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View Full Version : Yard waste/leaf shredder vacuum advice?



Joe Pack
10-05-2012, 11:13 PM
Getting old, and have a larger yard at my new house. So, I need a yard leaf vac/shredder. I plan to use this only on leaves, not grass clippings. I don't need a chipper since I have a nice fire pit for limbs, etc. With my bad knees and a few small inclines, I need either a self-propelled unit or one I can pull behind my Cub Cadet. I'm looking for a good (not junk, not cadillac price either) yard vac/shredder that will reduce volume and pick up most yard waste, and that will last for more than a couple of seasons.

Can anyone offer advice or personal experience on what to look for (brand, features, etc.) or, just as important, what to avoid?

Thanks. I appreciate your input.

Joe:confused:

Eduard Nemirovsky
10-06-2012, 7:12 AM
I am using Cyclone Rake for last 4 years. Behind the JD, for leaf collection, like it very much. Not very expensive. good to very good customer service. Never has problem.

Ed.

Kevin Bourque
10-06-2012, 9:34 AM
I used to have a Trac-Vac 1080 that I pulled with my lawn Tractor. It was amazing especially on wet leaves. The suction it produced was exceptional and it shredded the leaves into pieces so small that I could do my whole yard without dumping the trailer. I sold it when I moved to my current location which has only a few trees.

Dave Lehnert
10-06-2012, 10:17 AM
Hands down the best way I have found to deal with leaves is just to grind them up with the mower. I have a zero turn mower. I made a shield out of plywood and C-clamp it on to block the discharge shoot. Works better that way but good enough without it. Just takes a few more passes. It grinds the leaves to dust and don't have the problem of where to dump the leaves after collecting them. Before the zero turn I just used a 21" self propelled mower.

David G Baker
10-06-2012, 1:06 PM
I do it the same way that Dave L. does. My lawn needs all of the nutrition it can get so my weeds stay green in the Summer. I have over 3 acres of lawn to mow and several tall maple trees so I have an abundance of leaves. I occasionally think of getting a leaf vacuum because I do have a large composting bin but the cost keeps me from doing it.

Harry Hagan
10-06-2012, 2:42 PM
If you don't have an excessive amount of leaves to deal with and mow before they pile too high—mulching is the easiest.

Tom Hartranft
10-06-2012, 4:39 PM
+1 on Cyclone Rake "if" 1) you have >= 17 hp existing lawn tractor and 2) you have >= 1 acre of collection area and 3) you have lots of trees.

Tom

ray hampton
10-06-2012, 7:18 PM
I mulch my leaves the way that Dave and David stated with the mower

Brian Elfert
10-06-2012, 8:56 PM
Boy, I wish I could just mulch my leaves. It would be a lot easier than bagging them all with the mower. I would have several inches of mulched leaves if I didn't pick them up. I would also have to mow almost every night during peak leaf season.

I fill a 5x10 enclosed trailer about two thirds full twice each fall. The leaves get chopped up running through the mower so there are a LOT of leaves in my trailer.

ray hampton
10-06-2012, 9:17 PM
Boy, I wish I could just mulch my leaves. It would be a lot easier than bagging them all with the mower. I would have several inches of mulched leaves if I didn't pick them up. I would also have to mow almost every night during peak leaf season.

I fill a 5x10 enclosed trailer about two thirds full twice each fall. The leaves get chopped up running through the mower so there are a LOT of leaves in my trailer.

is it possible to weigh your trailer before and after the leaves get mulch, mulch leaves take up less space

Joe Pack
10-06-2012, 9:33 PM
Thanks for the input, folks. I appreciate it.

Mac McQuinn
10-06-2012, 9:36 PM
With 17 large Maples on a residential corner lot, I don't have an option but to use a self propelled Mower and mulch on the 1st run and pick-up on the second. 3 hours non-stop every other day for two weeks. If it rains, I'm in trouble. If I don't pick them up, I'll have 3" of mulch on top of the grass. If I had it to do over, I would have cut every tree down due to the marathon every fall and the damage done by tree roots to my Septic and storm drains.

Mac

Brian Elfert
10-06-2012, 9:39 PM
is it possible to weigh your trailer before and after the leaves get mulch, mulch leaves take up less space

The leaves get chopped up by the mower before they get dumped in the trailer. I would fill my trailer at least six times if they were not chopped up by the mower.

ray hampton
10-07-2012, 11:40 AM
With 17 large Maples on a residential corner lot, I don't have an option but to use a self propelled Mower and mulch on the 1st run and pick-up on the second. 3 hours non-stop every other day for two weeks. If it rains, I'm in trouble. If I don't pick them up, I'll have 3" of mulch on top of the grass. If I had it to do over, I would have cut every tree down due to the marathon every fall and the damage done by tree roots to my Septic and storm drains.

Mac

17 big maples and I complain about one maple, do you cook maple sap

David G Baker
10-07-2012, 12:19 PM
I only have one sugar maple and have thought about taping but haven't done it yet.

Mac McQuinn
10-07-2012, 1:02 PM
Their all 45-60' tall and I have been told I could pull sap from someone who does this although I have not at this point. Maybe I'll read up on it and give it a try next spring.

Mac





17 big maples and I complain about one maple, do you cook maple sap

Ben Hatcher
10-08-2012, 1:15 PM
I chop them up with my mower, too. I rake out the beds and try to get a fairly even coat on the yard. On the first pass, I use the discharge chute. On the second, I use the mulching plate. On the third, I bag and put the clippings in the beds. I've done this for years and sometimes the pile is as tall as my mower. It works best when the leaves are dry. Maple leaves and other types that fall with some moisture in them don't mulch as well. The hackberry leaves I mostly deal with basically turn to dust.

It is best to aerate the lawn at the end of the season to get the microbes from the dirt onto the leaves to help break them down and prevent thatch build up.

Ole Anderson
10-08-2012, 11:46 PM
My JD 425 zero turn has the optional blower on the discharge chute that helps chop them up and shoot them into the bags. When they really start dropping, I let the chute clog, and make one pass just mulching them, then clear the clog for a second pass to pick them up. I have so much tree litter all season long, I always bag everything and set them out for the recycle truck, but then I only have one third of an acre.