Best bagging sysytems for ztr

[eggy]

Well guys, I am seeking a bagging system for my tirf tiger,for spring and fall clean ups. I realize a lot of people mulch here, but I just dont find the results I expect, from this. A bagging system for my Turf Tiger is what I am after, the idea system would allow you to bag or side dischare with little effort needed. The main idea is to charge clients xxx amount extra in October thru the end cutting season for leaf bagging. And as said, the muching did not produce the results we must have. Any recomendations is appreciated.

[GREG R]

I use a John Deeere 665 and have a PeCo bagging system on
it and I have had alot of problems with it.
dump handle, latch system, arm pins falling out, boot wasn't designed right, air cleaner problems etc..etc.
Just alot of little thing going wrong with it, and alittle
priceeee I do believe I paid around $2400 w/6hp engine
I do have employees using it so it gets abused by them.
There is another company on here that I've talked too that
is having the same problems. So the problem is the quality of this product. but they might have made changes by now
mine was bought in may of 2000.

Just my thought on what not to get.

[Dillon]

I also have a Turf Tiger I use a Trac Vac system with mine works good. We have alot of leaves here in the fall and it does a good job and saves quite a bit of time. Go to Trac-vac.com and it should give you most of the info that you need. I think they run around $1800 for the Tiger

[syzer]

We use the PECO on our dane chariot and thus far it worked quite well. As Gregg said it was a little pricey I think we have the 8hp Kohler COmmand on it. The one big gripe I have is the darned boot will never stay on. I think before next season I will make something up to hold the sucker on through anything.


Chris
Precision Landscaping.

[eggy]

Dillon, what model did you buy?

[Dillon]

I have the 462z with the 5.5 honda on it . Also check with your dealer, Scag is coming out with there own unit. It will be similar to the New Exmark Bagger but Im not sure when it will be avalible for the Tiger. They have some info on it at Scag.com. The difference being the Scag unit will run off a spindle pully.

[John DiMartino]

I paid 1450 for my trac-vac unit with 5.5 honda,installed on my 2000 Dixie chopper i got it from my local exmark dealer,I got a quote fo 1700 from where i bought the Dixie,and as high as 1900 from another dealer,so it pays to shop around with trac-vac.Mine is a 462Z also.

[eggy]

Thanks guys, I did notice the scag product for the tiger cub, maybe by fall they will have something like the exmark vac....if not the trac vac looks nice....Does the trac vac handle leaves well???? Also can you covert the trac vac to side discharge easy...On my route I do have some homes that will be mowed with others who will not want leaf removel. Go Dale JR!!!!

[John DiMartino]

I can convert from vacuum to disharge is 30 seconds,and back in a minute usually.At an industrial site I do I bag the front,they have a lot of pine trees,and maple trees,in the spring and fall,then i pop off the hose from the disharge chute,on the didxie,you pull 2 pins that go into the OCDC holes,then i just pull off the 10" hose from the inlet of the impeller/housing,which is a big hose clamp.I leave the hose clamp loose since vacuum holds it on while your bagging,it just slides off once you shut down the motor.You just have to remember the bagger is back there still after the chute is off.

[eggy]

John does the trac-vac itself shred the clippings or leaves any?? It didnt really say on the sight? How about clogging problems? Thanks!

[mdb landscaping]

scags going to be introducing the "ultra vac" type set up for the tiger next spring i heard. its going to be close to what the cubs system is but bigger. maybe its worth the wait till it comes out.

[Stonewall]

Try this http://www.turfspecialty.com/page6.html. I had the Peco and had lots of problems keeping a engine running with all the dust we kick up around here. I found Turf Specialty and ordered the belt-driven impeller set up. No auxiliary engine to keep up.

[HOMER]

I have the Trac-vac on my Scag Super Z. I like everything but not knowing when it gets full until all the debris hits you in the back of the neck! Other Trac-Vac owners----does this happen to you and if so how do you deal with it. Mine has held up good, I have the 6hp Kohler and it cranks everytime.

[Jet boater]

Stonewall,

What do you think of the Turf Speciality unit and how much did you pay for it?

Does the belt drive fan seem to pull much HP from the engine?

What size deck and motor size do you have on the mower it is on?

What do you think of the ease to put it on and remove it?

Do you ever have problems with clogging?

Do you use it on any heavy, wet grass clippings or mainly leaves?

I'm going to purchase a vacuum next month and had pretty much narrowed down to a Cyclone unit. But, I'm interested in this. They told me $2,100 list over the phone, but I'm gonna have to get less than that to afford.

Thanks for any info you can give!!

[John DiMartino]

Yes the trac-vac shreds everything up even more thsn the double blaeds with gatros on top does.The biggest particles in the can are no more than 1" long when im using the gators too.I hate too when it fills up and blows out on your back,it just started doing this the kast 2 times i used it last year,so i think i can adjust the lid tighter to stop it from blowing out.I can cut in wet grass/leaves and the deck will plug up way before the bagger.The trac-vac can keep up with the dixie in all cutting situattons ive had,until it fills of course.The biggest complaint i have is not with the bagger,but its a trait of the dixie chopper,it blows out everything in front of the deck,leaves too,this is the mowers fault though,it has done this since day one and there is no way to use this machine and stay clean-you are covered with clippings after mowing,almost need goggles to mow its so bad.When you bag,you have to reduce rpm's sometimes to keep the leaves from blowing out real bad.

[Stonewall]

Jet boater,

I used the hopper and hose from my Peco and just bought the blower housing for @ $750. I don't know how much they run new.

I don't think it pulls too much hp from the mower, but I haven't tried it with double blades yet.

I've used it on a 61" Scag regular deck (I just put on an advantage deck, but haven't used it yet) with a 23 hp Kohler.

It is extremely easy to put on and off. The blower pulley has a tension spring that is depressed by a lever and the belt slips off. The blower housing in held on by a bracket that is mounted on the deck. A pin is released from spring tension and the whole thing comes off. I can convert to side discharge is under a minute.

Clogging is a problem sometimes, but I don't think it is worse than any other bagging product. I only use it on leaves and pine straw in the fall/winter though.

A friend bought the full Turf Specialty setup after seeing mine and it almost looks better designed, though the hopper sits higher than mine. The hopper sits at an angle, the door is released and out comes the clippings.

I had problems with clippings coming out on my back, down my neck, etc. I siliconed all the seams and riveted them more to tighten them up. I haven't had near the problem since.

When I was installing the blower, I broke the pulley and called the company. They sent a new one, no questions asked. Very helpful in my experience. I broke the pulley again when putting on my new deck and found one of Scag's pulleys for their small bagger system at my dealer's shop that is stronger and worked fine. I've had no problems with the pulley while running it, only when trying to put the pulley on the spindly or take it off.

[BUSHMASTER]

My Walker does Very well...he he he ....

[watatrp]

Trac-Vac users. I've used the Trac-Vac for the past four seasons on my Scag. Used to have the problem of leaves hitting me in the back of the neck when it gets full. I've found that if you turn the throttle down to 3/4 it does a lot better. Usually don't have to go full throttle unless the leaves are wet. I also have a layer of single sided foam tape about 1/2" thick around the top of the barrel. Helps seal it better.

[eggy]

When operating the trac vac for leaves, how often do you dump?? And also a concern of mine doesnt the contanier become extremly heavy to dump being large?

[watatrp]

After emptying it a few hundred times, you get the feel of how far you can go before it gets full. The trick is to empty it before it fills up so the hoses don't get clogged.
The Trac-Vac I have has a hinged holder for the container so when it gets really heavy just make sure you are where you want to dump and then tilt it back and let it go. Takes all of about 15 seconds for me to dump.

[Skookum]

I purchased a Cyclone Rake this past summer. It works very well. On a ZTR though it really whips out there on the end. It is not a very good choice for a small property.

[Stonewall]

The beauty of the Turf Specialty or Peco is it can dump from the seat. Back up to where you are dumping, and let her out. Never leave the seat and back to work in 10 seconds. You don't even have to shut the blade off if you don't want to.

Ditto on emptying before it fills completely. That will definitely clog the hoses.

[eggy]

Hey guys thought I would tell you that Scag is going to be out with their bagging system like the tiger cubs this spring for the turf tiger! I decided to go with the scag bagger, so scag owners it will be ready in a few weeks!

[Rodney Johns]

The peco works great. Fairly inexpensive and reliable. If you really want to bag grass though get Walker. Best mower for grass collection on the planet.

[LJ lawn]

i just adapted the track-vac to use on my toro-z ,the problems i've encountered with the track-vac are similar to what everone else is complaining about (stuff hitting you in the neck etc).i glued thick a piece of rubber weatherstrip all the way around the top part of the lid where it meets the can,seemed to give a lot better seal.i also had to use a large hoseclamp to clamp the little dust screen onto the inside of the lid as it kept coming off.the other problems are the weight distribution of the unit on the mower.you have to bolt metal weights to the front of the machine to keep it from "floating" over the grass when you hit bumps, or having problems with loading it on your trailer because the catcher bucket scrapes the ground as you drive up the trailer.you can also get a 15'piece of hose and use it to suck leaves out of the beds with the track-vac.but since i 've gotten a WALKER mower i've hardly used the track-vac all season.

[Jet boater]

Well....

I just placed my order for a Cyclone Rake, Commercial version.

I've been mulling over the advantages and disadvantages of the pull behind type vacuums versus the "mount-over-motor" type vacuums and I settled down on this.

It sure seemed that Peco and Turf Specialities were very "proud" of their equipment versus the features I could get in the Cyclone. Even though the Cyclone is kind of pricey (around $1500), with only using it for private use, I couldn't justify the Peco or TS at over $2000.

[crs]

I know it wont help you now, but the best collection system I have tried is an Excel Hustler 251k. It is extremely compact, holds 8 bushels, can be swapped to a rear discharge in less than 30 seconds, does not require an additional engine or blower, has no tubes to clog and dumps from the seat. I do like to use gator blades when collecting leaves oterwise the standard blades work fine. It might be a good choice if you can find one used.

[Jet boater]

One thing I liked about the larger Cyclone is that it has a capacity of 32 bushels.

[Daryl]

Trac Vac fix

We discovered a solution that dramatically reduces debries hitting you in the neck and also allows the barrels to be filled with more material which is expecially helpful in the fall.

We threw away the netting that was around the exhaust vent. We found that especially when the conditions were dry or that trees were seeding (fluff) this netting would get clogged up and would result in the lid bulging and lifting up off the container and blowing material on your neck.

We replaced the netting with wire mesh similar to the mesh that was used on door frames and corners from old plaster houses. They use it today for exteriour stucco houses around edges etc. It is a very light grade mesh with holes approx 1/8 of an inch maybe slightly large in a diamond type patter. Watch your fingers when installing it it can cut you easily. We just bent it to fit and wired it on. We found all kinds of advantages. We had way better air flow because now the dust and tiny debris that clogged the netting just passed through. Also because it was sharp and rigid, when leaves are dry it crushes them almost to dirt. Amazing how many leaves fit in that barrel. To the point you can barely lift it. Spring cleaning is made easier as the dry power raked grass settles to the bottom rather than clogging. Wet grass no longer clogs the unit and you are able to bag in some pretty wet conditions. With the better air flow you can run that motor at full power and you no longer get blow back from the deck especially in the spring and fall when raking grass and leaves.

With the netting in place we hated the unit. Since we replaced the netting with the wire it is like a completely different product. Now the only thing we don't like is the length of the unit it makes the ZTR.

[LJ lawn]

cool idea ,i'm gonna try that wire mesh..now if i can only find a decent grass chute that fits the toro deck i'll be in good shape.