Just picked up a 10yr old used one from a landscaper who kept it in great condition. Paid $200. Have to say we love this thing. We have 4 maple and 2 huge oaks on our lawn. The leaves are really thick and in the past we would pick up about 75 bags worth. This thing is great. Makes it a breeze. We mowed them first to premulch them then back with the vac. We have about 450ft of 4ft wide landscape around the house and perimeter of our yard and this did a beautiful job making mulch for our beds. I am a small woman and even I could start it. Bag gets heavy with wet leaves but wasn’t a problem as we could take the unit right to the places we put the mulch. Thanks for your review and letting us in on the details we needed to know. Made it much more comfortable when buying used and asking the right questions to the guy selling to us.
Would you recommend mulching first and then vacuuming? Do you feel that decreases on the volume of the bags? I have two huge oaks on my property and the leaves drive us absolutely nuts.
I had a Troy built chip vac brand new. It lasted only three years and the engine blew. It was serviced yearly and used only in the fall. The bag was replaced 5 times at a cost of $189.00 each, because the fasteners on the diaper broke off and could not be replaced. The machine back was open and when you used it the dust blew in your face and by the time you finished using it you were really dirty. When I first bought the machine and added oil to it, used it for 10 minutes and it was leaking oil. Brought it to be serviced by authorized Troy built service recommended by Troy built. The oil seal had to be replaced and Troy built doesn’t cover oil seal replacement even though the machine was brand spanking new. I had to pay the $95.00 to replace the defective seal. I should have returned the machine, my stupid mistake. I had an old Troy built that was used for 23 years, 1,000% better than the new cheap ones built in china! They are a piece of Junk!
Wow, sounds like you had a terrible experience! I just finished year three and its still going strong and made my life a lot easier this year. I read a lot of folks had issues with the bag before I bought it, so I i have been careful how I handle it and I'm still on the original bag. I fill about 30 - 40 bags a season. I was also warned about the dust the machine puts out. The first year I actually bought a disposable suit, but I never used it... I probably could have. The other thing that I learned this year is aside from wearing earphones, because it is loud, you should wear a respirator/mask. I didn't in the beginning of the fall, and inhaled some god awful thing that had me coughing for weeks. I now put on an N-95. All that said, for me, this machine has made the nightmare of cleaning leaves, more manageable than any device I have ever owned.
Thank you for this excellent, informative video! Home Depot wants something like $950 for this delivered (self propelled unit) I was leaning towards getting a lawn tractor but I like mowing with my Lawn Boy walk mower so this machine seems like it may solve my leaf problem without getting a tractor. Thanks again!
@@davidcomora I ended up buying it on-line on the Troy Bilt site. Got it with tax for around $800. I had so much fun with this thing. My neighbor has a huge willow tree that drops these branches all over my yard so it was therapy to feed them into the chute! I removed the hose assembly because I just use my leaf blower to clear the leaves away from the house and then pick them up with the leaf vac. It's not so clumsy then. It works great. Starts on the first pull and did everything as advertised.
Thanks for the video. Like you I have a lot of trees both at home and my summer cottage and I'm really, really, really sick of raking. I was considering one of these but they aren't cheap and I've heard some people rave about them and others say they are junk. Didn't want to spend $600 on on something that doesn't work but after your video I think it would be worth it.
Don't buy this junk. I've had one. It's the worse 500 dollars I've ever spent. It's garbage. It cloggs up all the time. This video is deceiving. He's doing light work. Light leaves. He knows he can't do thick leaves in this video. Please don't buy. You been warned!
You will notice that when the bag fills up, that the unit is harder to push due to increasing weight. Mine is a 10 year old Craftsman with variable ground speed self propelled making the work much easier. It also can be switched to a nozzle exhaust to be a blower too.
Yeah, I'm 61 and the arthritis is kicking in... I love the machine, but sort of wish I went with the self-propelled version these days, as it does get heavy.
This is.... the BEST honest review on TH-cam about this mechine! 💯 Most reviews on this mechine.... seem to be so OVER THE TOP critical and negative focused. If you ask me.... *IT DO WHAT IT SAY IT DOES!!!!!*
@@davidcomora I'm even more impressed with the RESULTS after watchin your video again, for the second time! It might be the $600 dollar price tag, that has everyone so OVER CRITICAL. But the only other option is a Billy Goat that like $4000 dollars!!!! But for small to medium lawns..... I think it's an outstanding time saver! THANKS AGAIN... for the video! Might get myself one
Hi David; I too have just bought one of these machines (11 Horse), and it too works pretty good. Starting is a bit hard, but it starts with 1 good pull. I really like this and it is a good investment!
So, I am on season 2 and I thought I emptied the gas out of it, but, apparently there was a little left and it plugged up the carburetor. Had to visit my local small engine repair shop for a cleaning. Its worked fine since...once in a while I flood it with the choke and have to take a 15 minute break, but that is rare. My small engine repair had a special gas treatment they gave me for this winter's storage... I'll try to post it here.
I used the gas treatment this past winter and the unit started right up in the fall. I almost gave up on gas powered yard tools, so this is a breakthrough! I also used the gas treatment on my weed wacker and it too started up. Never too old to learn!!
We've owned three of these over the past 9 years. One is a Troy-Bilt and two are Craftman. We have a one acre lawn with lots of oak and poplar trees that drop a ton of leaves in the fall. Two of the units have the suction hose (which is not useful at all because the hose it way too stiff and it continually clogs up with leaves) and one does not have it. All three are not self-propelled. They work quite well with very good suction. However, the weak spots are the Briggs & Stratton engine which is hard to start warm or cold. The other weak spot is the bag which is infuriating to try to empty into a plastic bag. The opening is seemingly in the underside of the bag, and it's nearly impossible to empty it without the contents going where you don't want them. I don't understand why they don't make the end open so you could unzip and the contents would come out in a predictable manner. I've used this design for 9 years and it has not gotten any easier to use. Also, as the poster noted, the bags tend to detach at the connecting part and the snaps eventually come apart. Replacement bags are prohibitively expensive. You are better off buying a whole new unit. I have not found a better substitute so that is why we keep buying them. We wear them out in about 3 years. Currently all three are in working order and we can use all of them at once with enough help.
Yes, I'm not really impressed with the hose, so I disconnected it to lighten the load. This year I compared blowing the leaves vs sucking them up. We also have a lot of oaks, poplar and beech trees...I came to the realization that sucking them up with this machine is far less work and quicker than trying to move the mass of leaves with the blower.
@@davidcomora We have the optional blower attachments which is a plastic curved tube that attaches where the bag goes and it discharges to the operator's left. This works very well to move and grind up leaves without picking them up. When leaves are heavy I have found this works well to move them into a large pile which I can then easily pick up with a rake and deposit into a large bag. This attachment works well to clear the driveway or to make several passes on the lawn to mulch leaves or debris without picking it up.
I have an older model craftsman unit and it does not work nearly as good as this (you can see it in some of my recent videos). The biggest issues I have is that mine has a very short wheelbase and the base of the unit is very tall. So its a very unstable, top heavy design that makes it hard to push. It just wants to tip forward when you push it instead of move forward. Its very hard to use on grass unless you are going downhill. What I end up doing usually is leaf blowing the leaves on to the driveway or into narrow strips in the yard which i can then eat up with the vacuum. I wish mine worked as good at this one though! that would make things a lot easier! I've been thinking lately, wondering if I could buy a used mower maybe with a bad motor and maybe modify it and turn it into a yard vac! My current nice mower has excellent suction for sucking up leaves, it just fills up it's little bag very quickly!
Wether we're talkin about.... a $4000 dollar Billy Goat, or a $600 dollar Troy-Built, people just seem to love to HATE, *leaf mower vacuums????* 🤔 I get it's not the quickest most efficient way.... but SMALL to MEDIUM areas, seems like a good tool choice!
I agree, I looked at the Billy Goat, then I looked at the Riding Mowers that my neighbors have and I just didn't want to drop $2K to $4k for leaves. This definitely made the job less hellish. I did try to stay on top of it, buy not letting the leaves get 2 feet deep and that also helped, but as you can see, there was still plenty of leave coverage and it worked, even when wet, which was the best surprise.
They were also made in a self propelled version. I got a not running one a friend this summer and I’m parting it out. I have an ad on the Minneapolis Minnesota Craigslist under the title “Parting out Troy Bilt Chipper Shredder Vacuum - $1,234 (Stillwater Minnesota)”. I sold the bag and deflector on Ebay but nothing else. I will occasionally list parts on Ebay but not everything and not constantly because the fees will make me broke. I have videos for the parts on the channel I’m replying from.
@@boydwalker161 This my year 4, jist finished my first early pass and its still going strong. I probably should have invested in the self propelled version, but my 62 year old body is still up for the challenge. Good luck with your rebuild!
I have essentially the same, Craftsman brand. It's great for leaves but I also use it for cleaning up the pavement. I'm on my second bag and they should have improved the design by now, but I see no difference in current, 2024, models. Air leaks develop at both ends of the bag and leaves and dirt can blow out. I made some seals out of old blue jeans and duct tape. I've had tears that I've fixed with Gorilla Glue and denim. After 10+ years of good service from the Techumseh engine, it is leaking some oil on top of the deck. It still starts on the first pull, even after sitting all winter. I'm looking for some other vacuum to replace it. All I see is the DR, but it seems to have a better bagging solution.
I have the Club Cadet version. It works well with the 3 giant Oaks we have, but what I don't like is that it also sucks up the loose red clay in the soil which comes through the bag and coats me in a layer of dust. I need a way to cut down on the dust factor.
Yes, there are dry periods where it gets very dusty. I remember one guy bought a paper/disposable suit so I picked up one...Sadly I can't find it! I do wear a mask these days, to avoid breathing in the dust! No shortage of masks these days!
sorry, just saw this... my bag holds a good amount. I sometimes blow leaves into a large pile and then run over them with the machine and its amazing how much it compacts the piles. What has been your experience?
Will this suck up those pesky little helicopter leaves. They seem to get stuck in the grass. The rack or leaf blower doesn’t work, they stay stuck or cling in the grass.
One issue i see here is just the contents won't shake out of the bag very easily and had to reach in and drag the contents out. Also emptying the bag into the another 40-50 gallon bag for garbage pickup is not that easy either
Right now, I’m trying to decide on what to do about my leaf (and acorn, and small twig) problem in my 16k SQFT yard with many old big oak trees. I’m 70 so easier is better. I’ve been mulching and/or bagging and piling in a corner of the yard for many years, successfully. But 4 years ago, I bought a Toro super recycler, and it just can’t handle the many leaves I get. I’ve raked bigger natural piles into a thinner layer to not big it down as much. I can typically go a session or two with no problem (except bag is too small), a stick or something will dislodge a belt, or a spring will break, or something major will happen. If I could just put the belt back on myself, it would help, but no, it’s designed in such a way as to require taking it in to a shop and letting them deal with it. Picking it up and putting in my trunk a couple times, etc. I’m plum sick of this mower. Living off social security doesn’t help either financially. I have around $700 in bank and was looking for a good alternative. Not fully convinced that I need a yard vacuum, over perhaps just getting a new mower that doesn’t have stuff exposed on the bottom to break.
My neighbors have great systems with their riding lawn mowers, but I think they've invested a couple grand in their systems. I also looked at the Billy Goat and that was 2x the price. I found a good working system is to vacuum the flat easy accessible areas of the yard and then blow the flower beds into a pile in the center of the yard and run the vacuum over the pile I have created. Depending upon the size of the pile, it might take a couple of passes to pick everything up.
@@davidcomora How do they vacuum the yard with their cheap riding mowers? You bean they bag it, or do they use some special attachment? Even decent riding mowers cost more than 2 grand each, without any special attachments.
I’ve not done anything different about the mower. Just take it back for repair about once a year when it breaks down. One thing different is I walk the yard portion I’m about to mow and pick up all the sticks I find. That helps. I paid an extra $100 to extend the warranty for 2 more years. When that runs out, I intend to purchase a new mower.
I'm not sure if the self propelled will be different (that is what I plan to get - since I'm a senior) but how is this TB with vacuuming semi-gravel (tar and chip) driveways? Does it try to suck up fine gravel? Can you raise up the intake so it will not?
I use it over a pea gravel walkway and it doesnt pick up any gravel. Yes, you can adjust the height. Im 60 years old and i think the self propelled unit is not a bad idea. It can get heavy as the bag fills up.
@@davidcomora Thanks! I'm sold. :-) I've been using a handheld blower, that also vacuums and mulches the leaves very finely...but instead of the small bag provided, I connect the tube/cover to a large rolling plastic trash can. This has been fine for years, but I found it worked best if you pile the leaves first, and then vacuum/mulch the pile. Now that I'm pushing 70/female, I'm looking to work smart, not hard. :-) Thanks for your reply!
@@blujeans9462 Along my long leaf control journey, I also purchased one of those blowers that convert to a suck up leaves into a trash barrel. I liked it, but comparatively, it took quite a while to suck up the large piles that I gathered. With this machine, I go over the large piles and tilt the machine back a little on the first pass to suck up the top layer and then do a second pass with all 4 wheels on the ground... and its all gone. Please let me know who it works out for you. Good luck.
@@truckerrickakamanowar not aware of one. I recently saw something very interesting...it was a leaf vacuum on wheels that uses the standard paper lawn bags.
I found my machine picks up most, but not all of the pine needles. I also have a firepit with small (not tiny) white stones and I was please that it was not picking up the stones, but sucking the leaves off of them. I show both of these in the video. Hope this helps!
Got mine used for a hundred bucks. It says Yard Man - Yard Vac on it and came with an easy to start briggs and stratton engine. Else it is definitely the same machine. Except mine got the same size of wheels at the back and front.
@@Bornchiller123 Yeah, I’d definitely take one with a Briggs and Stratton over the Chinese knockoff engine any day. The generic MTD engines they use are made by a Chinese company called Zongshen. I’ve used one of these before many times, and it has a Briggs and Stratton. I use it annually to clean my neighbors yard- it was her husband’s until he died a few years ago.
Yeah, really not thrilled with the hose vacuum. I tried it a couple of times and was not impressed. for my shrub and garden beds i use a blower and then I use the Vacuum to run over the piles and pick them up.
I used it briefly, but plan to use it this weekend to get in and around some shrubs. My initial feeling was that it was not as powerful as I thought it would be... but I didn't really give it a good test. I'll let you know.
@@davidcomora The big hose is the only reason to have paid extra for that otherwise cheap lawnmower... If that hose won't suck leaves out of bushes you would have been money ahead in buying a good leaf rake and a quality lawn mower with a big bag. My next door neighbor just runs his little lawn tractor over the yard and good bye leaves. We have pin oak trees all over the place, just like you. What a mess they make every fall. I hire a guy for $150 and he blows every last leaf down into the gully at the back of my 1/3 acre lot. That includes off of my roof and out of my gutters.
@@tribulationprepper787 I hear you, but my lawn mower would never get through the depth of leaves that I get and the quotes I get here on my acre of heavily wooded property have been in the $1000 range for multiple visits throughout the season. This unit ran about $600 so I figured I would be ahead of the game over the years. I also priced a riding lawn mower with leaf unit, similar to what my neighbors use and it was in the $2500 to $3000 plus range when set up for leaf collection.I notice that they also have to make multiple passes to mulch and pick up the leaves, where I make only 1 pass. I AM breaking a sweat pushing this around, while they are more comfortable on their riding mowers, no doubt about that. So I am coming from using a leaf blower, and a handheld leaf vacuum and pushing leaves onto plastic tarps and dragging them into the woods. I can blow out a large amount of leaves from areas that I can't reach with the unit and instead of filling two tarps with leaves and dragging them away, I will run over them with the vacuum and they fit in a single bag. This device has made the job much easier for me... Definitely not as easy as sitting on a riding lawn mower or hiring someone else, but I have the time and didn't mind the exercise and saving the money.
@@davidcomora I can see that your situation is vastly different from mine. I hope that your little Toro unit holds up for years to come. You are giving it a BIG job to do. Take care
I have not been impressed with the hose. I didnt find it powerful enough to be worthwhile, so I disconnected it to make the unit lighter.. I prefer to blow leaves out of flower beds and out of shrubs, with a hand held blower, into a pile and then push the vacuum over the pile.
WARNING ANYONE WHO WATCHES THIS VIDEO. DONT BUY THIS JUNK! YOU BEEN WARNED! I USED TO HAVE THIS MACHINE. CLOGGS UP CONSTANTLY. DOES NOT HAVE STRONG SUCTION.
Sounds like you may have gotten a lemon. I never had a problem with the bag clogging, and we have pretty thick leaf coverage, but I do not bother using the hose, as the hose suction is so weak its not worth the effort. I wind up blowing the leaves out of my shrub beds into a pile and then roll over the pile with the wheeled unit.
I guess we all have different experiences, but i agree with you that the hose is nearly worthless. I tried it and just disconnected it and I blow the leaves from my beds onto the lawn and push the unit over it. For me its made my life much easier, but to each his own.
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Just picked up a 10yr old used one from a landscaper who kept it in great condition. Paid $200. Have to say we love this thing. We have 4 maple and 2 huge oaks on our lawn. The leaves are really thick and in the past we would pick up about 75 bags worth. This thing is great. Makes it a breeze. We mowed them first to premulch them then back with the vac. We have about 450ft of 4ft wide landscape around the house and perimeter of our yard and this did a beautiful job making mulch for our beds. I am a small woman and even I could start it. Bag gets heavy with wet leaves but wasn’t a problem as we could take the unit right to the places we put the mulch. Thanks for your review and letting us in on the details we needed to know. Made it much more comfortable when buying used and asking the right questions to the guy selling to us.
Would you recommend mulching first and then vacuuming? Do you feel that decreases on the volume of the bags? I have two huge oaks on my property and the leaves drive us absolutely nuts.
@@DISTURBEDOC14 Yes it yelped but wasn’t necessary. Although if your leaves are dried out more they will shred better anyway.
I had a Troy built chip vac brand new. It lasted only three years and the engine blew. It was serviced yearly and used only in the fall. The bag was replaced 5 times at a cost of $189.00 each, because the fasteners on the diaper broke off and could not be replaced. The machine back was open and when you used it the dust blew in your face and by the time you finished using it you were really dirty. When I first bought the machine and added oil to it, used it for 10 minutes and it was leaking oil. Brought it to be serviced by authorized Troy built service recommended by Troy built. The oil seal had to be replaced and Troy built doesn’t cover oil seal replacement even though the machine was brand spanking new. I had to pay the $95.00 to replace the defective seal. I should have returned the machine, my stupid mistake. I had an old Troy built that was used for 23 years, 1,000% better than the new cheap ones built in china! They are a piece of Junk!
Wow, sounds like you had a terrible experience! I just finished year three and its still going strong and made my life a lot easier this year. I read a lot of folks had issues with the bag before I bought it, so I i have been careful how I handle it and I'm still on the original bag. I fill about 30 - 40 bags a season. I was also warned about the dust the machine puts out. The first year I actually bought a disposable suit, but I never used it... I probably could have. The other thing that I learned this year is aside from wearing earphones, because it is loud, you should wear a respirator/mask. I didn't in the beginning of the fall, and inhaled some god awful thing that had me coughing for weeks. I now put on an N-95. All that said, for me, this machine has made the nightmare of cleaning leaves, more manageable than any device I have ever owned.
Appreciate the video, was on the fence about buying one. This sealed it for me, I’ll be buying one for this years clean up
Feel free to post your experience with it.
Thank you for this excellent, informative video! Home Depot wants something like $950 for this delivered (self propelled unit) I was leaning towards getting a lawn tractor but I like mowing with my Lawn Boy walk mower so this machine seems like it may solve my leaf problem without getting a tractor. Thanks again!
How did it work out?
@@davidcomora I ended up buying it on-line on the Troy Bilt site. Got it with tax for around $800.
I had so much fun with this thing. My neighbor has a huge willow tree that drops these branches all over my yard so it was therapy to feed them into the chute!
I removed the hose assembly because I just use my leaf blower to clear the leaves away from the house and then pick them up with the leaf vac. It's not so clumsy then.
It works great. Starts on the first pull and did everything as advertised.
Thanks for the video. Like you I have a lot of trees both at home and my summer cottage and I'm really, really, really sick of raking. I was considering one of these but they aren't cheap and I've heard some people rave about them and others say they are junk. Didn't want to spend $600 on on something that doesn't work but after your video I think it would be worth it.
Don't buy this junk. I've had one. It's the worse 500 dollars I've ever spent. It's garbage. It cloggs up all the time. This video is deceiving. He's doing light work. Light leaves. He knows he can't do thick leaves in this video. Please don't buy. You been warned!
You will notice that when the bag fills up, that the unit is harder to push due to increasing weight. Mine is a 10 year old Craftsman with variable ground speed self propelled making the work much easier. It also can be switched to a nozzle exhaust to be a blower too.
Yeah, I'm 61 and the arthritis is kicking in... I love the machine, but sort of wish I went with the self-propelled version these days, as it does get heavy.
@@davidcomora It can still be used as a decent blower though.
This is....
the BEST honest review on TH-cam about this mechine! 💯
Most reviews on this mechine....
seem to be so OVER THE TOP critical and negative focused.
If you ask me....
*IT DO WHAT IT SAY IT DOES!!!!!*
I almost didn't buy the machine because of the reviews... I'm glad I took the plunge!
@@davidcomora
I'm even more impressed with the RESULTS after watchin your video again, for the second time!
It might be the $600 dollar price tag, that has everyone so OVER CRITICAL. But the only other option is a Billy Goat that like $4000 dollars!!!!
But for small to medium lawns.....
I think it's an outstanding time saver!
THANKS AGAIN... for the video!
Might get myself one
Hi David; I too have just bought one of these machines (11 Horse), and it too works pretty good. Starting is a bit hard, but it starts with 1 good pull. I really like this and it is a good investment!
So, I am on season 2 and I thought I emptied the gas out of it, but, apparently there was a little left and it plugged up the carburetor. Had to visit my local small engine repair shop for a cleaning. Its worked fine since...once in a while I flood it with the choke and have to take a 15 minute break, but that is rare. My small engine repair had a special gas treatment they gave me for this winter's storage... I'll try to post it here.
I used the gas treatment this past winter and the unit started right up in the fall. I almost gave up on gas powered yard tools, so this is a breakthrough! I also used the gas treatment on my weed wacker and it too started up. Never too old to learn!!
We've owned three of these over the past 9 years. One is a Troy-Bilt and two are Craftman. We have a one acre lawn with lots of oak and poplar trees that drop a ton of leaves in the fall. Two of the units have the suction hose (which is not useful at all because the hose it way too stiff and it continually clogs up with leaves) and one does not have it. All three are not self-propelled. They work quite well with very good suction. However, the weak spots are the Briggs & Stratton engine which is hard to start warm or cold. The other weak spot is the bag which is infuriating to try to empty into a plastic bag. The opening is seemingly in the underside of the bag, and it's nearly impossible to empty it without the contents going where you don't want them. I don't understand why they don't make the end open so you could unzip and the contents would come out in a predictable manner. I've used this design for 9 years and it has not gotten any easier to use. Also, as the poster noted, the bags tend to detach at the connecting part and the snaps eventually come apart. Replacement bags are prohibitively expensive. You are better off buying a whole new unit. I have not found a better substitute so that is why we keep buying them. We wear them out in about 3 years. Currently all three are in working order and we can use all of them at once with enough help.
Yes, I'm not really impressed with the hose, so I disconnected it to lighten the load. This year I compared blowing the leaves vs sucking them up. We also have a lot of oaks, poplar and beech trees...I came to the realization that sucking them up with this machine is far less work and quicker than trying to move the mass of leaves with the blower.
@@davidcomora We have the optional blower attachments which is a plastic curved tube that attaches where the bag goes and it discharges to the operator's left. This works very well to move and grind up leaves without picking them up. When leaves are heavy I have found this works well to move them into a large pile which I can then easily pick up with a rake and deposit into a large bag. This attachment works well to clear the driveway or to make several passes on the lawn to mulch leaves or debris without picking it up.
@@AlexanderCrump i didnt know that option existed. Is that made by MTD?
@@davidcomoraProbably. It came with one of the three units we have and fits on all three. I am sure you find it online.
I have an older model craftsman unit and it does not work nearly as good as this (you can see it in some of my recent videos). The biggest issues I have is that mine has a very short wheelbase and the base of the unit is very tall. So its a very unstable, top heavy design that makes it hard to push. It just wants to tip forward when you push it instead of move forward. Its very hard to use on grass unless you are going downhill. What I end up doing usually is leaf blowing the leaves on to the driveway or into narrow strips in the yard which i can then eat up with the vacuum. I wish mine worked as good at this one though! that would make things a lot easier! I've been thinking lately, wondering if I could buy a used mower maybe with a bad motor and maybe modify it and turn it into a yard vac! My current nice mower has excellent suction for sucking up leaves, it just fills up it's little bag very quickly!
I had a Billy Goat, but it was just a vacuum. This until chews leaves up with will make great mulch.
That's interesting. I thought the Billy Goat mulched, but didn't want to spend that much $$. Feeling a little better about this unit!
Will acorns effect the way this thing works .
Wether we're talkin about....
a $4000 dollar Billy Goat, or a $600 dollar Troy-Built, people just seem to love to HATE, *leaf mower vacuums????* 🤔
I get it's not the quickest most efficient way.... but SMALL to MEDIUM areas, seems like a good tool choice!
I agree, I looked at the Billy Goat, then I looked at the Riding Mowers that my neighbors have and I just didn't want to drop $2K to $4k for leaves. This definitely made the job less hellish. I did try to stay on top of it, buy not letting the leaves get 2 feet deep and that also helped, but as you can see, there was still plenty of leave coverage and it worked, even when wet, which was the best surprise.
They were also made in a self propelled version. I got a not running one a friend this summer and I’m parting it out. I have an ad on the Minneapolis Minnesota Craigslist under the title “Parting out Troy Bilt Chipper Shredder Vacuum - $1,234 (Stillwater Minnesota)”. I sold the bag and deflector on Ebay but nothing else. I will occasionally list parts on Ebay but not everything and not constantly because the fees will make me broke. I have videos for the parts on the channel I’m replying from.
@@boydwalker161 This my year 4, jist finished my first early pass and its still going strong. I probably should have invested in the self propelled version, but my 62 year old body is still up for the challenge. Good luck with your rebuild!
@@davidcomora
I’ve dismantled mine. Sold the bag on Ebay. Lots of parts left.
I have essentially the same, Craftsman brand. It's great for leaves but I also use it for cleaning up the pavement. I'm on my second bag and they should have improved the design by now, but I see no difference in current, 2024, models. Air leaks develop at both ends of the bag and leaves and dirt can blow out. I made some seals out of old blue jeans and duct tape. I've had tears that I've fixed with Gorilla Glue and denim. After 10+ years of good service from the Techumseh engine, it is leaking some oil on top of the deck. It still starts on the first pull, even after sitting all winter. I'm looking for some other vacuum to replace it. All I see is the DR, but it seems to have a better bagging solution.
@@sbukosky i saw something interesting, but not sure where. It was a leaf vacuum system that uses the large paper lawn bags.
I have the Club Cadet version. It works well with the 3 giant Oaks we have, but what I don't like is that it also sucks up the loose red clay in the soil which comes through the bag and coats me in a layer of dust. I need a way to cut down on the dust factor.
Yes, there are dry periods where it gets very dusty. I remember one guy bought a paper/disposable suit so I picked up one...Sadly I can't find it! I do wear a mask these days, to avoid breathing in the dust! No shortage of masks these days!
Just bought one new one sale for 300 how’s the bag does it hold a decent amount befor having to empty
sorry, just saw this... my bag holds a good amount. I sometimes blow leaves into a large pile and then run over them with the machine and its amazing how much it compacts the piles. What has been your experience?
Craftsman model is made by MTD cub cadet and Troy Built are MTD brands.
Will this suck up those pesky little helicopter leaves. They seem to get stuck in the grass. The rack or leaf blower doesn’t work, they stay stuck or cling in the grass.
Sorry , I don't know. I know I pick up most, but not all of my pine needles.
One issue i see here is just the contents won't shake out of the bag very easily and had to reach in and drag the contents out. Also emptying the bag into the another 40-50 gallon bag for garbage pickup is not that easy either
Right now, I’m trying to decide on what to do about my leaf (and acorn, and small twig) problem in my 16k SQFT yard with many old big oak trees. I’m 70 so easier is better. I’ve been mulching and/or bagging and piling in a corner of the yard for many years, successfully. But 4 years ago, I bought a Toro super recycler, and it just can’t handle the many leaves I get. I’ve raked bigger natural piles into a thinner layer to not big it down as much. I can typically go a session or two with no problem (except bag is too small), a stick or something will dislodge a belt, or a spring will break, or something major will happen. If I could just put the belt back on myself, it would help, but no, it’s designed in such a way as to require taking it in to a shop and letting them deal with it. Picking it up and putting in my trunk a couple times, etc. I’m plum sick of this mower. Living off social security doesn’t help either financially. I have around $700 in bank and was looking for a good alternative. Not fully convinced that I need a yard vacuum, over perhaps just getting a new mower that doesn’t have stuff exposed on the bottom to break.
My neighbors have great systems with their riding lawn mowers, but I think they've invested a couple grand in their systems. I also looked at the Billy Goat and that was 2x the price. I found a good working system is to vacuum the flat easy accessible areas of the yard and then blow the flower beds into a pile in the center of the yard and run the vacuum over the pile I have created. Depending upon the size of the pile, it might take a couple of passes to pick everything up.
@@davidcomora How do they vacuum the yard with their cheap riding mowers? You bean they bag it, or do they use some special attachment? Even decent riding mowers cost more than 2 grand each, without any special attachments.
@@KingArtexerxes what did you wind up doing?
I’ve not done anything different about the mower. Just take it back for repair about once a year when it breaks down. One thing different is I walk the yard portion I’m about to mow and pick up all the sticks I find. That helps. I paid an extra $100 to extend the warranty for 2 more years. When that runs out, I intend to purchase a new mower.
I See you go over some rocky patch. every have issues with it sucking up rocks?
i have pea gravel in my paths and it has not picked it up. That was a concern I had and it worked out fine.
@@davidcomora thank you!
Is there any replacement bag. I hate the bag
I'm not aware of one.
Chinese bags sold on Ebay, not original from Troy Bilt.
Be careful not to suckup any larger stones. The impeller is cast, and they can blow apart.
I'm not sure if the self propelled will be different (that is what I plan to get - since I'm a senior) but how is this TB with vacuuming semi-gravel (tar and chip) driveways? Does it try to suck up fine gravel? Can you raise up the intake so it will not?
I use it over a pea gravel walkway and it doesnt pick up any gravel. Yes, you can adjust the height. Im 60 years old and i think the self propelled unit is not a bad idea. It can get heavy as the bag fills up.
@@davidcomora Thanks! I'm sold. :-) I've been using a handheld blower, that also vacuums and mulches the leaves very finely...but instead of the small bag provided, I connect the tube/cover to a large rolling plastic trash can. This has been fine for years, but I found it worked best if you pile the leaves first, and then vacuum/mulch the pile. Now that I'm pushing 70/female, I'm looking to work smart, not hard. :-) Thanks for your reply!
@@blujeans9462 Along my long leaf control journey, I also purchased one of those blowers that convert to a suck up leaves into a trash barrel. I liked it, but comparatively, it took quite a while to suck up the large piles that I gathered. With this machine, I go over the large piles and tilt the machine back a little on the first pass to suck up the top layer and then do a second pass with all 4 wheels on the ground... and its all gone. Please let me know who it works out for you. Good luck.
Is there an aftermarket bag for this machine that is less prone to dust and easier to empty?
@@truckerrickakamanowar not aware of one. I recently saw something very interesting...it was a leaf vacuum on wheels that uses the standard paper lawn bags.
I have long 3 prong pine needles (6") over slightly rolling ground with lot's of rocks (big and small). How do you think it will do?
I found my machine picks up most, but not all of the pine needles. I also have a firepit with small (not tiny) white stones and I was please that it was not picking up the stones, but sucking the leaves off of them. I show both of these in the video. Hope this helps!
Dave, I'm curious if you've used the small chipper chute on this. Does it do alright, or not worth using at all?
I use it for small twigs and it works well
Not yet, but now i want to give it a try.
I have used it and it works pretty well!
I just bought one of these, waiting on fall to use it lol
@@TracyGunz let us know how its working out!
Does it have enough power to handle a slope? My yard is 90% sloped and severe on one side. Thanks!
@@michelle5936 my unit is not self propelled.
Any experience with acorns? That's our big problem.
Not enough suction for that. It will pick up the caps but not the nuts. Same with most gumballs though it will pick up ones that have dried somewhat.
@@AlexanderCrump Thanks so much. We have an acorn problem that gets (seemingly) worse every year.
Troy-Bilt and Craftsman are both made by MTD.
Which is now owned by Stanley/Black and Decker.
Got mine used for a hundred bucks. It says Yard Man - Yard Vac on it and came with an easy to start briggs and stratton engine. Else it is definitely the same machine. Except mine got the same size of wheels at the back and front.
@@Bornchiller123 Yeah, I’d definitely take one with a Briggs and Stratton over the Chinese knockoff engine any day. The generic MTD engines they use are made by a Chinese company called Zongshen. I’ve used one of these before many times, and it has a Briggs and Stratton. I use it annually to clean my neighbors yard- it was her husband’s until he died a few years ago.
Thank you! I needed to know that!
Too bad you didn’t demonstrate the hose vacuum!
Yeah, really not thrilled with the hose vacuum. I tried it a couple of times and was not impressed. for my shrub and garden beds i use a blower and then I use the Vacuum to run over the piles and pick them up.
/How does the suction tube work? Have you used it?
I used it briefly, but plan to use it this weekend to get in and around some shrubs. My initial feeling was that it was not as powerful as I thought it would be... but I didn't really give it a good test. I'll let you know.
@@davidcomora The big hose is the only reason to have paid extra for that otherwise cheap lawnmower... If that hose won't suck leaves out of bushes you would have been money ahead in buying a good leaf rake and a quality lawn mower with a big bag.
My next door neighbor just runs his little lawn tractor over the yard and good bye leaves. We have pin oak trees all over the place, just like you. What a mess they make every fall. I hire a guy for $150 and he blows every last leaf down into the gully at the back of my 1/3 acre lot. That includes off of my roof and out of my gutters.
@@tribulationprepper787 I hear you, but my lawn mower would never get through the depth of leaves that I get and the quotes I get here on my acre of heavily wooded property have been in the $1000 range for multiple visits throughout the season. This unit ran about $600 so I figured I would be ahead of the game over the years. I also priced a riding lawn mower with leaf unit, similar to what my neighbors use and it was in the $2500 to $3000 plus range when set up for leaf collection.I notice that they also have to make multiple passes to mulch and pick up the leaves, where I make only 1 pass. I AM breaking a sweat pushing this around, while they are more comfortable on their riding mowers, no doubt about that. So I am coming from using a leaf blower, and a handheld leaf vacuum and pushing leaves onto plastic tarps and dragging them into the woods. I can blow out a large amount of leaves from areas that I can't reach with the unit and instead of filling two tarps with leaves and dragging them away, I will run over them with the vacuum and they fit in a single bag. This device has made the job much easier for me... Definitely not as easy as sitting on a riding lawn mower or hiring someone else, but I have the time and didn't mind the exercise and saving the money.
@@davidcomora I can see that your situation is vastly different from mine. I hope that your little Toro unit holds up for years to come. You are giving it a BIG job to do. Take care
I mostly like the fact they have a self-propelled version of this (which appeals to me). What are your thoughts on the chipper chute?
I would like to have seen how the hose worked.
I have not been impressed with the hose. I didnt find it powerful enough to be worthwhile, so I disconnected it to make the unit lighter.. I prefer to blow leaves out of flower beds and out of shrubs, with a hand held blower, into a pile and then push the vacuum over the pile.
@@davidcomora Thanks, that's valuable information to me.
WARNING ANYONE WHO WATCHES THIS VIDEO. DONT BUY THIS JUNK! YOU BEEN WARNED! I USED TO HAVE THIS MACHINE. CLOGGS UP CONSTANTLY. DOES NOT HAVE STRONG SUCTION.
Sounds like you may have gotten a lemon. I never had a problem with the bag clogging, and we have pretty thick leaf coverage, but I do not bother using the hose, as the hose suction is so weak its not worth the effort. I wind up blowing the leaves out of my shrub beds into a pile and then roll over the pile with the wheeled unit.
I guess we all have different experiences, but i agree with you that the hose is nearly worthless. I tried it and just disconnected it and I blow the leaves from my beds onto the lawn and push the unit over it. For me its made my life much easier, but to each his own.
is it self propelled?
No, you need to push it and it can get a little heavy when full with wet debris.
There is at least one model which is. I think it's the CSV070B.
my unit is not, but I understand there is a self-propelled version.
a walk behind mower does the same thing
Not with the amount of leaves I have. My mower is DOA when I try to use it and the bag would be full immediately.