Leafy McSuckerton - 16HP LEAF MONSTER

[madosta]

So I have this intention of optimizing my time making things, and every fall, these things fall off of the trees in my yard and at a tremendous volume.

I've been toying around with the idea of making a 3pt tractor mounted PTO driven leaf vacuum since I have access to a water jet and some cool tools and they are relatively simple. BUT I scored an actual leaf loader for $75 - with an engine and solid duct/chute.

I started taking it apart and cleaning it up. It had some nice varnish in the tank, so I emptied it out and put it some new gas. Cranked it up with my drill and she started right away. Changed the oil/filter/plugs, gas and air filter. She purrs like a kitten - until I revved it up - sounds like a mini chopper.





All was good and then it started rattling like crazy when I revved it up. I thought it was going to be the motor as it was hard to isolate, but I pulled the impeller off and found out how bad it was out of balance and contacting the chute.



Two of the impeller blades are cracked and the outside of these corners are dropping into the chute making a lot of bad racket.




The worst corner drops about 3/8"...


I could buy a new impeller, but I'm sure they go for 300$ minimum.

So I can either make a new impeller, the shaft coupler is heavy duty and I could waterjet out a square and the blades easily - maybe even change the design a little bit, add some teeth to the blades, weld it, and balance it.

But then I figured, shoot for what I have into it and I still have to buy a hose, I wondered if I could slice out the crack and straighten the plate in a little bottle jack HF press? Think I'd have any luck?

There's also a local straightening shop and I was thinking about dropping it off there.

Hmm...

Can't wait to destroy those leaves!!! Got plans to mount it on a trailer or build a 3pt dump bin.

 

[madosta]

Alright, so since you guys weren't helpful... haha jk!

I went ahead and used a slice wheel on my grinder and clean out the cracks - all four blades had some cracking. I then pressed the bent corner up in a hydraulic press. It's not perfectly level, but it worked.

I then welded everything with a MIG and tried to balance it. Mounted it up, fired right up and hums fine. No crazy vibrations and the rattling is gone. If I have any more issues, I'll go back to the drawing board, but it should hold up for my light usage.

I need to find a 10" x 10' hose now.

Awesome thing when you rev it about 3/4 throttle the thing is blowing so hard on my bench it will tip the entire unit back. I threw some stuff threw it and blew it out of my garage into the yard - some leaves, a few twigs, shop towels... all while going "MUAHAHAHAHAHA" - the woman was not impressed though.

 

[CNGsaves]

Sounds like great project as 16 HP will be a monster since the commercial versions aren't that beefy.

Below is example of CycloneRake which is very nice commercial version.

You might model your project after the CycloneRake . . . BUT . . . with a LOT more horsepower!!

Keep pictures coming . . . . like to see how this turns out.

 

[theoldwizard1]

... the woman was not impressed though.

I'll never understand why women just don't get the raw power of internal combustion engines !

 

[Herb]

There are a couple of people that sell bulk hoses on Ebay. That is where I purchased mine for my leaf vac collector project for my Kubota. You didn't pay much for the initial set up ( by the way "YOU ****!") so buy the good urethane hoses, not the cheap pvc hoses, you'll be glad you did.

 

[madosta]

I will keep an eye out for urethane hoses. I can get some 10" hose for what seems like a good deal - around 100$, but I'm not sure what kind of hose it is.

Yea 16HP should be plenty for what I will need.

My motivator is really to help my neighbors out, and my buddy also wants to use it for his cottage up north.

Ideas:
Make it hitch mountable with a swing out arm.
Make a 3pt hitch with a wide collection dump bin using some sheet metal or maybe even some perforated/mesh steel.
Mount it to a trailer and enclose the sides.

I'm thinking the 3pt solution would be the best. I can just drive the tractor around or anyone with a tractor can borrow it, or I can mount it on my trailer as a whole 3pt assembly and anyone can borrow it.

I need to do some calculations for weight as the engine assembly probably weighs 180 - 240 lbs, then the steel for the frame and the bin, and then the weight of dry mulched leaves.

I need to sketch up this idea so you guys can give me some ideas.

 

[madosta]

Alright, so I think the total frame would be 4' deep x 6' wide and the bin would be about 4' high.

I'm thinking a vent on the top for the air and dust to rush out and a sloped floor with a lift gate to dump the leaves out. Probably using sheet metal and not aluminum. My volume would be about 48 cubic feet of shredded leaves.

According to this, I would be about 13lbs for shredded wet leaves. Which puts the 3pt capacity about right.
http://www.lawnsite.com/archive/index.php/t-79801.html

 

[Herb]

I think that will come out to 96cf. I have a Kubota bx1850 with the factory pto driven vac on it. The mower deck discharges through a 9" hose to the vac, which then discharges through an 8" hose to my trailer. The trailer is 5' w x 6' l x 4' h, and the leaves fill and compact so tightly that there is no way it would be possible to dump that trailer and have the leaves come out. I have to use a bow rake to unload, it takes around 20min. to do so. My father has a tow behind DR leaf vac, and even with the plastic box, the leaves are shredded and packed so tightly he has to do the same thing.

 

[bullnerd]

Check out the gravely web site.

Thats the style I would copy.

http://www.gravely.com/en-us/turf/turf-vacuums/Pages/default.aspx#

****...link wont go to the pic...scroll down ..click pro-vac.

OK..PDF gives a good pic. One big door to one big wedge.

http://www.gravely.com/en-us/SeriesDownloads/SellSheet_ProVac-Thumb.pdf

 

[madosta]

Well I've been making some progress on a leaf cart for the leaf monster.

Started out with an old trailer, that was in pretty good shape, but I wasn't happy with it.


Started the frame and sides:


Got the chute mounted in there and had to consider dumping functionality.


The "hinges" are basically 1/4" plate and 1" bolts - nothing fancy.


It tilts! Not sure how well the leaves will slide out the back though.

Got a back door welded together and mounted, now I just need to finish it with some plywood for this year and tweak it in the winter time.

 

[TwoInch]

if you feel like it does not tilt high enough to dump.. use the old roofers trick. get a heavy rope or chain that you can lay in the bottom of the trailer when its empty, and leave a 24" tag end out the back when you start collecting leaves. when you are ready to dump, attach the tag end to a stake or small bush or tree, and pull the tractor forward, this will give everything a good nudge to fall out the back. toss the rope or chain back in when done and go fill it up again. roofers use a chain, with an old tire or two attached with the chain in a loop, so they can unload their dump trailers at the approved material dumps. sure beats the hell outta trying to unload by hand.

 

[bgarrett]

This entire thread is crazy. Trees take nutrients out of the soil, then they return the nutrients (dead leaves) to be used again. Grinding up the leaves with the lawnmower gives a nice looking lawn and the nutrients are ready to rejoin the cycle. Its difficult to imagine why people want to put their valuable nutrients in the trash.

When I started my garden I drove around with my 18 foot trailer and collected all the plastic bags I could haul, spread them on the ground and ground them up. Excellent and free.

With governments everywhere hurting for money and running out of places to use for dumping, it seems that it would be illegal to send it to landfills.

 

[madosta]

This entire thread is crazy. Trees take nutrients out of the soil, then they return the nutrients (dead leaves) to be used again. Grinding up the leaves with the lawnmower gives a nice looking lawn and the nutrients are ready to rejoin the cycle. Its difficult to imagine why people want to put their valuable nutrients in the trash.

When I started my garden I drove around with my 18 foot trailer and collected all the plastic bags I could haul, spread them on the ground and ground them up. Excellent and free.

With governments everywhere hurting for money and running out of places to use for dumping, it seems that it would be illegal to send it to landfills.

Haha, awesome. I am not taking the leaves off my property, just simply "diversifying" the nutrients to the other trees in the woods. The front part of my property has lawns and those things called "neighbors" whose lawns border mine. I would leave them if I could, but there's no where to blow them to either side and the sheer volume of red and white oak leaves is enormous which prevents me from using mulching blades.

Love the trees, love the leaves.

 

[j-guenth]

Urethane hoses come in different thicknesses. The thicker you can get the longer it will last. I worked for a city that picked up leaves in the fall and we usually got 2 years out of our 12" urethane hoses. Check the internet to find a rubber vender that sells that type of hose.

 

[madosta]

Urethane hoses come in different thicknesses. The thicker you can get the longer it will last. I worked for a city that picked up leaves in the fall and we usually got 2 years out of our 12" urethane hoses. Check the internet to find a rubber vender that sells that type of hose.

Funny thing about the hose, I picked up 25' for cheap like under $200 and cut it in half - so I should have a few decades of homeowner use, but all my friends will probably be trying to steal it!