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Re: (ET) [SPAM] Re: Leaves and an E-12

Tim,

Since you have an E12m, I may have an option for you to consider.
I'm currently considering buying out the left-over parts from a Wheel Horse dealer that manufactured and sold their own design of lawn vacs. They had a model that mounted directly to the rear of the tractor and used 6" diameter caster wheels to support it. They were originally sold with a 5 HP gas engine, but the one I fixed up for my E10m uses a drive motor off an ER8-36 rider as the power source to spin the impeller. I'd like to try a 4 1/2" deck motor, but figure it would only be good for picking up dry leaves and not something like heavy grass clippings and leaves.
This set-up works good for a mid mount deck, but I'm also working on a larger capacity version that mounted on a two wheel garden cart for use with my large frame tractors with front mount decks. One option is to use a very long hose running from the deck all the way back to the wagon/cart. The other method I'm considering is to fabricate a pick-up hood that follows the ground behind the tractor and sucks up the leaves after they have been "mulched" with Gator blades and a rear discharge deck set-up. This set-up would be very similar to what Dennis Pestka uses on his vac.
Instead of being a conventional single point connection to the hitch of the tractor, the cart would be attached at two pivot points and ride on large pneumatic caster wheels, very similar to the Cyclone Rack sold by Woodland Products out of West Haven, CT. They have a real nice looking unit, but the price is in the $1000 to $1300 range. 

If any of this sounds interesting to anyone out there let me know.

Mike in KY
----- Original Message ----- From: "Chapin, Tim" <tchapin bf umich edu> To: "Matthew callahan" <callahanrc hotmail com>; <Walter Konstanty ge com>; <mbanks protopower com>; <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu> 
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 8:38 AM
Subject: Re: (ET) [SPAM] Re: Leaves and an E-12



Sounds like a good idea but my electric black and Decker blower/vacuum
takes me forever in my yard....(I only have 2 maple trees)..   I throw
down a tarp and empty the bag into the tarp when it fills and them keep
on going.  It takes me forever to fill the bag and if the leafs are wet
at all, they plug the vac.  I think we need something more heavy duty in
the sucking end.
But what do I know.   Give it a try and report back.  If it works, I
might try the same.  I have the inverter, blower/vac and a e-12m....

-----Original Message-----
From: elec-trak-bounces cosmos phy tufts edu
[mailto:elec-trak-bounces cosmos phy tufts edu] On Behalf Of Matthew
callahan
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 9:19 AM
To: Walter Konstanty ge com; mbanks protopower com;
elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Subject: [SPAM] Re: (ET) Leaves and an E-12

One thought I had was to take my electric black and decker blower/vaccum

($50 at home depot) and a really big custom bag for it on the trailer in
the
back.  Put a couple of my 12V deep cycle batteries (that i got free at
the
dump) in parallel in the weight box up front (or on the trailer) to run
the
blower/vac through a 2000 watt converter that I have, and suck the
leaves up
through a upsides down trough dragging along the front like a vaccum
cleaner, spaced off the ground a little with sleds.

The blower/vac will mulch the leaves into bits through the impeller, so
if
the bag is big enough, it shouldn't fill too quickly, and it'd compost
better after you dump it.

Matt



From: "Konstanty, Walter (GE Indust, ConsInd)"

<Walter Konstanty ge com>

To: "Banks, Michael J."
<mbanks protopower com>,<elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
Subject: Re: (ET) Leaves and an E-12
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:07:16 -0400

Funny you should ask.....I get stressed with all the leaves we get

here.

With 3 acres surrounded by trees, it's a lot of work to clear them.  I

have

an old Ariens snowblower and found a vacuum attachment for it (the
snowblower comes off and they made tillers, mowers, etc for them) and
converted it to a blower - works well but slow walking around and

around

the yard blowing them towards the woods.  The leaves then get so high

that

I then have to use the ET with the plow to actually push them into the
woods.  A commercial blower like a Billy Goat works well too but not

cheap.


My latest "invention" is taking a 5HP gas engine coupled to a cast

aluminum

blower fan/housing and mounting it off the front of the ET so I can

drive

around and blow.  By using the lift, I can change the angle of the

blower.

With the inlet facing the front, I could adapt a vacuum attachment and

run

a hose to a trailer as an option.

I tried vacuuming the leaves into a trailer but it fills to fast and

you

spend all day dumping them.....the sweeper works but same problem.

Good

for small lawns.

It would be interesting knowing how others handle all those dreaded
leaves!!!!  AAGGGHHHHH !!!!!

...Walt
Erie PA
E15, 2-E20
-----Original Message-----
From: elec-trak-bounces cosmos phy tufts edu
[mailto:elec-trak-bounces cosmos phy tufts edu]On Behalf Of Banks,

Michael

J.
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 8:50 AM
To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Subject: (ET) Leaves and an E-12



I live in New England and its getting to be fall.    Which means tons

of

leaves in my yard.   I was just curious if any of the Elec-trakkers out



there with a leaf problem found a way to use the tractor to pick up the



leaves?   Do those lawn sweepers that you can pull with a tractor

actually

work?   Is there a bagger option for the Elec-Trak?

Mike
Colchester, CT
E12





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