Leaf Vacuum Hose | Choosing the Best Hose for Lawn Applications (2024)

Posted by Flexaust on Aug 4, 2020

As summer turns to fall, leaves begin falling from trees into the surrounding areas. While this natural process results in some of the most stunning views of the year, it also bestows residential property owners, commercial landscapers, and town/city municipalities with the task of gathering and disposing of the fallen debris. While leaf collection and disposal operations are both time- and labor-intensive, the right tools and equipment can make them more effective and efficient.

Lawn and Leaf Vacuum Hoses at Flexaust

All of our lawn and leaf collection hoses are designed for superior flexibility and durability, making them easy to use and long-lasting. As indicated above, we offer products suitable for residential, light-duty commercial/landscaping, and heavy-duty commercial operations. Below we provide an overview of our hose recommendation for each of these markets.

Residential – Tractor Vacuums: On residential properties, tractor vacuums are generally sufficient to remove excess leaves and lawn clippings. For these units, we offer two hose recommendations:

Flex-Tube PV: This medium-weight hose features a coextruded PVC construction reinforced with a rigid PVC helix. This design offers an ultra-smooth interior ensuring efficient air and material flow. This hose is also very flexible and crush resistant.
Flex-Tube PU: This medium-weight hose is made from clear coextruded thermoplastic ether-based polyurethane and reinforced with a rigid ABS helix. It offers great resistance to abrasion, crushing, and tears with its high tensile strength. Both Flex-Tube PV and Flex-Tube PU can be customizable (in color and length) to meet OEM requirements. Stocked in 12’ and 25’ lengths to accommodate most tractor equipment

Light-Duty Commercial/Landscaping – Truck Loaders: Compared to residential properties, commercial operations generally have more area to cover during leaf collection operations. As such, the commercial clean-ups typically rely on truck loaders, which offer more power and capacity. For these leaf collection devices, we recommend the following hoses:

Flexadux LCDC: This medium-weight hose is made from a high-performance polypropylene blend and reinforced with a spring steel wire helix and external polypropylene wear strip. It tends to be more economical with a long flex life and good abrasion and tear resistance.
Flexadux HT-W: This heavier-weight hose features thermoplastic construction reinforced with a spring steel wire helix and external polypropylene wear strip. This construction offers excellent resistance to moisture, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, dragging, and tearing, all of which are necessary for hoses used in outdoor environments.

Heavy-Duty Commercial – Municipal Loaders: Heavy-duty commercial and municipal leaf collection operations involve larger clean-up areas than both residential and light-duty commercial operations. Additionally, the amount of leaves and debris is much greater, while the amount of time given for their collection is much shorter. For these reasons, the town and city municipalities generally rely on stronger and larger equipment (e.g., municipal loaders). For these leaf collection systems, we recommend using heavy-duty hoses, such as:

Flx-Thane HD: This heavy-weight hose is available in clear polyurethane reinforced with a bronze-coated spring steel wire helix. This construction provides it with superior flexibility and durability (including resistance to abrasion, moisture, and UV).
Flx-Thane VHD: This heavier-weight hose is also available in clear polyurethane and reinforced with a bronze-coated spring steel wire helix. Compared to the HD model, it features a thicker wall (.060 inches instead of .045 inches). The (standard) clear color allows user to quickly see blockages. During leaf collection season, these hoses are also available in 10’ lengths to accommodate the municipal equipment

Comparisons Between Lawn and Leaf Vacuum Hoses

The following table provides a comparison of three of the hoses we recommend for leaf/lawn collection applications.

	LCDC (Good)	HT-W (Better)	Flx-Thane HD & VHD (Best)	Flex-Tube PV (Best for Residential)	Flex-Tube PU (Best for Residential)
Construction	Black wire reinforced polypropylene blend w/polypropylene wear strip	Black wire reinforced thermoplastic rubber w/polypropylene wear strip	Clear wire reinforced polyurethane	Clear all plastic smooth interior PVC w/rigid PVC	Clear all plastic smooth interior, thermoplastic ether based, polyurethane w/ABS helix
Weight	Medium-weight	Heavy-weight	Heavy-weight	Medium-weight	Medium-weight
Wall Thickness	.032 inches	.045 inches	.035 or .045 inches	0.020 – 0.040 inches	0.020 – 0.040 inches
Inside Diameter	6 to 12 inches	6 to 12 inches	2 to 24 inches
Length	10 & 25 feet	10 & 25 feet	10 & 25 feet	12 & 25 feet	12 & 25 feet
Temperature Range	-30 to 200 °F	-60 to 275 °F	-65 to 200 °F	20 to 160 °F	-40 to 200 °F
Durability	Good abrasion, puncture and tear resistance. Good UV protection	Better abrasion and drag resistance. Great UV protection.	Best abrasion resistance and puncture resistance. Great UV protection	Good abrasion and puncture resistance. Ultra smooth interior and crush resistant.	Superior abrasion and puncture resistance. Ultra smooth interior and crush resistant.
Application	Economical option for residential and commercial light duty intake	Suitable for commercial leaf collection intake	Suitable for commercial leaf vacuum. High abrasion intake	Economical option for residential lawn mowers	Best option for commercial lawn mowers

Selection Considerations for Leaf/Lawn Collection Hoses

When choosing a hose for leaf/lawn collection equipment, it is important to keep in mind the essential characteristics of the hose. Some of the key factors to consider are:

Leaf Vacuum Hose | Choosing the Best Hose for Lawn Applications (2)

Durability (e.g., resistance to abrasion, moisture, UV, etc.)
Flexibility
Inner wall smoothness
Visibility into and through the hose
Size (e.g., wall thickness and overall diameter)
Outside (low) temperatures
Cost

In addition to the above factors, it is vital to ensure the hose is compatible with the equipment—i.e., the connections on the chosen hose should fit the equipment ports.

Contact Us for Your Leaf/Lawn Vacuum Hose Needs!

The right equipment is critical to the success of the operation. This statement applies to many industrial, commercial, and residential processes, including leaf/lawn collection.

At Flexaust, our experts are ready and willing to help you choose the right hose for your leaf/lawn collection equipment. Equipped with over 80 years of experience manufacturing and distributing hose and ducting products, we have the knowledge and skills to identify appropriate solutions for nearly any need. If you have additional questions about leaf vacuum hoses, contact us or request a quote today.

Topics: Leaf Collection Season, Lawn and Leaf Collection, Leaf Collection Hoses, Leaf Collection Equipment

Leaf Vacuum Hose | Choosing the Best Hose for Lawn Applications (2024)

FAQs

Can you use a leaf vacuum on grass? ›

You can use a leaf vacuum on the lawn itself, but it's best for smaller areas.

When pulling a vacuum, it is best to use hoses that are? ›

Pulling through any ¼-inch hoses reduces the speed of vacuum so significantly that the size of your pump becomes irrelevant. This is why using the largest possible evacuation hoses of the shortest practical length is one of the best things you can do to reduce evacuation times.

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Do leaf vacuums really work? ›

Leaf vacuums can be a useful tool for cleaning up leaves in your yard. To use a leaf vacuum effectively, it's important to consider a few factors: - The type, size and moisture level of the leaves. Leaf vacuums work best on small, dry leaves and may have difficulty with larger, wet leaves.

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Will leaf vacuum pick up grass clippings? ›

You can use a blower to displace and pile up leaves, cut grass, twigs or sawdust, whereas with a leaf vacuum, you can suck all these materials into a collection bag.

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What is better, a leaf blower or a leaf vacuum? ›

Leaf blowers are often better used for larger areas and places where you have room to create larger piles of leaves. For these larger jobs, a leaf blower is by far the superior choice. Quick clean-up: While a leaf vacuum is convenient, it requires you to move much slower to pick up all the leaves.

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Will a leaf vacuum pick up pine needles? ›

It won't pick up ALL of everything; not leaves, not acorns, not pine needles, not pinecones. Bits of nature tend to lock themselves into other bits of nature and sometimes it just takes brute force to separate them... more than just blowing or vacuuming.

Do leaf vacuums mulch? ›

If you have a lot of leaves to collect, the vacuum can effectively suck them up and mulch them. However, most leaf vacuums are designed to cover a small area at a time, so spending a little time raking or using a leaf blower to gather up your leaves makes a big difference.

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Is it OK to leave leaves on the lawn over winter? ›

While leaving fallen leaves in their natural state may help your property's ecosystem thrive, it may not be ideal if your goal is a well-kept lawn. A thick layer of leaves can starve your grass of sunlight and cause it to die. Lingering leaves can also stain walkways and decks.

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Can you use a shop vac as a leaf vacuum? ›

Vacuum pine needles, sand, leaves, cobwebs, and whatever other debris makes its way into your tent with a Shop-Vac. Be sure to clean the crevices of camp bins, too!

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Can you use leaf blower on grass? ›

Blowers work best on dry leaves, grass clippings, and thin twigs; but keep in mind that on a hard surface they move much more easily than those on a lawn. If you are working on your driveway, turn the setting to the lowest power.

Can you use a leaf vacuum on artificial grass? ›

If you're considering purchasing a leaf vacuum for your artificial grass you may be wondering if it's safe to do so and what type of vacuum you should use. The bottom line is any outdoor vacuum will work, you just need to use it in a way that doesn't pull the infill out of the grass.

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Can I use a shop vac to pick up leaves in my yard? ›

Staying on top of yard work

Here are just a few places around the yard and garden where your Shop-Vac comes in handy: Lawn clippings on the driveway. Mulch and leaf pile remnants. Hard-to-reach deck crevices and areas obstructed by garden ornaments.

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Will a leaf blower dry grass? ›

But leaf blowers aren't just made for blowing leaves (despite what the name might suggest), these machines can also be used to dry wet surfaces and moving grass clippings.