Leaf lawn grass vacuum

[lenray]

Looking for one of those that has a trailer and a motor that I can use with a zero turn mower to pickup grass clippings. Any of you folks have one or know anything about them. Would like one with a Honda motor if possible. Or could use one after mowing and come along later and pick up the grass...thanks

 

[GordoSD]

Why remove the clippings Do you need the clippings for garden. If not you should leave them on the lawn for a good source of natural turf builder and fert.

 

[Steve@Advance]

Trying to pull a trailer behind a zero turn kinda defeats the reason for having a zero turn...

Unless you find a vacuum with a very large bag, it will be have to be dumped every few seconds. The large capacity trailers have a power dump feature, which is just about a necessity. Wet grass is heavy!

I have a Billy Goat hand pushed vacuum I use to pick up leaves. It had a about a 24" square canvas bag. When the leaves are thick it will only go a few feet before it is full, and if the leaves are damp, it can be very heavy to pick up and dump.

I've never tried using it for grass clippings, I suspect it would go further between dumps, but it would sure be heavy.

 

[kcm.MN]

I have a 3-bag bagger on the rear of my Husqvarna 46". And yes, that wet grass IS heavy! It's sometimes so heavy that the bagger has to be taken off due to constant plugging.

While researching possible pull-behind units, I noticed quite a few that folks had made for their ZT mowers. Always did question that. I do a fair amount of backing up on my place, but can't spin in place like a ZT can.

Check this out:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bagger+for+zero+turn+mower

Something like what's shown at 0:46 would be wonderful, but needs to be 8" to 12" higher in my opinion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uepl0It9rTs

 

[Jon Erickson]

Gordo, you said it right!

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I have a 3 bag on my 48 inch husqvarna.
Wet grass chokes the shoot.
Dry grass and leaves creates a dust
cloud.
I don't use it.
George

 

[jniolon]

Cyclone Rake, been using one since 1997...1.5 acres 81 oak trees,
the only way to go

https://www.cyclonerake.com/?gclid=...Wj9YIK9ITGbI-z9DOUw6EeBrhmUehvswaAjqfEALw_wcB

john

 

[Russ from MN]

We normally only bag twice, spring and fall, but it really needs it then. We just can't leave that much mulch on the lawn.

 

[Jim Ma]

Absolutely, we have had numerous vac systems over the years from easy rakes, giant rakes, easy vac, 2 and 3 bag collectors w assist etc and the
cyclone rake is the best without question. I bought one a few years ago their Xl model and since then my son bought one as well for his 61" ZT. They
have great capacity and come equipped with vanguard engines or can be optioned as such. I'd buy another one without blinking an eye.

Jim

 

[Tom in TN]

It's been a few years and I can't exactly remember the details, but back then, Fawteen built a lawn vacuum and showed his work here on this website. It was well done and looked like it worked very well for him.

Fawteen.....You still out there?


Tom in TN

 

[Blackhole49]

I made mine 35 years ago out of scrap steel, a junk blower and a tired 7hp Wisconsin. I only use it for leaves though.

 

[lenray]

Thanks for the ideas---Only need in the early mowing when the clippings are sooo heavy. I guess what I would like is a machine to vacuum up clippings a few hours after mowing. I can windrow with my zero turns and pick up dryer material. I have an old JD lawn sweeper--40 years old--and it works good, but too small of a capacity.....any thing out there for what I want????

 

[Tramway Guy]

I bought one of these last year for my Kubota zero-turn.

It was not cheap. Holds quite a bit.
Protero attachments

 

[WGM]

I pull a Trac-Vac with my Dixie Chopper every fall to remove leaves. Lawn clippings stay on the lawn. They contain too much fertilizer to be wasted by removing them.

 

[rustyplow]

I mow first day with a zero turn back and forth leaving a windrow. second day come back with a second mower with a bagger. Works much better after the grass has dried a day. Use the grass to mulch the garden.

 

[ss55]

Dry grass chops up into mulch much easier than wet grass does. Can yo let the wet cut grass dry for a day, then come back and mulch it all back into the lawn without having to pick any of it up or buy more equipment? Another alternative is to mow more often before the grass gets too long.

 

[Texasmark1]

I use DR brand. They have modified them quite a bit since I bought my first one back in 2005. You now have one designed for usage with a ZT. Works really well and quick to dump. started using their accessory hose also for flower beds and hard to reach places. Better way was to make a pile with a leaf blower and then, using a short hose divert what was the lawnmower outlet to the remote hose and pick up the pile, or don't make the pile so large and just drive over it back and forth with your ZT with the deck fully raised.

You need to be realistic in your aspirations. You have an adapter to fit the deck discharge connected to an 8" dia. hose, connected to the cutting inlet. On left turns, the hose is only so long, so you need to make shallower turns or just like a saw blade, cut, back up angle over cut, back up, angle over, etc. On right turns, the hose compresses up in the air with an arm attached to the blower holding the excess hose in the air allowing for pretty sharp turns........but neither direction constitutes ZT.....somewhat modified ZT but tighter than a lawn tractor for a power unit......which could also be your power source...i have used both over the years and like the ZT best.

Also remember that if you get a high CU IN capacity unit, it sticks up pretty high and has a square aspect ratio so you have to watch out when working under trees. On that regard, I take a regular lawn mower and do the leaf blowing out from around the trees, like making 2 concentric circles which usually give me enough height clearance to bring in the vac to pick them up.

I have a lot of trees and use my manure spreader as a conveyer from a launch point where I transfer the leaves to it, and then drive it out over my pasture and spread out the leaves. Works great.