I’ve decided to buy a walk behind leaf vacuum this year, and was wondering if there are any brands to stay away from, any recommendations for specific brands and models would be appreciated for anyone here who owns one.

Thanks!

I had a Craftsman walk behind vacuum . It worked pretty well but it filled the bag very quickly and it was a pain to empty . I finally just started mulching them with my ZTR . If you stay ahead of them and don't let them accumulate , it seems to be less trouble .

I have a MTD Chipper/Shredder/Vac that I'm on my third year with.

I had an issue between seasons 1 and 2 where the carb was fouled and it wouldn't run. Took it to a small engine shop and had them add a fuel shut-off valve so I could run the carb dry and haven't had an issue since.

I find that if the leaves are dry and the ground is flat the direct vacuum works well, but in my case its easier to rake into a row first, and even then the hose will sometimes be easier than the vacuum bar (I also use mine for pine needles and pine cones, so there's that aspect)

The mulch output is great, I will fit 2 to 3 bags into my tractor cart for transport to the mulch pile, and they break down much faster this way.

Look carefully at how the leaves are shredded. The one I owned forced the leaves through a perforated grate that would easily clog with damp leaves and maple leaves with stems. It would also choke (clog) if you took too big a bite of leaves.

I finally decided it was just easier to rake the leaves up.

If you buy, don't go cheap, or you may be wasting your money.

I have a lawn mower that I mulch all my leaves with. Turns them into little bits and they disappear.

I use my lawnmower and bag leaves, works fine for me. Around Christmas I use my leaf blower to get whatever stragglers are left in a pile and use the lawnmower one last time.

Bought the wife a Cub Cadet leaf vac two years ago. The only issue was the hose that came with it. It wasn't very flexible and kept splitting. I replaced it just last week with something I found on Amazon for 1/4 the price of standard yard vac hose. Works well.

Another Craftsman owner here. The machine has been reliable as hell for the last 15 years. The bag-- specifically the fabric, not the plastic & sheet metal collar where it connects to the machine-- is the "point of failure," though, and naturally it's no longer made. I imagine I could have a new one sewn to work, but if I'd known years back I would've bought extras when they were still available.

I have a Craftsman as well.

Dry leaves, works great.

Damp-wet leaves, forget about it. Clog city.

Other than rebuilding the carb, a plug, air filter and an oil change, it was free, so I can't complain too much.

It is LOUD.

I've wanted a Cyclone Rake for a while but can't bring myself to spend the money or store one for a couple weeks work.

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
… I finally just started mulching them with my ZTR . If you stay ahead of them and don't let them accumulate , it seems to be less trouble .

That’s better for the carbon:nitrogen ratio of the soil, too.

I recommend DR Power.

I have on of their wood chippers and its great. I have no problem recommending their leaf vacs.leaf vac

I also have a tow behind Cyclone Rake which is awesome.

I have the Craftsman and HATE it. So much that it's going to the curb sometime soon. Problem is that a) it's a very hard pull to start due to the indertia in the vacuum system and b) the nozzle doesn't have any vertical movement so if there is a clod of grass in your path you will get the handle slamming into your gut. As for c), difficult to empty, that is an understatement. Basically you have to empty the bag one small handfull at a time.

Basically it's a complete crap design and not one single person ever actually tested one on a real yard.

I get a LOT of leaves in my yard every fall and I was considering buying one last year.
The best ones to me seemed to be DR and Billy Goat.
After talking with people that owned walk-behind leaf vacuums I decided they weren't really all that useful and passed on the idea.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I use my lawnmower and bag leaves, works fine for me. Around Christmas I use my leaf blower to get whatever stragglers are left in a pile and use the lawnmower one last time.

Same here. Usually, I mulch the leaves. If they get too thick I do bag them. But that's only for a few weeks. I don't see the need for a separate machine for that short a period of time.

Had been mowing 1+ acres for decades, using John Deere X300 mower/bagger. Old design of narrow window of adequate suitability for the project. If DRY worked well, if wet/too deep, headaches.

Replaced last spring with new X350. Have used the NEW designed bagger system only twice but it has functioned at a far better level. The heavy leaf time is nearing, and I expect a full-user experience within the next week or so.

Until otherwise noted, IF you have need for a lawn tractor, our NEW X350 bagger system attachment is quite adequate for our heavy-leaf removal needs.

I have a Cyclone Rake that I tow with my Kubota. It is awesome, there is no comparison. I also have the hose attachment for vacuuming out the flower beds. Again, no comparison. Wet leaves, wet grass, acorns, maple whirlygigs, doesn't matter. All get sucked up and shredded with extreme prejudice.

You have to watch out with mulching leaves, especially oak leaves. They are very acidic and can be detrimental to the health of your lawn.

Put the mulch cover and blades on the JD, blow them into the drive/street, mulch them with the blade on Zero, turns them into a fine powder.

G5 Gator Blades on a zero turn turns leaves to small clippings that disappear with the next rain.

https://www.oregonproducts.com...c/g6-mulchingblade-p

I do use my Honda HRX-217 mower to mulch and bag the leaves, I just thought I'd check into getting one I don't have to blow leaves into piles to do. It sounds like these are not really worth the money and a lot of trouble, so I will keep using the mower then.

Thanks everyone!