DR or Cyclone Lawn Vac?`

[RWEST]

My brother, again (I keep telling him he should register his own self here!!) is considering either a DR or Cyclone lawn vac, and was wondering if anyone here had anything good/bad to say about either.
Thanks.

 

[actionaj]

I have a Cyclone Rake bought it about four years ago. It is well engineered and very durable I have never had a problem with it. I only use it for picking up leafs in the fall it is a real time saver. I don't know what I would do with out it. The only thing I can say bad about it is it can be quite dusty sometimes when it is real dry out.

 

[caver]

I haven't owned the brand you mentioned but did own an 8 HP Troy Bilt (old company when owned by Garden Way) yard vac/chipper.
Damp leaves have a habit of getting clogged up and those bags fill real quick.
When you go about 40 (rough guess) and the bag is full,,,,that becomes a real chore. I sold it on ebay a couple of years ago and don't miss it one bit.

 

[yankeerider]

Caver, when you mention bags, I think you're talking a different sort of machine.

I have a Giant-Vac tow-behind (no longer made) that uses an 8 hp Briggs and a 7" suction hose. What I like about my machine is the all-steel sloped hopper that unloads by simply opening the rear door. However, my 60" deck can feed it too quickly, causing clogs even with dry leaves if I travel too fast or take a full-width cut. The other thing that is "wrong" with mine is a sharp bend at the inlet to the impeller, which can trap twigs or sticks, leading to a loss of suction that requires me to shut it down and clean the impeller suction by hand. I think both the DR and Cyclone have a straight-shot inlet and would be loss susceptible to suction blockage by twigs, but both look to be more difficult to unload. Except for the stick problem, my pluggage problems are solved by going slower and/or taking a narrower "cut."

I hope someday to buy a leaf loader (12 hp or more) and mount it on a trailer patterened after my Giant Vac but with a more easily accessible engine and straight-shot inlet. In comparing leaf loaders, I find that all of them with less than 20 horsepower can be clogged with wet leaves.

If I had to buy one today, it would be the DR because I like the rigid trailer better than the collapsible, and i like their straightforward engineering.

Be sure to search other forums here-there are threads comparing the Cyclone and DR, maybe in one of the John Deere forums.

 

[coveredbridge]

I am beginning my fourth year picking up leaves with my Cyclone Rake. When I bought it I looked at the DR also (I have a DR String Trimmer). The main reason I chose the CR over the DR was space required for storage is much smaller with the CR. You really can collapse the collection unit and hang it on the wall.

I have been very satisfied with my CR so far. As actionaj noted, it will create a lot of dust if the leaves are dry. The only problem I experienced so far was with the soft plastic deflector in the collection unit. This is a flap that hangs down from the vent to prevent projectiles from damaging the fabric. I picked up a chunk of wood from a small branch which pierced the flap. Since the flap isn't removable from the vent, I duct-taped over the hole, and it seems to be holding up ok.

If storage space isn't a consideration, I would think either one would do the job.

 

[RWEST]

Thanks guys!!

Personally, it seems like quite an expense for something that'll only get used for a week or two each year. I just run over the leaves with my mower and the bagger sucks 'em up.

 

[Suburban B]

There have been a few threads like this in the past that you might want to check out.

I bought a fairly new DR Premier 9.0 6.5 HP B&S Intek OHV Leaf and Lawn Vac this Fall. I have used it a couple of times and am very pleased. What used to take me 1-2 days by blower/rake and tarp only takes me about 2.5 hours to vacuum. I would rather spend a couple of hours listening to the Phils beat the Rays than a day with a sore back to show on Monday. Since I have at least 1.25 acres of mowable lot, a lot of trees, and woods to dump the shreads, I think there is a lot of value to this.

There seems to be a lot of discussion of CRs. I don't know if that is a product of marketing, ownership, or other reasons. DRs and CRs seem pretty similar in design and engine. They both have +/-. The selling point for me was which one that I could get used, in the best shape, and at the best price. I have seen lightly used DR, CR, and TracVacs for half the price. That often includes options and much of the assembly.

JD STX-38 12.5 HP 5-Speed Manual (also used)

 

[DJoseph]

RWest,
I've now owned both units and this is my experience and only mine. Others will disagree I'm sure. In 2007 I purchased the DR Premier unit with all the best options. It was a single point hitch arrangement. All in all a very good unit...but (there's always one with hardware) it was too heavy, too long and a bit tippy when the hopper got full. The worst problem I had was the exit hose from the mower deck to the turbine inlet. I could never get a satisfactory setup such that I could turn the mower equally in either direction-it was either being stretched or kinking or dragging on the ground. The best parts of the DR was the electric start Subaru engine, the impeller and with out question for me, the hard sided container. I have now had a CR XL model and again w/all the best options. I have to say I like many things about the company's attention to detail. The latches, wheels, turbine housing and the nearly straight path from the mower deck into the turbine is way ahead of what I had with the DR unit. On its downside, the composite impeller does not mulch up the leaves as well as the DR and the feature I like least is the container. It's cumbersome to open compared to DR's elegant cytronic design and there's a heck of a lot more debris exiting the air discharge area than the DR. I've found the screen on the CR exit plugs frequently when mowing damp/wet material (a very common frequency in the Pacific North West). CR has an air discharge area on both sides of the chute feeding the container and this is where the air goes when the screen plugs and the design makes me think their "engineers" knew the screen was prone to plugging. The DR unit NEVER plugged and would give the maximum air flow up until the hopper was completely full. Cannot say that for the CR. I've used both and both are good reputable companies. If I had my druthers, I would mount the engine integral with the back of the mower ala Trac-Vac, use the CR turbine, hoses, boot and trailer, BUT I would opt for the DR container. It's simple, breaks down for storage and much simpler/quicker to unload. There's more I could say on both but these are the highlights.