Best Tow Behind Leaf Collection?

[rswyan]

Couple of different units by Harper:

 

[Garycw]

Actually the leaves are right where they're supposed to be

 

[oldballs]

Actually the leaves are right where they're supposed to be

Yeah, if they are falling in a forest.
The options for a homeowner, are really limited for $1500 IMHO. That money might be spent to hire out the biggest pile.....via a bunch of kids, Boy Scouts or a commercial business. Maybe $1500 would buy one 5-6 seasons.

But in my case the Z-10 Cyclone Rake seems an adequate expense (about $3m) for performance received. Having a place to dump or use the collection is also an issue. All this also requires that one is at least able to get off the tractor and use a rake as well.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Garycw]

A place to dump is important. Whether it's a spot in woods or curb for city pick up. The pile adds up quick. A cpl times I have returned the chopped up leaves back around the base of the trees from which they came. Acts as mulch & fertilizer. It goes almost flat by late spring, then can top dress with black mulch etc.
different properties require different procedures. Some get picked up, some mulched, some left alone to natures plan.

 

[Oldironken]

I've had the CR for 10 years and until this season and pulled it with an 42" Husqvarna and it worked pretty well considering the alternative of blowing, raking, hauling, and disposal. I just converted the CR to my new BX23 and it is great.

The deeper leaves that used to jam up under the frame of the husky are not an issue with the BX. Having a 54" cut versus the a 42" cut makes a nice difference. Sure, i do have to get off, unhook the chute with (2 clips), open the back flaps (6 clips), tilt it up by hand, and do a combination of moving forward and pulling it out by hand, but it is well worth it. I'm talking just a couple of minutes per load, which is far superior to the alternative.

Over the 10 years i've had to rebuild / clean the carb twice because of Ethanol and change the oil, that's it.

Where i live i would have to buy bags to dispose of the leaves, now i create a BIG compost pile and turn it every other week with my FEL. The compost i make with it is amazing, it goes back into the garden and flower beds. For me the CR has paid for itself over and over especially when you consider i use it about 15 hours per year, the alternative would be 80-100 hours of manual work and paying for bags.

 

[Ed of all trades]

A cpl times I have returned the chopped up leaves back around the base of the trees from which they came. Acts as mulch & fertilizer. It goes almost flat by late spring, then can top dress with black mulch etc.

The horror of it all, cannibalism.:shocked::shocked: Ed

 

[KennyG]

For me the CR has paid for itself over and over especially when you consider i use it about 15 hours per year, the alternative would be 80-100 hours of manual work and paying for bags.

Pretty much sums up my experience. Some of the high dollar units shown here look really cool, but this started out looking for a $1500 solution.

 

[Jkott]

I've had a Brinley hardy trailer vac for about 10 years. I've replaced the shroud around the impeller and done oil changes in the 10 years. Their parts were expensive, but available and shipped quickly. I paid under a grand.

If you have space, it dumps easily. I dump mine into a limited space compose pile or garden that still has stuff in it so I have to pull it out and pull into a pile by hand. Compare to the alternative of raking or using the regular banger, I will take this and a shower.

I have a little John Deere stx 38 from the early 90's and I'm still pulling it with the hydro after 10 years of having the vac. No it won't go over anything. If the leaves are too deep it will push them. I have refined my system to where I will have to mow every week or so when the leaves start falling. I blow the leaves out of all the gardens and from the patio and keep blowing them into an even shallow pile. It works best if its thin enough to just go under the deck. Much blades help over high lift blades. If you keep pushing a pile of leaves long enough that it catches fire, you are doing it wrong. Tractors have reverse and if you start pushing, reverse a couple feet and then go forward again. My tractors exhaust is in the push pile, and I have yet to start a fire.

The only downside I have to the Brinley is the absurdly long tongue that has the fan engine mounted to it. It really increases the turning radius to avoid rubbing the rear tires on the tongue. It won't take long to figure out how to just swing wide and use the second pass to swing narrow to pick up what you missed.

I have it down now to where it really doesn't take any longer than a regular mowing to pick up that weeks leaves.

 

[texas42]

I've had a Cyclone Rake for 5 years. I can't say enough good about it.
I clean up about 3 1/2 acres with 80 mature pecan trees.
It works really good and is a big time saver.
One thing I have found is if you don't let the cart get completely full - dump it when you have 3/4 of a load or so it dumps much easier and the leaves slide out better. If it gets packed full then you need to rake the top off to get it to dump.

 

[ProjectKing]

I really like my TracVac... Bought used for around $500. Works like a charm. It does not collapse though.

Good luck!