Cub Cadet (1.5") 159cc Chipper Shredder Vacuum

I was tired of raking leaves and asked for a Cub Cadet for my 69th birthday. What a happy day it was, and continues to be, with my Cub Cadet!

I've been using my Cub Cadet Leaf Vacuum for about 2 months now. I read as many reviews as I could before purchasing. Decided to go with it over more expensive brands mainly because of price and hopes that some of the bad reviews weren't true. When I first got the unit and started using it, it worked great. Sucked up leaves, sticks, pecans, and some acorns. The onboard chipper works great on small sticks and limbs (never tried anything over 1/2" diameter).

First problem I encountered was air being blown out the intake shoot of the bag. Tighened the large zip tie that holds the bad on the plastic shoot and solved most of the problem.

Next Problem. Shredded leaves began coming out of the opening in the back of the bag where it is folded up and latched. No matter how carefully I folded and latched the bag it would eventually make a small opening and began blowing out bits and pieces of leaves. Resolved that problem by using two large spring loaded clamps to hold the bag folds tighter together and seal off the air leak which led to the next problem.

After clamping the folds of the back of the bag it seemed to have cut down on air flow through the bag to the point that it was over inflating the bag and making it balloon out in every direction it could. This has become a big problem when running along side a house or fence because the felt bag now sticks out farther then the front vacuum nozzle off the side of the unit. Not only will the bag hang up on chain link fence, it also is showing a considerable amount of wear on the felt bag. I thought the solution to the problem would be removing the spring clamps I had added and just deal with the leaf bits and pieces being blown out but now the bag balloons out all the time. I have tried cleaning blowing out the bag to remove dirt from felt with 150psi air blower and still cant get enough dirt out of it so that it will work properly.

Now for the most recent problem. This one I read about in multiple reviews and tried my best to avoid it by paying very close attention to not only how full I get the bag but also to be very careful when removing and reattaching the bag. The plastic clip on piece which hangs the back of the bag onto the the handle of the machine has began to split on both sides and is slowly working its way down the clip. Eventually it is going to rip off the bag making the unit useless. Very disappointed and not sure exactly how I will overcome this latest problem.

In summary, this unit works awesome right out of the box, but after a few uses the problems begin to develop and it looks like its headed downhill from there. I'm hoping to contact Cub Cadet tomorrow in hopes of getting a new bag but from reading other reviews it sounds like they aren't doing anything to fix the actual problem with the bag design. I regret now not going with a better designed and better built machine from another brand.

Also wish I would have gone with a self propelled model. As long as the ground is flat, smooth, and/or in short grass it's easy to push. The small narrow wheels up front make it extremely difficult to push on slightly uneven surfaces and the weight, along with handle angle make it difficult to push on even slight incline. Get the bag about have full and you better start looking for a way to tow it behind a tractor or sled dog.

Hope this helps. I will be looking into purchasing a Billy Goat soon if Cub Cadet doesn't have any solutions to at least some of these problems I have encountered.

I've been using my Cub Cadet Leaf Vacuum for about 2 months now. I read as many reviews as I could before purchasing. Decided to go with it over more expensive brands mainly because of price and hopes that some of the bad reviews weren't true. When I first got the unit and started using it, it worked great. Sucked up leaves, sticks, pecans, and some acorns. The onboard chipper works great on small sticks and limbs (never tried anything over 1/2" diameter).

First problem I encountered... more

Although it did pick up leaves the small sticks stayed on the ground. If I put small sticks in the chute it did chop them up but for that I could use my troybilt wood chipper. The leaves that were picked up weren't chopped as fine as I needed. It really was no different than my lawn mower. Because they weren't chopped up the bag fills really fast and in an average size yard you would have to stop every 5 to 10 minutes. Also it won't pick up wet leaves. Stay with a good lawn mower for less money.

Although it did pick up leaves the small sticks stayed on the ground. If I put small sticks in the chute it did chop them up but for that I could use my troybilt wood chipper. The leaves that were picked up weren't chopped as fine as I needed. It really was no different than my lawn mower. Because they weren't chopped up the bag fills really fast and in an average size yard you would have to stop every 5 to 10 minutes. Also it won't pick up wet leaves. Stay with a good lawn mower for less... more

I received the unit in a semi-assembled condition which was expected.Putting it together the rest of the way was easy.After putting the oil and gas in it,it started okay. The pull-cord handle position is a bit awkward for me to use.The machine does a good job of picking up leaves and does fill the bag up pretty quickly if you have a substantial leaf cover on the ground.Dumping the bag and refitting it to reuse is a bit of a chore.The vacuum hose attachment works well but is kind of chintzy, especially the intake nozzle end.

The hose is attached to it with a clamp but there is no ridge on the nozzle to keep the hose secure.It would also be nice to have a wheel lock or brake on it to keep it from rolling around when trying to use the vacuum hose.The grille on the top of the engine traps leaves and could possibly obstruct the engine cooling.Please be aware also that it is stated in the description that the machine is not intended for picking up acorns or nuts,something that I overlooked when I ordered it(my bad). If I had to do it over again I would would go for a machine with a bigger bag and the ability to to suck up acorns.

I received the unit in a semi-assembled condition which was expected.Putting it together the rest of the way was easy.After putting the oil and gas in it,it started okay. The pull-cord handle position is a bit awkward for me to use.The machine does a good job of picking up leaves and does fill the bag up pretty quickly if you have a substantial leaf cover on the ground.Dumping the bag and refitting it to reuse is a bit of a chore.The vacuum hose attachment works well but is kind of chintzy,... more

I've used my Cub Cadet (1.5") 159cc Chipper Shredder Vacuum three times. It meets my expectations, which were high, and is a real time-saver! Just wish it could pick up acorns, but I knew it couldn't when I bought it. As far as I know, there are no Chipper Shredder Vacuum's on the market able to pick up nuts.

After reading many reviews, I purchased this vacuum. The pros were that it's easy to assemble, it started on the first pull every time and the bag is easy to empty. The cons were it's heavy to push around on hilly terrain (I'd try the self propelled version instead). This vacuum works great if you go slow and there aren't many leaves. I would recommend it if you have a flat yard and are going to use it every couple of days.

Once you get a pile of leaves this thing will make you insane. It clogs frequently. The hose attachment clogged within a minute each time I tried to use it on a pile of leaves. It does not pick up twigs or acorns. I used 7 tanks of gas on a 1/2 acre and only 1/3 of the leaves are off the trees. Again, great if you are going to use it every couple of days if not, I would definitely look at a bigger machine. Hope this helps someone.

After reading many reviews, I purchased this vacuum. The pros were that it's easy to assemble, it started on the first pull every time and the bag is easy to empty. The cons were it's heavy to push around on hilly terrain (I'd try the self propelled version instead). This vacuum works great if you go slow and there aren't many leaves. I would recommend it if you have a flat yard and are going to use it every couple of days.

Once you get a pile of leaves this thing will make you insane. ... more

It definitely does what it is meant to do. Very professional looking! Great addition to our lawn care company.

For the price of this piece of equipment it performs relatively well. There are some problems with the hose clogging up with leaves. It definitely needs some sort of a brake system. The instructions on the operation of this unit is poorly written. I had to look up the comments by other owners to get the real deal on this unit.

So far it's a very good purchase.

The machine worked awesome right up to the point when the plastic handle ripped off the bag and could no longer be used.

Do not love it. Heavy, noisy.