Gas powered leaf blower???

[bobmct]

Gentlemen;

As that time nears and I cannot afford to hire someone this year to rake/blow all the leaves in my yard, I am destined to accomplish this unpleasant feat by myself.

As I already have a Toro electric blower which is good for small things, the pros seem to use a wheeled gas powered blower to move them enmass to a huge pile for bagging/disposal.

I've just looked at Consumers Reports and they rate (on their scale) a Toro Electric the same as a gas powered wheeled blower. How can this be?

For any of you readers who have first hand experience I would appreciate any comparisons that can be provided regarding electric, gas backpack or gas wheeled?

All help, advice, recommendations greatly appreciated.

[ts]

The electric units work fine for the average homeowner - around the house. You are remember, tethered by an electrical cord of maybe 75"

The landscape guys use the gas models BECAUSE they need to move around more than that & how many folks would let them hook up an extension wire.

Got it? :)

[aemeijers]

One of those cheap blue 10x10 tarps plus rope handles added to the corners, and 4 bricks (or laundry soap jugs full of water or sand) to weigh down the corners, is a great way to move large piles if you have a place to dump them. (I have a back fenceline with trees that works well.) Just blow/rake onto the tarp, grab the corner loops, and pull.

If you will be bagging them, buy one of those things to hold the bag open so you can rake into it, and some sort of yard cart to move the bags to the curb as you fill them. A farmer-style aluminum scoop shovel makes a great companion to the usual leaf rake for picking up and stuffing bundles of leave- use it like giant salad tongs.

For a single lot, electric is the way to go, IMHO. Those little gas engines are fussy. Buy a good contractor-grade 100-foot cord, and a set of earmuffs to wear. Even the electric ones can trash your hearing. I've been rather happy with the 50-buck electric Toro I bought the first fall after I bought this place- abused the hell out of it and it still works. The vacuum bag attachment is useless, like on most, but it blows great. Even use it for clearing dry snow, if it isn't deep enough to drag out the gas snow blower.

-- aem sends...

[Dan Espen]

Where I live we're faced with truly monumental leaf fall. I'm determined to deal with the leaves myself until I'm too old.

I've tried most of the smaller equipment including electric blowers. They just don't cut it.

The gas back pack blower is enough for my needs. A walk behind would be over kill.

Around here the pros use a combination of one walk behind and one or more additional back pack blowers.

With the back pack blower I can blow the leaves into piles then rake the leaves into a large wheeled container and then dump the leaves into a compost pile.

If I had to bag the leaves I think I would invest in a shredder.

[Keystroke]

If you want a broad, representative sample of responses on this topic, better post it "en espanol."

[Caesar Romano]

On Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:40:20 -0400, bobmct wrote Re Gas powered leaf blower???:

Forget about CR. Observe the landscape people in your area and note what brand they are using. That will tell you a lot.

[Steve Barker DLT]

I have a question. Why don't you just mow them in,leave them lay, and do their job fertilizing the yard? What is peoples infatuation with removing leaves?

just curious.

[Steve Barker DLT]

You might want to check out the little handheld stihl. The little one is the bg-55

you can find it for about $139. It should last a homeowner forever.

steve

[aemeijers]

Because if you don't leave at least some grass showing, it dies?

Unless you mow daily, that doesn't work. When the uncompressed leaf layer is six inches thick, you CAN'T mow them- the mower stalls out. I start out mowing my leaves every fall, but when the major drop happens, it just isn't an option. I don't landfill them, though- I have a back corner with trees and chainlink fence on 2 sides, that I blow/drag them all into. They end up waist high, but by the time the grass elsewhere in the yard starts growing again in spring, they are down to six inches of mulch. I don't garden, so the next owner of this place will have several years worth of compost to play with.

-- aem sends...

[Cheri]

+1, I think they should be outlawed. All they do is blow the mess elsewhere, so someone else has to use a broom or a rake and garbage bags that the original leaf blower should have used in the first place.

Cheri

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, First How big is your yard?

[jim]

Used my hand mower for many years works well sucks up and bag slow but works

[Steve Barker DLT]

if they're THAT thick, then some trees need to be cut down. That's rediculous. But as another reply said, they can be mulched in.

s

[aemeijers]

(snip)

Hardly. I only have 6 trees or so in back (not counting the pines), well spaced over a little less than half an acre. They are just very big mature trees is all, including a couple with huge leaves. Legacy trees, that predate the 1960 subdivision- no way do they get cut down, as long as they are healthy. (Not sure of the exact species, other than the one maple) I also get some of the neighbor's leaves, due to the prevailing wind. It takes over an hour to mow the back- I'm not eager to do that every other day during leaf drop season, which is about what it would take to stay ahead of them. Plus of course I still have to hand-clear all the areas the mower can't go.

I do mulch them in, until the drop rate exceeds what a weekly mow can handle.

-- aem sends...

[willshak]

on 8/16/2008 8:00 PM Cheri said the following:

They are outlawed in some jurisdictions.

[nick hull]

I found when I read CR about stuff I knew a lot about their advice was crap ;)

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

[jmeehan]

I would suggest that buying a gasoline engined tool to use for one job a year is not a really great idea. After a couple of years, you likely will be facing a gummed up fuel system and a real bother to use. It also will likely be marginal utility, unless you buy a true professional model. If your electric is not enough then hire someone who has the big industrial equipment, or as I do, mulch the leaves. It really is far better for most lawns. It adds organic matter and feeds the lawn.

Note: This does not apply to all parts of the world. In some areas you do need to get the leaves, but frankly most people who rake, should not.

[Caesar Romano]

On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:10:58 -0500, nick hull wrote Re Re: Gas powered leaf blower???:

Ditto. That's why I gave up on them a long time ago.

[mm]

I've seen a dethatching blade, but not a mulching blade.

I the fall, which is the only time I have many leaves, the leaves are dry and wrinkled and there is a lot of empty space in the layer of leaves. The layer of leaves is much thicker than if the leaves were flat. When the leaves are wet on the outside, I wait before mowing the lawn, but the outside dries out quickly and the inside is still brittle, I think.

[mm]

I should say this somewhere. My next door neighbor bought a new lawn mower this spring, and was already having trouble starting it a week ago. He got it running I think, but he's some sort of auto mechanic by trade.

I used to think that the reason I didn't have a very green lawn like some of my neighbors was the mulched leaves. But since I used spray on weedkiller this spring, I don't think that's the reason anymore. I think my lawn was always green, when there was enough rain, but the dandelions and other weeds were a distraction.