PTO leaf vac.

vinzuki · Nov 16, 2009

I just put my homemade leaf vac away for the season and thought I would share some pictures . I chose to use the PTO as I have a Kubota B2920 with plenty of horsepower to spare.To keep costs down and not have to use gear boxes I chose to use simple pulleys and a belt to power the right side off set blower.The frame slips right into the kubota draw bar . A short drive shaft goes to the lower spindle which has tapered trailer axle bearings, and 1" keyed shaft. The large pulley and 1/2'' belt turn the small pulley at the blower end at 3600 RPM using the tractors 1000 RPM PTO.The blower uses trailer axle bearings also with a fabricated shaft to support the kubota bx blower wheel. I fabricated the housing from the top of an old water pressure tank. Also the mower deck adapter was fabricated to adapt to the 8" vac hose. My old Massey Ferguson wagon served well as i installed peg board sides and a screen top. The back door opens fully and the trailer dumps. I made a custom cradle with wheels on two store the unit when not using and to make it easy to install and remove. As you Look at the pictures you will notice I had to change the belt tensioner closer to the large pulley and need to make a belt safety guard. I found out real quick not too cross a gravel driveway with it running even with the mower raised .

vinzuki · Nov 16, 2009

Here are some pictures of the cradle dolly

MJPetersen · Nov 17, 2009

A beautifully executed project. I only regret that you did not show us any pictures of it "in action." Or some "before" and "after" shots. Good job.

Mike

mjncad · Nov 17, 2009

Nicely done!

Bedlam · Nov 17, 2009

I like the trailer sides (pegboard) ventilation .

tlbuser · Nov 17, 2009

Wow. Turned out great. Next, a bigger trailer w/hydraulic dump?

veresjwv · Nov 17, 2009

vinzuki said:
I just put my homemade leaf vac away for the season and thought I would share some pictures . I chose to use the PTO as I have a Kubota B2920 with plenty of horsepower to spare.To keep costs down and not have to use gear boxes I chose to use simple pulleys and a belt to power the right side off set blower.The frame slips right into the kubota draw bar . A short drive shaft goes to the lower spindle which has tapered trailer axle bearings, and 1" keyed shaft. The large pulley and 1/2'' belt turn the small pulley at the blower end at 3600 RPM using the tractors 1000 RPM PTO.The blower uses trailer axle bearings also with a fabricated shaft to support the kubota bx blower wheel. I fabricated the housing from the top of an old water pressure tank. Also the mower deck adapter was fabricated to adapt to the 8" vac hose. My old Massey Ferguson wagon served well as i installed peg board sides and a screen top. The back door opens fully and the trailer dumps. I made a custom cradle with wheels on two store the unit when not using and to make it easy to install and remove. As you Look at the pictures you will notice I had to change the belt tensioner closer to the large pulley and need to make a belt safety guard. I found out real quick not too cross a gravel driveway with it running even with the mower raised .

vinzuki,
Great job, I have been wanting to do something of the same for my leaf situation. I have had a stumbling block finding the blower unit itself. Could you steer me to where I might locate one? Sure would appreciate it!!
Joe

joes_427_vette · Nov 17, 2009

I really like your solution to the angle gear box. I didn't want to spend the 160 on it so this application makes it possible to eliminate it. Also the bulky 90 degree bend in the hose... eliminated. I believe the power unit itself can be shortened up to get the trailer closer to the back of the tractor. My JD only has a 540 but there may be room to negotiate pulley size to come closer to the desired rpm.
Thanks for the idea. A simple design.. yet so effective.

Is the boot on the mower a custom design ? It doesn't look as though Kubota would take the time to manufacture a piece with the features I see. Now that were hooked...... can we see the design ?

Ductape · Nov 17, 2009

I'm gonna hafta tell you as a friend, that contraption will never work !!

Bill Hoffman · Nov 17, 2009

Please,

Details on the boot would be great. I'm using a cobbled up
boot on my Kubota zero turn and it blows leaves all over the place.
Your design looks great.

Thanks,
Bill

radioman · Nov 17, 2009

vinzuki, 2 things- one the leaf blower looks well made and job well done. two is the MF trailer. My father has one just like it and it seems like it's the only trailer I seen that is very well built. yours looks newer though. Do you know what model that trailer is ?

vinzuki · Nov 17, 2009

The mower boot is all home made from light gauge steel. The round hose connections are from a truck air tank trimmed down to 8鋳 OD and rewelded. The important part is to make it air tight fit to the mower. I even added a piece of heavy rubber mud flap to the outer edge to conform with the bumps in the yard. Kubota did not make a VAC system for the B series , But do for the BX. After I made this I seen the boot for the BX at the dealer and It looked like it might fit. They may have one for the zero turns as well. The blower wheel (impeller) is from the BX system . They have two models one with a steel impeller and one plastic. I used the plastic and a mounting hub for about $100.I made the housing myself. Blower wheels and housings are available from agri-fab as well. The wagon sits back so I can almost turn right 90* before it hits the blower. It handles remarkably well and don't clog up due to the large hose with a straight shot to the blower. Originaly had the belt tensioner on the slack side but after a couple uses the belts were almost touching as seen in the photos. moving it closer to the large pulley solved that problem.

vinzuki · Nov 17, 2009

That cart is a vintage MF-641 model from about 1976. They shore don't build em' like they used to. I have 3 old MF garden tractors a snow plow and snow blower also. I was going to repaint her Kubota orange but It has to much sentimental value.

joes_427_vette · Nov 18, 2009

I can't see where you used any block bearings on the shafts. Can you explain how you hold the short shafts in position to stay straight while the pressure from the belt tensioner pulles them together ? I'm missing something here. It appears the main body is 2" x 6" tubing. I was thinking the shafts would have to be at least 8" long to fit a bearing on each side.

vinzuki · Nov 18, 2009

you could use block bearings if you like. I chose to use tapered roller bearings like those used in a small trailer. They were trailer hubs from surplus center . I cut off the four bolt flange that the wheel would bolt to, with a torch. trimmed them up in a lathe ,drilled through the 2x6 with a hole saw and weld them in.

Prodirt6000 · Nov 21, 2009

Great job!! I'm amazed, haha.

Where did you find an impeller? I'm trying to search for things on the agri-fab website but I'm not having any luck.

joes_427_vette · Nov 22, 2009

Try a local salvage yard... one that takes in scrap. One near me has a ton of lawn decks, snowblowers ect. Your bound to find a housing and impeller to suit your needs. Actually they are not that hard to build either. a couple bearings, flat steel, and a 3/4 to 1" shaft puts one in business.
Vinzuki came up with a simple yet very effective design that I'm sure will be replicated many times. The greatest thing about this site that so may independant ideas show up one can study and fab one with the best of all worlds. Not only does it keep us out of trouble and depression...... you end up with a product the budget wouldn't allow you to buy new. Also a certain amount of pride rests in self construction, engineering, design, and craftsmanship.
So warm up the wire feed, get some steel, and have a blast ! When your stuck come back to the computer with questions. It doesn't get any better where people you never met take the time to help solve some problems. Very true of this site. Besides......... it makes me look bad when I'm the only one asking dumb questions !! Be safe, get creative !

vinzuki · Nov 22, 2009

Try this for parts. https://www.speedepart.com/index.aspx You can view current models at www.agri-fab.com

nh DRAGON · Dec 6, 2009

vinzuki said:
That cart is a vintage MF-641 model from about 1976. They shore don't build em' like they used to. I have 3 old MF garden tractors a snow plow and snow blower also. I was going to repaint her Kubota orange but It has to much sentimental value.

Yep, You really can't beet the carts from the 60's. I have the ford cart that you can see in the 1966 120 ads. It sat out side for 20 years and It had no paint left on it when I got it but the metal was so think that you would never know it. I love the stake pockets and swinging tailgate on it!