Agri-Fab Mow-N-Vac review, unloading tips, repairs and operating after 12 years of ownership.
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Review and operation video of my Agri-Fab vacuum that I have owned for 12 years. Includes some easy dumping tips and repairs I have had to make along the way. I also talk about a critical design flaw in the cart that contributes to difficult load dumping. @JSProjectWild
I got same setup for 10 + yrs with bobcat mower. Similar issues, tipped over, leaf collector at deck…I still have not found easy way to dump the trailer, 99% of time if pitch fork it out, less full is easier on my old body. 🇺🇸👏🏻
Yes Larry! Thanks for that comment---my misery loves your company! We soldier on. ✌️
Nice to see a video on this unit where it’s not just a small yard with a couple tiny ornamental trees!
I appreciate that comment! Yeah, about 5 acres with over a hundred trees---I don't know what I was thinking, LOL.
I have owned a Swisher yard vacuum since 2009 and my only repairs has been a new hose due to dragging the ground at times. I have since modified the rod that the bungee connects to and use 2 straps. The trailer has never needed repairs. The canvas type upper housing will eventually need replaced. Swisher no longer makes these so I will have to get a custom made or modify a canvas cover to work. I have a similar lawn 2.5 acres with a heavy tree population. Big job approximately 4 hours each time and that requires at least 5 times per season. Plus leaf blowing. Wears me out at 74.
Thanks for commenting! The only Swisher product I owned was a 60" finish cut pull behind mower that I pulled with my John Deere 430 w/60" deck. Problem was I had to slow down so much because that Swisher couldn't evacuate the grass fast enough. The thicker the grass the slower I had to go. Sold it after two seasons. Maybe call Swisher and ask if they know of where you could find a canvas top?
@@JSProjectWildThanks for the reply. My issue is the zippered rear cover binds and the zipper is going bad. I fight with it every cycle of dumping. Trailer is serious heavy duty metal. I may have to come up with a better method of closure. It's a fairly tight fit or I would use velcro sewn in.
Might want to try some graphite or dry moly spray on that zipper to see if it helps before having to replace it.@@larrydering1598
I just bought a brand new one and yes it has a different mount and a smaller Brigs and Stratton engine. (163cc/ 5 horse)
I am very impressed with it.
I watched several videos on the Agrifab and other brands including your video before purchasing. $1500 Canadian dollars with a coupon for 10 percent off. I bought it at Peavey Mart. Used to be called T.S.C.
For the money, I think it's a pretty good machine.
Your video and some maintenance and still working after 12 years made my decision.
Thank you for posting.
Bill
That's great Bill, I hope it serves you well. Getting mine ready for this season which will start in a couple weeks here. First time trying hot glue to repair a few holes in the intake hose. Thanks for taking the time to comment!!!
I bought mine last year and was looking for improvement ideas. You did such a great job with this information and experience video. Great Job!
Thank you Mark!!! And it's that time of year again but so wet here I can't get started.
Thanks for the video. I borrowed a friends older agri-fab, first time using one of those things and was amazed. I ran out and bought one off Craigslist 2 days later. I got an newer one with that tripod engine mount crap, haven't tried it yet.
Bet you'll like it fine. Take the time to wax that inside for dumping. Appreciate the comment!
If you enjoyed this video you might want to view the stump grinder review and on machine bit sharpening video---ua-cam.com/video/zBhkbETqAQ4/v-deo.html
Here is a link to Agri-Fab vacuuming 5 acres---ua-cam.com/video/Kd0VHYBgJqQ/v-deo.html
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Glad I'm not the only one that sees all the same poorly engineered flaws on this machine. Bought one and yeah it works but man. I'm guessing a high school engineering class designed it. Motor placement, axle placement. Inferior hose quality and width. To hook it up takes a strong back with all the weight of the motor on the tongue. Bottleneck opening not allowing it to dump. I will say the motor starts easy and runs good. But I regret not getting a cyclone rake for my zero turn.. I don't like how the hose drags on the ground. I've tried all kinds of bungee cord set ups and still struggle to keep it from dragging. This thing is best in an open field. You have the best test ground s for it for sure. Wow. Have you found a way to minimize the dust blow out? Was thinking of mounting a cheese cloth over the rear vent area. Dust clouds when it's dry fill the neighborhood. I live in a subdivision. 9 100 ft tall trees and a back back and after using one of these 40 yrs ago mowing yards in Highschool I thought well it worked then so let's try it now. Design hasn't changed at all. Lol. It blows up soooo much dust. Waiting for neighbors to complain but none have yet. I wish Agrifab would let some consumers help them redesign it. It works but I agree there are way too many engineering flaws with it and there are better ones on the market. I have had mine for 3 yrs. I have the new smaller engine. It has plenty of power to do the job. Not sure why they went smaller. Increased profit I guess. The engine mount does seem small but so far no issues.
Wow Brent you nailed some points I didn't mention, especially the tongue weight and dragging hose. I thought maybe the hose dragging was common on leaf vacs. The bottleneck cart design is just asinine! I don't think you'll be able to reduce dust without negatively effecting the vacuum efficiency. I don't have neighbors close enough to see me but if I did the worst thing for them would be seeing me strip my dusty clothes off down to my skivvies before entering the house. I certainly appreciate the comment Brent!
I agree wholeheartedly. This machine is so poorly designed it's almost laughable. Now I'm crying that I bought it. My old 30 year old Craftsman leaf vac was far superior in every way.
A neighbor sold me his unit that looks like this video one. The blower cage inside and outside cover housings have dents and rust holes in them. I found new ones and just ordered them and a new hose. I also am looking at the universal attachment to hook to my Scagg Freedom Z shoot. Thanks for the video, I wanted to see if this thing can be kept up.
You should really be able to rip with that Skagg. The 60" deck on my Dixon is a little too big and I have to go at a snails pace sometimes. I think the Agri-Fab is rated for a 52" deck max. Thanks for watching! Chuck!
@@JSProjectWild My Freedom Z has a 48" deck, still I have large oak trees that are just 60" from the fence line. I may have to use my Cub 46" just for that reason. These trees shed their leave all year here in Florida are the reason I bought the Agri-Fab. Worn out blowers trying to keep the leaves out of my shop.
I put a tarp in the box of mine ...Huge difference in dumping takes about 5 minutes or less ..seen a UA-cam video on how to do it
Thanks for watching and commenting!!!
I just rake mine out it's just as easy. I have a holder I bolted on the side to mount my rake
I vac 5 acres with over 180 trees. Takes about 8 hours to vac it all once and I usually have to do it 3 or 4 times a season. So for me dumping is much easier and faster than raking. When the leaves are wet, I have to rake.
Do you like the tires on your Dixon? I got a 5421 Dixon with the same tires and excited to see how they work on it
Carlisle Super Lugs, before they started making them in China. Great traction! Could not pull the cart loaded with wet leaves without those tires. Thanks for watching!!!
Hello great video but i have a question how to do you keep grass from building up in the Chute
I wish I had the absolute solution to that problem. If I had to answer---#1 go slower, #2 don't run over any sticks, #3 never vac when wet. I wish it was an 8 inch system. Thanks for watching!!!
Hi. Thanks for the review. How does air exit the trailer unit? I’m thinking of building one.
Thank you for watching!!! You might have noticed the cart lid extends over the rear gate by about 4 inches and there's a screen up there that allows the air to escape over the backside of the gate while the leaves are trapped inside.
Ok that helps, thanks for the reply. I’m looking at the DR dumping - really empties nice.
i'm thinking these leaves will rot and work good in my garden. spread rotten leaves in fall and plant potatoes in the spring, wont have to dig!!
Yes, lots of mulch. Thanks for watching!!!
Short of looking inside or running it until it stops picking up ( and clogs everything up) How do you know when it's getting full?
That's a great question James! I've put so many hours on this set up I can usually tell when the cart is full by the sudden but subtle change of tone in the Briggs engine and vac impeller, even with my earplugs in. When I hear this change I then look behind to see if the air is still blowing on the ground at the back of the cart and if it's not blowing as hard I know the cart is full. And, if the leaves are dry some of them will blow out of the boot at the top front of the cart. However, there is a very fine line between noticing all this and stopping before it plugs up. Thanks for watching!!!
Where did you get that from I would love to have one for leaf season
Tractor Supply Co. (TSC).
How quickly does it fill up? How many minutes till you have to dump? How many times do you dump each time you do it? Does it mulch it up pretty good?
A lot of variables would determine those answers. Type of leaves and how dry or wet they are. As far as mulching, If I remember right Agri-Fab claims 10 to 1 but I would guess more like 5 to 1 mulching. Of course when I used gator blades the mulching was better however more was left on the lawn so I switched back to regular blades.
Yes same with an debris loader. I’m a landscaper. And the debris loader claims 12 to 1 but I also say the loader probably is 6 to one.
I was thinking of hooking it up to a belt driven mulcher so it goes through the deck, the belt mulcher, then the Agrifab (if I bought one).
hello i have a problem with my the grass keeps building up in the collector what can i do to fix this or maybe not enought pressure
By "collector" I'm assuming you mean the deck boot chute? First I would check the full length of the hose to make sure nothing is lodged sideways in it such as sticks that would reduce suction. I sealed the area around the hose adapter to the impeller housing with foam stripping because I was losing suction there. Also, one time I sucked in a 3-inch rock that bent an impeller so I had to disassemble and straighten that impeller blade. Note; I don't use mine for grass but some grass does go in when vacuuming leaves, of course. Please take the time to let us all know if you find a solution. Thanks for watching!!! 🦾
Where dis u get the replacement hose? I just bought this unit used and I need a longer hose for it to work on my zero turn.
I think Amazon but not sure. I bought 20 ft. of it about five years ago and just installed the last of it yesterday. 20 ft. was enough to replace it twice with some left over. Thanks for watching!!!
@@JSProjectWildDR sells hose. Make sure you get the right diameter. I believe I bought a heavy poly hose on ebay. 10 ft was over 100 dollars.
@jsprojectwild8351 if u ever recall where u got it, lmk. I just bought a 10ft off Amazon and it was barely 6ft. Will be sending it back.
I just don't remember where I got it. But check out vacuhose.com, 10 footers for $87 and 25 ft. for $180.---I didn't check on shipping cost. Amazon has 10 ft for $117 shipped. Let us know what you went with.@@heiner921
Wrap a tarp in it and pull the tarp when you dump.
Thanks for watching.
how did you replace the vinyl boot on the elbow?
If you are referring to the boot on the cart that goes over the blower snout, I drilled out the rivets and attached it with screws and nuts. Thanks for watching!
Would replacing the rivets with rivet nuts hbolt work? Or is the sheet metal too thin?
Harbor Freight sells some rivet nut setters that should make swapping out the canvas around that elbow easier
Did you say, "leaf a comment"?
😁👍
Curious if anyone has experience loading & unloading unit to a trailer?
I have not loaded it onto a trailer but I'm pretty sure I couldn't manually pull or push it up a trailer ramp by myself, but with a buddy no problem. I did see a video somewhere that a guy had one loaded on a trailer so he could drive around and use the optional long suction hose attachment to suck up leaf piles for his clients.
Thanks for watching and commenting Steve!!!
Put a tarp in the box ..easy dumping
Planned obsolescence
Absolutely!
Great comment!
these are so cheap they must be chinese!! not worth price at lows of 1700$.
They now advertise "Made in USA with global components. Wheels and engine made in China". Yes, even some Briggs engines are now made in China.
I think a better, more stable/durable one could be built for less than $1700 with maybe a HD 4x6 trailer frame and a wood box. Unlike metal, a wood box is more flexible and easier to repair..
@@JSProjectWild It should say "ASSEMBLED in the USA from globally source parts." Not much is MADE or MANUFACTURED in the USA anymore. Caps used to emphasize the difference between terms.