Do you need a bigger and better leaf vacuum for your garden but just don’t have the budget to buy a new one? Fortunately, you don’t need to buy a new one. You can learn how to make a leaf vacuum out of the old car riding mower and a few other materials that you can easily buy at your handyman store.
Learn how to make a leaf vacuum and save hundreds of dollars from buying a new one.
Ready to learn the steps on how to make a leaf vacuum? In this article, we’ll be providing a step by step guide on how to make a leaf vacuum with just less than $100.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
How to make a leaf vacuum tip #1: An old mower car can be turned into a car riding vacuum with some ingenuity.
Step 1: Gather Your Materials
First things first. You need to get the materials and tools needed so that you can get your “how to make a leaf vacuum” project started. Get your old car riding mower cleaned and ready. You also need to gather a few things.
Here is a list of things you’ll need:
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Now that you have all the things you need, you can get started on your DIY leaf vacuum.
Plywood is often the top choice for most handymen when they want to learn how to make a leaf vacuum on their own.
Step 2: Cut The Plywood And Attach It To The Riding Mower
Use your small chainsaw to cut the plywood. Do make sure that your plywood is as wide as your mower so that you can get as many leaves in as possible.
After that, use your drill to create 2 one-inch holes somewhere at the end of your plywood. You’ll be inserting the two hooks at the end of your mower to the holes that you just made in the plywood. The plywood will become a new attachment at the back of the mower.
To support the plywood and make it sturdy, add 1 or 2 beams underneath the plywood. Drill the beams to secure them.
Step 3: Cut Some Planks And Create A Box From Them
Cut some planks and use them to create a big box. After you make the box, drill a diagonal plank inside each square to keep the box sturdy (check the image below for reference).
Also, use the metal brackets to fasten the planks in place. If you want, you can cover the top with the other half of the plywood so that the leaves don’t fly out. Just make sure you nail it in properly with your nail gun.
A nail gun is an essential tool needed for your “how to make a leaf vacuum” project at home.
Step 4: Cover The Box With Chicken Wire
Use a chicken wire and cover the entire box with it. Make sure that the whole netting is wrapped around the box properly so that it won’t fall out. The best way to attach the net is to nail a flat plank on the side where the net is protruding. If you do that, the net will not detach easily.
Chicken .is made of flexible metal and is very sturdy.
Step 5: Make A Small Door
You need to make a small door so that you can take out the leaves once the box is full. To do this, simply cut a rectangular hole at the bottom part of the netting in one side of the box only.
Next, attach a wooden plank to all the sides of the hole and nail the plank to the net. Now, you have your door frame.
Get another plywood and cut it to fit the size of the hole you made in the netting. This will serve as your door. Use the metal hinges to attach the door to the box. Once the metal hinges are attached, you should be able to open and close the door.
Step 6: Set Up Your Mower And Attach An Extension Pipe
When you turn on your mower, it will chop up the leaves and spew them out through a pipe at the side.
The key here is to make sure that the chopped up leaves will go right into the box when they are mowed and not on the side. So, what you have to do is to cut a small hole in the netting. This is where your extension pipe will go through. If you want, you can even nail a small plank at the bottom of the hole so that the pipe has some form of support.
Step 7: Take It Out For A Test Drive
The last step in our beginner’s guide on how to make a leaf vacuum is to take your new ride out for a test drive. Dump a few leaves on your lawn and start up your DIY leaf vacuum.
If the leaves are transferred to the box smoothly, then you can start using your leaf vacuum. However, if your machine often gets clogged, then you can buy a long pipe extension and attach it to the existing one. This allows the pipe to have more room to push the leaves out, especially the bigger leaves.
Want a full video tutorial? We’ve got the easiest steps for you to follow here!
Conclusion
And there you have it! The 7 steps on how to make a leaf vacuum at home!
You now have your own leaf vacuum without buying a new one. No need to find the best leaf vacuum shredder in the store anymore. You can make one without having to spend a lot of money. Just refer to our steps on how to make a leaf vacuum above and get your DIY project started
If you enjoyed our little guide on how to make a leaf vacuum, you may check out our other articles as well. We also have a review for the best leaf shredder vacuum mulcher in case you’d like to buy one.
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