I shortened my hose and had it hanging from the overhead arm about 6 inches above the ground. I don’t have to pick up the hose anymore and just drive over the pile. It swings back and forth picking up as I drive. Saves me arm and shoulder labor. I do have to rake and blow every once in a while.
Best setup...PERIOD! I have the same setup. I've had it for 2 years now. A 14' dump trailer w/9' sides. The only difference is that I have my vacuum mounted on the front, on a custom frame that allows the toolbox to open. I leave it on year-round and its never in the way for mulch or topsoil, stone, brush, etc. The best part about that 37hp vac is the "Piranha blade" impeller. I easily get a 15:1 reduction on normal leaves. I also hooked up LED work lights along the working side and vac area, and a roadside strobe for safety. I just ran wires with large alligator clips to the battery on the vacuum. Just attach them or remove them as you need. You need another truck for the equipment. Next year purchase a Scag Windstorm and take your productivity to the next level. You'll be amazed. Between the vac system and that blower, you'll be just as productive as 5 or 6 man crew without the need or stress to hire additional help. If you bill by the man hour, your biggest problem will become cheating yourself out of billable labor because everything will get done in a fraction of the time. Good luck to you!
I love this video. It was so satisfying to watch. I remember when I was in my early teens I used to work for a lawn/landscaping company and we were cleaning up this Presbyterian school and it took about a week to finish and we used back pack blowers, walk behind leaf blowers, rakes, and big tarps. We'd rake/blow it up in a tarp then picked the tarp up and throw it in the back of dump truck. I wish we had that vacuum truck/trailer. This was in the mid 1990's. I really enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work.
One thing I must say about all you tubers,is that the camera angels always make the watching of the videos so much more interesting,thanks to you you tubers for doing that,its so much fun😀
Unbelievable. I can only fathom how much money is invested in that whole truck trailer leaf vacuum setup. I haven’t seen one like this either where it’s built right into the dump trailer with a fancy rounded mesh roof with metal framing. This is the best one I’ve seen yet. Amazing setup and nice work!! I’m trying to get into leaf cleanups it’s my first year in business and I have a zero turn with no bagger and a redmax 8500.
I remember leaf season with my dads company. He had a f250 with a dump bed. He built the sides of dump bed higher with wooden planks and we put the cover right top just like you guys along with the leaf vac on the tail gate. This also let us pull the whole trailer with equipment we needed.
I always found it worked faster with such a large ridge of leaves to vacuum it all in two or three passes, that eliminates the need to get out and rake and overall takes less time.
Shawn I hope you notice in the video at 12 minute mark that a fire was coming from the machine might had a lot of dust or leaf buildup around it, anyway looks like it is an awesome beast doing leave cleanup hope you all have a safe and wonderful weekend
Just a suggestion 1) can you turn the motor 90 degrees CCW and 2) have the fab shop put a radius bend in the chain bar to the outside. To give you more reach. You are having to fight it too much. Maybe when leaf season is over. Great job
@@TheRaineblack I HOPE IT IS BETTER THEN THIS...... I KNOW THEY ARE WORKING WITH WHAT THEY HAVE BUT, THERE ARE BETTER THINGS TO USE THAT DON'T TAKE ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!.... DAY TO GET THE JOB DONE... THE ONLY THING THAT SAVED YOU SOME TIME WAS THE FACT YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BAG ANY THING.... I WAS JUST THINKING, I, HAVE NOT BEEN TO THE GYM FOR A YEAR THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD WORK OUT FOR ME. WOULD HAVE MADE UP FOR ALL THE TIME I'VE LOSS. THAT WAS ONE YEAR OF WORK DONE IN ONE DAY!!... I'M MORE THEN SURE YOU ARE USE TO HARD WORK!! YARD WORK IS NOT EASY!!!..... 10-4. OAO !!!!....
Looks great. Great set up. Just a suggestion. Place a big mud flap about half way down your trailer where the blower is to help baffle down the leaves. Great clean up
You all are my favorite mowing couple you all do so well together. Two kids. I had five set of twins. 78 now. Can’t do what I’d like to do. But I love love to mow. Can’t get off one now. Wish I had Spencer down here to build me a ramp. Small to get up on. Ha ha. We live on Ohio River but I’d love to live on. Ocean Take you all with me. We could get into something. Take care and I love you all
Hey shawn it's Rocco from R &J landscaping here in Connecticut from experience its Easier to put hose on ground and rake them in to it if not you will be sore in places you never have before it definitely separates the men from the boys I can tell you that from experience thanks as always enjoy your videos there appreciated thanks your friend Rocco from Connecticut Hi TQ
Shawn you need to seal up around where the tube enters the trailer because at the 12 minute mark your video shows leafs blowing back out of that opening down onto the Billy Goats engine exhaust and catching on fire
Pro tip: I used to do leaf cleanups and the company I worked for had a a couple debris loaders. The issue with the handled ones is you drag them across the ground alot, so all of the debris loaders would have a ton of holes and wear towards the opening from dragging it on the ground. May I suggest putting a wear guard at the bottom of the entrance of the pipe? I think it would really protects against wear and holes. Anyways, I absolutely love your channel and have been watching since a few thousand subscribers. Don't ever change :)
Just a suggestion guys in a spot like that one of u can stay in truck the other run the vac hose move forward as you vacuum all the way down. Back up do it again so you are not killing yourself trying to bend the hose, or get an extension you can disconnect so you can make hose longer to me looks a little to short . Just my 2 cents but great job guys.
Or another idea take the flex tube of mount a solid 10 tube on your vac machine mount with a hinge for storage when moving from job to job, make the solid plastic pipe 8 ft long cut vertical space 5ft in length at the bottom of the tube , turn on the machine and drive slowly through the leaves,, I worked for a county road and parks dept that how we solved the leaf pickup job
Awesome!! My only issue is your posting time. I’ve been used to watching you in the evenings for several years usually shortly after you post. Great video Shawn. Thanks for the years of great content. I’ve loved watching your business grow and you getting smaller!!!
Nice job and set up. Not that I’m lazy I just hate leaf rakes, I would put the sucker house down wind when possible set it at the pile use the back pack blower feathering the trigger to feed the sucker house. Raking like that is hard on your body shoulders etc lead to long term health issues like playing sports with your kids. Stay healthy and safe everyone.
That was great! Nice seeing a jobs time cut in half, I know that has to be so satisfying. The exhaust fire was a bit scary! I was screaming at you but you didn't hear me. Then you knocked us over again 😁. Take care, Hope your Dad is doing ok from the surgery!
2:27 TQ had me lmao when she turned that debris loader to full throttle tried to pick up the hose & looked at Shawn like holy crap this is going to kick my butt 😂 Sorry TQ but that was to funny. You hanged in there though & did a great job 💪
Awesome video! :D I was thinking about a tool balancer for the intake hose. They are inexpensive and easy to install. You can adjust the cable length so the tip of the hose wont drag on the ground. Will make the job easier for you guys too!
So would it be better to work from one end of the pile and backing the trailer up to the end or working from the side like y’all were doing just asking?
Next time TQ uses the loader try adjusting the chain support so she can use it with less effort. Great video. I just got a 13 horse billy goat and love it.
That’s crazy hoe much time that leaf vac saves and it looks fun to use the chickens already look bigger than they were when you got them. Love the video you guys are awsome
That is one monster of a machine. I'd say you definitely earned your bucks today. And will sleep great tonite! Thanks for sharing with us. Ken in Florida
Look how the grass is faded under the leaves ! OMG ! The 37 Vanguard engine is so powerful that it is sucking the green out of the grass ! Spencer Lawn Care doesn't play around.
Nice set up, helpful hint can you try turning the loader to the side that your picking up the piles, it would make it easier and faster to pickup the piles because the hose is always straight with no curves less possible clogging.
I loved the video!! Something I’ve learned over the years tho, don’t touch product multiple times if you don’t have to. Why scoop the leaves closer to the hose when you are driving that direction anyways? Also remember, every single time you switch a task, you use up transition time. I would have just done the back and forth hose while driving continuously (no rake), go back with a rake and a blower to accumulate again and repeat. Process matters yes but process order is equally as important. Great job nonetheless!
Great job on the clean up, I just have an opinion that might help, you may have already thought about it, but looks like a struggle working that hose back and forth, maybe if you moved your hose support up on the hose at least 12-15 inches it would take a lot of weight off you guys, and I also noticed your support pole wouldn’t swing around very far because of the blow nozzle, if you could extend that pole up at least 2 foot you could clear the nozzle and swing over top it. Also I just wondered if you thought about using your Toros with the baggers and just dump them at the edge of the road for pickup ? I thought it could be quicker than trying to blow all the leaves to the edge.
PA LAWN GUY> Like the videos. Spencer why do most of you I watch not mulch up the leaves then blow to the street and suck them up. I find the volume much less to deal with and leave behind a hidden thin layer that makes great top-soil for the next year. I bag the excess up with the mower bagging system that leaves the thin layer down in the grass. That layer does not choke out the grass and it comes to rapid life and spreads like wild fire with the fresh soil and nutrients that the well mulched leaves left behind gives.
Hey Shaw n you might want to try putting a ratchet strap from where you unhook the chain to the end of the hose that way you can control the height of the end of the hose keep it about an inch or inch and a half above the ground that way you're able to swing the hose it will be a lot easier and a lot better on yourself that way all you have to do is push those and move those around
That was an amazing job Spencer’s. A lot of physicality, I was worn out just watching lol. Great investment, cuts down considerably on time. Just think, the more you use it, the better you’ll get. The wind was not on your side today, but overall, incredible job for the 2 of you. Bet you’ll be feeling this day later. Relax,& enjoy your downtime.💯❤️👍🏾✝️🙏🏾😀🇺🇸
Just a quick tip..at 16:30 when it clogs up at the tip like that, just give it a couple quick kicks. My 18hp Scag does that all the time, couple quick kicks and back in business.
Hi Shawn your going to ware your shoulders out with all that raking. Our Vac mounts to the front of the dump and we take the lawn trailer with us to clean up any lose leaves plus we never wind row leaves its to much work that way. The truck stays still and leaves come to the vac by way of the lazer Z pushing them much better plus buy 2 nine inch potato forks a world of difference moving heavy leaves. You look like me 30 years ago when I got my vac all hype up on energy . Makes me smile . done with leaves Monday or Tuesday . Good luck.
I built a support arm for my hose that swivels in the middle and attaches in two places to the hose. Less sagging and less clogging and less weight for the operator to handle. I also make piles of leaves instead of rows so you don't move the truck as often...and NEVER carry a rake. We blow them.
That's the machine and set up I would go with 100% y'all did an awesome job and awesome build I have a few suggestions that I believe I saw or could suggest by watching the video like the discoloration in the trailer from the debris being loaded maybe put up some type of inexpensive sacrificial boards or material so it's not beating up on the aluminum. And also I have seen a few videos where they put some type of Bungee material or strap along with the chain in the middle of y'all's hose you'll figure it out great decision I believe
I bave a similar setup with a 7x12 12kgvwr. I was pulled over by local pd with my trailer and F350 Empty and given 14 tickets for not having DOT#s. This year alot of local PDs are starting to target guyas like ourselfs with dot offenses to replace lost dwi revenue. If you dont have USDOT#s its free on FMCA.GOV to create. Wish i had known ahead of time since i was always under impression it went by actual weight driving not combined gvwr of truck and trailer. Expensive lesson.
Great job. I would of had 2 more people there, one in truck like you said and one on blower blowing leaves to pile. I would of started from end of driveway and finish near street since wind was blowing that way. Great video I’m new here
I noticed today that the one lawn care company by us.has trolley wheels attached to their chute about 12-18 inches back from the end. I imagine that could take some of the strain off the back and arms. They also had what looked like a piece of tarp acting as a damper. It was all attached to a dump truck lower than yours.
You don't know unless you try? Might be easier mulching the leaves as you blow them to the road, while backing over them once in a while? But hey, everybody has their own opinion. Great work guys and gals! I think T A has a system going there? Hope you have a fire extinguisher handy? Think I might put a zipp tie on the end of that loose chain?
Have TQ in the truck pulling forward like little by little as Shawn sweeps back and forth with the hose do worry about every single leaf then she can back up and pull the truck a little closer and keep pulling forward little by little as your sucking the leaves then you can tidy up and suck up what you was not able to get Hope you understand what I was trying to explain
👌 nice.. love mine to. That trailer is awesome. My personal opinion is to put the loader on the front of the trailer. But if it works for you like that why not. Keep making money
That's insane in a good way. I wonder if it would be way easier to use if you put a couple swivel wheels under the suction tube. Then it hovers 2 to 4 inches above the ground and it's like moving a refrigerator versus carrying the refrigerator.
shawn i know from running a leaf vac. if you tighten that chain on you vac. hose put a little bend in you not be trying lift that hose it will make life a lot easier you can just try it if you do not like put back just trying to help you out
You have to make sure there are no small children hiding in the leaves... at the 16 minute mark I was wondering if you sucked one up and clogged the hose. ;~) On another note, after your video the other day, where you first showed the trailer set up, I got thinking about it... In the long run perhaps you could make a bottom for the top walls that would fit inside the dump trailer and attach to the bottom of the top walls. Then you could take the "box" and blower off the trailer easily which would make the trailer easier to use (e.g., bulk mulch, stone, shrubs, bulk salt, etc. could be loaded from the side easier). I envisioned using jacks like they use on pick up truck campers so you can jack it up and pull the trailer out.
Do you think if you put some kind of strap at the end of the intake to the leaf vacuum it would help?? A strap you could throw over your shoulder to help with the weight of the tube end.. Something similar to those straps used by movers for appliances..
