Hi Steve
I'm in the same boat you are tons of oak and maple trees on a half acre lot. I
have owned a Craftmen Vac Shreader, blower for 27 years. It finally got a
little tired and i went a bought the new 6.5 horse Craftman unit. I was a
little skeptical as anything new doesnt seem to be as good as the old. Well. I
can assure you this new unit is twice as good as the old one. I can do my
whole yars in an hour. I do have one advantage though, I don't have to bag the
whole yard only the front. The bad holds a ton of shredded leaves and shreds
at an 8 - 1 ratio. The vac hose is great for the bushes and shrubs and you can
set the main nozzle down so low it will pick up dirt and sand from your
driveway. If I had and complaint about the unit at all it would be that the bag
is kinda heavy when it is full and the gas tank could be a little bigger, both
things that the older unit suffered from also. I would not hesitate to but one
of these units. It is way better then raking or mowing with a bag.
Good Luck,
Rick