Sovereign Turbo Collector

[JimV]

Anybody have any experience with the Sovereign/7118/AC918 Turbo Collection system that was made over the last few years? What types of baggers/carts were made? Does the deck-mounted turbo fan work as good as the old pto-driven rear mounted collector?

[tsteahr]

I have a deck mounted turbo fan on a 5 year old Broadmoor. The collection system works well. It packs the bags firmly and is highly resistant to clogs. It only clogged once when I tried to bag grass, er, hay that was over a foot high. 6-7 inch wet grass has never been a problem. I have never used a pto collector to make a comparision. The deck mounted blower does has a disadvantage of adding weight on one side of the deck. It has made it difficult for me to level the deck. The unbalaced weight is the only real problem with the system. Assuming the performance of a rear mounted blower was the same, I would opt for the rear mounted blower and keep the good simplicity cut.

[JeffNemes]

victorsnc - I would have to say the turbo is better positioned where it really needs to be for best results. It is harder to suck a large amount of grass from the rear than to blow it from the front. I believe they last were using a 4 container cart around 15-20 bushel capacity. Although the turbo's housing is plastic it holds up well - we've never replaced one. I understand the larger capacity Trac Vac is around $2500 or more? tsteahr - you may need to adjust the turbo side 1/4"-1/2" higher to compensate for the extra weight. I don't remember any update kits for that but will check it out. That is pretty amazing results you are getting!

[JeffNemes]

tsteahr - there is an update available - it's called an adjustable gauge wheel kit - part # 1686654.