Craftsman leaf vaccum

[01rangerxl]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-24-in-163-cc-CRAFTSMAN-CSV-Lawn-Vacuum/1000602879

I have a major leaf problem, this year seems worse and I either need a leaf destruction system or to just hire someone. I am thinking about this thing and was wondering if anyone had experience. It's half the price of similar products. I'm sure it's made by MTD, which sucks, but my other option is setting the yard on fire or cutting trees. My situation is beyond hand held stuff unless it can vaporize leaves.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

There are several walk behind leaf vacuum videos on YouTube. This one seems to be a good one.

 

[qjohn]

I have had two like the one in the link, one self-propelled and one that you push. Both work well. The weight of leaves in the bag is significant, so self-propelled is a HUGE advantage.

You still have to empty the bag out and dispose of the cut up leaves. The leaves get chopped up about the same amount as with a hand-held vac, but the bag is much bigger so it goes faster.

 

[Warlord]

Do you have a riding mower? Just cover the discharge chute and pulverize them until they disappear into the grass. If there’s still too much you can then easily bag them cause they take up way less space after they’re mulched up.

 

[01rangerxl]

Do you have a riding mower? Just cover the discharge chute and pulverize them until they disappear into the grass. If there’s still too much you can then easily bag them cause they take up way less space after they’re mulched up.

I have a self propelled Toro mulching mower that works well for leaves on the grass, but not so much on my driveway. On the driveway it just spits the leaves out in different directions. The leaf blower always seems like wasted effort, the leaves come back if not chopped up. My current method is raking/blowing the leaves on to the grass, then mowing them. In areas where I need to bag them, the bag on the mower just doesn't have the capacity. I'm constantly dumping it. My yard is large enough for a rider, but not really conducive to it, lots of obstacles and steep in places, and the Toro is great except for its capacity to handle leaves. I have never seen so many freaking leaves.

 

[gman2304]

My current method is raking/blowing the leaves on to the grass, then mowing them

Looks like your best option without a lawn tractor. I had a billy goat years ago that was ok for small yards. I bought a pull behind Cyclone Rake Pro model for my JD lawn tractor 15 years ago and I look forward to vacuuming leaves on my 1.5 acre lawn now. My lawn looks like a golf course after only a few hours of riding.

 

[Warlord]

If you go with a walk behind lawn vacuum I agree with the self propel recommendation. They’re big, awkward things to push around especially with a full bag of leaves.

What if you got a 30” self propelled mower like a toro time master? They have a pretty big bag and will mow your lawn quicker as well. Two birds with one stone and you don’t have some big machine sitting around that only gets used when the leaves fall.

 

[FZ1]

I have a self propelled Toro mulching mower that works well for leaves on the grass, but not so much on my driveway. On the driveway it just spits the leaves out in different directions. The leaf blower always seems like wasted effort, the leaves come back if not chopped up. My current method is raking/blowing the leaves on to the grass, then mowing them. In areas where I need to bag them, the bag on the mower just doesn't have the capacity. I'm constantly dumping it. My yard is large enough for a rider, but not really conducive to it, lots of obstacles and steep in places, and the Toro is great except for its capacity to handle leaves. I have never seen so many freaking leaves.

See if toro makes a bigger bag for your mower.

 

[Egg_Head]

I inherited from a neighbor the Billy Goat version of the product in the link. Worked great on the driveway or lawn. Yes bag does get heavy and it takes a while to get the hang of emptying. I found it to better pulverize leaves than my "scrub Cadet.

 

[jeepman3071]

The one you posted will work well. I have several customers with them and they like them. Fairly simple machines with not much to go wrong. The attached tube on the side is honestly my favorite feature because it makes sucking leaves out of bushes and gardens so much easier than trying to get them out with a leaf blower.

The machines from DR are nice but DR equipment is way over-priced for what it is in my opinion.

 

[vwmaniaman]

I have one of the pull behind bag-n-wagons. My complaint with it is that the little sticks get stuck sideways in the tube and you have to shut it down and reach in the tube to fix the clog. Other home has a pull behind lawn sweeper. It picks up leaves and sticks with no problems but one trip around the yard and it has to be emptied. Somebody needs to invent trees with self dissolving leaves.

 

[Badgerstate]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-24-in-163-cc-CRAFTSMAN-CSV-Lawn-Vacuum/1000602879

I have a major leaf problem, this year seems worse and I either need a leaf destruction system or to just hire someone. I am thinking about this thing and was wondering if anyone had experience. It's half the price of similar products. I'm sure it's made by MTD, which sucks, but my other option is setting the yard on fire or cutting trees. My situation is beyond hand held stuff unless it can vaporize leaves.

Id pass and just mulch or bag them with your mower. The fact that its made by MTD is a reason to stay far, far away.

 

[Astro_Guy]

I have a major leaf problem, this year ...

I had a similar Craftsman vacuum starting over 20 years ago. It didn't do the best job of chopping the leaves and the bag filler very fast.

I now have a Billy Goat. It has a much larger bag AND it reduces the leaves to a much smaller size. This machine costs 3x or more than the Craftsman, but it is worth it on my one acre of wooded property. As an added bonus, my Billy Goat easily chips branches up to two inches in diameter with ease. The old Craftsman had difficulty with smaller branches.

 

[01rangerxl]

I'm probably going to look at a used Billy Goat this weekend that Wrenchturner44 pointed me to. Basically what I am looking for is a driveway vacuum.

Thanks to all of the suggestions except the rake. My rake gets plenty of use and I'm trying to spend my weekends doing something other than leaf control.

 

[01rangerxl]

Id pass and just mulch or bag them with your mower. The fact that its made by MTD is a reason to stay far, far away.

Yeah, I gave MTD another chance on a gas blower last year and it did not go well.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Blow the leaves onto the grass, mulch them with the mower first, then bag. Still lots of emptying but it will be better than not munching them first. I’m going to go pickup 2 old Wheel Horse mowers I won at auction today. I need a pull behind lawn sweeper or leaf vac for my leaf problem.

 

[vwmaniaman]

Blowers and suckers have their place, but they still sell rakes too.

 

[FZ1]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-24-in-163-cc-CRAFTSMAN-CSV-Lawn-Vacuum/1000602879

I have a major leaf problem, this year seems worse and I either need a leaf destruction system or to just hire someone. I am thinking about this thing and was wondering if anyone had experience. It's half the price of similar products. I'm sure it's made by MTD, which sucks, but my other option is setting the yard on fire or cutting trees. My situation is beyond hand held stuff unless it can vaporize leaves.

The Honda mowers have 2 cutting blades that cut up the leaves into smaller pieces than single blade mowers. Check to see if Honda has a mower with a larger bag option, my Honda does. RE leaves on concrete, I just blow em on the grass and mow/
bag em as do you. To "mow/bag" leaves in place on concrete you just lower the cutting height and the mower will better pick up the leaves on concrete. I figure it's all good outdoor exercise. Hope this helps.

 

[FZ1]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-24-in-163-cc-CRAFTSMAN-CSV-Lawn-Vacuum/1000602879

I have a major leaf problem, this year seems worse and I either need a leaf destruction system or to just hire someone. I am thinking about this thing and was wondering if anyone had experience. It's half the price of similar products. I'm sure it's made by MTD, which sucks, but my other option is setting the yard on fire or cutting trees. My situation is beyond hand held stuff unless it can vaporize leaves.

Would not buy that Craftsman "Thing". Bag capicity is only 2 bushels. Just get a Honda HRX Lawn Mower it has a 2.9 bushel bag capacity.

 

[01rangerxl]

Not trying to start an argument, I just don't understand some of these types of responses on this forum, where someone will inquire about a piece of equipment or a tool and get responses like that. It just sounds a little bit like a "back in my day we didn't even use rakes" type of response.

Exactly. I have a rake, I use it frequently, so this is not "millennials don't know how to use rakes anymore!"

I work a lot and would like to spend my free time on things other than leaves. I'm not trying to spend half a day on them each weekend and then more keeping it touched up during the week. The grab a rake and work till you're done thing is great and basically how it works now, except I have a list of other things I need to do to. I don't see how looking into other options is making excuses; my time is valuable to me.

I raked/blew the driveway this weekend, and mulched a few bags, but today we got some wind and rain and now everything is completely covered in leaves again. Looking from a distance you can't even tell what is yard and what is driveway, there are just leaves.