# Cyclone Rake



## ironhead (Mar 25, 2012)

I have a Cyclone Rake lawn vac system. Love it! Great piece of machinery! I am curious if anyone else out there has one and what they think. My only complaint is the way it hooks to the mower with the two hitch pins. There is only so much flexibility allowed by these pins. Loading and unloading on a trailer or going up and down steep slopes put a lot of stress on the plate and the back of my mower. This stress caused the holes that the pins go in to elongate and therefore create slop in the holes.

A machinist friend and I have developed a hitch that allows for unlimited movement both vertically and horizontally. I have even sent a DVD to Cyclone Rake showing how my hitch works. I am trying to market this hitch. If anyone owns a Cyclone Rake and has experienced this problem I would love to show you my hitch. Just get in touch with me and I can send you a URL to watch the video. I know that you will see the advantages of this hitch over the original hitch. There is no more stress on the back of my mower. The hitch pins have now been replaced with bolts. No more elongation of the holes and therefore no more slop. 

You can contact me through this thread or via my email at [email protected].

Thank You,
Ironhead


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## talkin (Apr 9, 2011)

Ironhead: See my four part commentary on here about this product if you're interested.

Yes, I struggled with the hitch too. I finally realized that the reason they have the double hitch tongue is because the weight becomes too heavy if you let the bag fill up. Without the double hitch you run the risk of getting stuck around a corner an unable to move because of the weight.

Like you I dislike the double tongue but I also accept the logic behind it being there.


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## ironhead (Mar 25, 2012)

Well we have a different take on the double hitch. In order for the Cyclone Rake to work as one unit with your mower it has to be hooked up in two places, if not it would be like the Agri Fab lawn vac and you would have to have a longer hose because it takes more hose to turn to the left than to the right. With the design of the Cyclone Rake and it being on caster wheels it does away with all the extra hose because it all turns together. But I do understand what you are saying.

Having said all of this, this hitch that I have designed and made still has the double hook up, but it pivots both vertically and horizontally and does away with all the pressure on the back of the mower and all the pressure on the pins. If you are having trouble with the pins elongating the holes on the hitch plate, the hitch I have built will solve that problem. If you would like to see the hitch just let me know and I will send you a URL where you can see the hitch and how it works.

Thanks for answering this thread.

Ironhead


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## ironhead (Mar 25, 2012)

By the way, how do I see your commentary on this?


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## ironhead (Mar 25, 2012)

In March of 2012, I posted about a hitch I made for the Cyclone Rake. I cant believe time has flown so fast. I have sold several since the original post, but now that I am getting closer to retirement, I am ready to build more. As stated in my earlier post, I sent a DVD to Cyclone Rake showing them what I have come up with to alleviate the problem that I find with their hitch. The two-pin hook up doesn't now allow enough movement, and ,therefore, your mounting plate will wear out because of the elongation of the holes from the pulling force and from side to side movement. Also if you are loading or unloading your unit on a trailer, it puts a big bind on the back of your mower. The problem is that the rake is being pulled in two points on two small pins. When the bag starts to fill and gets heavier the elongation of the holes start. I have come up with a way to spread that pulling force over a much bigger area on the mounting plate. Actually I don't even use the two hole system. 

Below you will see a video of my hitch in action picking up leaves at my mother-in-law's. I purposely went up and down this bank to show the movement of my hitch. To view the video, highlight the link and then right click. A menu will come up and then just click on the link.

https://youtu.be/SK8QNqc6KwA

I guarantee you, you can't do that with the original mounting plate without putting a ton of pressure on the back of your mower or the two pins that hook the rake to the mounting plate. With my hitch you won't have that problem anymore. My hitch has 180 degree movement vertically and horizontally. There is always going to be the same pulling force on the frame of the rake, not much I can do about that but I can alleviate the issues with the two pin system and the pressure on the back of your mower. Email me at [email protected]. I can solve that problem and make you a better hitch with better mobility. I have not had one sent back yet or had anyone call or email me not happy with the hitch.


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