PTO Grass Vacuum

[Agent Blue]

Anyone build or own a PTO powered vacuum for lawn care ? I am about to use my imagination and build one. I have some parts, pieces, and a blower housing. If it don't work I won't be out much but time. The pine needles have won in the past. I hope this will be their downfall.

 

[Groo]

I don't see why a blower wouldn't work, if the squirrel cage is strong enough. I'd probably have it sucking the mower discharge (if you have a belly mower) to make sure anything you suck gets a chance to chopped first.

Do you know what speed you blower was designed to run at?

 

[Agent Blue]

The fan is 12" with 4" paddles. Have no clue what speed it turned in a former life but with these pulleys the calculator indicates 3139. The fan will be 4' from the mid mounted mower chute with an 8" flex hose connection. I have no doubt if it runs without vibration it will create the lift necessary to empty the deck of swirling debris.
I am surprised with the number of sub compacts with PTOs this style would not be more common. A gearbox would work great but they don't create the speed needed or the right angle fan position to keep the hose close to the tractor. If you have alot of obstacles ie trees / bushes.. the width is important.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

You said, 12" fan with 4 paddles.........
That tells me it is designed to move some kind of product suspended in air. Not just air alone.

Go for it............ And post LOTS of pictures of your build and results.

Good luck :thumbsup:

 

[SPYDERLK]

How much HP do you have. Will you be mowing and vacuuming at the same time?
larry

 

[Groo]

You said, 12" fan with 4 paddles.........
That tells me it is designed to move some kind of product suspended in air. Not just air alone.

Go for it............ And post LOTS of pictures of your build and results.

Good luck :thumbsup:

I am pretty sure there are more than 4 paddles. I think he meant 4" wide paddles.

 

[Agent Blue]

Four paddles, 4" deep. This housing / fan came out of a lawn vac that one walks behind. It is going to be operated by a 21 hp JD diesel. The mid mounted mower and the vacuum can be used seperately by moving a selector lever. If it takes too much power the frame can be used to bolt in a four cycle engine. Still eliminates the trailer and its width / turning / backing problems. I bet it out performs a leaf rake, especially on a large lawn.

 

[Maxfli]

I have a TRAC VAC 856 on my JD 2210. Here is a link to the parts catalog.
http://www.trac-vac.com/PDFF/Model854-856man.pdf

 

[Agent Blue]

Maxfli;
Just what I was looking for... a factory unit. Can you check the input / out put on the gearbox and tell what the ratio is ? That would give me some idea on how fast my fan has to turn.. we should have the same 540 PTO. I would imagine to purchase that gearbox would run 5-8 hundred. I like the way my fan has a direct shot from the mid mounted mower. It keeps the hose closer to the tire which makes the machine narrow fitting between objects. The less length / bends to the fan will increase the suction.
I guess if all else fails I could buy one but playing with a metal designed project just spins my wheels. Any idea what the Trac Vac sells for ? Thanks for the info.
One last question... how does it attach,,, to the three point arms ? My mid mount mower uses the arms to raise / lower the deck so that would not work for my application. Easy on and off ? I am planning three pins.

 

[Maxfli]

It mounts right on the 3 point lift arms. The back of the unit has a hitch ball to hook a leaf trailer to. I bought mine used for about $400.00. I think the right angle gear box is 2x1 rotation. Look closely at the 2 models in the parts catalog, mine is a model 856 (it runs a little slower than the 854 model). The 854 model has a double pulley system that is really what I would prefer. Mine still works good though. The hoses are all 8" so it works well. I think the new price is expensive $2500 to 3k but have never really priced it from a dealer.