Chipper Need Vacuum/Shredder, but not chipper.

[DocHeb]

I have a walk-behind 9 hp Cub Cadet vacuum/shredder/chipper that works OK on smaller jobs, but I'm looking for a heavier duty unit. The chipper on the Cub Cadet gives out too much punishment (noise and vibration) - I never use it. I'd rather have a PTO shredder unit that has multiple swinging hammers and vacuums up the material like my Cub Cadet. I really don't have any need for a chipper for material > 1". All the chipper/shredder units I've seen have hoppers that require lifting the material. I'd rather drive along and have a 10" vacuum hose be guided to lift up leaves and garden debris, shred it up, and blow it into the following trailer. Any ideas? I could even use a source for the vacuum/shredder/flywheel housing by itself, and make my own.

 

[Darren]

Maybe something exists exactly like you want: I haven't seen it. I've been thinking about the same idea. The vacuums I've seen aren't designed to shred and the shredders aren't designed to vacuum.

If you want a flywheel driven shredder, you're looking at a housing that will probably require top feed. I'd think turning it on its side might result in feeding problems. It seems to me you either have to blow the material through the shredder or suck it through from the discharge end or maybe even do both.

Running all that off the pto could be done but it might be more trouble than it's worth. Bearcat/ Woods makes a pto unit that although it incorporates a chipper, does allow for an optional fan and chute to move the shredded material into a trailer. Making up a hitch to pull a trailer behind the chipper could be done but it would be ugly.

I've looked at it with that thought in mind. An offset framework that would look like something out of an Escher drawing would have to be built around the shredder so that the load from the trailer wasn't transferred through the shredder. Beyond that the easiest thing to do would be to add a separate engine driven vacuum unit that would feed material to a sheet metal box enclosing the top of the shredder hopper.

Another problem is that the small shredder/vacuum units may not have the power needed to move material through a long hose. I've got a small one that has a 5 or 6 hp motor I was looking at as a donor machine. It came with a suction hose but it never worked well with anything that was the least bit damp. I'm wondering if a larger engine would make it work better

Another thing is that a lot of hose on the end of something to guide it is going to be difficult to handle while operating the tractor unless it's fixed to something. That's what I've come up with over the last year.

 

[JackIL]

Well there is something close, but not exactly as you describe. Bluebird International (www.bluebirdintl.com) makes a lawn vac that has BOTH an internal shredder and a small chipper. It is powered by an 8 hp engine (no PTO version available) and the suction hose is normally hooked to the midmount or frontmount mower deck on the tractor, but you can also use it with a hand wand to vacuum in tight spaces. I have had mine for several years and like it very much. I only use the chipper function for small sticks and branches that happen to drop onto the lawn--not big cleanup jobs. The shredder reduces the volume of the grass and debris significantly.

This is the only lawn vac system with a built-in shredder that I have been able to find.

 

[DocHeb]

Thanks for the Bluebird URL. I never came across that site during my searches.

 

[keithcom]

May also want to try Trac Vac http://www.trac-vac.com/

 

[Bruce8989]

I use a Trac-Vac / Shredder Vacuum and find it reallly useful. Hooked to the mower deck it will clean the lawn like a vacuum cleaner - shreading leaves twigs grass into fines. I use it in the fall to pick up leaves, and in the spring to 'bag' the lawn - adding loads of grass clippings (Nitrogen) to the compost piles. Detach hose from the mower deck - add a 10' extenstion hose - and clean out beds and such within a 25' radius from the unit. Load up the bigger sticks in a wagon and take it to a stand alone chipper.

Rural King a Tractor Supply sell a similar unit - but lots more plastic.

 

[Carl_NH]

Bruce,

I've also been looking, did find one at Cyclone Rake www.cyclonerake.com - they make two, a small 27CF, and 40CF with higher HP. Both have molded impeller and offer a suction pipe, and dump or blow out discharge.

They attach to the mower deck appears like the Trac Vac. Also Cost is $1000 for the small and $1300 for the larger version. Whats the cost on the Trac Vac, as I'm still looking?

Carl

 

[Thomas]

Carl,
The Cyclone Rake also has a great video plus infomation..just submit little info and they will send you a package.

 

[keithcom]

All
I'm still in the looking phase also.
Looked at the Cyclone site and it looks appealing enough that I sent off for more info. Price looks good also.
Does anyone have any expereance with their product?
Are they durable?
Just had my spring cleaning done this weekend and Trac Vac was recomended to me by the landscaper (had to hire it out this year but that's another story).
I looked at their web site several times over the last year but never got around to looking at them at a dealer so I have no idea about pricing. Guess it's time to go to pay a visit to the dealer, besides it's another excuse to kick a few CUT tires.
Keith

PS Thomas, good to see you posting again, maybe one day Muhammad will get us that spell checker! Keith

 

[DocHeb]

The CycloneRake's impeller appears to be a radial fan blade, not a shredder. Although they say it reduces volume, I'd really prefer something with swinging hammers that would really "mulch-it-up". The best I found was as suggested above, at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluebirdintl.com/products/vacuums_chippers/46cv_86cv.html>Bluebird 46CV/86CV</A>. Although it isn't PTO driven, it may be more convienent to pull a trailer only, rather than try to have a TPH/PTO unit and an additional trailer after it. However, the Bluebird unit has a 8hp B&S engine, while my Cub Cadet has a 9hp. The local distributer lists the 86CV at $2500. I may just adapt my trailer to my Cub Cadet and use that.

 

[Carl_NH]

Keith,

When you get the Cyclone info they have references provided - looks good from what I have seen. It was advertised on one of the garden shows and we called and they sent a nice package with video.

I got the package two month ago when the leaves were still on the ground and then tax time came & needed to send Unc Sam some $ so had to put it off for a bit. Cleaned them up by hand again this year and when I'm doing it I think gee, wouldn't it be nice to have a vac system, then the job is done (in two weekends) and we wait for the fall.

I compost everything here by raking the leaves into large piles then mowing over them back and forth to shred them up - this creates huge reduction in volume to drag to the compost pile as well they break down faster when mixed with some dirt and 10-10-10 fertilizer.

When you reduce leaves they get heavy on a plastic tarp, so I wove a rope through the grommets then bring it around the base of my seat on the Cub Cadet and drag them to the pile - (about 400' to where I compost) Saves the back and legs.

The tarps only last 1-2 seasons since rocks and stuff tear them up, but their cheap enuf.

Carl

 

[Carl_NH]

Chris,

Youre right the radial fan will not chew up the leaves as that is the mower's task, and since the mower is attached to the vac it's a matter of when you start the vac. . As I posted a note regarding how I handle leaves, this is one option, shred them first then vac them up

Carl

Carl

 

[keithcom]

Carl
Thanks for the reply and the other tips.
Sounds like you love leaf season as much as I do!
Guess it's not as bad if you have the right power equipment.
Keith

 

[AndyH]

Keith:

I ended up buying the larger Cyclone Rake a year ago; at the time, no one here seemed to have much experience with them. I've been quite satisfied with it (my wife feels it's the best piece of equipment we've ever bought). Various details:

We've ended up switching to a John Deere GT235 garden tractor for mowing, and use the Cyclone Rake attached to it, rather than to our compact Ford 1220. When I first talked to the Cyclone Rake salesperson, they didn't think it would work with a compact tractor; in fact, they didn't know what "compact tractors" or "3-point hitches" were. While picking the unit up at the factory, I discovered they do have an adapter which would mount it to (some) drawbars; ask for a "Kubota adapter." The rigid attachment of the Cyclone Rake to the rear of the tractor (as opposed to the single-point trailer hitch the Trak-Vac appeared to use) is one of the unit's biggest advantages; it greatly simplifies maneuvering when backing up, especially when dumping the unit.

We use the vacuum pickup hose (for planting beds and stone walls) roughly 50% of the time, and the mower deck attachment (for lawn areas) the other 50%. While you can collect some smaller sticks with the mower, they suggest not vacuuming sticks with the hose attachment. As noted in an earlier post, the Cyclone Rake has a heavy-duty plastic impeller, which will shred some items, but isn't going to do the work of a flail assembly. The mower attachment is very effective on thick lawn areas, but doesn't work as well on paved or other smooth surfaces, where leaves tend to blow out from the mower deck before the vacuum can capture them.

Several parts on our Cyclone Rake were damaged when we received it, but the factory was very responsive and sent replacements within 2-3 days.

You should note that the price starts climbing if you opt for the heavier duty hoses, as well as accessories like the vacuum pickup hose, exhaust discharge hose, hose carrier rack, etc. (in total, our unit ended up closer to $2000).

Feel free to email me if you need additional information. Overall, we've been happy with our Cyclone Rake and would buy it again.

Andy

 

[keithcom]

Andy
Thanks for the info.
Went to a Kubota dealer Friday, one of our topics of discussion
was MCS. My main concerns are spring and fall clean ups.
I have a large White (I think) Oak tree in my front yard and several more on the property, last year they did a major accorn dump. I'm still going to have to work the front yard some more with a rake even after having a landscaper run over it with a Walker ZTR with a collection system.
The dealer explained that vaccum systems need air to flow UNDER the material they are trying to pick up.
Once the accorns become a little "seated" into the soil the only way to get them out is a rake. He took numerous implaments home to work his yard (he has the same kind of oak trees) and the implament that worked best was a seeder that had knife attachments on it used to slice the ground during the seeding process. The knifes would dislodge the accorns for easier pick-up by hand rake (did I say that nasty word!!!) or a MCS.
I did alot of research on the fourm this weekend and learned that quite a few people treat the leaves the same way I have over the last few years, mulch 'em into the lawn!!!
The Kubota MCS caught my interest because it is PTO driven. But considering my main use for it or any MCS was/is the accorns and they will most likely NOT pick them up I have decided to use that money towards a diffrent implament.
Lucky for me the Oak trees only do a major dump every few years.
Now it's back to thinking about which tractor to get and which method of snow removel will work best for me.....it never ends.
Keith

 

[ICGREEN]

I don't know just what size you're looking for but Matthews Co. makes a really great unit that fits on the three point hitch of a tractor. It's really quite a unit that has hydraulic dump and holds a ton. If I can find a link for it I'll post it for you. If you want to see it go to the Outdoor power equipment show in Louisville this summer.

 

[ICGREEN]

Try this link.
http://www.mathewscompany.com/

 

[DocHeb]

Their combination flail mower and hopper looks like it will do the job. I forsee throwing all the garden material to be composted onto the grass paths, and then driving down the aisles in the garden "flailing it up" into the hopper. I haven't bought any mowers yet, so I may get this unit to "kill two birds with one stone". Thanks for the link.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I've used a 5hp tow behind Trac-Vac (pulled with a Bolens rider lawnmower) for the past 15 years. It has been a life saver for fall cleanup. I compost all my leaves and grass clippings. I have a Ford 1220 with a FEL that I turn the compost pile with. I have been wanting to update the trac-vac and have been looking at the cyclonerake commercial. I first wanted to get a combination Vac-chipper but the more I thought about it...accidently suck up a rock and bend the impeller blade, then you have an expensive repair(it's happened). That's what I like about the cyclonerakes flexible impeller. Cyclonerake says their commercial model can be quite heavy to dump. Has this been your experience? How the cyclonerakes breaks down is good for storage but I wonder what the life expectancy is for the fabric trailer sides?

 

[ICGREEN]

Doc;
If you get one post a note and let me know how it works. When I get my tractor I would like one for around the homestead. Thanks