PTO Leaf Vac?

[TerryR]

I'm looking at getting a leaf vac, primarily to get leaves out of the ditches along our long driveway. Because of the prevailing winds, I currently have to blow them up an 8-foot bank with my backpack blower - if I blow them to the other side the wind puts them right back in the ditch, where they cause dams and then cut the gravel road. We have no lawn, so use with a mower deck isn't a consideration.

From what I see, Trac Vac seems to be one of the better built brands, and they have the only PTO model I've seen. I'm much inclinded toward PTO to avoid having to maintain another engine. Also, some comments I've seen seem to suggest it would be quieter in operation.

Any comments? Anyone else make a PTO vac?

Terry

 

[Bedlam]

Welcome Terry.

I think this is a good question, and Ive subscribed to the thread. I cant offer very much about that idea but I also am interested. I would think that it would be lesser priced considering there is no engine to maint etc.
So I'm sure someone with some info will weigh in ..again welcome your gonna like this forum

 

[zzvyb6]

I made up this Leaf vac attachement based on an old Woods canister and a Honda motor (quiet) with a steel 8 bladed impeller. I use 12" hose.

This system works as a stand alone unit, on a JD F525 front mower, a JD 72" mid-mount mower and currently is shown on a JD F935. I considered pto but the need to move between machines, use the pto for other things simultaneously and blower rpm requirements resulted in this unit. The unit you choose should be a real trailer not an extended platform. Otherwise the tractor 'system' handles goofy, especially when full, and could be a problem on a side hill. Maneuvering around trees is also a reason for a true trailer. The very high speed impeller turns grass, leaves, twigs, stones and even a few bricks into sawdust. The trailer dumps out a loaf that smolders for a few days when its time to burn. Horse, dog, deer and rabbitt droppings get converted, too. The key to good leaf suckage is the hose size. An 8" hose can't handle the volume per second that you can encounter when its time (unless you run at a crawl speed). That's not my style. The only thing Trak-Vac on here is the mower chute. High lift blades are better, too. Bottles, cans, newspapers thrown on the side of the road all disappear from my property with one pass of this thing.

 

[TerryR]

Welcome Terry.

Thanks. I've finding it useful already.

I would think that it would be lesser priced considering there is no engine to maint etc.

The price is a bit lower, but not much. For one thing there are more shafts and pulleys to get the right blower speed from the 540 rpm PTO, and I suppose they sell fewer, so there is a volume issue. Also, there is little or no competition. On the other hand, there is no cost or trouble to maintain the extra engine.

I considered pto but the need to move between machines, use the pto for other things simultaneously and blower rpm requirements resulted in this unit.

I only have the one tractor, so that's not a concern. The rpm issue does have to be dealt with, as I mentioned above.

The unit you choose should be a real trailer not an extended platform. Otherwise the tractor 'system' handles goofy, especially when full, and could be a problem on a side hill. Maneuvering around trees is also a reason for a true trailer.

I figured the true trailer was a good idea, and what I'm looking at is that. See the Trac Vac page.

Since a mower deck isn't involved, and the area of interest is a rather deep ditch rather than a flat surface, we're talking manual pickup with an extension hose, which Trac Vac and others offer. I first thought of trying to rig a way to operate the pickup from the tractor seat, but looking at the area to be swept, and considering the need to avoid picking up larger stones, I think this is a walk-along job.

Terry

 

[amigauser]

The tow behind vacs are pricey $$$$$$$$$$$ but available. They do NOT require a mower deck.

DC Atlas Co. Inc. - AgriMetal Tuff Vac 5000

Toro - Golf Course Management Debris Equipment

AgriMetal PTO Tuff Vac 4000 AGTV4000PTO

X-treme Vac Debris Collector-- The choice of landscapers

If you can live with a second engine you can probably purchase a used leaf truck loader setup (common in this area) and adapt it to a trailer of some sort that can be towed behind the tractor.

 

[TerryR]

Thanks, amigauser,

I'd not found any of those. All but the X-treme seem designed around a pickup hood under the unit, which wouldn't be of use to my application. The X-treme would do the job but is way overkill I'm afraid, and I'm afraid to even ask the price. <g>

Used is an interesting idea. I've not found a marketplace for used equipment around here other than traditional farm equipment. I've never even seen a leaf vac in use around here, although I've heard of one landscape maintenance fellow who has one. There must be others.

Terry

 

[Gittyup]

Thanks, amigauser,

I'd not found any of those. All but the X-treme seem designed around a pickup hood under the unit, which wouldn't be of use to my application. The X-treme would do the job but is way overkill I'm afraid, and I'm afraid to even ask the price. <g>

Used is an interesting idea. I've not found a marketplace for used equipment around here other than traditional farm equipment. I've never even seen a leaf vac in use around here, although I've heard of one landscape maintenance fellow who has one. There must be others.

Terry

Try Craigslist.org, under farm and garden. In my area vacuum systems are always on there for sale of all shapes and sizes.

 

[TerryR]

Try Craigslist.org, under farm and garden. In my area vacuum systems are always on there for sale of all shapes and sizes.

Thanks, Gittyup, but no joy.

Not a single leaf vac of any kind within a two-hour drive. I'm not surprised there aren't here in the mountains, but there are none in Charlotte, Winston, or Greensboro either. Wonder why that is? They have trees there.

Terry

 

[yankeerider]

What kind of price have you seen for a PTO trac-vac? Reason I'm asking is because i have seen smaller Billy Goat leaf loaders on the internet brand new for just under $2K and am thinking of going in that direction when my Giant-Vac bites the dust. The leaf loader would appear to store in approximately the same spac as the PTO vac would require, and may provide significantly more pick-up power for the $.

 

[TerryR]

The distirbutor is quoting just under $2700, with the remote pickup instead of the mower boot (they cost very close to the same) delivered to a local dealer.

Terry

 

[amigauser]

Thanks, Gittyup, but no joy.

Not a single leaf vac of any kind within a two-hour drive. I'm not surprised there aren't here in the mountains, but there are none in Charlotte, Winston, or Greensboro either. Wonder why that is? They have trees there.

Terry

I just went to the Billy Goat home page -
Core Aerator, Debris Loader, Power Rake

Dealers in your area.
Billy Goat - Dealers

Quite a few dealers in your area. I would check with them on the loader both cost new and for a possible used one.

 

[TerryR]

My comment was about Craig's list, amigauser,

But I'm confused about why you are suggesting I pursue Billy Goat. I don't see that they make anything like what I'm looking for. I can't find the loader on their site, but I've seen it elsewhere. Still, having to find a trailer and then cobble something together that involves another engine to maintain doesn't sound very inviting to me.

Terry

 

[Gittyup]

You have to check Craigslist every day. Eventually, they'll turn up. And when they do you have to act fast, especially if it's nice.

Another trick I used to find my chipper/shredder is to google "Craigslist chipper". In the search results, look at the source url address for places you recognize closeby.

Using this method, Got what I wanted, but had to drive 300 mile to get it. It was worth it though. Found a hard to find item at less for about half of what all others were selling for.

 

[ronjhall]

I have a Trac-Vac 880. Bought it off EBay from a local person. Price was less than $500. Sold my Trac-Vac 462 on EBay for the same amount. While shopping for the 880 I only found one PTO driven model. It went for almost new prices. I like the idea of a pto drive. But was not willing to spend the extra $$ that these models get.
Biggest complaint I have with my Trac-Vac is dumping. To easily dump it should be at least 6" higher to get dump to work properly. It's a project I am looking into doing before next fall.

 

[TerryR]

Got what I wanted, but had to drive 300 mile to get it. It was worth it though. Found a hard to find item at less for about half of what all others were selling for.

Thanks, Gittyup. I don't think I'm interested in investing that kind of effort in this project. Especially the part about driving up to 300 miles to buy something that I can't fit into my pickup. Plus, as Ron points out, the odds of finding what I want at a bargin price seem slim.

While shopping for the 880 I only found one PTO driven model. It went for almost new prices. I like the idea of a pto drive. But was not willing to spend the extra $$ that these models get.

Thanks, Ron,

That's consistent with my experience with other equipment. Good quality pto equipment is hard to find new, let alone used.

Biggest complaint I have with my Trac-Vac is dumping. To easily dump it should be at least 6" higher to get dump to work properly.

I was told they have moved the axle back 4" to help with that - they now tilt to 67 degrees I think I was told.

Terry

 

[Gittyup]

Thanks, Gittyup. I don't think I'm interested in investing that kind of effort in this project. Especially the part about driving up to 300 miles to buy something that I can't fit into my pickup. Plus, as Ron points out, the odds of finding what I want at a bargin price seem slim.

Terry

Understood. A lot of people will not go to the same trouble to save a buck and get what they want like I will. Nothing wrong with that. But, I'm both cheap and patient. Many would have argued that I wouldn't have found my chipper/shredder either, and a lot more won't drive 300 miles to get it. I look at it like this, I saved around $600. Cost me a day to go get it. Very few people actually get paid more than $600 for a day's work; I sure don't. I see the kind of vacuum you are looking for a few times each each year just in my local Craigslist. But, then I'm a Craigslist junky. I check it twice a day, almost every day. And I recall at least one not being all that expensive either. I remember this because I was looking for a vacuum too. Found mine for $50 dollars! Of course, this is not the same kind that you are looking for, but it's still a $600 vacuum that I got. I did have to buy new hoses and a deck adapter for $150.

Good luck.

 

[TerryR]

Understood. A lot of people will not go to the same trouble to save a buck and get what they want like I will. Nothing wrong with that.

Exactly. People have different things they are passionate about. Now if we were talking genealogy I'd think checking a website several times a day, and driving 300 miles to find something I "needed" would be perfectly normal.

Terry

 

[yankeerider]

In reviewing the thread, I suspect it was my fault for Billy Goat being introduced. I can understand your desire to buy a "packaged" system, and I should have clarified that a leaf loader is definitely not the same thing. Having a number of years experience with my 8 hp Giant Vac with 7" hose, I avoid feeding it leaves directly. That's not to say I don't do it, but i have found it to be much more prone to clogging when collecting whole debris than that which has been shredded by the mower deck. It may be that my impeller is worn and not performing as well as it should. A leaf loader is designed to ingest "whole" debris. A vac intended to be used behind a mower may not be as effective.

I have also seen a number of complaints about ease of emptying the collection trailers. Nobody seems to make a non-commercial size vac like mine with a hopper discharge that gravity unloads very well. That's why when mine needs replacement I'll be going for more vac cfm and a similar hopper style trailer to what I have. The only way i'll get that is a build-it-myself.

Finally, I think avoiding "another engine to maintain", which I read on this site a lot, is much ado over nothing. One oil change per year and make sure it has fresh gas is pretty much all the two Briggs engines (leaf vac and log splitter) and Tecumseh (Ariens snowblower) get and they give me no trouble. Many others on this site complain about those brands, so results obviously vary.

 

[tlbuser]

Giant vac makes some nice vacuum units....albeit, not tractor pto driven Why not a pto blower instead? I think for pto powered units (golf course, etc. market) they blow the leaves away and do not collect them, therefore a smaller interest in building vacuum units.

Giant-Vac - Leaf and Debris Management
Giant-Vac - Leaf and Debris Management

However, these are darn nice too...

Agrimetal Multi-Vac 772, PTO Driven

 

[lhfarm]

I'm looking at getting a leaf vac, primarily to get leaves out of the ditches along our long driveway. Because of the prevailing winds, I currently have to blow them up an 8-foot bank with my backpack blower - if I blow them to the other side the wind puts them right back in the ditch, where they cause dams and then cut the gravel road. ..

Terry

Don't mean to steal the thread, but I have a similar situation; 1400 foot drive with about 1000 feet of that in the woods, along the side of a hill. I'm trying to figure out how to mount the hose so I can drive the tractor along the ditch, without stopping. I'm envisioning a metal frame off the side of the tractor with the hose hanging from that and a "wand" attahced to the hose. I would position the hose end by moving the wand. What I would like to avoid is stopping the tractor, sucking leaves, getting back on the tractor, move a couple of feet, repeat.

Have you given an thought to how you will move the hose? I'm still looking for a used vacuum of any sort and will modify as needed.

Thanks,