My 8N came with a cyclone prefilter, but without anything that allows mounting the jar, including the lid connected to the downtube. I was told by more than one person that it didn't need a collection jar and would work without one. I wasn't so sure, so ran a test.
Test 1: Placed tape, sticky side up, approximately 1 inch from bottom of downtube and worked tractor for about 90 min. Also placed tape, sticky side up, on side of hood. Noticed equal amounts of dirt collected on both pieces of tape.
Test 2: Placed tape directly over bottom of downtube and again ran tractor for about 90 min. Much more dirt was present on tape.
Conclusion: Cyclone prefilter performs much better with the downtube sealed.
Result: I didn't want to spend $100 for a complete cyclone filter, so spent $2 for a rubber coupling and begged a jar from the wife. Works great!
Test 1: Placed tape, sticky side up, approximately 1 inch from bottom of downtube and worked tractor for about 90 min. Also placed tape, sticky side up, on side of hood. Noticed equal amounts of dirt collected on both pieces of tape.
Test 2: Placed tape directly over bottom of downtube and again ran tractor for about 90 min. Much more dirt was present on tape.
Conclusion: Cyclone prefilter performs much better with the downtube sealed.
Result: I didn't want to spend $100 for a complete cyclone filter, so spent $2 for a rubber coupling and begged a jar from the wife. Works great!