Wheel Horse + what = Fall cleanup

[Al C. 1,428]

I need a recommendation.  I have a Wheel Horse 1067 (10hp) and a SK486 (16hp).  Both are in excellent working condition.  I’m 65 years old and I think this is the last year I can do fall yard cleaning with a hand leaf blower and rake.  I am looking for recommendations on the most effective leaf collection yard cleaning system that I can attach to one of my Wheel Horses.  I need something that can handle a half acre, six mature oak trees and a ton of acorns.  Does such a solution exist????

 

[pfrederi 17,741]

I have this rig.  it works very well but your yard may have a lot of obstacles.  The fixed attachment is better than a pure trailer but still requires some space to maneuver.  I bought the optional sucker hose i would NOT recommend it.  is heavy , bulky and you really need someone on eh tractor to move it as you use the sucker hose.  Now i use eh leaf blower to blow eh leaves out of eh tight areas into the open then run over them with this,

 Edit:  oh and it is noisy with that engine right behind you ear muffs are essential. 

 

Edited November 19, 2020 by pfrederi

[Al C. 1,428]

Can it pick up acorns?

[pfrederi 17,741]

Don't have many acorns (squirrels get them up for me)  The sucker hose will suck up the 3/4 crushed stone around the Koi pond but i doubt the deck would pick up you acorns

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,326]

@Al C. I have a vacuum wagon similar to @pfrederi that is worn out from acorns. If the acorns are dry and not buried in the ground or covered by leaves it would pick it pick some up but it sounds like you are driving down a gravel drive. The acorns beat the heck out of the hoses and impeller . The acorns also dull the mower blades very fast . You may want to try a walk behind blower. 

[formariz 11,987]

I totally understand you dilemma. Fall cleaning around here used to be something I dreaded but managed to make it a looked for job thanks to an idea I saw from @oldredrider. Unfortunately places like right next to the house one needs to still use blower. Its inevitable but perhaps you can use a smaller blower. I use the tractor with mounted blower as you will see in the thread posted. When piles get too big for blower (which they do), I use tractor with plow to push pile. Made an attachment for plow with several rakes attached to it that I clamp on plow as not to damage lawn. Acorns and nuts are tough. Only the backpack blower will really do an effective job. I have tons of acorns,walnuts, beech nuts and others. By the time leaves fall they are already gone so at that time no need to worry about them. They have to frequently be cleaned however prior to mowing so tractor does not push them into the ground.

 

 

Edited November 19, 2020 by formariz

[SylvanLakeWH 25,602]

I use a backpack blower for the leaves and acorns, but just to get them onto paved driveway. Then I use the front blade on my WH to push them to the street.

 

I am growing weary of the pack blower (gets heavier every year) and I am looking into adapting a walk behind blower to the front or back of my C 105... kinda like @953 nut and @formariz style but with wheels...

Edited November 19, 2020 by SylvanLakeWH

[lynnmor 7,308]

How do you dispose of the leaves?  I use a 50" lawn sweeper behind a rear discharge mower and sweep roughly 3 acres.  If you have difficulty with hand tools, dumping a large and full sweeper may be a problem.  A smaller sweeper used with no mower will be light and easy to dump but will fill up fast without the mulching action.   A sweeper will not collect all acorns and hand tools will be required around obstacles.  If you can get the bulk of it up, then maybe a small handheld blower can be used to clean the areas that a sweeper won't reach.

[8ntruck 7,018]

This year I used a hand blower to blow the leaves away from the house and trees, then a tow behind sweeper to collect them. 

 

We are able to burn leaves here.  I've found that whole leaves burn better than leaves that were run over with a rear discharge mower before sweeping.

[WHNJ701 4,165]

Keep your grass nice and short, the wind will blow the leaves into your neighbors yard!

Edited November 19, 2020 by jabelman

[formariz 11,987]

2 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

I am growing weary of the pack blower (gets heavier every year)

I feel the same way, however an unexpected event made that better for me. Loaned my older Echo blower to a family member who proceeded to put gas in it without any oil. Didn't say anything and claimed it worked great for him. Against my better judgement and convinced by wife to keep the peace I said nothing. So off I go and get the latest model. Well, although this thing looks inferior to the older one, it is 75% lighter and no vibration compared to the other one. My right hand used to go numb after a few minutes with the other one and that still has to happen with this one. I can use it for hours without any noticeable effect on me where the other one would have me tired in less than one hour. I should give him the old one for Christmas.

Edited November 19, 2020 by formariz

[JoeM 7,874]

1 hour ago, formariz said:

a family member who proceeded to put gas in it without any oil

My son did the same thing, I been preaching to him to ID those cans! I did take it apart and soaked the cylinder in penetrating fluid, dumped a little oil in and it freed up. That is the rings. I was able to look through the exhaust port and the aluminum was not melted down. Added good fuel and fired right up. Lucked out I guess. 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,602]

1 hour ago, formariz said:

I feel the same way, however an unexpected event made that better for me. Loaned my older Echo blower to a family member who proceeded to put gas in it without any oil. Didn't say anything and claimed it worked great for him. Against my better judgement and convinced by wife to keep the peace I said nothing. So off I go and get the latest model. Well, although this thing looks inferior to the older one, it is 75% lighter and no vibration compared to the other one. My right hand used to go numb after a few minutes with the other one and that still has to happen with this one. I can use it for hours without any noticeable effect on me where the other one would have me tired in less than one hour. I should give him the old one for Christmas.

 

I have noted the newer ones are lighter but I wonder about durability... I have a commercial Red Max from my son’s former lawn care days... it is a beast but it will never quit and blows like crazy... might mount it on a platform and set it up like yours... 

 

I like your Christmas gift idea also!

Edited November 20, 2020 by SylvanLakeWH

[Stepney 2,325]

I've got this rig and for being totally worn out it does OK. Acorns arent much.. need to cut real low for that to work. I have been amassing parts to rig in a power-flow deck bagger unit along with the gas engine on the rear.. may improve things. The deck has custom skirting underneath to help with suction too. 

Simply make a larger trailer. The engine and hoses remain on the machine. The engine frame couples to the trailer. Much more convenient IMHO. 

 

[Zeek 2,286]

Nice property and tractors! 

[Retired Wrencher 5,465]

Al is your yard flat? Not many holes or dips.? I use to use adjustable sweeper tow behind. It would pick up just about anything as long the ground was flat. Just my 

Edited November 20, 2020 by Retierd Wrencher

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

After i got robbed, I got the biggest blower that stihl made That beast will move apples..  the wand is no problem, but mounting it on your back is because of shoulder pain. Once mounted it is fine. i was thinking of strapping the thing to a two wheel cart that I could tow along and just operate the hand wand. I also was thinking of converting an old Billy Goat walk behind to a blow it sideways unit. That is what the commercial guys are using now and it would be manuverable on the front of the tractor.

  In any case, you either vacuum as you go, or just move a pile. i weight down a tarp edge with a steel angle and blow it full and then drag it by hand with a helper. My goal next year is to mechanize that process either hook the tarp to a tractor or vacuum the stuff on a trailer. Farmers have never been afraid of using muscle when it is faster, but i am getting older, so....

  I mulch my leaves right into the yard anyway, and all I need to do is move the thick areas to the undernourished areas. Otherwise, the grass grows twice as fast where the leaves fall.Actually a little sad this year because my best leaves blew into the soybean field.i do realize that maybe oak leaves or some other kinds might have too much acid in them for a good lawn, so YMMV .

[clueless 3,005]

On 11/19/2020 at 12:30 PM, pfrederi said:

I have this rig.  it works very well but your yard may have a lot of obstacles.  The fixed attachment is better than a pure trailer but still requires some space to maneuver.  I bought the optional sucker hose i would NOT recommend it.  is heavy , bulky and you really need someone on eh tractor to move it as you use the sucker hose.  Now i use eh leaf blower to blow eh leaves out of eh tight areas into the open then run over them with this,

 Edit:  oh and it is noisy with that engine right behind you ear muffs are essential. 

 

I have one of these on my JD and it's a leaf sucking monster. Before hooking it up the first time to my deck I had the vac hose laying on the ground, when i fried it up one of cats was laying close by I yelled at the wife to grab the cat, I thought it might suck up him. This is really not great for smaller yards with flower beds, trees, shrubs and out buildings, picture your tractor being 2.25X longer with no pivoting when making turns. I've been thinking about putting it on my WH 42sd deck but the discharge shoot looks like a bad angle, maybe I'll see if I can get some pictures from Paul on how his is connected. The truth be told my 36" rear discharge and my 48" sweeper behind and a hand blower handle my leaf work (1 acre) just fine with a lot less noise, dust and gas  Anybody interested in a pristine John Deere GT262 and a highly optioned Cyclone Rack with less than 40 hr on it ? 

[Stormin 9,981]

 I've been messing about with a Billy Goat. Vacuum I hasten to add. Rigged it up to tow behind a tractor with a trailer behind that. Big problem was the length.

 Ohiofarmer has got me thinking of mounting on the front now.  

 

 

[WheelhorseBob 1,549]

I use my 310-8 as a dedicated bagger tractor. Believe it or not, the 37” deck with easy twin bagger and high lift blades works incredibly well. It’s also not prone to damage like the belt driven blower on the larger decks. It’s weakness is the 37” deck shell. I have two and one is being rebuilt and reinforced for that reason. My 2 cents.

[Bill D 1,926]

On 11/19/2020 at 7:41 PM, Stepney said:

I've got this rig and for being totally worn out it does OK. Acorns arent much.. need to cut real low for that to work. I have been amassing parts to rig in a power-flow deck bagger unit along with the gas engine on the rear.. may improve things. The deck has custom skirting underneath to help with suction too. 

Simply make a larger trailer. The engine and hoses remain on the machine. The engine frame couples to the trailer. Much more convenient IMHO. 

 

Do you have any pictures of the deck skirting you installed.  I would like to do the same to my deck before next fall.  Also, isn't the drive belt cover supposed to go over the lip of the floor board, not behind it?  Sorry I don't mean to be critical, it's a beautiful tractor.

[Stepney 2,325]

2 hours ago, Bill D said:

Do you have any pictures of the deck skirting you installed.  I would like to do the same to my deck before next fall.  Also, isn't the drive belt cover supposed to go over the lip of the floor board, not behind it?  Sorry I don't mean to be critical, it's a beautiful tractor.

No worries. I actually got that tractor as it sits sans the motor basically for free. And when it was repainted by a WH dealer somewhere early 2000's the floor was set like that. Even if it went on the inside the paint wouldn't look right since they left it on to repaint and it's still gray underneath haha. So I just leave it be. The skirting, Ill get some pictures next time its off. I have two sets of Gator blades on it so six in total. The rear baffles were damaged so when I made them I cut them half an inch longer. They hang under the deck and you need to be mindful of it but its a dedicated leaf deck so i dont much worry. Im going to add rubber to the sides and front too to further improve. 

The 42" narrows up at the discharge .. not the best for the task. I may eventually cut the end off and make it more of a boxed shape. The boot is from a WH A81 Rear Engine and also a little too small.. overall it works OK though. Ill grab some pictures next time I take it out. 

[Bill D 1,926]

Thanks.  I would appreciate the pictures.