Tow behind Vaccum for BX 2230

[redharley]

Looking to purchase tow behind vaccum for next season. Figure while it was still fresh in you guys mind, that are using one for grass and leaf pickup it,now would be the best time to get the info and fact's.So let er rip boy's, is more expensive better,what to you think about horsepower? I have looked at Trac-vac,s and Agri-fab's so far.Leave's are biggest problem seeing I live in the middle of 6 acres woods which is cleared enough for me to mow and get the cart around.I have cleaned them up for many years various way's.I am now ready to drive around and dump a cart.This must be that wisdom thing now that I'm past 50. Thank's in advance for you imput. Red

 

[sandman2234]

I was looking for one, and a friend took me to a co-worker's house to look at some steel beams. The guy had two, one with a hopper, and the other just a blower to blow the leaves into a truck. Made by Giant Vac, the one with the hopper is great! It is a pull behind the mower and can hold a lot of leaves. I vacumned my yard and the M-I-L's and it wasn't half full. I bought both of them, in case the one I wanted wouldn't run, and couldn't be easily fixed. The second one had electric start and I heard it running before I left with it.
I have thought about building a leaf pickup to add to the blower, so that it coudl be readily used to vacumn up leaves like the other one. I can use the hopper one as a pattern.
David from jax

 

[Dusty]

let er rip boys!

So let er rip boy's, ...... Red

You must have a twin.....

 

[Musclford]

Looking to purchase tow behind vaccum for next season. Figure while it was still fresh in you guys mind, that are using one for grass and leaf pickup it,now would be the best time to get the info and fact's.So let er rip boy's, is more expensive better,what to you think about horsepower? I have looked at Trac-vac,s and Agri-fab's so far.Leave's are biggest problem seeing I live in the middle of 6 acres woods which is cleared enough for me to mow and get the cart around.I have cleaned them up for many years various way's.I am now ready to drive around and dump a cart.This must be that wisdom thing now that I'm past 50. Thank's in advance for you imput. Red

The first pic in the post is what I use, and for the amount of leaves I have, I would not do it any other way..

Used to fill up a 20X30 tarp 7 times and haul it into the back yard with my 4x4 Quad so I could burn them.. Now, I don't have to worry how damp/wet they are, I just mulch and dump... It is simply the best investment aside from my BX2350...

Good luck.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ng/90395-my-leaf-eater-homemade-receiver.html

Musclford

 

[coveredbridge]

I'm in my second leaf pickup season with my Cyclone Rake. It has performed as advertised so far, and I am very satisfied with it. Before buying the CR, I looked at the DR, Trac-vac, mow n vac, etc. I chose the CR mainly because it can be stored compactly. I fold it up and hang it on the wall, just like in the commercial. That was an important feature for me since storage space is at a premium. Were storage not an issue, I would likely have gone with the DR. The trac-vac and mow-n-vac probably perform equally as well, but i was a little concerned about corrosion over the long-term.

Whichever type you choose, I strongly suggest you get the largest capacity available. I am still amazed at how fast I can fill up the CR, and I have the largest model, the Commercial Pro.

 

[Dusty]

Could you please post a picture of the Cyclone Rake hanging on the wall. I am wondering how much space it actually takes when hanging. I am thinking of getting the brackets to hang mine.
Thanks Dusty

 

[PhilNH5]

I just brought the DR Power 7 HP commercial model last Saturday. There is a new factory store in Merrimack, NH. I got the universal boot but it looks to be a major chore to cut to fit. I will order a Kubota boot from Carver. They emailed me a quote in less than a day!!

I used the optional vac hose to suck up the leaves my wife blew into piles. It worked well.

I got the DR for size alone. I wanted to hold the max amount of leaves.
7 HP Leaf vac - 1679
vac hose attach - 161
boot - 64
Total of 1904 plus 40 to deliver.

I did not want to spend the money for something I will only use a few times a year. But it beats the rake and tarp.

Phil

 

[Toolguy]

Here's my rig.

I converted a tow behind EASY RAKE into a 3PTH version when I got my B3030 last year. It works great. The best part about it is the way it dumps. I don't have a picture of the clamshell opened up but, the back part swings up and is held open by two gas struts like those on the hood of a car. Everything just falls out. You do have to drive forward a little to make room to close the door. It is much easier than raking out the leaves or grass from a trailer. It holds 1 cu/yd of material. It really packs a lot in there as you are driving around. It is rated for a 48" mower but I use it on my 60" MMM and it works fine unless the leaves are really heavy. When that is the case I just slow down and let it eat. It is made by Bluebird MFG. now. It is very well made. I had it for about 7 years and pulled it behind my JD318 before I converted it for my Kubota.

 

[tony3542]

Like Covered Bridge I'm into my 2nd year with cyclone rake.I couldn'd ask for anything to perform better sucking leafs from mower to bag.However I'm a little disappointed using the hose.I haven't used it much,still learning.It just seems to take too long?
Like everyone says if you get one get the biggest one they make.I've got the commercial model with the large bag and 7 H.P. B/S engine.Also if you have soft ground you can get double wheels with the S/R.
On a scale 1-10 I'II give it a 9 on the vacuum system and a 7 on the hose system.
thanks,
tony3542

 

[kubotabilly]

Here's what I have used for the last 18 years to collect our leaves.

Bill

 

[Carl_NH]

Kubotabilly,

That looks like the trac vac modified - nice setup. I have the Trac Vac 580 5.5HP Briggs engine with the steel trailer towed by by Cub Cadet. I like others got tired of the rake/tarp/tow process so invested in the unit 4 years ago and have been very pleased with the performance - even in wet leaves it works well.

I considered the Cyclone but preferred the hard shell of the trac vac (and I dont have a storage issue) and it really packs in the leaves well and also ease of dumping - it comes out like a brick.

The bonus is each year we get 8 yards of perfect compost - lime and fertilizer added to the pile in the fall then turn every few weeks - even in the winter to warm up the Kubota.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Here's what I have used for the last 18 years to collect our leaves.

Bill

Where did u get the hub caps from??

 

[kubotabilly]

Kubotabilly,

That looks like the trac vac modified - nice setup. I have the Trac Vac 580 5.5HP Briggs engine with the steel trailer towed by by Cub Cadet. I like others got tired of the rake/tarp/tow process so invested in the unit 4 years ago and have been very pleased with the performance - even in wet leaves it works well.

I considered the Cyclone but preferred the hard shell of the trac vac (and I dont have a storage issue) and it really packs in the leaves well and also ease of dumping - it comes out like a brick.

The bonus is each year we get 8 yards of perfect compost - lime and fertilizer added to the pile in the fall then turn every few weeks - even in the winter to warm up the Kubota.

Carl,
I have the Trac-Vac model 880 with the 8hp engine and it really does work great . I put a set of Gater blades on the mower this year and it made things even better. I would'nt change a thing. I'm like you, I don't have a storage issue either and the compost is an added feature.

Bill

 

[kubotabilly]

Where did u get the hub caps from??

Tom,
If I had a dollar for everyone that asked me that question, I could buy another Kubota . Those hub caps are probably 25 years old and this is the fourth tractor they are on (3 Cub Cadets & 1 Kubota). They are originally Cub Cadet caps. If you go to some dealer that has been around for a long time you just may be able to find a set. I should have bought 100 sets when I got mine, but who would have known. I was offered as much as $100 for the set, but I said NO DEAL I think when I bought these they were $19.95 for the set. Cub Cadet also came out with a set that had the IH logo on them. Ebay is also a good place to try and locate them. Finding a set with no rust is the tricky part.

Bill

 

[Volfandt]

I've run a Cyclone Rake behind my BX23 for two seasons now and it's done a very good job of picking up whatever I drive it over.
A great benefit to useing it is the compost the clippings produces. I don't do anything fancy, I just dump the clippings into a couple piles and use he FEL to turn 'em once a week.
Late into this mowing season I adapted a set of gatorblade's to the 60" MMM and they have cut down the use of the CR by over half! I didn't need the CR for the grass clippings on the last 4 mowings and used it only twice to pick up the leaves when 4 or 5 times was the norm last yr.
Next spring when everythng ti growing like gangbusters will determine how much I use the CR.
My compost piles may shrink

btw, I don't leave the FEL mounted when mowing, it was on when I was fitting the CR for the 1st time...

 

[Tags]

I have the Kubota bagger that runs off the PTO, it is a wonderful attachment, it just fills up way too fast with the leaves. I keep saying that I'm gonna convert it to a trailer system but I just haven't had the timeto get it done yet.

 

[Carl_NH]

Bill,

As I read your reply and the other posts the Gator blades combined with the Trac Vac sounds like a really good combo. When there are the oak leaves that dont compress well I normally windrow first to compress and mulch them before attaching the vac system.

I just bought 2 sets of standard blades for my Cub Cadet 1811 w/ 44" deck last year so one set is still new but I could use more lift and mulching capabilty so need to look into the Gators and give them a try.

 

[redharley]

Thanks guy's for the info I can't seem to fine any negative comments about trac-vacs,it seems that's the way I'm leaning.Storage is not an issue with me have plenty of room yet.Any other info that may be useful while shopping?Have heard nothing from anyone with an agri-fab system.These unit's look attractive price wise,$800-$1200 range but do they hold up for the long haul.As I stated in 1st post grass clipping are not usally picked up,fall would be the main use.

 

[KeithInSpace]

Here's what I have used for the last 18 years to collect our leaves.

Bill

Love the hubcaps, Bill. Have to phone you in to the ROPS police, though. Don't want to be the Granny of the group, but I'm suprised nobody else mentioned. Having "taken a ride" already, I'm simply advocating NOT making this particular mod.

 

[jgarfield]

I bought a 6hp DR this fall and it really works great. The trailer holds 250 gal. and the impeller chops the leaves into 1/10 of their original size, so the trailer holds an amazing amount. The motor detaches with 4 thumb screws and is on wheels for winter storage and the pvc/plastic?? sides detach in 2 minutes so that the platform and wheels can be hung on the wall. I have the 17' optional hose for getting into the vinca beds, under shrubs etc. Works perfect.

What used to be a 5 or 6 step process to get the leaves down the hill where I dump them is now one process that I do from the seat of the BX23. And they have somehow managed by making the exhaust spin in a vortex to keep the dust down, very little comes out and what does is directed up and away from the tractor. I used to have a JD 216 that had a vac bag system and I would be covered in dust at the end of the job....no more.

It is a very well thought out, and built system. It was on sale this fall for $1259 incl shipping, extended 4 yr warranty, and 0 interest til next summer.