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Dual Pin Vs. Single Pin Systems

Which Hitch Fits 
Your Mower?

It all comes down to how your Cyclone Rake connects to your mower. Here’s what makes each hitch different — and how to choose the one that’s right for your machine.

Which Hitch Fits Your Mower?

It all comes down to how your Cyclone Rake connects to your mower — and which hitch is right for your machine.

Every Cyclone Rake tows behind your mower on a hitch. “Single-pin” and “dual-pin” simply describe how many points that hitch connects to at the back of your machine — and that one difference decides how it mounts, how it handles, and which one is right for your mower.

What Single-Pin and Dual-Pin Actually Mean

It comes down to the number of connection points at the rear of your mower — two anchor points, or one.

Standard dual-pin Cyclone Rake hitch connection

Dual-Pin

Our original, classic connection. The hitch bar locks to your mower at two points: two pins anchored to a solid steel area at the rear of the deck or frame.

Single-pin (CRS) Commander hitch connection

Single-Pin (CRS)

Short for Cyclone Rake Single — our newer connection, built for today’s mowers. The unit attaches at just one point: a single pin that the whole Rake pivots around.

Two anchor points versus one. That’s the whole difference on paper — but it changes everything about how the Rake mounts to your mower and how it feels to pull.

How Each One Drives

Diagram of a dual-pin Cyclone Rake towing as one rigid unit

Dual-Pin drives like one long, solid vehicle

Locked at two points, the Rake becomes a rigid extension of your mower. It adds length out the back, and the whole rig turns as a single unit — more like driving a bus. The payoff is a very stable, even, predictable tow, with the shortest and straightest path for debris.

Diagram of a single-pin CRS Cyclone Rake articulating around a corner

Single-Pin (CRS) drives like a tractor-trailer

Anchored at a single pin, the unit pivots and follows behind you, articulating around corners the way a trailer swings behind a cab. That makes it far more maneuverable in tight spaces and around obstacles — with smart hose routing and solid stability even under a heavy load.

Either way, you get confident, controlled handling with whichever connection fits your mower.

Why the Right Choice Depends on Your Mower

Here’s the part most people never hear, and it matters more than preference: a dual-pin connection needs enough steel at the rear of your mower to anchor both pins securely. Plenty of mowers have it. But a lot of newer zero-turns don’t — there simply isn’t enough structure back there to support a solid two-point connection.

Rear of a traditional garden tractor with solid steel structure

✓ Solid rear steel — a dual-pin connects securely. Either system works; choose by how you want it to handle.

Rear of a newer zero-turn mower with limited steel structure

✗ Limited rear steel — often a newer zero-turn. A dual-pin can’t get a secure hold; the single-pin CRS is the fit.

That’s exactly what the single-pin CRS was built for. Because it needs only one solid attachment point, it connects cleanly and safely where a dual-pin can’t get a secure hold.

So the honest guidance is this: on many mowers either system works well, and it comes down to how you want it to handle. But on a mower with limited steel at the rear — often a newer zero-turn — the CRS single-pin is specifically what we recommend, and sometimes it’s the only way to make a safe, solid connection at all.

Homeowner weighing which Cyclone Rake hitch fits their mower

Which System Is Right for You?

Both systems deliver the same collection power, the same build quality, and the same support. We’ve engineered both since 1997, with engines and impellers matched to each design for maximum airflow. A quick way to think about it:

Go Dual-Pin if your mower has a solid steel rear structure and you want the most rigid, even tow with the straightest debris path.

Go Single-Pin (CRS) if you want maximum maneuverability, or if your mower — especially a newer zero-turn — doesn’t have enough steel at the rear for a dual-pin.

Cyclone Rake customer service representative on a call

Not Sure Which Fits? We’ll Tell You.

You don’t have to figure this out on your own. Tell us your mower’s make, model, and deck size, and our team will confirm exactly which system fits and set up the right configuration for you.