Is this what I need to clean my yard of leaves in the fall

creekbend · Feb 20, 2012

bcp said:
Do it like the Russians!

Bruce

Certainly looks like that equipment would be more appropriate in being included in the Russian May Day parade, along with their other military equipment. That is if they still hold that annual parade.

JDTank · Feb 21, 2012

My advice would be the powerflow system.

I am not a fan of cyclone rakes because you now have 2 engines that need maintenance, and gasoline, which is getting so expensive that a person has to budget gas just for a riding mower in today's world.

The powerflow is almost maintenance free and works very well, and they last.

It WILL be costly, a powerflow is about $1,300 I think. If you had that, with the MC519 cart, you would never look back. After demo'ing a MC519 cart, I will never have a bagging system that uses bags again.

jhonb · Feb 21, 2012

I am in about the same boat as you except for the maples. Every year I teeter on the brink of getting a cyclone rake. Last year I tried to buy a used one, but waited too late in the year. From what I can tell, you can pick up a decent used one for 6 to 9 hundred bucks. By the time your done outfitting a new one, paying for shipping, the price of a new one can go very high.

So I have been bagging my leaves the past 6 years. The best advise I can give you is to purchase a set of JD high lift blades. The biggest problem I had with sucking up leaves was the shoot clog. With the high lift blades, it almost eliminated them. I can not recommend strongly enough to purchase the high lift blades. It makes sucking leaves an entirely different experience.

I don't know what you do with your leaves, but if you need to bag them, you might try mowing the leaves one time without the bagger (with a mulch plug if you have one) and they put on the bags and then suck them up. This will double chop the stuff and make it more compact.

My tractor is more valuable to me as a leaf sucker than it is a lawn mower.

JDTank · Feb 21, 2012

Depending how your property is laid out, you may be able to discharge the leaves into some bushes or something of that nature.

About half of my lawn has a complete row of trees on one side of it, running it's entire length. I simply start at the far end, discharging to my right, and continue on. Since your constantly moving more material onto other material, you have to go slower and make additional passes closer to the end. Still, I get 90% of them that way, and by spring of the following year you wouldn't even know they were in there, fresh mulch.

jenkinsph · Feb 21, 2012

I just ordered a set of high lift blades this morning for my old mower and talked to the dealer about an MC519 cart and blower. I am having him check to make sure it will work with the 48" deck and x749.

The dealer seems to think the high lift blades will do the trick with the old mower. I am gonna try that first, LOT cheaper.

cooper99 · Feb 21, 2012

Like others suggested, don't waste your time or money with a 42" lawn sweeper. I am very satisfied with the powerflow system/MC519 cart on my 455; I also have an Agrifab Mow-N-Vac for some of the larger jobs.

The powerflow system and MC519 cart are extremely easy to mount and setup between uses. It definitely does a very good job at what it is designed to do. The MC519 uses 2 rear mounting points via the quick-tatch system and thus gives it exceptional maneuverability and stability. The cart does provide a lot of storage capacity (19 bushels), but it can still get full very fast. It's pricey, but extremely well made- I haven't had to replace a single part yet in 15 years of part time use.

Another item to consider would be a Cyclone Rake or a Mow-N-Vac. Our Mow-N-Vac has a 26 bushel capacity, but probably holds twice as much as the MC519 because the 5hp engine chips and shreds up all the leaves into tiny pieces, making it pack well. It's also nice having a detachable hose with tons of suction for those hard to reach areas and random piles of leaves. However, I have to be careful not to mow on hills or steeper areas when the cart is filling up because it is very top heavy. It's also more difficult to mount to the mower deck and requires occasional tweaking as you go. I probably only use it 3-4 times a year, but it's been worth every penny. Even with seldom use, the 5hp engine on the Mow-N-Vac still starts up first try every season and it is getting to be 6 or 7 years old now.

RubiconRider, since you still have about 7 months to prepare for leaf season, it might be best for you to search Craigslist and local ads for good deals on used units.

Here is a picture of inside my Mow-N-Vac to show you just how much it can hold.

jenkinsph · Feb 22, 2012

cooper99 said:
Like others suggested, don't waste your time or money with a 42" lawn sweeper. I am very satisfied with the powerflow system/MC519 cart on my 455; I also have an Agrifab Mow-N-Vac for some of the larger jobs.

The powerflow system and MC519 cart are extremely easy to mount and setup between uses. It definitely does a very good job at what it is designed to do. The MC519 uses 2 rear mounting points via the quick-tatch system and thus gives it exceptional maneuverability and stability. The cart does provide a lot of storage capacity (19 bushels), but it can still get full very fast. It's pricey, but extremely well made- I haven't had to replace a single part yet in 15 years of part time use.

Another item to consider would be a Cyclone Rake or a Mow-N-Vac. Our Mow-N-Vac has a 26 bushel capacity, but probably holds twice as much as the MC519 because the 5hp engine chips and shreds up all the leaves into tiny pieces, making it pack well. It's also nice having a detachable hose with tons of suction for those hard to reach areas and random piles of leaves. However, I have to be careful not to mow on hills or steeper areas when the cart is filling up because it is very top heavy. It's also more difficult to mount to the mower deck and requires occasional tweaking as you go. I probably only use it 3-4 times a year, but it's been worth every penny. Even with seldom use, the 5hp engine on the Mow-N-Vac still starts up first try every season and it is getting to be 6 or 7 years old now.

RubiconRider, since you still have about 7 months to prepare for leaf season, it might be best for you to search Craigslist and local ads for good deals on used units.

Here is a picture of inside my Mow-N-Vac to show you just how much it can hold.

My question that I posed to the dealer today was compatibility with the 3PH on my mower. I may have to modify it to fit a 3PH to make it work, what do you think?

Willl · Feb 22, 2012

cooper99 said:
Here is a picture of inside my Mow-N-Vac to show you just how much it can hold.

Impressive. It really packs it in there.

Easy to empty ?

TimS · Feb 22, 2012

jenkinsph said:
My question that I posed to the dealer today was compatibility with the 3PH on my mower. I may have to modify it to fit a 3PH to make it work, what do you think?

Steve, I use an MC519 / Powerflow setup on my 455, which has a 3-point hitch mounted whenever I'm not picking up leaves. I'm fairly sure your tractor's rear setup is the same as mine - if that's so, all you need to do is remove the 3-point arms by pulling the pins at the tractor end, and then the same pins and a single bolt hold the 519's hitch bar in place for the 519 itself to clip to. It couldn't be easier.

More generally, I've used everything from rakes and blowers to a tow-behind sweeper to the 519 / Powerflow setup. While the 519 and powerflow is the best, it's by far the most expensive. I got mine in trade for a blade I never used, so it was a good deal for me.

The lawn sweeper I used was just a relatively-inexpensive Agri-Fab, but it worked pretty well. Certainly not a waste if you don't want to pony up for a 519 / powerflow, Cyclone Rake, or the like - definitely easier than raking.

Tim