Toro Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose #51500

This product is a good idea and thought it would be easy to use, but the vacuum hose keeps coming off the barrel cover attachment, other than that found it to be faster than contnually emptying the bag. ( after attaching with a wire tie )

This device was a complete nightmare from the first moment it arrived. I own a Toro super blower vac that is made for this unit and the connector still didn't match. The poor design of the hose into the collector was even worse. Not only was the draw string not adequate, the hose would easily pull out of the unit while in operation unless a large portion of it was extended into the collector. Beyond that, the collector unit expands in a rectangular shape while the collection unit is round causing pockets of leaf debris to collect on top and escape when you attempt to detach for emptying the container.

This product promised the perfect fit to my Toro blower/vacuum for shredding and collecting leaves. I found the leaf collector very lightly constructed with light weight materials and with design flaws that really surprised me regarding a Toro product. The 8 foot hose separated from the canvas cover the first time I used it and continues to an irritant. The straps and connection materials are poorly constructed as well.

The biggest surprise for me was the fact that although I had a Toro blower this attachment did not fit the blower connection. Why would Toro design a Toro product that did not fit a Toro unit? I guess they feel you should buy a new blower unit at the same time. I do not use this unit anymore, it is easier to manually bag the leaves.

A great idea that does not work. Perhaps if it was modified to allow a clip to attach to the can then, it would be a great benefit.

There are three primary points of failure, and if you are not suspecting, you will quickly find them all.

The hose fits into a canvas sheet that will, in turn, fit over the Toro collapsing bin. The fit is achieved by pulling a drawstring and closing the bin. While in vacuum mode, there is considerable air pressure from the vac into the bag.

The first failure is that the draw is simply not enough to hold the canvas to the bin while the vac is operating. After having it pop off a dozen or so times, I came up with the idea of *clamping* the bag to the bin, using, of all things, automobile jumper cables. This worked, but the loose fit still allowed bits of leaves to be ejected around the lid.

The second point of failure is the hose - it is simply inserted into the canvas, and is held in place only by an elastic band inside the canvas sheet. Anyone who has ever messed with venting a dryer knows this simply will not work - and the air pressure here is much higher (not to mention the additional effect of the flying debris). With the lid finally secured by clamps, the hose kept popping out of place, further spewing leaf debris everywhere. The fix for this is some kind of cable tie, like what you would find on a dryer vent. Having none at hand, I simply used about a half roll of duct tape and put an end to that issue.

The third point of failure is that the hose has a small diameter and can get clogged up fast. During operation, you must make sure the hose is as straight as possible, as any kinks will cause debris to collect inside the hose.

These problems made a very difficult afternoon of it, having to stop and spend an hour or so re-engineering the equipment. I would not recommend it for that reason. Honestly, do people ever test these things before they start selling them?

GRADE: F.