Stand Behind Leaf vacuums

[pmq31]

Hi guys,

I was thinking about buying a stand behind leaf vacuum for my father so he wont have to strain raking leaves every fall. Are they worth while, or just another one of those to-good-to-be-true type machines? I was looking at a Troybilt Chipper/Shredder/Vac. Looks good on paper, but I was wondering if anyone has one or used one could give me some advice on a Troybilt or any other stand behind. One thing I have heard is that no matter what machine, they only work on dry leaves. Thanks for the help!

[eaf]

Hi pmq31,

I have a 5hp Cyclone rake , its about 5 years old. I had first hooked it up to my JD Sabre 2048, sold the mower and purchased a Kubota GR2100. I just finished the hookup this morning, see pictures under the “Kubota GR2100 backing up question” in this forum. Yes, I like it. Glad I purchased it.

Good luck

[AL_Josh]

My father owns one of the Troybilt Chipper Vacs. So I can tell you of my experience.

I think we used it twice to pick up leaves. We were picking up oak tree leaves. It did ok but man did you get nasty using it. It sucks the leaves up and then shreds and deposits them in the bag that happens to be right in front of you in the while you are walking. the dust and dirt gets blow thru the fabric and ends up all over the user. Also you have to pickup everystick in the yard or it will clog the vacuum. then you have to shut down and dig out the clog reassemble and start over. If you have seen the comercial for them the yard it is getting used in looks like a golf course where someone has dump a pile of leaves. It works better on larger leaves then it does on smaller oak tree leaves.

The chipper part works well if you can get the stuff to feed into it. It does not have a feed system other than gravity. And you have to empty it often. When it starts getting full the front wheels start raising of the ground because the bag hangs off the rear.

So after the two seasons of use it now sits in the shed. My father then bought a honda mower with a bagger on it which works so much beter than it did. I would look into a bagger for a mower.

I looked at the chipper vacs on the Troy-bilt web site but that hose looks like it would clog alot easier than the setup of the old ones. The one my father has is a fairly old one. no hose but a duct that goes into the chipper flywheel.

So my experience is that it was just a gimmick. It is a shame but it really was not worth the money. Me and my brother were excited about it because we thought it was going to get us out of raking. It did for a couple of seasons but then we ended up raking until he bought the Honda.


I hope this helps.

[Tevi]

What about a Steiner

[davepg1]

Hello,
bought a craftsman two years ago and very pleased with it overall. It will not pickup wet leaves worth a darn, but does great with dry ones. The only downside is the bag is difficult to empty. It is a walk-behind model.

[pennwalk]

I have a troybilt 5 hp chipper/vac. I don't bother with trying to vacume leaves. It is just too heavy and clunky. I do use it to reduce the volume and bag the leaves. I rake up piles and feed them into the rake chute. The shreaded leaves compost faster. For gathering the leaves I use the JD with a bagger and Gator blades. The combo works pretty well. I have also used a cart bagger which works well when the leaves are heavy. The cart holds a lot more but I have to remember that it is back there or I keep smacking things. You might look at the billy goats if you want a walk behind vacume. I think they are lighter and easier to handle.

Chris