Leaf Vacuum / Mulcher

Overview

In autumn a lawn can disappear under fallen leaves faster than they can be raked. A leaf vacuum and mulcher solves this by sucking the leaves up, shredding them to a fraction of their volume, and bagging the mulch, which can then be composted or spread as a thin layer. This model is a wheeled petrol machine pushed across the yard like a mower, but with a vacuum nozzle instead of a cutting deck.

The Petrol Engine is an air-cooled overhead-valve petrol unit started by a Recoil Starter, fed by a float-bowl Carburetor, and fired by the Spark Plug. Unusually it drives no gearbox or belt: the impeller mounts straight on its crankshaft.

How it works

The heart of the machine is the Impeller & Shredder. A Blower Motor-style fan drive spins a steel Shredding Impeller that does two jobs at once. Its blades act as a vacuum pump, pulling a fast air stream in through the nozzle, and they also chop the leaves carried in that stream. A heavy Cutting Line flails the debris further, and a Shred Screen holds material in the chamber until it is fine enough to pass, which is what gives the large volume reduction. The shredded stream is thrown out the volute toward the bag, riding on Ball Bearing supports.

Leaves reach the impeller through the Intake & Chute: a wide floor nozzle, a flexible hose, and a discharge chute that delivers mulch into the Collection Bag, a breathable fabric sack that traps debris while letting the air escape.

Construction

The engine and housing sit on the Frame & Wheels, a welded frame on four Wheel Assembly wheels. The operator steers from the Push Handle, and a Intake Guard screens the impeller inlet against hands and stones. The unit is bolted together with a shared Fastener Set.