Trac-Vac 854 PTO Powered Leaf Vacuum

[charlz]

We have also found that the 5 horse unit will normally work with a 60" deck although they recommend the larger unit and the new models come with a small chipper built in!

How effective is the chipper? I have been thinking of getting one of these units and have been trying to decide chipper/no chipper. Someday soon I will be in city limits and no longer able to burn so I will have to chip or haul to the dump. I thought the chipper on the cart would be nice for 'chip as you go' pruning.

 

[HiTech Redneck]

Cool! With that setup couldn't you build any size trailer you wanted. As long as the discharge hose was long enough you could build a hydraulic dump trailer. I also have a lot of trees and use to hate picking them up. Now I love picking up leaves. I picked up aLawn Genie flail with catcher last year and it works wonders. I will post a couple of pics and maby it will give you some ideas on how to make a dump for yours.
Bill

Hi! Do you have a website address for the "Lawn Genie"?I like the idea of no chute,hose,trailer etc. to mess with.Thanks for any info you can supply!

 

[art]

How effective is the chipper? I have been thinking of getting one of these units and have been trying to decide chipper/no chipper. Someday soon I will be in city limits and no longer able to burn so I will have to chip or haul to the dump. I thought the chipper on the cart would be nice for 'chip as you go' pruning.

The biggest thing when chipping is the limb can not have branches sticking out to get throughthe hloe next to the chipper wheel. This can be frustrating as it doen't take much of a limb to keep the branch from getting to the chipper.

 

[art]

Just thinking about the non-tapered trailer. To have a sheet of plywood cut to match the bottoms size and have a small chain or rope attached to it from the front of the trailer that would allow it to come totally out of the trailer and then while pulling ahead you could pull the plywood out from underneath the leaves.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Just thinking about the non-tapered trailer. To have a sheet of plywood cut to match the bottoms size and have a small chain or rope attached to it from the front of the trailer that would allow it to come totally out of the trailer and then while pulling ahead you could pull the plywood out from underneath the leaves.

Art, now that you mention that, I remember a thread here a year, or two ago about just that. There were photos, and a good discussion. The plan worked as well as you think it should if I remamber correctly.

 

[Kevin M]

Two weeks ago I drove to New Jersey to pick up this used Trac-Vac 854. I have A LOT of trees around me, and doing leaf cleanup is always a chore I hate...So I have been looking for years for a solution-and this turned up on Craigslist so I jumped on it.

I have about 4 hours on it now including some time with wet leaves, and it really does a remarkable job at collecting, mulching and packing them in the trailer! Emptying the trailer is a chore so far-but hopefully I will get batter at it or find a way to hydraulically PUSH them out!

Please enjoy the pictures on my Picassa Web Album

Kenny its ironic i found mine the same way , i found my (880 trac vac) in a want-ad magazine from dealer in PA , wasnt running , cleaned carb and reattached spark plug wires ( rubbed on the flywheel and broke in two) , paid only $300 The biggest thing i found is to keep them clean ( the box ) and never let them rust inside , the load inside wont slide easy

 

[Kevin M]

Congrats. Trac Vac is a good unit. I have one with an engine powered vac since the BX1500 does not have enuf power to suck and mow at the same time. Maybe yours is different, but mine dumps easy by tipping the trailer back and then pulling forward with a jerk. The trailer is tapered open toward the back so as soon as the leaf pack moves it becomes loose and slides out as you pull away. Leaf loaves everywhere. Keeping the inside of the trailer well painted and smooth helps too.
larry

Not sure of the H/P of your BX ? My father also has a collection system (similar to trac vac) infact the trailers are indentical , anyway his is on a Deutz Allis 1920 , 20hp kohler 60 inch deck and the blower (which was a factory option ) runs of the rear PTO and has plenty of snot ???

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Hi! Do you have a website address for the "Lawn Genie"?I like the idea of no chute,hose,trailer etc. to mess with.Thanks for any info you can supply!

Mathews company is who made the one I have. They are nolonger making them. There are several other companys that a making a simular machine but I don't know the names. The new ones I have seen are in the 5-10K price range. I ocasionally see them on ebay. There is a tow behind on there now.
Bill

 

[joes_427_vette]

WOW..... Kenny, you did it again. I had a prelim sketch in my head about how I would attack the design with a pully system to gear it to the right speed. Never seen anything like that before. It would be nice if a guy could fab a light material holding assembly on the back eliminating the need for wheels on the trailer. Don't think the 4110 would have much weight on the front wheels at this point.

Kenny... If you get some time can you get some type of estimate on impeller speed ( one turn of the pto vs how many revolutions on the impeller. It's not a new idea but I like the idea of using the pto vs putting up with maintaining another power source.

I have the gearbox from another 60" JD mower. Do you think it would hold up ?

By the way, thanks again for the help on the loader. It really works well. I didn't think the on board oil pump would be able to work the rams effectively but it is more than adequate.

 

[kennyd]

Joe, according to the documentation, the fan speed is about 3800 RPM. It also say's it on the Trac-Vac web site on the right side. You can also download the manual and see the parts breakdown.

No clue on the MMM gearbox-the one on the Trac-Vac it 3 times as big and 3 times as heavy. I had to remove it to change the oil.

By the way, thanks again for the help on the loader. It really works well. I didn't think the on board oil pump would be able to work the rams effectively but it is more than adequate.

You are welcome! Can you elaborate a little on the second part of that statement?

 

[joes_427_vette]

I was refering to the oil pump output volume in gallons per minute. I thought it would be marginal and I would have to support it with a pto driven pump. No problems though. Seems to be enough pressure to go around with the internal pump.

 

[joes_427_vette]

Kenny;
Looking closely at your pictures it appears you have two drive shafts running off the angle gearbox. Is this for speeding up the impellor ? Two block bearings visible. Is it possible to get a shot of the drive shafts without the top shield ? This might be the answer to the rpm question I have. No sense in reinventing the wheel.
The three point arm question I was also looking at ... seems you resolved that pretty quickly. What did you use... 1/4" x 2" flat stock ?

 

[Kevin M]

WOW..... Kenny, you did it again. I had a prelim sketch in my head about how I would attack the design with a pully system to gear it to the right speed. Never seen anything like that before. It would be nice if a guy could fab a light material holding assembly on the back eliminating the need for wheels on the trailer. Don't think the 4110 would have much weight on the front wheels at this point.

Kenny... If you get some time can you get some type of estimate on impeller speed ( one turn of the pto vs how many revolutions on the impeller. It's not a new idea but I like the idea of using the pto vs putting up with maintaining another power source.

I have the gearbox from another 60" JD mower. Do you think it would hold up ?

By the way, thanks again for the help on the loader. It really works well. I didn't think the on board oil pump would be able to work the rams effectively but it is more than adequate.

Joe a guy i worked for had a PECO system , the collection box was made of aluminum , it held about half of what the cart style systems , I had to empty it alot and it made a huge blind spot . The L185 kubota it was mounted on got a little lite in the front end when you went up hills. The gear box should hold up it though at rear PTO speed and you could come up with a better design for the collection box.

 

[kennyd]

Kenny;
Looking closely at your pictures it appears you have two drive shafts running off the angle gearbox. Is this for speeding up the impellor ? Two block bearings visible. Is it possible to get a shot of the drive shafts without the top shield ? This might be the answer to the rpm question I have. No sense in reinventing the wheel.
The three point arm question I was also looking at ... seems you resolved that pretty quickly. What did you use... 1/4" x 2" flat stock ?

I will try one afternoon this week...

Yes, it was 1/4"x2" Flat.

 

[joes_427_vette]

Thanks Kenny. I'll be looking forward to the secrets below the metal shield. Did you mention there was a parts breakdown for this blower ? I didn't see it when I did the search. It would be helpful also.

Kevin; I have an angle gearbox from a 60 " mmm collecting dust. Surplus center also has one, I believe it is 1 to 1.92 which would be what I should be using. ( $160.00 with shipping ) Maybe the proper impeller speed can be reached with a series of pulley combinations with the 1 to 1 box. Once it gets to speed I don't believe it would take much force to keep it turning in dry grass / leaves. I'm happy to find someone else has done the engineering for this project.

 

[kennyd]

Kenny;
Looking closely at your pictures it appears you have two drive shafts running off the angle gearbox. Is this for speeding up the impellor ? Two block bearings visible. Is it possible to get a shot of the drive shafts without the top shield ? This might be the answer to the rpm question I have. No sense in reinventing the wheel.
The three point arm question I was also looking at ... seems you resolved that pretty quickly. What did you use... 1/4" x 2" flat stock ?

Here are some pictures Joe:

-The gearbox ratio is 1:2 (1 rev on the input side = 2 revs on the output)
-The Input vs Output ratio is about 1:7 (1 rev of the PTO shaft = about 7 revs of the shaft that drives the impeller.

You owe me dinner and a beer

EDIT-
On the main web page TRAC-VAC, select the "manual's" tab on the right, then select the model 854 to download it.

 

[joes_427_vette]

Thanks for the inside view. At 3800 rpm that impeller must make quite a howling sound. I never dreamed they would turn it that fast. Looks like I will need a 2 to 1 gearbox to keep things in perportion, otherwise my pulleys will be too large.
I got the approximate sizes for the pulleys off the pictures. Now to get a formula that will tell me if I'm in range.
I really like this arrangement. I think it will make a super vacuum and I only have to listen to one motor.

One more detail Kenny. How does the tractor handle it hosrsepower wise ? Is it quite a strain when you flip the pto button ?

Also, I just found the parts break down. It only lists two pulleys and one belt. It lists the jack shafts and pillow bearings..... wonder why they left this information out ? ( Or is it there and I can't find it ? ) They are careful not to give any sizes. The custom mower attachment might be interesting if it isn't too pricey.

 

[kennyd]

Thanks for the inside view. At 3800 rpm that impeller must make quite a howling sound. I never dreamed they would turn it that fast. Looks like I will need a 2 to 1 gearbox to keep things in perportion, otherwise my pulleys will be too large.
I got the approximate sizes for the pulleys off the pictures. Now to get a formula that will tell me if I'm in range.
I really like this arrangement. I think it will make a super vacuum and I only have to listen to one motor.

One more detail Kenny. How does the tractor handle it hosrsepower wise ? Is it quite a strain when you flip the pto button ?

The tractor handles it well, only bogged down once so far in thick wet leaves-but I was really trying to push it to see what it did.

I just knew you where going to mention pulley sizes...and that will be a steak dinner

 

[joes_427_vette]

Let the parts collecting begin. This is going to work slick. My back is feeling better and I can semi retire the rake. About the steak... I will send you a pm.

 

[TBDonnelly]

Art, now that you mention that, I remember a thread here a year, or two ago about just that. There were photos, and a good discussion. The plan worked as well as you think it should if I remamber correctly.

Chuck, your memory is spot on.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/109171-pulled-trigger-cyclone-rake.html

The slide-out is still in use 2 years later.

Don