Leaf blower

[freeazabird]

I bought a crappy black and decker leaf blower a few years back. Now I need a new one. Can anyone recommend something heavy duty that will stand the test of time?

[forumname123]

A rake

[rothnroll]

A rake

+1 Muscle over Motor.
All the neighbors use leaf blowers. Get a workout with a rake!

[firewalker]

Electric corded: Toro seems to be the brand to beat. For battery, the Lith Ion powered model by the Lowes house brand.

[Astatine]

A rake

+1 Muscle over Motor.
All the neighbors use leaf blowers. Get a workout with a rake!

+1,000,000

If I was dictator of the world I would ban leaf blowers. The noise pollution is horrible and exacerbate allergies by blowing crap into the air.

[dragoncar]

I generally prefer muscle over motor, but some jobs simply can't be done as well in a timely manner.  Every once in a while I'll use my electric blower to get rid of dust and debris from my porch and paved areas.  Takes maybe 10 min with a blower.  I've also tried a broom and after half an hour I'll notice that the wind is blowing the dirt back and have to start over again.  Screw that

I inherited the blower but I say get a cheapie corded electric from harbor freight.  They are cheap fairly simple machines so shouldn't fail soon

[Alex321]

I've had an Echo backpack for 6 years now that runs great.  I also now that you can buy 4-stroke leaf blowers now--that's some power.

We have three acres in the woods. Rake!?!? Please. It would take a week, and by the time I finished, I would need to start over again. I would be raking non-stop from Mid-October through early December.

[2lazy2retire]

I agree with the rake suggestion in most cases , but our yard has alot of shrubs and along with a pool/deck  which provide many nooks and crannies a blower made much more sense- I know I have saved money in the long run buying it years back as i likely would have ended up getting someone else in other wise - btw our garden is surrounded by huge trees and lots of them.
As to which one - I would go gas over electric.

[Gone Fishing]

I've had an Echo backpack for 6 years now that runs great.  I also now that you can buy 4-stroke leaf blowers now--that's some power.

We have three acres in the woods. Rake!?!? Please. It would take a week, and by the time I finished, I would need to start over again. I would be raking non-stop from Mid-October through early December.

It's the woods, leave them where they fall.

I have a hand held gas blower that I bought in High School to make money blowing the leaves for the neighbors.  Got a pretty ROI on it, but it is on its last leg, and I only use it a couple times a year, so I think I am going to replace it with an electric when the time comes.  In general, electric motors are cheaper and tend to way outlast gas.   

[CletusMcGee]

When it comes to small 2 stroke engines, I think the "buy once-cry once" adage applies.  I've had bad luck with budget brand chainsaws/trimmers/etc so now I only get Husqvarna/Stihl.  Pricer, but actually last and can be repaired instead of just junked.

As for a particular leaf blower, this is what I have and I love it:

http://www.amazon.com/Husqvarna-952711925-2-Stroke-Powered-Handheld/dp/B002P2ZVQ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444312145&sr=8-1&keywords=husqvarna+blower

Say what you will about muscle over motor, but cleaning the leaves out of my gutters went from a 90 minute job to a 10 minute job with this thing.  When your free time is valued at ~$50/hr, it hits it's break even point pretty quick.

[frompa]

A rake

+1 Muscle over Motor.
All the neighbors use leaf blowers. Get a workout with a rake!

+1,000,000

If I was dictator of the world I would ban leaf blowers. The noise pollution is horrible and exacerbate allergies by blowing crap into the air.

Oh yeah, count the use of motors in place of muscle as a pet peeve of mine.  Especially in city setting, these damn blowers make for constant noise and dirt.  Ugh.

[Melf]

I've got the electric Toro Super blower/vac that's been around for years.  Mainly use it for blowing the driveway and sidewalk after mowing/edging.  I also use it for blow drying the cars after washing.  It works great for vacuuming up leaves and small stuff in plant beds and stuff and mulches it pretty finely as well.  As long as you've got enough extension cord to cover your work area then that should work fine.  I normally use the rake for doing the leaves.  It seems to go quicker that way and the wind is always going the exact opposite way that I'm trying to blow anyway.  I end up doing a lot of cussing and don't get many leaves moved!

[Tetsuya Hondo]

Destroy them all with fire.

Two are outside of my window right now, blaring away. I can't even hear myself think.

It's fall. Leaves fall. Leave them alone. They'll be fine and make nice food for your grass in the spring.

[GuitarStv]

A rake

+1 Muscle over Motor.
All the neighbors use leaf blowers. Get a workout with a rake!

+1,000,000

If I was dictator of the world I would ban leaf blowers. The noise pollution is horrible and exacerbate allergies by blowing crap into the air.

+1

Leaf blowers serve no purpose at all.  They seem entirely designed to annoy people (much like car alarms) rather than solve a problem.  If you really want to make your lawn less healthy next year, use a rake . . . which is silent and next to free.

[Jeddy]

Throw a mulch blade on your mower and run over the leaves. Your lawn will love you for it.

[zephyr911]

I have to say, a lazy man's rake is only one of many things a blower can be. I do shit-tons of raking on my 1/4ac of grass with mature trees - the blower would do nothing there. But I generally blow off hard surfaces, especially gutters and decks, because the blower is not only faster but better for the job. It's my only option for getting pine needles off my roof, especially the solar panels, safely and gently.

I use a 20V B&D cordless for those things, and it's not excessively loud - you can damn near have a conversation next to it. If it ever dies, I might replace it with the Greenworks version, since I already have the battery and charger.

Lest you accuse me of laziness, I've been digging up old hedge root balls by hand with the time it saves.

[FIRE me]

I bought a crappy black and decker leaf blower a few years back. Now I need a new one. Can anyone recommend something heavy duty that will stand the test of time?

I love my Echo PB250. Purchased about 5 years ago at Home Depot.

I used to rake manually, but I am older and a lot of raking makes my shoulders ache. Now I get the leaves done in less time and the yard looks better. I usually blow them into a large pile and the mulch the pile with the mower. Fewer leaves escape so the yard looks better.

It is also great for cleaning the gutters on the house. I have a single story ranch, I just pick a dry day get on the roof and the gutters are blown clean in 10 minutes.

Keep in mind that 2 stroke motors are different beasts than 4 strokes. If you have no experience with 2 strokes you are likely to find them to be temperamental.

A few tips:

Use fresh Premium 93 octane gasoline with quality 2 stroke oil and Sta-Bil fuel treatment. The Sta-Bil is very important, without it due to ethanol in gas you are likely to have carburetor trouble and hard starting problems.

Follow starting directions exactly, especially regarding choke and the number of times to press the primer bulb. Remember to turn the choke off after starting.

Replace the air filter and spark plug annually (Echo sells a repower kit with both).

[zephyr911]

Just my $.02: don't even fuck with new gas tools in this day and age. Li-ion FTW.

[Clean Shaven]

I have this Hitachi, picked up a couple years ago for ~ $100 on a sale.

http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-RB24EAP-2-Cycle-Handheld-Compliant/dp/B003VYC31Q

Starts up easily, no complaints.  Not terribly loud, but I live out in the boonies w/o any close neighbors, so nobody to complain anyway.  I picked it based on a lot of high reviews and a 7-year warranty, with a Hitachi-authorized service center in my town (haven't needed it).

[Alex321]

Destroy them all with fire.

Two are outside of my window right now, blaring away. I can't even hear myself think.

It's fall. Leaves fall. Leave them alone. They'll be fine and make nice food for your grass in the spring.

By your logic, shouldn't there be grass growing naturally in the woods?

[honeybbq]

A rake

+1 Muscle over Motor.
All the neighbors use leaf blowers. Get a workout with a rake!

+1,000,000

If I was dictator of the world I would ban leaf blowers. The noise pollution is horrible and exacerbate allergies by blowing crap into the air.

I agree completely. They are so F@#$(*%*% noisy!!

[Fishindude]

I buy Stihl or Husquavarna products to take care of the farm.
Some of this stuff is 20+ years old and still going strong.

Leaf blower is one of the handiest tools you will have, if you have a property or lawn of any size to take care of.  use mine to blow leaves, grass clippings, fallen walnuts, etc. off the driveways, decks, sidewalks etc., blow dirt and leaves out of the barns, blow grass and leaves out of the nooks and crannies of your mowers and tractor,  blow off a light dusting of snow off of cars, walks or drives, help get a brush of leaf fire going, etc.

[GuitarStv]

Serious question . . . why is having some grass clippings on your driveway such a hardship?

[AlanStache]

Has anyone ever mounted a gas powered leaf blower pointing backwards onto there bicycle?  That shit looks like fun!

[dragoncar]

Serious question . . . why is having some grass clippings on your driveway such a hardship?

Some people don't like things to be dirty or messy.  I guess you don't clean your floors because having a little dirt on the ground is not a hardship?

[ysette9]

aaaahhhhhhhhhh I hate "leaf blowers". I call them dirt blowers since that is what they usually do. The noise sucks but it really sucks to 1) breath in the pollution, especially when I am running in the vicinity, and 2) put up with the fine coat of dirt that ends up on EVERYTHING after a dirt blower has passed through.

~rant over~

[Alex321]

I've had an Echo backpack for 6 years now that runs great.  I also now that you can buy 4-stroke leaf blowers now--that's some power.

We have three acres in the woods. Rake!?!? Please. It would take a week, and by the time I finished, I would need to start over again. I would be raking non-stop from Mid-October through early December.

It's the woods, leave them where they fall.

"Where they fall" includes the driveway, the walk, the porch, the shrubs, the deck, the patio, etc. in addition to the lawn. In addition to rotting and decaying wet leaves everywhere, they would also provide harbor to mice and other rodents. The only alternative would be to cut down trees and push the tree line much farther back, like the settlers used to do 150 years ago. So I think I just made an argument that leaf blowers help preserve wooded space, as it allows us to live among the trees.

[Le Poisson]

C'Mon guys, you can do better than just a normal a leaf blower... get a ride-on leaf blower!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNty8QNITpg

(Honestly, its pretty genius)

[jba302]

When it comes to small 2 stroke engines, I think the "buy once-cry once" adage applies.  I've had bad luck with budget brand chainsaws/trimmers/etc so now I only get Husqvarna/Stihl.  Pricer, but actually last and can be repaired instead of just junked.

As for a particular leaf blower, this is what I have and I love it:

http://www.amazon.com/Husqvarna-952711925-2-Stroke-Powered-Handheld/dp/B002P2ZVQ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444312145&sr=8-1&keywords=husqvarna+blower

Say what you will about muscle over motor, but cleaning the leaves out of my gutters went from a 90 minute job to a 10 minute job with this thing.  When your free time is valued at ~$50/hr, it hits it's break even point pretty quick.

My wife bought this specific one and the carb needs to be tuned out of the box, which I am not thrilled with but I understand it's a thing. We use it because we have a lot of lava rock and that shit is impossible to get clean otherwise and the plug-in ones were just not strong enough to do the job. Next house is not going to have this groundcover issue and I'll gladly sell it off.

Just my $.02: don't even fuck with new gas tools in this day and age. Li-ion FTW.

Some of the electric stuff works very nice. I have a plug-in lawnmower that I really enjoy the hell out of, I can have a conversation while mowing (and as long as I keep the blades sharp enough it's perfectly). Gas chain saw though. There's just no electric capability there when you hit a certain amount of cutting requirement unfortunately.

[forumname123]

I guess people get pretty defensive about their leaf blowers. I would expect that on every web forum, but didn't expect it here...

[MsPeacock]

I bought a backpack style Husqvarna 4 years ago. My backyard is heavily treed, lots of bushes, retaining walls, landscaping, patio, screen porch, dog-pooped, and fenced. I tried raking by hand it is physically impossible (even if I wasn't almost 50). With the leaf blower I can blow the leaves into piles, rake onto a tarp, and drag them out of the yard. Leaving them in place is not an option because the leaves are 18" to 2' deep in some areas (huge trees). I used to hire someone and they charged $500 or so to do the leaves. I figured the payback on the Husqvarna was one year since it cost about $450. I also use it on the gutters and misc. other clean up projects as needed. But mostly it is used for the major leaf clean-up. I have had absolutely no problems w/ it. Previously had a wimpy gas blower (small one that was around $125) and it didn't have enough power to move significant amounts of leaves. The backpack one is like the ones that the landscaping crews use in my area. I have to wear ear protection, but since it is on a backpack it is easy to carry it around for long periods of time.

[OlyFish]

if someone can let me know how to rake pine needles off of my roof and out of the gutters without falling off of it I would be more than willing to do so. In certain parts of the country, if you don't blow the roof a few times per year, you will literally have layers of mulch turning into earth and things starting to grow up there.

likewise, if you have 10 fir trees dropping needles on your driveway and back yard, you have to get them off somehow. otherwise you track them in the house. sweeping takes like three hours every weekend.

[forumname123]

A broom

[Eric]

A rake

A broom

LOL!  niduaebc, you're on a roll in this thread!

[HPstache]

I bought a Husqvarna 125B, they are on sale at Lowes right now as well ($159).  It was between the Husqvarna and a Stihl.

[jacksonvasey]

I use my corded Toro for clearing the gutters and cleaning hard surfaces off.  It fell off the roof a couple years ago and stopped working, and I figured it was dead forever, since I paid like $30 bucks for it.

But I took the plastic body apart and saw that the brush had retracted away from the motor, so I pushed it back in and put it back together.  It's been running fine ever since.  I was really surprised that it was somewhat repairable.

[jms493]

Corded Toro.

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I vote for Stihl. I have a Stihl BG-56. It works great for cleaning up grass clippings, but it is not great for doing large quantities of leaves. If you need to do a lot of leaves, you would probably be better served by a backpack blower of some kind.

Stihl's 2 stroke engines are pretty easy to deal with. I've used their line trimmers and chainsaws and never had any trouble getting them started or maintaining them.

[darkadams00]

Noise pollution! If a bit of noise from weekly lawn maintenance ticks you off, then you need to loosen your collar a bit. Or move out in the country where the lots are measured in acres instead of square feet. Or move in closer to the metro where grass mostly grows in sidewalk and asphalt cracks. Heck, until I moved to suburbia, I felt like half the county burned their leaves in the fall. Hearing lawn mowers and leaf blowers are the norm, not the exception. I've lived on 7 acres and a 0.30 acre lot, both with plenty of trees and good grass. Muscle over motors? If you're doing it for your own health, maybe. But to get aggravated because the older lady across the street hired a landscaping crew to handle her lawn care or the guy next door doesn't want to spend three+ times as long on his yard? For all the talk about muscles, this sounds more like thin skin.

[Matt_D]

I've had an Echo backpack for 6 years now that runs great.  I also now that you can buy 4-stroke leaf blowers now--that's some power.

We have three acres in the woods. Rake!?!? Please. It would take a week, and by the time I finished, I would need to start over again. I would be raking non-stop from Mid-October through early December.

It's the woods, leave them where they fall.

"Where they fall" includes the driveway, the walk, the porch, the shrubs, the deck, the patio, etc. in addition to the lawn. In addition to rotting and decaying wet leaves everywhere, they would also provide harbor to mice and other rodents. The only alternative would be to cut down trees and push the tree line much farther back, like the settlers used to do 150 years ago. So I think I just made an argument that leaf blowers help preserve wooded space, as it allows us to live among the trees.

Unless you have multiple driveways, walks, porches, etc. scattered throughout your 3 wooded acres, surely most of the area is not hard surfaces? In which case you can either mulch-mow them or just let them stay on the ground for non-lawn areas.

I have a huge pile of leaves and brush in my backyard, but that never seems to attract mice - most rodents tend to live in structures of some sort (like my shed, or a stone wall, or a hole in a tree) - not in a thin layer of decomposing leaves.

If you're really attached to your leafblower and it adds quality to your life then go for it I guess... but I don't think you can argue that it's mustachian!

[dragoncar]

I guess people get pretty defensive about their leaf blowers. I would expect that on every web forum, but didn't expect it here...

I don't think anyone is defensive.  Sometimes a tool is just a tool, after all.  Do you literally not own any electric tools or appliances?

[darkadams00]

If you're really attached to your leafblower and it adds quality to your life then go for it I guess... but I don't think you can argue that it's mustachian!

Which makes "mustachian" sound more like "Amish" rather than "frugal/financially savvy" or "quality time optimizing." 6-year old, $40 electric blower to blow grass clippings/leaves for three seasons in a suburban neighborhood...and still going. I can't think of a single item that I own with such a great $/hour ROI (except a few other similarly low-priced tools and kitchen appliances). And I get my exercise on the bike.

[forumname123]

I guess people get pretty defensive about their leaf blowers. I would expect that on every web forum, but didn't expect it here...

I don't think anyone is defensive.  Sometimes a tool is just a tool, after all.  Do you literally not own any electric tools or appliances?

Not saying there isn't a place for them, only that on a website with a primary theme of 'muscle over motor' I thought people would be more receptive to having the need for such an item challenged. Nobody here NEEDS a leaf blower any more than somebody who thinks they NEED a 3 car garage, or their daily starbucks, or a microwave. We think we need them until we realize we don't. If you've truly evaluated that, then power to ya!

[Alex321]

I've had an Echo backpack for 6 years now that runs great.  I also now that you can buy 4-stroke leaf blowers now--that's some power.

We have three acres in the woods. Rake!?!? Please. It would take a week, and by the time I finished, I would need to start over again. I would be raking non-stop from Mid-October through early December.

It's the woods, leave them where they fall.

"Where they fall" includes the driveway, the walk, the porch, the shrubs, the deck, the patio, etc. in addition to the lawn. In addition to rotting and decaying wet leaves everywhere, they would also provide harbor to mice and other rodents. The only alternative would be to cut down trees and push the tree line much farther back, like the settlers used to do 150 years ago. So I think I just made an argument that leaf blowers help preserve wooded space, as it allows us to live among the trees.

Unless you have multiple driveways, walks, porches, etc. scattered throughout your 3 wooded acres, surely most of the area is not hard surfaces? In which case you can either mulch-mow them or just let them stay on the ground for non-lawn areas.

I have a huge pile of leaves and brush in my backyard, but that never seems to attract mice - most rodents tend to live in structures of some sort (like my shed, or a stone wall, or a hole in a tree) - not in a thin layer of decomposing leaves.

If you're really attached to your leafblower and it adds quality to your life then go for it I guess... but I don't think you can argue that it's mustachian!

Oh gosh, I don't think anyone was arguing that it was "Mustachian." I saw a thread asking for recommendations on leaf blowers, so I responded with a recommendation. It was not a thread asking whether leaf blowers were morally acceptable under your Tenets of Mustachianism.

Then a few people piped up on a thread asking for leaf blower recommendations to say that they hate leaf blowers and would like to ban them and nobody has a good use for them. When some of us responded why we do need them, we were accused of being very defensive.

This place, honestly. Some of you have adopted this as your religion, with all the zeal and desperation for strict conformity that only a convert can muster.

[Debts_of_Despair]

I bought a Husky 570BTS a few weeks ago.

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/landscape-and-groundcare/products/blowers/570bts/

I've messed around with rakes, mulching, vacuuming, and handheld blowers for too many years.  None of them are remotely close to how much more effective this backpack blower is.  The initial purchase might seem like a lot but if you figure in how many hours you will save over say, 10 years, it's a no brainer.  I will also add that it's a hell of a lot of fun to use.

[AlanStache]

...

Oh gosh, I don't think anyone was arguing that it was "Mustachian." I saw a thread asking for recommendations on leaf blowers, so I responded with a recommendation. It was not a thread asking whether leaf blowers were morally acceptable under your Tenets of Mustachianism.

Then a few people piped up on a thread asking for leaf blower recommendations to say that they hate leaf blowers and would like to ban them and nobody has a good use for them. When some of us responded why we do need them, we were accused of being very defensive.

This place, honestly. Some of you have adopted this as your religion, with all the zeal and desperation for strict conformity that only a convert can muster.

Very wise for someone with so few posts.  The absolutism seen here sometimes boggles my mind.  Did our Savior (sarcasm) himself not post a picture with his massive 100lb drill press; could he not instead use use a manually powered hand crank drill? 

I need to reread the below post but scanning over it MMM mentions buying battery powered tools! <gasp>

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/11/getting-started-in-carpentry-tools-of-the-trade/

[Debts_of_Despair]

Destroy them all with fire.

Two are outside of my window right now, blaring away. I can't even hear myself think.

It's fall. Leaves fall. Leave them alone. They'll be fine and make nice food for your grass in the spring.

They will actually mat down the grass and kill it all.

[Debts_of_Despair]

Serious question . . . why is having some grass clippings on your driveway such a hardship?

Because it looks like hell and it can also end up going down the storm drains.  Not good for your local waterways.
http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2013/grass-clippings-and-stormwater

[2lazy2retire]

I've had an Echo backpack for 6 years now that runs great.  I also now that you can buy 4-stroke leaf blowers now--that's some power.

We have three acres in the woods. Rake!?!? Please. It would take a week, and by the time I finished, I would need to start over again. I would be raking non-stop from Mid-October through early December.

It's the woods, leave them where they fall.

"Where they fall" includes the driveway, the walk, the porch, the shrubs, the deck, the patio, etc. in addition to the lawn. In addition to rotting and decaying wet leaves everywhere, they would also provide harbor to mice and other rodents. The only alternative would be to cut down trees and push the tree line much farther back, like the settlers used to do 150 years ago. So I think I just made an argument that leaf blowers help preserve wooded space, as it allows us to live among the trees.

Unless you have multiple driveways, walks, porches, etc. scattered throughout your 3 wooded acres, surely most of the area is not hard surfaces? In which case you can either mulch-mow them or just let them stay on the ground for non-lawn areas.

I have a huge pile of leaves and brush in my backyard, but that never seems to attract mice - most rodents tend to live in structures of some sort (like my shed, or a stone wall, or a hole in a tree) - not in a thin layer of decomposing leaves.

If you're really attached to your leafblower and it adds quality to your life then go for it I guess... but I don't think you can argue that it's mustachian!

Wrong - around here people pay anything from $600-1000 to clear leaves each autumn , I bought my leaf blower maybe 7 years ago at about $350 - so in my world it is very f@cking mustachian

[2lazy2retire]

A rake

A broom

LOL!  niduaebc, you're on a roll in this thread!

LOL - on a roll off his roof trying to clear his gutters with a broom