Hi - I have seen some of those lawn and chipper vacs in Sears and on
line and I was wondering how they work?

Almost all the current models seem to have the same size engines as
lawnmowers (5.5 and 6.6 HP engines), and some are self-propelled. The
engine turns an impeller/shredder in the place of a lawnmower blade in a
fan housing, and sucks the leaves and other stuff up through a
front-mounted nozel or a hose.

I have seen some of the older models on line and I can't seem to find
any info about the older model numbers. The sellers say that the models
(5 HP Troy bilt 47291c and 47292) originally sold for well over $1000
(some close to $1500) and they want between $450 and $750 for the used
models.

Then I heard that the company that originally made Troy Bilt went
bankrupt or sold off the brands years ago and that the newer models
aren't made as well as the older models. Is that true - perhaps that is
why the older models allegedly sold for more money. But then - are the
replacement parts available for these vacs - parts like the vacuu bags?

Anyone have any info on these models?