I bought a used 2006 Commercial Pro 7hp CR, and would like to get some advice. I don't have a good place to dump, so my plan is to purchase the so called power bagger from Woodland Products. The bagger is actually a sixpack of bins to place in the hopper, and they can be lined with lawn bags for easy disposal. 1) I wonder if they will fill uniformly, or if they will fill unevenly, reducing capacity, and frustrating me with the process. 2) I considered building a compost bin of some size and using the power unloader (which I have) to fill the bin, with an access at the bottom for removing the end result. Anyone have some experience with either solution that they would like to share? Thanks in advance...I love this forum!
RLWestlake
Cyclone Rake Advice Request...
Rich,
Sorry I can't comment on either solution as I have space in my woods to dump my leaves. The only comment I'd have is that option 2 seems like less work since you use the vac to unload the trailer and you get usable compost from it. I would think emptying six separate bins for each load would be time consuming. Then you have to close up each bag and cart it somewhere (to the curb for pickup or to your truck for off site dumping ??)
Sorry I can't comment on either solution as I have space in my woods to dump my leaves. The only comment I'd have is that option 2 seems like less work since you use the vac to unload the trailer and you get usable compost from it. I would think emptying six separate bins for each load would be time consuming. Then you have to close up each bag and cart it somewhere (to the curb for pickup or to your truck for off site dumping ??)
Really can't off any experienced comment on either solution either. I do have a CR but I just dump the grass and leaf clippings in a big pile that I turn weekly w/the FEL. By late spring I have a good fresh batch of compost ready to use in my vegi garden and the Mrs' flower gardens.
re. option 1,
The way my CR fills up, it totally fills up the entire hopper, so I would think it would fill up the bins. Of course your use may vary
re. option 2, you may want to try it 1st since you've already got the power unloader. Just make sure you've got a good pitch fork for turning that black gold
re. option 1,
The way my CR fills up, it totally fills up the entire hopper, so I would think it would fill up the bins. Of course your use may vary
re. option 2, you may want to try it 1st since you've already got the power unloader. Just make sure you've got a good pitch fork for turning that black gold
I bought a used CR Classic last fall after extensive research, including speaking to a few CR reps. Here's a thread I posted about it at the time.
I learned that among owners, the power bagger option was generally not quite as time-saving as they thought it would be. Owners complained that more leaves ended up between the bins than in them (probably an exaggeration, but clearly some degree of this happened). Even the CR rep said "if you're going to use the power bagger, don't bother spending time putting bags in the bins and folding the bags over, etc. Just blow leaves right into the bare bins, then when it's time to empty the bins, empty them into individual bags at that time".
The used CR I bought came with most of the available accessories, including the power unloader. However I have not yet had occasion to use that particular accessory. Basically I just fill up the main hopper then drive it to the curb and dump. Where I live, the town comes by once every 2 weeks during fall cleanup season and picks up the leaf piles at the curb.
If you call Woodland Power Products they'll happily send you for free a pretty thorough promotional DVD about the CR (maybe you already have this from the prev. owner?). In the video you can see the power unloader in action, although clearly as a promotional video I'm sure they are portraying it in the best light so take it with a grain of salt. You're doing the right thing asking owners in order to get an unbiased opinion.
Oh, by the way, if you contact WPP and tell them the city you live in, they will give you the phone number of other CR owners in your area so that you can contact those owners and get their opinion of the products. In your case, that might be a way to get some additional opinions on the usefulness of the particular attachments you are asking about.
I learned that among owners, the power bagger option was generally not quite as time-saving as they thought it would be. Owners complained that more leaves ended up between the bins than in them (probably an exaggeration, but clearly some degree of this happened). Even the CR rep said "if you're going to use the power bagger, don't bother spending time putting bags in the bins and folding the bags over, etc. Just blow leaves right into the bare bins, then when it's time to empty the bins, empty them into individual bags at that time".
The used CR I bought came with most of the available accessories, including the power unloader. However I have not yet had occasion to use that particular accessory. Basically I just fill up the main hopper then drive it to the curb and dump. Where I live, the town comes by once every 2 weeks during fall cleanup season and picks up the leaf piles at the curb.
If you call Woodland Power Products they'll happily send you for free a pretty thorough promotional DVD about the CR (maybe you already have this from the prev. owner?). In the video you can see the power unloader in action, although clearly as a promotional video I'm sure they are portraying it in the best light so take it with a grain of salt. You're doing the right thing asking owners in order to get an unbiased opinion.
Oh, by the way, if you contact WPP and tell them the city you live in, they will give you the phone number of other CR owners in your area so that you can contact those owners and get their opinion of the products. In your case, that might be a way to get some additional opinions on the usefulness of the particular attachments you are asking about.
Wow! You guys are great, and fast, too! Your feedback is helpful, and your thread is very helpful too, Paul. In fact I recall reading it as I was considering the CR last spring. My leaves are pretty good about riding the wind over to my neighbors' yards, but along the stone walls and in the beds they sure congregate. I'll either rake those out and drive over them to pick them up or just go after them with the so called "power pick up."
A bigger challenge for me is all the twigs and mini pine cones that come out of the tamarac trees during the wind storms of winter. So spring clean up is a big part of my motivation to own a CR. I've been paying people $1,000 each spring to do a lousy job of raking and removing, so in a couple of years I will have more than paid for my investment, and look at all the fun I'm going to have!
I also have a habit of slipping away on my boat for extended periods during mowing season, and when I come back I make some serious hay. Away it will go with the CR, instead of just pushing it around (no mulching blades). My elderly mother actually told me about the CR after seeing an infomercial, which led to my snooping around, reading about you guys, and deciding to go used because of the lack of confidence that it would be the right solution. I can't wait to use it (I still need a couple of parts from WPP), and will be benefiting from all of the feedback that you folks so generously provide. Thanks!
A bigger challenge for me is all the twigs and mini pine cones that come out of the tamarac trees during the wind storms of winter. So spring clean up is a big part of my motivation to own a CR. I've been paying people $1,000 each spring to do a lousy job of raking and removing, so in a couple of years I will have more than paid for my investment, and look at all the fun I'm going to have!
I also have a habit of slipping away on my boat for extended periods during mowing season, and when I come back I make some serious hay. Away it will go with the CR, instead of just pushing it around (no mulching blades). My elderly mother actually told me about the CR after seeing an infomercial, which led to my snooping around, reading about you guys, and deciding to go used because of the lack of confidence that it would be the right solution. I can't wait to use it (I still need a couple of parts from WPP), and will be benefiting from all of the feedback that you folks so generously provide. Thanks!
Rich,
Yep, the CR is a big, noisy, dusty beast but it gets the job done! It was the right tool for the job for me.
Glad you're finding the forums here helpful. There's a good bunch of folks here with lots of experience and good stories.
There's also an MTF Chat Room that typically has 5-10 people in there most evenings, if you're looking for a quick answer or just to shoot the breeze.
Yep, the CR is a big, noisy, dusty beast but it gets the job done! It was the right tool for the job for me.
Glad you're finding the forums here helpful. There's a good bunch of folks here with lots of experience and good stories.
There's also an MTF Chat Room that typically has 5-10 people in there most evenings, if you're looking for a quick answer or just to shoot the breeze.
Re: Cyclone Rake Advice Request... (Power Bagger option)
Happy Thanksgiving to all from a newbie here.
I jumped on this thread because it's the only one that has even partially discussed the Power Bagger option. This is where a set of plastic bin frames insert inside the collecter. The pitch, as previously discussed is to line the box frames with lawn and leaf bags. The concerns about leakage discussed previously were also on my mind.
Here is the application:
The problem
The last landscaper that did this charged nearly $800 and that was several years ago. He didn't want to do it any more, said it was "too much." The local football team fundraiser, for all their brute strength was the most least efficient and unproductive teams I've ever seen, even at a bargain price it would have taken them months. Go figure! I'm getting older and slower now and it's just becoming a pain. It's now Thanksgiving and there are still about 30 bags to go. Hence the serious consideration for a CR.
I had hoped to line the plastic containers with the paper lawn/leaf bags, and just drive the whole thing to curbside and unload the bags.
I know how much a fully loaded and forcefully compressed lawn/leaf bag full of leaves weighs, and that's about my weight limit of personal strength to pickup and transfer. I suspect a bag of leaf mulch is going to weigh more.
Question: How much would a fully mulch- loaded paper lawn/leaf bag weigh?
Question: How much would a fully mulch- loaded bin weigh? similar?)
The possible options:
1. I called CR, described the above. The woman suggested the unlined Power Bagger option, then dump contents of the plastic boxes into each bag. How much would each of these things weight (she didn't know)? I'm concerned about the lifting I need to do, I'm not so strong any more. It's adding more time and effort to the process and now perhaps, risking injury if the load is too heavy. What do I do? Drive the CR to curbside, and pull each bin out and do the transfer right there?
2. I read the thread about am wondering if there is any way to secure the bags to the bins, let's say with large, quickly removable clamps? I've become expert at filling over 1,300 bags over the years and learned some important lessons. a) The most important is that keeping the bag open at the top is the most important. b) It is vastly more important than fully expanding the bottom. The bottom fills from the weight of the bag, just like a microwave popcorn bag expands open from the expanding internal volume. c) The top of the bag holds very little weight and just needs to be opened and kept in position.
3. Another option is to combine clamps with a plastic expander ring (another Ronco gadget I fear!) to keep the bag snug against the containers. I don't care if some mulch falls between the bags, as long as most of it doesn't.
4. Another idea is to make a plywood frame that fits over the top of the bins with six cutouts to hold things down and direct the flow. That seems problematic, including overfills and potential for interfering with the flow of mulch into the bags.
5. Last idea is to get the power unloader and blow the stuff individually into each bag after the collection around the yard. Sounds messy and time consuming and the bag is apt to blow away from the force!
I guess I'm trying to "fix" the bag problem to make it work. I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place - I HAVE to use bags.
I may call CR back to discuss the problem further. It seems that most people don't have to bag, so they don't really focus on this problem. My hand is going to be forced on this one, as we've had a lot of rainy weekends and I get older every season. When I miss a week of raking, the leaves stay wet and get moldy, making even more work. So getting this mess picked up faster is a goal.
What I'd really like is to see a demo of how power bagger works and see what problems it actually causes. CT factory is about a 3 hour drive one way....
Other than the bag problem, everything else about the cyclone rake is perfect for me.
The suggestion of moving has crossed my mind, but I love trees so much my next lot will probably have just as big a problem, but hopefully a place to dump them!
Thanks for any ideas or suggestions you might have.
Happy Thanksgiving to all from a newbie here.
I jumped on this thread because it's the only one that has even partially discussed the Power Bagger option. This is where a set of plastic bin frames insert inside the collecter. The pitch, as previously discussed is to line the box frames with lawn and leaf bags. The concerns about leakage discussed previously were also on my mind.
Here is the application:
- 3/4 Acre
- entirely flat lawn with 12 very large deciduous trees.
- No truck or street-wise wagon to tow.
- Entirely landscaped lot, no place to dump.
- Town picks up only bagged leaves. No raking into the street.
- By hand, I collect each year 200-250 bags of leaves. This year, I expect to top out at about 250 due to the prolonged rains. Takes me myself and I about 40-50 hours for the complete job over 5 weekends, including clearing bushes.
The problem
The last landscaper that did this charged nearly $800 and that was several years ago. He didn't want to do it any more, said it was "too much." The local football team fundraiser, for all their brute strength was the most least efficient and unproductive teams I've ever seen, even at a bargain price it would have taken them months. Go figure! I'm getting older and slower now and it's just becoming a pain. It's now Thanksgiving and there are still about 30 bags to go. Hence the serious consideration for a CR.
I had hoped to line the plastic containers with the paper lawn/leaf bags, and just drive the whole thing to curbside and unload the bags.
I know how much a fully loaded and forcefully compressed lawn/leaf bag full of leaves weighs, and that's about my weight limit of personal strength to pickup and transfer. I suspect a bag of leaf mulch is going to weigh more.
Question: How much would a fully mulch- loaded paper lawn/leaf bag weigh?
Question: How much would a fully mulch- loaded bin weigh? similar?)
The possible options:
1. I called CR, described the above. The woman suggested the unlined Power Bagger option, then dump contents of the plastic boxes into each bag. How much would each of these things weight (she didn't know)? I'm concerned about the lifting I need to do, I'm not so strong any more. It's adding more time and effort to the process and now perhaps, risking injury if the load is too heavy. What do I do? Drive the CR to curbside, and pull each bin out and do the transfer right there?
2. I read the thread about am wondering if there is any way to secure the bags to the bins, let's say with large, quickly removable clamps? I've become expert at filling over 1,300 bags over the years and learned some important lessons. a) The most important is that keeping the bag open at the top is the most important. b) It is vastly more important than fully expanding the bottom. The bottom fills from the weight of the bag, just like a microwave popcorn bag expands open from the expanding internal volume. c) The top of the bag holds very little weight and just needs to be opened and kept in position.
3. Another option is to combine clamps with a plastic expander ring (another Ronco gadget I fear!) to keep the bag snug against the containers. I don't care if some mulch falls between the bags, as long as most of it doesn't.
4. Another idea is to make a plywood frame that fits over the top of the bins with six cutouts to hold things down and direct the flow. That seems problematic, including overfills and potential for interfering with the flow of mulch into the bags.
5. Last idea is to get the power unloader and blow the stuff individually into each bag after the collection around the yard. Sounds messy and time consuming and the bag is apt to blow away from the force!
I guess I'm trying to "fix" the bag problem to make it work. I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place - I HAVE to use bags.
I may call CR back to discuss the problem further. It seems that most people don't have to bag, so they don't really focus on this problem. My hand is going to be forced on this one, as we've had a lot of rainy weekends and I get older every season. When I miss a week of raking, the leaves stay wet and get moldy, making even more work. So getting this mess picked up faster is a goal.
What I'd really like is to see a demo of how power bagger works and see what problems it actually causes. CT factory is about a 3 hour drive one way....
Other than the bag problem, everything else about the cyclone rake is perfect for me.
The suggestion of moving has crossed my mind, but I love trees so much my next lot will probably have just as big a problem, but hopefully a place to dump them!
Thanks for any ideas or suggestions you might have.
:MTF_wel: and :goodl: . With the videos I've seen of the power unloader I don't know that you could slow it down enough to fill the bags at curbside. slkpk
Welcome to MTF, billski! Your application requirements sound exactly like mine when I lived in Wakefield, MA. I used to corral my leaves with a backpack blower and then mulch them with my push behind 22" lawnmower. Took a long time but reduced the volume about 10:1. I had some areas around the edge of my property where I could spread out some of the mulched leaves and then I'd salt them with pelletized lime to reduce the volume some more. By springtime the once 3' high piles would be melted down quite a bit and barely noticeable.
I could not spread them all so I'd have to bag quite a bit as well - the only way the town would pick them up. I used to have about 100+ bags to load and place curbside and the mulched leaves would weigh quite a bit. The town always took them even though each bag probably weighed about 75 lbs or so.
The only other way I can think of is to rent a pick up truck (or recruit a buddy who has one) and take the mulched leaves to your town dump or compost area. I did this several times and it was alot easier than packing leaves in bags and placing them curbside. Place a heavy duty tarp in the bed and then shovel the leaves on top of the tarp. If you're lucky, you'll be able to park on a bit of an incline and then pull the loaded tarp out into the compost area. If not you'll have to shovel some out before trying to pull the loaded tarp out. Either way is easier than the bagging method. The loader option for the CR would be perfect for loading the back of a pick up truck to then dump at the town compost pile. I now live in the country and am able to blow most all my leaves back into the woods where they belong.
Good Luck!
I could not spread them all so I'd have to bag quite a bit as well - the only way the town would pick them up. I used to have about 100+ bags to load and place curbside and the mulched leaves would weigh quite a bit. The town always took them even though each bag probably weighed about 75 lbs or so.
The only other way I can think of is to rent a pick up truck (or recruit a buddy who has one) and take the mulched leaves to your town dump or compost area. I did this several times and it was alot easier than packing leaves in bags and placing them curbside. Place a heavy duty tarp in the bed and then shovel the leaves on top of the tarp. If you're lucky, you'll be able to park on a bit of an incline and then pull the loaded tarp out into the compost area. If not you'll have to shovel some out before trying to pull the loaded tarp out. Either way is easier than the bagging method. The loader option for the CR would be perfect for loading the back of a pick up truck to then dump at the town compost pile. I now live in the country and am able to blow most all my leaves back into the woods where they belong.
Good Luck!
Billski, welcome aboard and Happy Turkey Day. That's a tough scenario you have there with the requirement to have your leaves removed from your property. I really don't have any experience with removing my leaves as I have space to dump the extreme volume I pick up every fall. Just finished up last weekend. I can say the CR does a great job at sucking up and composting the leaves, especially when used with a tractor deck since the leaves get shredded twice. If they are real dry, they almost turn to powder inside the CR hopper.
Anyway, of the suggestions mentioned, I kind of like using the power unloader to load the leaves into a pickup truck, if you have one. If so, think about making some plywood sides for the bed like you see the big boy landscapers do. Then you can drive your leaves to the town landfill and unload them, which could be the worst part. Putting a tarp in the bed of the truck may allow you to pull them out all at once, but I'd expect the weight to be too much. The other option I can think of is buying one of those crank conveyor belt type pickup truck unloaders and putting that in the truck bed.
Or, as eveled suggests, landscape yourself some area to compost them where they're out of site. Let us know what you decide to do.
Anyway, of the suggestions mentioned, I kind of like using the power unloader to load the leaves into a pickup truck, if you have one. If so, think about making some plywood sides for the bed like you see the big boy landscapers do. Then you can drive your leaves to the town landfill and unload them, which could be the worst part. Putting a tarp in the bed of the truck may allow you to pull them out all at once, but I'd expect the weight to be too much. The other option I can think of is buying one of those crank conveyor belt type pickup truck unloaders and putting that in the truck bed.
Or, as eveled suggests, landscape yourself some area to compost them where they're out of site. Let us know what you decide to do.
I too was unsure about the usefulness of the power bagger, but Woodland offered me a deal on a "reconditioned" set, so I went for it. I am embarassed to say that I have yet to try them (make me an offer), because they sound like more handling than it's worth to use them to fill bags. Woodland themselves said that most folks do not line the bins with bags, and that's why the power bagger option includes a funnel for filling the bags. I have the same disposal problem, and used the solution recommended of making a place to dump on the property. Now I wish I had a FEL for turning the pile, along with other chores I would most likely use it for!
I see you posted this one back in 2009, I`ll add my $.02. Don`t know how your doing your leaves. But if you have a space you can set aside for a compost bin. Get 3 sheets of ply score or chip board to build a box, you can make it any size you want.
I`ll make it easy, get 3 sheet 2 are full 4' by 8' the 3rd sheet is cut in half 4' by 4' for each end you`ll need to cut a 7" dia hole for the unloader hose in the upper part of one end piece. get 2 - 2" by 3" by 8' long. cut them in half so they are 4' long. Now just put them in the corners so you can put box together I`d paint it flat black help hide it and also heat that box up to help break down the leaves, I`d mulch the leaves up while there laying on the lawn. Plus they will break down faster, while rotting in the compost bin.
You can also make the box so the end with the hole can be removed so you can get inside and turn the leaves & grass. You will need to get a mesh trap to put over the top or just use a polly trap to keep the leaves from blowing out, mesh works better.
I made a box like this to haul my leaves away to the landfill on my 4' by 8' trailer, you`d be surprised how much a loaded box full of leaves this size will hold or weigh. I`ve had over 1,300 pounds of ground up leaves in that box at a time. not saying your will have that much.
I would put some cross braces on the inside of the box at the top edge so the trap won`t drop inside. Or put upright at each end with a board running the length to make like a tent roof so it would shed rain water and snow. Sheet rock screws are the easiest way to put this together.
I`ll make it easy, get 3 sheet 2 are full 4' by 8' the 3rd sheet is cut in half 4' by 4' for each end you`ll need to cut a 7" dia hole for the unloader hose in the upper part of one end piece. get 2 - 2" by 3" by 8' long. cut them in half so they are 4' long. Now just put them in the corners so you can put box together I`d paint it flat black help hide it and also heat that box up to help break down the leaves, I`d mulch the leaves up while there laying on the lawn. Plus they will break down faster, while rotting in the compost bin.
You can also make the box so the end with the hole can be removed so you can get inside and turn the leaves & grass. You will need to get a mesh trap to put over the top or just use a polly trap to keep the leaves from blowing out, mesh works better.
I made a box like this to haul my leaves away to the landfill on my 4' by 8' trailer, you`d be surprised how much a loaded box full of leaves this size will hold or weigh. I`ve had over 1,300 pounds of ground up leaves in that box at a time. not saying your will have that much.
I would put some cross braces on the inside of the box at the top edge so the trap won`t drop inside. Or put upright at each end with a board running the length to make like a tent roof so it would shed rain water and snow. Sheet rock screws are the easiest way to put this together.
I solved the problem by de-landscaping an area around some trees, and now I just dump in an area that used to be grass, but is now leafy mulchy mess. I like your idea, though, for a compost box. Thanks!
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