Turning Radius with Cyclone Rake

[Zeke98 2]

Hi All,

 

I'm almost ready to purchase a Cyclone Rake. I purchased and installed a great hitch from Tom (a vendor on the site) to better handle the Cyclone Rake.

 

As I'm looking at models of the Cyclone Rakes and the fact that they don't jackknife, I'm wondering how sharply the tractor will turn with the CR attached. I have some tight turns to make. I recognize that the wheels on the CR swivel, but could someone give a rough idea of the turning radius with the CR attached? Perhaps compare it to turning with a standard utility trailer that swivels at the hitch connection? Obviously, I'll be opting for a smaller CR for better maneuverability.

 

Here's a photo of the custom hitch by Tom (I added the receiver and painted it).

 

Thanks for any help.

[rmaynard 15,427]

Having been a Cyclone Rake owner for many years, I can tell you that your turning radius is the same as the tractor plus the length of the Cyclone rake. You must remember that you are now swinging around an extra 5 to 6 feet on the back. If you have trees or come close to buildings, you must take them into consideration before attempting to make a turn.

 

I liked your trailer hitch, but where are you going to attach the Cyclone's 2-point mounting plate?

 

Edited September 9, 2017 by rmaynard

[pacer 3,168]

The Cyclone Rake is no doubt a fantastic tool -- Down here in N La pine trees are like weeds with the long leaf (needle) being very common. For YEARS I fought for a solution to getting the huge quantities of straw picked up -- and the CR did it and a fine job of it too!!

 

As to turning radius, I cant think of a way to exactly describe it, yes, it will be the same as your tractor -- BUT!, the a** end of that thing will 'kick' out and slap the crap out of any wall/fence/garage/ etc that you are near. It really takes a bit to get the brain trained to keep that in mind - and I still will occasionally 'slap' something.

 

Now, what Bob said about your beautiful hitch - that aint gonna work. You'll have to fabricate a means to solidly mount the hitch that comes with the rake (as shown in Bobs pic) although, I suppose? that it might work on a pivoting hitch - I dunno.

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

I have an Cyclone Rake XL model that I pull with my 518xi. Together they are 13 feet long. I'm not sure what model you are looking at but the XL has the largest bag, and full of  mulched leaves weighs quite a bit. I opted for the optional dual tires so i don't have any rutting of the ground issues.

 

The 5xi is really good combination with the Cyclone Rake as the 5xi has a 20"radius for turning. My 518xi doesn't have the power steering like my 523Dxi has but the steering only gets heavy when full. Pulling the Cyclone Rake is like having another tractor tagging behind. You need to get a feel for it as you are sitting in the center of the combined unit. I tried attaching mirrors to the tractor to watch but found it really wasn't necessary. And it does not track like a lawn cart. The solid hitch makes it swing out!

 

I went through three different hitches before getting the most workable. Cyclone Rake gives you a rinky dink adapter that bolts on the Wheel Horse hitch - but that was bent after the first use. There is a lot of torsional stress side-to-side when turning. Next I found on eBay an ill conceived 2" receiver that I could bolt the CH plate to but then had to remove it to install Rear Attach-A-Matic for the the snowblade. Next I bought Scott and Tom's 2" receiver hitch to use and I adapted a Warn Winch Hitch Adapter Mount #68531. I used the portion that is closest to the hitch. I believe that I needed to drill two new holes or enlarge existing holes into the Warn Plate to match the Cyclone Rake plate.

 

This makes for a very solid mount and can handle the stress. I added a tapped hole into the side of the receiver so I could screw a bolt in to eliminate the slight side-to-side slack. I also put two washers under the two arms from the Cyclone Rake where it attaches to the plate to prevent it digging into the plate and lessening wear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2017 by shallowwatersailor

[Zeke98 2]

3 hours ago, rmaynard said:

Having been a Cyclone Rake owner for many years, I can tell you that your turning radius is the same as the tractor plus the length of the Cyclone rake. You must remember that you are now swinging around an extra 5 to 6 feet on the back. If you have trees or come close to buildings, you must take them into consideration before attempting to make a turn.

 

I liked your trailer hitch, but where are you going to attach the Cyclone's 2-point mounting plate?

 

Thanks for the information about turning. It will be a learning curve, but I think the advantages outweigh the drawbacks.

 

Regarding the hitch, CR makes a special hitch that I think will work. See attached PDF. Also, a similar design (with the same custom hitch by Tom) can be seen at the bottom of page 1 in this thread

 

208R Class 3 Receiver HB Inst (01-06-141_S16).pdf

1 hour ago, pacer said:

The Cyclone Rake is no doubt a fantastic tool -- Down here in N La pine trees are like weeds with the long leaf (needle) being very common. For YEARS I fought for a solution to getting the huge quantities of straw picked up -- and the CR did it and a fine job of it too!!

 

As to turning radius, I cant think of a way to exactly describe it, yes, it will be the same as your tractor -- BUT!, the a** end of that thing will 'kick' out and slap the crap out of any wall/fence/garage/ etc that you are near. It really takes a bit to get the brain trained to keep that in mind - and I still will occasionally 'slap' something.

 

Now, what Bob said about your beautiful hitch - that aint gonna work. You'll have to fabricate a means to solidly mount the hitch that comes with the rake (as shown in Bobs pic) although, I suppose? that it might work on a pivoting hitch - I dunno.

I'm glad the CR has been working well for you. I'll watch out for "kick". See above for hitch concern. Thanks.

[Zeke98 2]

Shallowwater_sailor,

 

Great rig you have there! It looks like it does a great job.

 

I'm looking at the second to smallest CR--the Commander. I'll still need to take turns slowly. Thanks for the input.

 

Great idea using the the Warn plate. I think the plate that CR now offers (PDF above) might work. Tom must have changed his design a bit, since the hitch he built me already has has a tapped hole on the left side (photo shows opposite side). I was wondering what that hole was for, but now I know! Thanks!

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

1 hour ago, Zeke98 said:

Shallowwater_sailor,

 

Great rig you have there! It looks like it does a great job.

 

I'm looking at the second to smallest CR--the Commander. I'll still need to take turns slowly. Thanks for the input.

 

Great idea using the the Warn plate. I think the plate that CR now offers (PDF above) might work. Tom must have changed his design a bit, since the hitch he built me already has has a tapped hole on the left side (photo shows opposite side). I was wondering what that hole was for, but now I know! Thanks!

 

My hitch for the 518xi was the first that they made for the 5xi. It is larger than a Wheel Horse hitch. For the second one I bought from him for my 520xi, I asked Tom to add the anti-rattle bolt hole. Sounds like he made it standard.

 

I'm glad that CR is offering an option of that hitch. The Wheel Horse one by them is really bad. One thing I have found is that their options are a bit pricey. You will already get the CR plate with the unit and the Warn unit is around $76.00..

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

IDK if this will work the same as the Warn model but at 1/3 the price it may be a viable option, Jeff.

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

10 hours ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

IDK if this will work the same as the Warn model but at 1/3 the price it may be a viable option, Jeff.

 

I see your point, Jeff. But I would be concerned as it appears to be welded on one edge. The Warn extends the tube under the plate and then welded on three sides. Besides the side-to-side torsional stress, as the unit fills it gets heavier and would tend to push down as well. The Great Gear mount looks to be designed for straight-on pulling..

[Sarge 3,463]

My biggest question is how does the whole thing pivot in the middle if you go through a ditch or depression ? There is very little of this property that is flat and whatever is used to hook the CR to the Horse has to be able to bend in the middle lengthwise - or it would bend the whole assembly . I see how the two pin mount works - is that joint built to allow the rake to move up/down at an angle in comparison to the tractor ? The problem I have here is the ditches - steep enough angle to damage a Kohler K series so I have to work those areas up/down when mowing or picking up leaves . The Craftsman sweeper I use now can barely handle that angle without bending the hitch on it and regular powered lawn vacs with a wagon would hit the tractor when it bends in the middle to mow across this ditch ....

 

Sarge

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

11 minutes ago, Sarge said:

My biggest question is how does the whole thing pivot in the middle if you go through a ditch or depression ? There is very little of this property that is flat and whatever is used to hook the CR to the Horse has to be able to bend in the middle lengthwise - or it would bend the whole assembly . I see how the two pin mount works - is that joint built to allow the rake to move up/down at an angle in comparison to the tractor ? The problem I have here is the ditches - steep enough angle to damage a Kohler K series so I have to work those areas up/down when mowing or picking up leaves . The Craftsman sweeper I use now can barely handle that angle without bending the hitch on it and regular powered lawn vacs with a wagon would hit the tractor when it bends in the middle to mow across this ditch ....

 

Sarge

 

In short, it does not pivot for ditches or deep depressions as designed. I have a swale/ditch in front of my house that I end up blowing/raking leaves out of and then driving along with the suction hose disconnected.sucking the leaves up.

 

But I have seen online an owner with a Kubota BX that adapted the 3-point hitch to use a 2" x 2" steel angle and four triangle pieces welded on with the holes for the pins drilled through. He spaced the triangles to the width of the CR and replaced the CR attachment arms with heavy gate hinges. That turned the pin attachment 90 degrees and allowed vertical movement between the tractor and CR.

[Sarge 3,463]

That's pretty much what I though - if it were used with the C-160, 16Auto or 1277 I'd have to make a custom hitch with a hinge built into it - thanks for the info .

 

Sarge

[Zeke98 2]

13 hours ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

IDK if this will work the same as the Warn model but at 1/3 the price it may be a viable option, Jeff.

Thanks, Jeff. Hopefully the plate supplied by CR will work.

 

An unrelated question. I have a long driveway. The CR will pick up leaves and pine needles off a hard surface correct?

[pacer 3,168]

1 hour ago, Zeke98 said:

pick up leaves and pine needles off a hard surface correct?

 

It will..... but (theres that but!) First off, as I mentioned earlier, pine straw is totally different, theres just not enough surface area with a needle for air movement to start the lift needed to move it easily, unlike a leaf that has more surface. I have a loooong concrete drive so obviously I have ran the CR over it - it will pick up the leaves pretty well, though not as well as on a lawn surface (too much air leakage??) and pine straw, well not so much and it tends to leave trails of small bits of leaf/debris behind, which I suppose is better than the leaves, and is easier to blow off. I mostly try to blow the drive off before I run the CR.

 

But, hey, if I come off as bad mouthing the CR, I do NOT mean to, it really does a good job at getting the leave/straw up from the yard - it will even look like that video of the guy running it that CR has in its commercials!

[Zeke98 2]

Thanks, Pacer. Much appreciated.

[clueless 2,976]

On 9/9/2017 at 0:28 PM, Zeke98 said:

Hi All,

 

I'm almost ready to purchase a Cyclone Rake. I purchased and installed a great hitch from Tom (a vendor on the site) to better handle the Cyclone Rake.

 

As I'm looking at models of the Cyclone Rakes and the fact that they don't jackknife, I'm wondering how sharply the tractor will turn with the CR attached. I have some tight turns to make. I recognize that the wheels on the CR swivel, but could someone give a rough idea of the turning radius with the CR attached? Perhaps compare it to turning with a standard utility trailer that swivels at the hitch connection? Obviously, I'll be opting for a smaller CR for better maneuverability.

 

Here's a photo of the custom hitch by Tom (I added the receiver and painted it).

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Zeke98, if you are planning on purchasing a new Cyclone Rake from Woodland Power Products, their customer service is exceptional. They can answer most any question you have. Also, they make a mounting plate that fits the 2 inch receiver. Its a little pricey, but it's the right size for bolting the rake.

 

A few years ago Tom made a hitch for me and suggested putting in an extra hole with a nut welded to it to stabilize the lateral shifting in the receiver. See picture below. I haven't attached the Rake to any of my horses yet, still use it on my JD. Just an option for down the road. 

 

Now, for the Rake itself, a couple of years ago I got a good deal on a very little used Cyclone Classic. The guy I got it from had ordered all the options except the power lift. Of all the options if I had to pick the three best, I think, first would be the dual wheel upgrade, second would be the larger diameter vacuum hose, and third would be the jack stand. The one I have has a 6.5 briggs on it and will suck up anything in its path, including small animals and rodents . It can be a fairly dusty venture. 

 

Also, Woodland Power Products is a member on this site. I'm not sure if you PM if they'll answer you. They only have one reply and that was to me back in March. 

 

If you have a large leaf problem this is the way to go. I would say a 15 to 20 feet turning radius is as good as it gets. 

 

 

[Zeke98 2]

Clueless, thanks. Yes, my hitch looks like the one you have with the tapped hole. I think the CR mounting plate you describe is probably the one I attached above.

 

Great to know about the attachments.

 

Hope you're out of Irma's way.

[Zeke98 2]

I bought the CR and assembled it this weekend. I ran it once. The hitch worked great, but I'm not getting a good seal between the tractor deck (deflector removed) and the mower deck adapter. Can someone show me a photo of your configuration that works?

 

Here are a couple of my set up. Something is not right. Thanks.

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

You need to cut away the plastic and get the discharge portion of the deck inside. A rough estimate is to cover the decal.

[pacer 3,168]

37 minutes ago, Zeke98 said:

Something is not right.

 

I believe you are right in that its NOT right!

 

Take all your mounting hardware off and slide/push the discharge chute in as far as it will go (IIRC it will hit the back wheel on the deck at some point) that should pretty well cover that gaposis hole you now have. I had to cut a large section out of the chute to get it in as far as possible. Now youll have to refigure the mounting hardware, I think I had to drill 1 extra hole. And on one deck I added a small piece of sheet metal to further cover there. You just sorta have to figure it out as you go along.

[Zeke98 2]

1 hour ago, shallowwatersailor said:

You need to cut away the plastic and get the discharge portion of the deck inside. A rough estimate is to cover the decal.

Thanks.

59 minutes ago, pacer said:

 

I believe you are right in that its NOT right!

 

Take all your mounting hardware off and slide/push the discharge chute in as far as it will go (IIRC it will hit the back wheel on the deck at some point) that should pretty well cover that gaposis hole you now have. I had to cut a large section out of the chute to get it in as far as possible. Now youll have to refigure the mounting hardware, I think I had to drill 1 extra hole. And on one deck I added a small piece of sheet metal to further cover there. You just sorta have to figure it out as you go along.

Thanks. With the adapter pushed in that far, it won't interfere with the blades?

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

I never took a photo of it directly, but here is a cropped closeup of my former Cyclone Rake. The 5xi has a different discharge but this should help.

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by shallowwatersailor

[pacer 3,168]

3 hours ago, Zeke98 said:

won't interfere with the blades?

 

No the blades wont interfere. I think once you get it snugged up youll grasp what we are talking about --- and then watch that bad boy SUCK up some leaves!!

[Zeke98 2]

12 hours ago, shallowwatersailor said:

I never took a photo of it directly, but here is a cropped closeup of my former Cyclone Rake. The 5xi has a different discharge but this should help.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, it does help!

 

9 hours ago, pacer said:

 

No the blades wont interfere. I think once you get it snugged up youll grasp what we are talking about --- and then watch that bad boy SUCK up some leaves!!

I hope so!

Edited October 10, 2017 by Zeke98
duplicate post

[clueless 2,976]

Is this a new CR or is it off of another tractor?