I'm posting here looking for "out of the box" thinkers which would be typical of the "fab your own" guys.
I just got what so far seems a good deal on a solid old Troy-Bilt combo yard-vac and "chipper". Yes, I know they are not ideal, and most people hate them. but it's the big 8 HP version and I think it will work just fine for my expectations adjusted needs.
In sort, I have the biggest gnarly mesquite you are likely to ever have seen. If you've had a big mesquite in your yard, you know that in various seasons they are among the messiest trees that exist. AND... drum roll... it is directly adjacent to my pool! YES, the obvious option is eliminate it, but it is not only among the largest I've ever seen, but also super cool and knarly. So much so that my daughter got married under it, and my son had his reception there. Beautiful tree, so not cutting, I'll just take my mental state adjuster to ease the stress... as soon as I find where I left that bottle opener.
So with that taken care of, what to do with the mess before it winds up in the pool. Up till now, at the peak mess times, often with ambient over 115* "in the shade", it's several awful hours of raking, bagging, and disposing, often over a period of weeks because it exceeds the max allowed per pickup...
So, the "vacuum" portion was tested and appears it should **** up most of the leaves/flowers/stamens/beans readily enough, at least if used before they get badly impacted and wet. And as an added bene, I can use the limited chipper function to mulch the constant pruning and upkeep from my property fruit and ornamental trees and bushes further reducing the load on my trash collection limits. In spite of the generally poor impression of most, I think it will suit my expectations well enough.
Just one problem, there was/is no catch bag, and parts are discontinued. The NOS, when it can be found, run upwards of $150. And ebay options are always exactly clear about what it fits, and no real way to know how well it is made, or how well it will flow. And I'm told that's the most deficient part of the original design anyway, and so most owners run it "open" as a result (basically as a stationary chipper). But that doesn't help when I need to get the debris gathered and disposed away from the pool...
So I figure I have 2 options.
1) Retrofit a catcher from a lawn mower. I happen to have one from my mower that can be fitted with some moderately involved sheet metal work. But I feel the weave is too tight for optimal flow to get thins thing working at peak. I don't care about dust, I want the heavier particles captured.
2) Find some other bag and retrofit that. One option comes to mind with shop dust collectors, but they are even more worried about fine particulates and will likely restrict even more. I'm thinking something with a fixed weave roughly on line with typical window screens. And one of my ideas would be an open frame weldment (probably not aluminum due to vibration fatigue) wrapped in steel screen. But also thinking about may seeing if I could source the equivalent of the old potato sacks we used to get at the Co-Op for near nothing. Strong mesh, good air flow, come in large capacity (equivalent to ~50 gal at the large end), and best of all cheap. But no idea where to get in not-potato country (Phoenix, AX).
And of course, I don't know what I don't know. What do you guys suggest for a catch bag? Fit my existing mower bag? Frame and screen? Tater bag? Or something else completely? On this unit, the down-spout comes off easily leaving a vertical rectangle flange about 10" wide and 12" tall. So good starting point to fit whatever...
I just got what so far seems a good deal on a solid old Troy-Bilt combo yard-vac and "chipper". Yes, I know they are not ideal, and most people hate them. but it's the big 8 HP version and I think it will work just fine for my expectations adjusted needs.
In sort, I have the biggest gnarly mesquite you are likely to ever have seen. If you've had a big mesquite in your yard, you know that in various seasons they are among the messiest trees that exist. AND... drum roll... it is directly adjacent to my pool! YES, the obvious option is eliminate it, but it is not only among the largest I've ever seen, but also super cool and knarly. So much so that my daughter got married under it, and my son had his reception there. Beautiful tree, so not cutting, I'll just take my mental state adjuster to ease the stress... as soon as I find where I left that bottle opener.
So with that taken care of, what to do with the mess before it winds up in the pool. Up till now, at the peak mess times, often with ambient over 115* "in the shade", it's several awful hours of raking, bagging, and disposing, often over a period of weeks because it exceeds the max allowed per pickup...
So, the "vacuum" portion was tested and appears it should **** up most of the leaves/flowers/stamens/beans readily enough, at least if used before they get badly impacted and wet. And as an added bene, I can use the limited chipper function to mulch the constant pruning and upkeep from my property fruit and ornamental trees and bushes further reducing the load on my trash collection limits. In spite of the generally poor impression of most, I think it will suit my expectations well enough.
Just one problem, there was/is no catch bag, and parts are discontinued. The NOS, when it can be found, run upwards of $150. And ebay options are always exactly clear about what it fits, and no real way to know how well it is made, or how well it will flow. And I'm told that's the most deficient part of the original design anyway, and so most owners run it "open" as a result (basically as a stationary chipper). But that doesn't help when I need to get the debris gathered and disposed away from the pool...
So I figure I have 2 options.
1) Retrofit a catcher from a lawn mower. I happen to have one from my mower that can be fitted with some moderately involved sheet metal work. But I feel the weave is too tight for optimal flow to get thins thing working at peak. I don't care about dust, I want the heavier particles captured.
2) Find some other bag and retrofit that. One option comes to mind with shop dust collectors, but they are even more worried about fine particulates and will likely restrict even more. I'm thinking something with a fixed weave roughly on line with typical window screens. And one of my ideas would be an open frame weldment (probably not aluminum due to vibration fatigue) wrapped in steel screen. But also thinking about may seeing if I could source the equivalent of the old potato sacks we used to get at the Co-Op for near nothing. Strong mesh, good air flow, come in large capacity (equivalent to ~50 gal at the large end), and best of all cheap. But no idea where to get in not-potato country (Phoenix, AX).
And of course, I don't know what I don't know. What do you guys suggest for a catch bag? Fit my existing mower bag? Frame and screen? Tater bag? Or something else completely? On this unit, the down-spout comes off easily leaving a vertical rectangle flange about 10" wide and 12" tall. So good starting point to fit whatever...
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