one on a compact tractor.

I will not be buying a Cyclone rake or any thing else until after the first of the year. But I will post a message if I get one and let every one know how it worked out.
 
   / Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection #6  
Take a serious look at the Trac-Vac line. One of the things I like the best is the tapered trailers so you don't have to unload a wet load by hand. They are 4"s wider in the rear than the front so the load slides right out. Another plus is the 6 blade impeller which helps to shred more and give less plugging in the tube. My favorite unit is the tow behind because there are always places that are hard to get into. I tell people to cut the lawn's tight spots and than backup and hook up and vacuum. You can get the tractor mount pump but that stays on the tractor and has to be removed seperatly. The other bad part of that style is that if it's a trailer you just need to buy a spout if you trade tractors and not be faced with a potential loss of value on trade-in. If your neighbor wants to borrow it or a relative just tell them to buy there own spout and vacuum on.
 
   / Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Some further information re: Cyclone Rakes and other systems:

1. I found a lengthy review of the Cyclone Rake by someone who purchased one. If you're considering one of these units, look at http:// http://www.conklinsystems.com/bourbon/cyclonerake/ (my apologies in advance if the link doesn't work; first time I've tried including one!) While critical on a number of points, the reviewer concluded that the Cyclone Rake was definitely worth the money. Unfortunately, he doesn't address the issue of using them with compact tractors and 3-point hitches.

2. As far as attaching a Cyclone Rake: I basically see two alternatives, but I think there are problems with each of them. The first would involve somehow mounting it using the fixed drawbar that's bolted to the tractor below the PTO. The problem here is that you don't have a sufficiently wide, horizontal surface to bolt the Cyclone Rake onto. It would also seem that a wider mounting bracket, attached to the drawbar, would interfere with the 3-point hitch arms. The other alternative would be mounting the Cyclone Rake to the 3-point hitch drawbar (the roughly 26" long x 2 1/2" wide x 1" thick bar with a series of holes, which mounts between the 3-point hitch arms). (As an aside, I've seen both types of drawbars referred to as simply "the drawbar" over the years; is there any set terminology for distinguishing the two types of drawbar?) While the 3-point hitch drawbar would provide a wide, horizontal attachment point, it unfortunately moves up and down as the 3-point arms raise and lower the mid-mount mower deck (to avoid tearing up the lawn, I find I have to raise the deck any time I back up). It appears that the Cyclone Rake would end up on its tail when the 3-point arms were raised. I'm also wondering if there'd be a problem because the 3-point arms (at least on my 1220) have no down pressure; as the Cyclone Rake filled, it would tip backwards, raising the 3-point arms and therefore the mower deck.

3. Re: Trac-Vac's: Thanks for the recommendation, art. I was finally able to talk with the local dealer for these units. While he had literature about them, he no longer keeps them in stock (apparently very few homeowners in my area still do any of their own yardwork; everyone has switched to commercial lawn services, which aren't interested in these types of units). While the hitch-mounted Trac-Vac's would appear to be compatible with compact tractors, I'm concerned about several issues with them:
1. Several owners on other forums mentioned problems with stability on rough ground, and fairly frequent clogging.
2. The units are bulky. Unlike the Cyclone Rake, most of which collapses into a flat unit you can hang on a wall, the Trac-Vac would be another large cart requiring permanent space (my two-car garage is already overcrowded with tractor stuff and other equipment!)
3. The Trac-Vac's seem to be more expensive. List prices on the units I spoke about with the dealer (he isn't discussing any discounts) were roughly as follows:
Model 560 (5 H.P.) $1500
Model 560 (with chipper/shredder) $1800
Model 880 (8 H.P.) $2150
Model 880 (with chipper/shredder) $2550
Model 1080 (11 H.P.) $2900
 
   / Cyclone Rake/Leaf Collection #8  
12/3

Trac-Vac also makes several PTO powered units, described on their www site. Write or call Eric at Trac-vac for more info, knowledgeable & helpful gentleman.

You need enough PTO hp to run everything.

J
 
 
 
Top