My DIY Leaf Vacuum | Start-To-Finish Build

Chris and his dad spent weeks building this homemade leaf vacuum / leaf shredder machine and it worked beautifully this past year, collecting and shredding our abundance of fall leaves on our homestead property. The leaf vac attaches to our lawn mower trailer, which allows for a complete leaf collection system. We hope you enjoy!
This design was inspired by
-Matthias Wandel & Michael Grant ( • Leaf vacuum trailer )
-Blower design inspired by free online resources, original credit to Bill Pentz (billpentz.com/w...)
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A little bit about us: Not only are we brand new to being homesteaders on KZbin, we JUST started our family homestead from scratch! We recently moved into this 100+ year old farmhouse with a little less than 4 acres, a couple barns, and a whole lot of potential. After being inspired by other homesteading channels, we decided to start our own to document our journey as a homesteading family.
We hope you enjoy and join us for the journey. If you choose to subscribe, don’t forget to hit the bell notification as well so you don’t miss out on the fun. We are always up for adventure and for learning from others as we go!
Instagram: / indyhomesteadfam
#leafvacuum #leafvac #leafshredder

[@fallengirl0288]

Omg Im so glad you're back! I've missed your videos, cant wait for mama goes to update as well. As always your videos are relaxing and informative. Thanks for posting, cant wait for more!😊

[@IndyHomestead]

Thank you so much for being here and for making us feel so happy and welcomed back in this space!! 😍

[@calvinlyle9437]

You all probably dont give a shit but does someone know of a tool to get back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid forgot the login password. I love any assistance you can give me.

[@milohugo2269]

@Calvin Lyle Instablaster =)

[@calvinlyle9437]

@Milo Hugo i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im in the hacking process now. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@calvinlyle9437]

@Milo Hugo It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thanks so much, you saved my ass!

[@tomasaur]

That was really well done. I like the small details like including lockwashers AND nyloc nuts to keep things together in a high vibration environment. I'm so inspired now!

[@dashlamb9318]

Nice job, nice music. Thanks

[@user-ic1pm6uo7w]

You are SO enthusiastic!! i love it

[@zook363]

AWESOME JOB !!! Worked as good as $1500 units I've seen. Not meaning to Monday morning quarter back but I think I would put hinges on one side of the door allowing it to swing open for easier access. Just a thought, Great Job.

[@bobjackson4720]

Very well built

[@TheNightlessStar]

Man, you're lucky to have an older guy working with you. I'd like to think I'd have loved that. Kudos and nice build!

[@IndyHomestead]

Thanks!

[@williamhogg7830]

GREAT JOB ! I'm working on my own at this time. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT .

[@IndyHomestead]

Glad you enjoyed it, William! Best of luck on your build

[@triples4good]

I’m definitely going to build one of these. Great work!

[@heru-deshet359]

Sweet!

[@bobbg9041]

Fiy i used to do this making sub boxes on bolts just use clear calk you dont need lock washers it works like nylon nuts they dont back off but can be removed. Handy to know if you need a lock washer and dont have one.

[@UltimateMMAFan83]

Not sure of the older guy is family or not bc i skipped around but if it's family or friends, time well spent and im sure great memory

[@kgs2127]

It is Father and Son (mentioned in the intro😊). Time well spent indeed. I enjoy all of the Mother & Son building/diy/repair projects my Son and I find to do💖

[@bobbg9041]

You could extend to blades out longer with rubber or plastic to get more suction

[@bobbg9041]

The top, someone used an old sheet cleat mounted to his cart top, worked like a sawchip dust collection system very littel dust.

[@robertmoore2783]

That is a great job you two did together and it works like a champion. One question if I may. How deep is the chamber and how thick is the impeller . I’d like to try my hand at building one also. Thanks for you time and thanks for sharing .

[@IndyHomestead]

Thanks Robert! The chamber is 6" deep, minus the 1/2" recess for the halves to fit one another. I'm not sure off the top of my head, but I believe the impeller steel is 1/8" thick.

[@markrigneymd6570]

Looks like it performs fairly well despite the design. Any idea how many inches of vacuum it can generate in the intake hose?

[@TheSTEPAN76]

Интересная работа. Корпус улитки можно было из жидкого пластика отлить по вашей двойной форме.

[@barrynewell2903]

Would this be able to suck up leaves if it wasn’t attached to the lawnmower? I don’t have a ride on mower and have been thinking of building one like this and attaching to my trailer to suck up piles of leaves.

[@crossgrainwoodproductsltd9230]

The acid wash you mention for the metal, is that to take the zinc coating off or is there another reason? This came out great by the way! Thank you for sharing your creativity with us!!

[@larryaveritt6851]

Cool build. Is it strong enough to pick up heavy stuff (like animal droppings...)

[@IndyHomestead]

Larry, The vacuum is strong enough to pick up heavier items including wet grass, wet leaves, smaller rocks, twigs/branches and yes even animal droppings! The amount of suction the system will create is also related to the height of your mower deck if you are using it as a combined system (the lower the mower deck, the more pressure the vacuum can generate).

[@markrigneymd6570]

Why is the impeller so much smaller than the scroll housing would it not be more efficient if it was more closely matched? The one I built had only approximately 1/4” clearance between the housing and the impeller and it can almost suck a nail out of a deck. The side clearance is equally as close. Did you calculate better performance with that much clearance or did I just misunderstand your design? Please explain if you know the reason for your engineering design

[@IndyHomestead]

Mark, Due to the nature of this blower/vacuum and its intended use, having enough clearance on either side of the impeller allows debris (such as sticks, branches, rocks etc) and material to pass freely through the system without fear of damage to the vacuum. Additionally, the closer the impeller is to sides of the housing, the louder the unit becomes (akin to an air raid siren).

[@TheSTEPAN76]

Дорого получилось, особенно лопастное колесо, а двигатель можно от старой косилки одолжить.

[@randyblankenship2115]

Where did you get the impeller

[@casualrider9435]

Was there ever a reply to this?

[@IndyHomestead]

There are a bunch of prefabricated impellers on websites such as Ebay. Make sure the shaft of the impeller matches the crankshaft of the engine you choose to use for a correct fit.

[@knothead5217]

Where did you get your hose from?

[@IndyHomestead]

I got the hose from Amazon but other retailers like Lowes carry them as well.

[@knothead5217]

@@IndyHomestead thank you

[@weeverob]

Will this pick up acorns? Tx

[@IndyHomestead]

We don't have any nut trees on the property so I cannot say for certain. But I imagine it would do a fairly good job of it as long as the acorns were not sitting too long and pressed far down below the grass.

[@weeverob]

@@IndyHomestead 👍!

[@weeverob]

Will this pick up acorns?

[@ricardogranados3112]

Why do you all talk like youre trying to whisper sweet nothings in someones ear

[@IndyHomestead]

We made this video just for you. Hope you like it

[@edp9811]

Where did you get the impeller?