2021 - Volume #45, Issue #6, Page #11
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Home-Built Dethatcher, Lawn Vacuum
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His home-built vacuum dethatcher has swinging knife blades staggered every 1/2 in. on two rods that are 180 degrees apart. “Three sets of knives are on the ground at any time, which happens four times every revolution at about 300 to 350 rpm’s.”
The first version he built didn’t take his steep terrain into consideration. Driving up the side of a ditch caused the vacuum hose to collapse, while going over hilltops made it stretch to the point of breaking.
The solution for Bunniss was to put two hitches on the trailer. In this version, the top hitch pushes the trailer back while driving up and tips it forward once the tractor makes it over the top. The vertical distance between the hitches is the same from the front and back, which ensures that the distance between the outlet of the fan/vacuum and the intake of the trailer stays consistent.
Bunniss’s dethatcher was designed to be 5-ft. wide to match his 60-in. mower.
Looking forward, Bunniss is considering using the dethatcher to level out the portions of his lawn torn up by deer. There are also plans to hook the quick-hitch to the tractor’s steering system to let the dethatcher turn corners automatically for easier navigation around trees and corners. He also plans to rebuild the vacuum trailer to streamline the process of dumping grass and leaves, either with hydraulics or an actuator.
“Dethatching a lawn with a rotary unit is not for the weak of heart. It has to be coupled with some sort of vacuum pick-up system otherwise it’ll make a mess. This is especially true if the lawn has not been dethatched for many years.”
Bunniss would be more than happy to help anyone who wants to build similar equipment.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tony Bunniss, Webster, Minn. (glennlee1964@gofast.am).
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