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Leaf blowers

24K views 51 replies 44 participants last post by  140278 
#1 ·
How many others use leaf blowers?

I've wanted to get one for light dustings for the past few years, and finally have one. For the past several years I've kept talking myself out of getting one. Tell my self I don't need to spend a lot of money on a quality brand one, but at the same time not wanting to spend any money on a lower quality one either. My Dad bought himself a new blower last fall and gave me his old Echo that has been sitting in the garage for years. A good carb cleaning, fresh gas, a new spark plug, and a little time messing with the mixture screws and she is runnin like a champ.
 
#33 ·
Yeah they are nice for those light days huh! I am a fan of the Echo's for the price vs quality. They are pretty reliable and not overpriced. I have become less and less of a Stihl fan that I used to be. I get a lot of them on my workbench comparatively it seems.
 
#35 ·
That's the tool of choice to blow everything out of my garage. I just start at the back and sweep it outside then let the howler winds do the rest. A couple of sweeps and all the snow, sawdust and grindings are gone. It's great for knocking the dusting off cars and equipment too. We have a Black and Decker 20 v battery rig that has to be 5 years old and still keeps chugging along with the original batteries. It's no replacement for a gas job though. Convenient but half the power. The blower does work for light snow quite well too but for me honestly if it's that thin I just leave it there
 
#39 ·
I have the Sthil,wouldn't trade it for any other blower on the market,no issues with starting ,great for blowing snow of vehicles and driveway when we have a light dusting.And I haven't use a chamois for drying my vehicle in years,the blower does the trick and less hands on scratches to the vehicles paint.I would put as one of my top tools,would be lost without it.lol.
 
#40 ·
This tread got me thinking, I have a "Bounce House" blower motor sitting in my garage..., hmmmmm, I bet that could move some snow!!
 
#44 ·
I've used my RedMax EB6200 for clearing the driveway for years now. Only works well with dry snow and not more than a couple inches. It does a great job of cleaning right down to the pavement. Think I once attached an action cam to the blower. I'll see if I can find the footage and upload to YouTube.
 
#48 ·
My neighbor came over during the Xmas holidays with his new Xmas present....a backpack leaf blower. Now, I don't know the particulars on it, but I do know that he retired from Park Management last year, so I think he knows a bit about outdoor equipment. I could NOT believe that the blower he was using actually stripped away the packed ice/snow on the driveway, that I normally have to use an ice scraper on, with Herculean efforts. It cleaned my driveway down to the cement, except for a few places. Incredible!:surprise:
 
#46 ·
I have blowers, handheld and backpack that I use in my landscaping business. I maintain a few drives on contract in the winter as well.
I tried blowers on the snow a few times. Overall it didnt work for me. Under ideal conditions, less than an inch and zero wind it worked pretty good. Those conditions happen so rarely that I dont bother any more. Using a 36 inch pusher is the best deal for me.
What I found with the blower is you usually have wind baffling around buildings, over roofs etc. blowing snow back in your face. Not very pleasant with any wind unless your in the wide open. So I leave the blowers for yard work, cleaning up leaves and blowing grass and debris off drives which is where they shine. But to each his own.
 
#47 ·
Think I also remember seeing video footage on the local news once of crews getting Gillette Stadium seats cleared off using backpack blowers after a snowfall getting ready for an upcoming game. Can't decide whether this was really a good idea as a broom might be better.
 
#49 ·
Absolutely love using my Husqvarna 580bts backpack blower for dry fluffy snow removal. It does extremely well on 1 to 2.5 inches of below 20 degree snow. The colder the better. Of course have also tested at 3 to 4 and 5 inches. It can do it although at a much much slower pace. Once I modified the intake and the muffler it absolutey screams like crazy. Make sure to remove the air filter and spark arrestor for winter duty. I never break out the shovel or Honda single stage 720AS anymore for the little snowfalls that are dry and light. Only need a shovel or single stage to do the end of diveways after the plow skates by. And even then, if the city plow trucks have not sanded or salted and their mess isn't wet, it can be accomplished with the BP(backpack) blower.

There are so many other uses for it as well. Doing leaves, grass clippings, debris, sand/salt. Blowing house off. The deck. Rain gutters. Drying vehicles/motorcycles etc. after washing. Garage cleaning. Spider web extinction. Cleaning snow off vehicles left outside. The bed of trucks or trailers etc. And my all time favorite, letting the neighborhood youngsters(lite as feathers) have fun wearing it to push them around on thier skateboard/long boards, rollerskates/blades and even sleds or saucers down a slight incline on our streets after the plows have done the roads without sanding or salting and just leave that perfect sheen of snow on the roadways. Super hilarious.

Buy a backpack blower to work for you. And have a little fun on the side.
 
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