Volfandt
Veteran Member
Greetings,
Sitting here looking at the aftermath of a pretty serious storm, I can't help but notice all the leaves that are now covering the driveway. This of course leads me to think of the upcoming fall season, which is aptly named btw., and what I plan to do about leaf pickup. Last yr I had a no tools needed twin bagger attachment for my lawn mower and it did a very good job, except with only two bags I made mucho trips to the compost pile. Even at that it was fine as it was seat time but I've since sold that rig and now am faced with coming up with a plan of attack not only for the fall but grass clipping pickup too! My homemade mulch plug does OK in the front but I have to remove it for the back.
Since I'm useing the compost from yrs past and I like the clean look after running a bagger for grass/leaf pickup, I'm sold on using a bagger of some sort.
So heres the choices as I see it.
1) Kubota bagger. I've read where it's performance is outstanding but is a pain to R&R. Also it's the most expensive solution.
2) Kubota Mulch kit. I've read where it's performance is outstanding but it is not designed for R&R. Altho I've read about it's grass clipping performance, I don't recall reading about what it does in heavy and I do mean HEAVY leaf mulching.
3) Cyclone Rake, it has it's own 5hp power plant and will hold much more debris than Kubota's bagger. The hopper is made of some sort of treated fiber material but the frame is aluminum. It mounts ridgidly and pivots on two casters. Folds up and can be hung on the wall except for the engine module which rolls out of the way. Pluses is the cost, around $1,200.00 and it's stowability.
4) DR LeafVac, like the Cyclone Rake it mounts ridgedly to the tractor and pivots on two casters but it's hopper is made of plastic. The intake technology lays claims that it doesn't generate near the dust/exhaust of all the other baggers. Also claims to chop up the debris much finer due to teeth on the impeller.
Another plus is the 6 & 7hp models also incorporate a chipper shreader that can handle branches upto 2" thick.
Negatives seems to be a lack of compact stowabilty and the 6hp model runs approx $500 more than the Cyclone Rake.
5) Tow behind sweeper. I've had a sweeper before and the lack of capacity along with it's inability to work in damp grass/leaves makes this the least desired solution, for me anyways. I sold mine when I went to a bagger and I said then that I wouldn't go back /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Course this is the least expensive option so it deserves mention.
Comments, recommendations?
Volfandt
Sitting here looking at the aftermath of a pretty serious storm, I can't help but notice all the leaves that are now covering the driveway. This of course leads me to think of the upcoming fall season, which is aptly named btw., and what I plan to do about leaf pickup. Last yr I had a no tools needed twin bagger attachment for my lawn mower and it did a very good job, except with only two bags I made mucho trips to the compost pile. Even at that it was fine as it was seat time but I've since sold that rig and now am faced with coming up with a plan of attack not only for the fall but grass clipping pickup too! My homemade mulch plug does OK in the front but I have to remove it for the back.
Since I'm useing the compost from yrs past and I like the clean look after running a bagger for grass/leaf pickup, I'm sold on using a bagger of some sort.
So heres the choices as I see it.
1) Kubota bagger. I've read where it's performance is outstanding but is a pain to R&R. Also it's the most expensive solution.
2) Kubota Mulch kit. I've read where it's performance is outstanding but it is not designed for R&R. Altho I've read about it's grass clipping performance, I don't recall reading about what it does in heavy and I do mean HEAVY leaf mulching.
3) Cyclone Rake, it has it's own 5hp power plant and will hold much more debris than Kubota's bagger. The hopper is made of some sort of treated fiber material but the frame is aluminum. It mounts ridgidly and pivots on two casters. Folds up and can be hung on the wall except for the engine module which rolls out of the way. Pluses is the cost, around $1,200.00 and it's stowability.
4) DR LeafVac, like the Cyclone Rake it mounts ridgedly to the tractor and pivots on two casters but it's hopper is made of plastic. The intake technology lays claims that it doesn't generate near the dust/exhaust of all the other baggers. Also claims to chop up the debris much finer due to teeth on the impeller.
Another plus is the 6 & 7hp models also incorporate a chipper shreader that can handle branches upto 2" thick.
Negatives seems to be a lack of compact stowabilty and the 6hp model runs approx $500 more than the Cyclone Rake.
5) Tow behind sweeper. I've had a sweeper before and the lack of capacity along with it's inability to work in damp grass/leaves makes this the least desired solution, for me anyways. I sold mine when I went to a bagger and I said then that I wouldn't go back /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Course this is the least expensive option so it deserves mention.
Comments, recommendations?
Volfandt
