Your Bullet Proof Vest

The heart of a lawn vacuum is the impeller. Unlike home or shop vacuum cleaners (which filter out debris before it contacts the fan), lawn vacuums pass hard debris right through the fan system, so the impeller is highly susceptible to damage from rocks, chunks of deadwood, and other hard debris. The Cyclone Rake’s patented Miracle Impeller is made from an industrial-grade, super-elastomer that withstands tremendous stress without damage. When a rock or hard debris impacts the Miracle Impeller, the blades just flex to absorb the impact and pass the object harmlessly through. Then they straighten out and run true without damage. The effect is just like a bulletproof vest, which flexes to absorb impact.

 

 

 

 

Metal Impellers

Other lawn vacuums use metal impellers. Most of these are lightweight sheet metal, which is easily damaged by rocks or chunks of deadwood. Any bends in the blades send the impeller out of balance, requiring costly replacements and lots of down time.

Other Impellers are made of heavy-gauge steel. These won’t bend easily, but they create a whole new set of problems. First, these impellers are massive, which makes the engine hard to start and can require costly electric starters for people who don’t have the arm strength to start them. Second, these impellers can freeze solid inside the blower housing when a hard object wedges between the impeller blades and the housing. Sometimes this requires complete disassembly of the blower housing to remove the jam-up. Third, these jam-ups place enormous forces on the engine shaft — thousands of pounds of radial force in some cases. So damage to engine bearings is a real risk.

 

I can’t believe it!

At my job, I talk about Cyclone Rake all day long, and I love it. I get to hear lots of stories about how rugged the Cyclone Rakes are. But even I have to admit I was stunned to see this rock in the bottom of my collector when I went to dump my load of leaves last fall.  I don’t think I want to make a habit of collecting rocks like this in my unit, but it sure is nice to know that if you run into something unexpected, your Cyclone Rake will be up to the job. Mine sure was.

Jason B., Cyclone Rake XL owner