Are Leaf Rakes Illegal???

[xrongor]

that was the ONLY thing i missed when i moved inland. the beach...

randy

[PrecisionMachinisT]

We corrall them in with old pallets--and its much easier to turn the pile over if your corral is twice the size as your pile, turn from left to right.

Probly lots of ideas in one of the gardening forums, one might be just what your doctor erdered.

[Doug Kanter]

Agreed. I stupidly punished myself by not exploring water for about 3 years after I moved. The Finger Lakes and the Adirondack lakes are gorgeous, but there's still nothing like a real beach, especially after Labor Day, when the lawyers and fashion queens have vacated.

[Dan]

Curly Sue-I thought I was the only one who knew about the mower trick ;-) I have a mid size tractor with a mulching deck, (and a lot of leaves from numerous mature pin oaks, maples, lindens, etc) 2-3 times over the yard twice a season mulches them neatly into the grass with no more effort than cutting the lawn, which I assume is using them as fertilizer. I do it 1st when about half are down, then again when they all are. Been doing it for years, every fall the neighbors still stare like I'm nuts but no dead patches in the lawn or other adverse effects. Only trick is they have to be pretty dry to chop up effectively. The pin oaks in particular practically turn to powder.

Used to use a leaf blower to blow the gutters clean. Always wore hearing protection. Damn things stink too, 2 cycle engines are pretty dirty. Recently I got a Ridgid 5 hp shop vac with the larger diameter hose, tried it on the gutters not really expecting it to work & was stunned how effective it is. I'll NEVER use another method. Plus unlike the blower which blasted the leaves everywhere, you just empty the vac into a suitable container; nothing to rake up! A big-ass shop vac is one of the best things to have around the house!

Dan

Curly Sue wrote:

[Michael Daly]

If your car is as noisy as a leaf blower, get it fixed. Compared to leaf blowers, cars are silent.

Alternatively, get your hearing checked - you might be deaf.

Mike

[Doug Kanter]

Wait till you have water all over your basement floor for some unexpected reason. You'll be hugging that shop vac when it's all over. :-)

[jtees4]

I've been doing the mowing method for many years.

*-------------------------------* NEVER FORGET!!!

[F.H.]

Here in California they really should drop the "leaf" part, and just call them blowers. Just as common to see them making a cloud of dust in a parking lot as it is to see them blowing leaves. Terrific for people with allergies and asthma.

[tcg]

Anybody here ever heard of "ear plugs"? I wear them when I mow also.

[TURTLE]

This isTurtle.

A Leaf blower is the only Democratic thing to do. A Tightwad Republican would just buy a old rake and work hard to do the job and not spend all day blowing leafs around.

TURTLE

[Doug Kanter]

I had a neighbor who, after washing his GMC pickup, would come outside every hour or two and use a leaf blower to eliminate any dust that had settled on the truck. What a piece of work HE was. :-) My son figured out his phobias at age 10. He and a couple of friends figured out that in the summer, when Mr Pickup's windows were open, it was fun to yell to each other "Hey! Anyone wanna play frisbee?", and watch the neighbor run out and move his truck halfway down the street. We didn't even OWN a frisbee.

[Joe_Stein]

Personally, I use both blower/shreadder and leaf rake. I give some leaves to the neighbors, but I do it inconspicuously (blow it into the street and hope the wind gives it to the neighbors). :-)

Joe NW Ohio

Doug Kanter wrote:

[3rd eye]

Would that be Southern CA.? If thats the case they use them cause they don't want to scratch the ground.

[Art]

I grew up on Long Island.... Massapequa Park. Went to college in Rochester and escaped the northeast in 1980. Between Long Island and Rochester, you made a home run. At least Rochester is prepared for all but the worse snow storms. Someday Long Island will be swamped by a hurricane.

[F.H.]

Yes, we are very sensitive about the environment. No need for leaf blowers tomorrow. The Santa Ana winds are due.

[Art]

You really need to come down to a North Carolina beach for a vacation. I hate the beach but even so I have to admit it is beautiful here (though boring and I hate the sun). Incredibly uncrowded unless you go to a tourist trap. Fly down to Raleigh and it is a 2 hour drive to the beach. The airfares are cheap. You will never miss a Long Island beach again if you visit a NC beach. The sand is so fine and clean it just slips off of you. Nothing like the grit of Jones Beach. And no beach pits.

[Doug Kanter]

I was in Duck (Outer Banks) a few years back. Friends who know me said "Do

***NOT*** drive south after you unpack your bags. If you must go anywhere, go North". Good advice. Nice & quiet.

[Phisherman]

We bought a powerful leaf blower this year and can gather an acre of leaves in less than 2 hours. Yes, they are noisy and ear protection is recommended.

[basil]

Pollution is the worst thing about them. The gardeners here use them to blow the odd leaf and the dirt around the yard. The other day, I swept the sidewalk in less then 3 minutes with a push broom. The job takes five minutes for the chuckleheads with the blowers. They put out more pollution than a car by a long shot.

[maradcliff]

No, I prefer a rake too....

Leaf Blowers are yet another toy for this new generation of lazy bums who were kids in the 90's, and raised by computer games while their parents slaved at their jobs to be able to afford all the hi-tech needs of these kids. They cant do anything without power. Then we wonder why energy prices keep rising...... Not a one of these "kids" can use a hammer. They must buy a nail gun. Not a one of them can use a screwdriver, they buy a screw gun, complete with extremely overpriced, and short lived batteries Not one of them can use a snow shovel, they buy a snowblower Not one of then can use a rake, they use a leaf blower And the list goes on.........

The thing that REALLY gets me, is that after they spend all the money for all this energy consuming stuff, many of them spend MORE money to join a exercise club membership, so they can burn up all their own excessive energy. Those that dont do the exercise simply turn into fat, artery clogged blobs while playing the latest computer games on the most powerful energy consuming computers they can get their hands on, along with their ipods and cellphones and other energy consuming devices that they cant live without.

Enjoy your rake and the exercise you get using it. You'll be much more healthy than those destroying their hearing, and filling their lungs with exhaust fumes with their leaf blowers.

PS. Can you imagine the chaos these "computer raised kids" would experience if the power was shut off. I'd bet most of them would be dead in a week.

Mark