Cyclone Rake Lessons Learned
Written: May 09 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: What a workhorse! Does everything it claims to do efficiently and effortlessly.
Cons: What a horse! Takes up quite a bit of room, no choice of engines.
The Bottom Line: Got a lot of leaves to pick up? Buy a Cyclone Rack!
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| mikemcd_2008's Full Review: Cyclone Rake |
Long commentary, so lets get to the bottom line first: Yes, I highly, highly recommend a Cyclone Rake.
My Commercial model(now called Commercial Pro) is now 4 years old, I mow 2.5 acres a week and pick-up leaves in a 25 acre adjoining park each Fall. My Cyclone Rake does its job as well today as the day it arrived. Assembly was a snap, and operation is straight forward once you get used to the extra length. NOTE: I would highly recommend a first time user initially using your Cyclone Rake around open area trees. After you are comfortable with the extended length, wider frame / hoses, and changed turning radius, then move on to mowing around higher valued objects -- cars, A/C units, etc.
Lesson learned over the last 4 years:
1. The dual wheels are a must. A neighbor has a single wheel model and after a few years he has visible ruts in his yard. Also the wheels have a tendency to wobble when the bag is empty, this causes the pivot bolt to back out. I fixed this problem by installing a concave spring washer, since the washer exerts constant pressure on the pivot bolt it can't slip and back out. I initially cross drilled the bolt head and safety wired it; that worked too, but the spring washer solution is much simpler, and just as effective.
2. Draining the engine oil. The drains are directly over the frame and make quite a mess when servicing the engine. But there is an easy solution. I installed a magnetic drain in the rear (bag side) drain plug hole (you can find one at any go-kart shop or on-line kart shop (for example: http://www.checkeredflagfuels.com/). In the front drain plug hole install a 1 inch long 1/4" nipple attached to a 1/4" elbow. Tighten the nipple so that the elbow faces down and reinstall the stock drain plug in the elbow. When you service your engine drain the oil through the front drain plug (now the waste oil easily misses the frame) and before installing the fresh oil remove and clean the rear magnetic drain plug. NOTE: You will be amazed how much metal the magnetic drain plug picks up.
3. Check that the engine is actually operating at 3600 RPM. For another project I purchased a non-contact tachometer. To familiarize myself with it I tested the RPM of my lawn tractor, generator, and the cyclone Rake. Not a single engine was operating at their stated optimal RPM. The Cyclone Rake was off by over 400 RPM and after I adjusted it seemed to run much better. It might be just be wishful thinking but I believe I'm using less fuel and I know the engine is operating more smoothly. You probably don't have a non-contact tachometer, ask a tractor shop or maybe a small engine repair shop, you will be happier with the FREE added performance.
Other:
No engine choice. I'm not a fan of Tecumseh engines and this one is okay but why no choices? In the catalogues Briggs, Honda, Robin, and Tecumseh all vary in cost +- $100. In my case I would have spent the extra bucks for a diesel engine: Kubota, Hatz, Robin-Subaru, as my tractor is a Kubota and I prefer using a single fuel. Also given the projected longevity of the Cyclone Rake, and my Kubota I'm going to have these machines for many years so why should I have to be disgruntled year after year?
Recommended:
Yes
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mikemcd_2008
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