# Seeking info - Billy Goat Vacuum



## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

Who all has one of these? I've been kicking it around but have questions:


how well does it pick up yard debris other than leaves like acorns, mulch runoff, or even tiny twigs?


how well does the 2 inch chipper work on the unit for those that have one with it?


how much better is its leave vacuum than one on a handheld blower such as Stihl/Echo?


how well does the hose attachment work in landscape beds, etc.?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I'm not sure it was a Billy Goat, but @DJLCN has/had a lawn vac.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

Ware said:


> I'm not sure it was a Billy Goat, but @DJLCN has/had a lawn vac.


Thanks Waredog


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## high leverage (Jun 11, 2017)

Ecks from Tex said:


> Who all has one of these? I've been kicking it around but have questions:
> 
> 
> how well does it pick up yard debris other than leaves like acorns, mulch runoff, or even tiny twigs?
> ...


I rented one last year before purchasing a real debris loader https://www.littlewonder.com/product/18hp-monster-truckloader/. Wanted to see if it was a viable for commercial use on small properties.

Complete disappointment. Struggles with anything other than leaves. It wouldn't touch acorns. But nothing really works on acorns other than a top tier backpack blower. Don't waste your money.


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## DJLCN (Jul 11, 2017)

@Ecks from Tex What I had was the Little Wonder HPV. I did not have the hose extension kit for cleaning out beds and it does not have a chipper on it.

https://www.littlewonder.com/product/pro-vac/







What @high leverage stated about his loader was about the same experience I had with the HPV. It worked awesome on leaves and ok on sweet gum balls and larger chunks of mulch but would not touch an acorn or small sticks/twigs in the lawn. It did a fair job on lawn clippings but would tend to seal off on the ground due to the head having too much flex thus losing suction. I found that while maintaining a HOC at 1/2" that a blower did a better job thus I went back to using my BR700 and BG55 w/ vacuum kit.

https://m.stihlusa.com/products/blowers-and-shredder-vacs/blower-accessories/vacuumkit/


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

> Who all has one of these? I've been kicking it around but have questions:
> 
> how well does it pick up yard debris other than leaves like acorns, mulch runoff, or even tiny twigs?
> how well does the 2 inch chipper work on the unit for those that have one with it?
> ...


We are talking about three different maschines here.

To compare any of them with a real debris loader isn't fair because a real one has three or more times the horsepower.
But I have had these for a long time and can contribute a few observations.

1) When I moved into my new place two years ago I picked up an Echo blower vac (for the vac.) It has a steel blade on the front of the impeller which I am sure is good on leaves but I would not want to regularly use it on twigs acorns or gumballs because I think that would eventually eat the impeller. The new place has beds that have geo cloth covered with basaltic trap rock and I didn't want to use a blower any more than necessary to avoid scattering the rocks.

2) At the old place I had six sweet gums. When I first moved there I got a 3.,5 horse craftsman vac. It would not suck up the gumballs. I made them trade it for a five horse and that sucks up gumballs just fine. It has a heavy steel output 
screen in the back which has about 5/8 diameter holes. So it thrashes everything that goes into into small size grain.

I also have the vacuum hose kit for it and it works very well. I got the Echo mentioned above because,the Craftsman is not one of the newer ones where there is a hose storage mounting. You have to find all the pieces and attach them. They work even better if you silicone them up which is a big pia. It was easier just to buy the Echo. I have been considering just permanently attaching the hose kit. It is a REALLY powerful vac.

The craftsman has the two inch chipper and it will eat anything that you can fit down the steel chute. I bought it in the early eighties and the chipper blade is still quite sharp and has no nicks in it. Since the chips have to exit through the steel screen they are also very small.

The Craftsman does not pickup the smallest twigs with its vacuum snout but the hose picks up everything and anything.

3) Since I moved here a real Billy Goat branded self propelled vac fell into my lap. It sucks up everything but it does not have a chipper. Also an exit screen is an extra cost option. I probably wouldn't buy any of these things again except the Echo because I am now grinding up leaves hoping to increase the organic matter in the soil at the new digs. I also did not get a hose kit with it. At my old place the asshole across the street would take his Billy Goat out if so much as a leaf fell on his grass. He did have the chipper and I saw him grinding pretty good size branches up with it. It must work at least as well as the Craftsman.

I also had a separate chipper shredder and a tow behind vac. Both had 3 1/2 to 4 inch chipper chutes which worked fine. The chipper shredder was a nine hp Tecumseh and the tow behind a five hp Easy Rake. When I put that on the 20 hp 52 inch deck we called it the Crystalline Entity after a Star Trek tng episode of the same name. It sucked up EVERYTHING. Gumballs , acorns, sticks , twigs, thatch and made a hell of a racket too. I considered alway using it but wasn't that OCD about the old place. I think if you want everything sucked up that is the way to do it. The addition of five hp of suction to the mower air disturbance left absolutely nothing on the lawn.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4104&p=75243&hilit=chipper+vac#p75243


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## silvercymbal (Sep 17, 2018)

Ecks from Tex said:


> Who all has one of these? I've been kicking it around but have questions:
> 
> I no longer own this but I have owned several lawn vacs including the Billy Goat, I out answers below your ??? in blue
> 
> ...


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## 2xjtn (Nov 29, 2017)

I own an older 1990's Billy Goat KD501 vac. Original Honda GXV160 still runs great. Sucks up everything. Have to keep the head close to the ground for small stuff. I have used with the bag off to suck up/break up aeration cores, but that is a very dusty proposition at times.


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