Leaf Vac?

[iflywhatevr]

I have a CK3510SE Cab and although don’t have a ton of need for a lead vac I do have occasional need for one and figure I should start looking. I typically mow with 72 in rear discharge finish mower so it’s not like I can slap one of the tow behind that hook onto the side discharge of a belly mower like with small garden tractors.

Does anyone use any sort of tow behind vac on their Kiotis?

Thanks

David

 

[PA hayseed]

I don't, but after hours and hours of research I can tell you that the differences between some brands are night and day. I've been trying to figure out if I want a tow behind on my tractor or an attached unit on my zero turn. There are pros and cons to each. I have called several companies and talked to their salespeople about their products and how they are made. Good luck on your search. Probably one of the better ones I have found just doesn't match my price range and it is more of a commercial unit for large areas. Here is a link, in case it comes up in french just select the english version on the top of the page Leaf and debris collector | Agrimetal I look at it like the cadillac of leaf vacs.

Think impellers, engines, construction of the "cart", and removal of the debris. So much information to digest.

 

[ritcheyvs]

I have used a Sears Monster Lawn Vac for about 10 years on my riding mower. The soft top is fraying and I had to replace the big hose but it works OK. The cover on this model did not want to stay closed (as it gets full) so I had to modify it. The hard top units are an improvement, IMO.

My main complaint is unloading it. The bin dumps but the leaves are chopped up and compressed so I still must use a rake of hoe to pull most of the leaves out of the hopper. That leaves me standing in the mulch pile and I need to move the mower a foot (or so) forward a few times to completely empty the hopper.

I thought a bigger bin would cut down on trips to my compost pile but a full load is about all my 22 hp mower wants to pull. Also it gets top-heavy and can tip over if I go over tree roots too fast.

The main advantage of a lawn vac is ease of transporting the mulched leaves to my compost area. The main disadvantage on mine is the manual effort to empty the load. Overall, it is MUCH faster and easier than raking and dragging tarps to the compost heap. It used to take me weeks to do the work which I can now do in a day. I clean up about 2 acres with several very old and large oaks.