The LeafCat® Story
Turn your lawn tractor into a leaf eating machine!
Our story is a bit of a mixture that combines one part “necessity is the mother of invention” and two parts “success by trial and error”. The need to get leaves off of the lawn and the unavailability of a device or method that worked well and in an efficient manner defined the need. The leaf rake and wheelbarrow work well but only if you have all day, all weekend or multiple weekends to complete the task. The riding lawn tractor worked well at picking up the leaves but the conventional grass catching attachment lacked capacity and thus required very frequent stops to empty the small collection bags resulting in a slow and tedious process.
The initial attempts of cages on a trailer with a large tube to direct the leaves from the tractor to the trailer proved to be cumbersome to operate especially in tight areas and took too long to set up and dismantle.
So every fall I would bring out the then current “LeafCat” and each fall I would make a few improvements to make it more user friendly (the dust shield, side doors and quick dis-connect) or easier to store (collapsible design). Eventually I found myself doing my lawn, my brother’s lawn and the in-laws lawn (Mom was 550 miles away so I couldn‘t do her lawn). At about this time it occurred to me that I had something that really worked, saved time and made a difficult task a lot easier to deal with.At that point in time we began the process of filing for patents, registering trademarks and building a business around an idea; a product that gave me back my weekends in the fall.
Special thanks go to my father in-law, Fred Peloquin, my most ardent supporter and the guy that did all the sewing on the first of the cloth and mesh collection bags (needle through the thumb and all.) Fact is he doesn’t like raking leaves either. Thanks Alfred!
ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE:
Few things are more precious than time itself. The invention of the LeafCat is the result of a desire to free up time. We know of few people who enjoy the task of raking and collecting leaves. Most, if not, everyone would prefer to spend the time spent getting up leaves in the fall and spring on the golf course or tennis court, hiking, biking, riding in a convertible or more importantly with family. Not getting up the leaves though is not a good option. Leaves left on a lawn will smother the lawn and inhibit the healthy growth of grass. Conventional grass catching devices are not sufficient for the collection of leaves for 2 simple reasons: 1- capacity, 2 airflow. Powered devices designed to be pulled behind lawn tractors present us with storage challenges and yet another engine that requires maintenance.
The LeafCat Universal Leaf Bagging System design addresses each of these issues. The high capacity cage (bag) allows for high volume leaf collection, minimizing collection tube blockage and allowing you to cover more area with fewer stops and starts. The open mesh design (with dust shield to protect the operator) and large grid drop door provide the airflow that is necessary for the pick up and collection of leaves. The collected leaves are then driven to the dump site where they are emptied through the double end doors or drop door. The collapsible design allows for easy storage. Lastly the “Quick Disconnect” feature allows the lawn tractor to be used for other tasks and then converted back to a “leaf eating machine” in minutes or less (no tools required for connect/disconnect procedure once initial installation is completed). The universal “Quick Disconnect” Mounting Frame with optional Angle Inserts allow the LeafCat to be used with practically any lawn tractor. The disposable bag option is to accommodate users that do not have the option of disposing of their leaves on property.
If you have additional questions please contact us at info@leaftcat.com.