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Cyclone rake for mower with Left Hand Discharge


Stanirocz

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I’m pretty set on buying my neighbors Simplicity 7119 tractor because I’ve borrowed it and know it, it matches my needs, price is right, and I like it. Only problem is I need a cyclone rake for my property since I have ~1 acre surrounded by woods, and the Cyclone Rake requires a mower deck with a Right Hand Discharge but the Simplicity is Left!!!! I’ve called Cyclone Rake and they are very unhelpful, not offering any solutions, just stating that warranty is void if I modify.

So since I’m an engineer and I have welders and fabrication ability I’m trying to find a way to make this work but I don’t want to make a huge project out of this… hopefully my friends on the forum can provide some guidance. Some of my ideas:

1) Turn the motor on the cyclone rake 180 deg and rotate the chute so it still points back. I’ve been looking at pictures online and it looks like the chute might be simple to flip around based on the clamps. It looks like the motor has its own frame that bolts to the CR trailer frame, can this be flipped around 180 deg? The last problem would be the frame might need extended?? Can someone that has a cyclone rake tell me if this is doable or if there are hurdles I’m not noticing?

2) The mower I’m getting has a spare 48” deck. Could I seal the LH discharge hole and cut a new hole on the right? I assume the blade rotation and deck is designed to push out the left so this might be a bad idea. I’m also assuming modifying the flow aspects of the deck would be a significant engineering project??

3) Get a RH discharge deck and adapt it to the Simplicity 7119

4) Get a different mower :( I have a habit of taking on projects that sound simple in theory but turn out to be major headaches, this could be one of them.

Trac-vac might be an option that I haven’t looked into much but I like how the Cyclone rake can fold up for storage and I’ve heard good reports on how it works.

Thanks,

Austin

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I would forget about the cyclone rake. Put on a set of gator blades and mulch those leaves up and leave them on the lawn. It is a practice recommended by lawn care experts and I do it, too. A pass or two and you won't even see the remnants of the leaves...just drive so that you are blowing the cut leaves into the area you haven't covered yet. At my parents' house there are a bunch of giant maple trees that shed a lot of leaves and they just grind up the leaves and leave them there.

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My two cents: find a Simplicity leaf vac. I run a Simp vac and my father runs a Cyclone rake and it's better than the Simplicity version, but not by much. You should be able to find one cheaper than a cyclone rake as well.

700_atch2_lg.jpg

Beyond that, the Cyclone rake's engine is mounted on a dolly for storage. When putting it together for use put the dolly on the trailer flipped around, that will line it up for left hand discharge. From there you'll just need to rotate the chute 180 degrees to blow the leaves into the trailer and not over your head!(I'll verify that next time I see the thing in person.)

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Do your suggested modifications to the cyclone rack and find a Simplicity boot for your 48" deck and connect it to your flipped motor/blower.

I use the mounted bagger on my 917 and it works great, just a smaller bag than the large trailer but much easier to maneuver.

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Someone in the fredericksburg va area also has a simplicity vac cart posted for sale on Craigslist for 400. I would be interested myself, but found a hitch mounted vac earlier this year. It works great but can fill up fast around here.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Unmodified cyclone rake:

9B87BDA7-EE9F-4609-A373-2A14BF281A1B_zpsqe3f9lwo.jpg[/url]

I cut this front cross bar off:

E1D664B9-F581-4735-B95F-8684D0B8ADB3_zpse9clieyx.jpg[/url]

I made this frame that extends the normal frame in length and allows the motor to sit on the RH side:

8975FDD5-780E-464F-8D0D-AD2756E1FE4B_zpseeuf3ehz.jpg[/url]

10CC8E35-D0F2-4A63-87E0-67DA8D83010B_zpszt2fkoez.jpg[/url]

I made this hitch to mount to the tractor:

FDEEEC38-4F76-4EAD-A750-2D4DEBD767A0_zpsfamymi1x.jpg[/url]

The widest 2 holes were a mistake, the inner 2 or what is used for the cyclone rake.

2A7CBEE7-FA0B-4A6B-B493-C470676CCEB6_zpsgbytnmkf.jpg[/url]

I had to make a chute for the deck:

3623661F-05AA-4B24-B5AF-478A61D42774_zpsj50akcnt.jpg[/url]

F5307B77-D478-4D50-B275-7F559B0E0C03_zpsh6vva15k.jpg[/url]

CE0A06C7-1A7D-4F0C-BC94-3D0441FBDA94_zpsgnjkrij4.jpg[/url]

7F9329B6-3000-4179-9363-905BF3DA95B5_zpsarfizwm7.jpg[/url]

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quote:Originally posted by midnightpumpkin

You will be very happy with this setup, nice fab job.Here is a link to a similar setup with a DR leaf vac that I did in 2008. It has proven to be a real workhorse during leaf season, which is just about upon us now!http://www.simpletractors.com/club2/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=100273&SearchTerms=drJohn U


id="quote">
id="quote">Looks very familiar! Nice job and I hope my proves to be a workhorse as well. I actually can't wait to see a thick blanket of leaves to really test this out.
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  • 2 weeks later...

13E68774-8DF4-40E3-8D9C-522D35A4D865_zpsvaqdrhtv.jpg

8891EB72-52BF-45EB-B4A3-8B7F4700FDDB_zpsmk8dmj9x.jpg

4DB94E03-6605-4F61-9CC8-C046CD20DC3E_zpsz4zfytpf.jpg

I put it to the test yesterday and I gotta say I'm wondering if I should have got a big boy backpack blower instead. I can't fault the design of the product or how it works I'm just not sure it was the right choice for my yard. I have an 1 acre lot that is heavily wooded on all 4 sides but my actual yard area with grass is about 1/3 - 1/2 acres. So I don't have a lot of area but it is very dense with trees. As a result of the density the cyclone rake fills up fast and I have a lot of down time emptying it. When it is running it does a great job of sucking leaves up, I was really surprised at how fast I could go, approx 1/2 hydro speed at full throttle gets the yard just as clean as slower does. I just look at my neighbor with a big bad blower and I think he gets the job done sooner with less fuss. No matter what I have to get the blower out to get in the landscaping and other areas that the tractor can't get to so I think that would have been a better choice.

If my yard was larger but less dense with trees I think the cyclone rake would be great. But since I have woods on all 4 sides I really don't need to pick them up, just blow. I'll try it out again next weekend but I'm seriously thinking about selling this and getting an Echo PB-770T back pack blower.

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quote:Originally posted by Stanirocz

If my yard was larger but less dense with trees I think the cyclone rake would be great. But since I have woods on all 4 sides I really don't need to pick them up, just blow. I'll try it out again next weekend but I'm seriously thinking about selling this and getting an Echo PB-770T back pack blower.


id="quote">
id="quote">Remember, it's all about the seat time. That will only work if you wear the backpack while riding around on a tractor.^
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  • 3 weeks later...
quote:Originally posted by mikeman

This is what my buddy just bought for his forest of leaves.

blower.jpg

Not this exact model but a walk behind blower.


id="quote">
id="quote">My neighbor uses something similar as well to do his lawn. The problem is that you are never getting rid of the leaves and they do blow back.I finally got my Cyclone Rake XL out yesterday. It goes behind one of my "Red" 5xi. The weeks previous I had just been mulching because the leaves weren't falling that fast. It definitely makes a difference - plus for my property the Estate Vacuum attachment is what I appreciate the most.
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