Leaf Blowers

[Claude Hopper]

Some people have way too many leaves for that.

[ransley]

12 is heavy I use it, the statement of 14 is good means absolutely nothing, its feet run, power consumed-needed, and Voltage at the unit. So post power needed, voltage at unit and ft run, or do you always guess and have no true idea of what your blower actualy gets.

[mike]

I don't understand that. My 6.5 hp mower will occasionally have trouble mulching tall soggy grass, but ONLY IF I let grass muck build up under the deck. I never have trouble either mulching or bagging any amount of leaves. Bagging is really easy for the mower, and is probably a good idea for acidic oak leaves.

Plus, mowers are quieter and less annoying than a cheap, smokey, whiny

2-stroke blower. The lesson: take the money you would spend on a blower, and save it for a quality, powerful, bagging/mulching mower.

[hallerb]

small lot with hopefully a few well placed outside outlets, mean extension cords need not be long.

14 gauge is adquate for 15 amps, how many amps does your leaf blower use?

[ransley]

extension

art it,

h....ugh..

o do it

A 14ga extension cord 100ft, using 15a, will have 9.1v drop. A Toro that needs 120v wont get it on 125 from the house. I will bet 99% of all motor failures on home stuff like blowers is from low voltage. And folks think because its an orange cord its fine, but alot are 16ga, I have 12 and they are heavy, so I use gas.

[The Reverend Natural Light]

My $.02:

For leaves too deep to mulch with a mower, no gas or electric blower will do what a big tarp and a rake can accomplish.

[Art Todesco]

[aemeijers]

Still need a blower anyway, for the spots the mower won't fit, and for the gutters and snow. My 6-horse honda-pwered mulching mower was not happy with me after I did the way-back with it. Of course, this year I happened to be out of town when the major drop happened, so they were pretty deep by the time I got back. Now we are into sleet and snow, so I may not get a chance to do cleanup till spring....

-- aem sends...

[salty]

Don't forget to figure in the voltage drop between the service entrance panel and the outlet.

I have tried a 100 foot 14 gauge side by side with a 12 gauge 100 footer with my leaf blower last year. There is quite a noticible difference in RPM's.

[JimR]

Also off topic --

I once planned a lawn party, and on the day of the event my wife called me to say that a friend of hers had come into town to visit, was going to be at the party and wanted to know if there was anything she could do to help.

Since it was the fall season, I told my wife that her friend could help by keeping the lawn clear of leaves. What I didn't know was that her friend was a high-fashion model from Hong Kong who had never lived outside of a big city.

When I got home I discovered this beautiful model in a Dior gown standing in my yard next to a trashbag. Every time a leaf fell off the tree she would walk over, daintily pick it up by the stem and put it into the bag, then wait for the next one.

[trader4]

Brings back memories of Bill Murray in Caddy Shack.

[trader4]

That works great with a reasonable amount of leaves. But if you have a heavily wooded area, mulching up all the leaves will result in so much mulch that it smoothers the grass and kills it. I mulch when I can, but still need to use a blower.

[ds549]

if shes gonna blow leaves get her the electric. if your gonna do em ,get the gas powered.

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[Phisherman]

I have tried several types and now satisfied with a gas-powered back-pack type. I have about 200 trees and it does a fast job of moving an 8-foot mound of leaves. I use it in the summer to sweep sidewalks and driveways. An electric model simply doesn't have the power and is a joke. Pine needles nor pine cones don't blow so easily, at least the ones in my yard.

[Bryce]

I have a lot of leaves too and agree with your solution. I bought the second-largest Echo and it does a great job. A couple of winters ago, we had about a foot of very dry snow overnight and my blower did a great job of cleaning the driveway. Fun stuff! Not possible with the typical heavy snow though.

[Stormin Mormon]

I wonder if he's still alive. That boy was FUNNY!

[Red Green]

"CGB" wrote in news:HOWdnRx7pcG3oL_UnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

You want the gas one. Get it.

Electric ones are not that expensive. $50 for a Toro blower/vac, $25 for a Weed Eater blower(only). B&D probably has some models too. Get the blower for her. Maybe she'll return the favor:-)

[jmeehan]

...

Not an exception, but rather a comment, For many people I would agree with your statement, but for me, the battery operated tools I have work just fine. I don't have a need for additional power or capacity, but my needs are likely different than yours.

[Red Green]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Must be the same one I have. Definitely metal impeller if it's a vac. The variable speed is more a dial than a selector. About 10 speeds. That low speed does get used in like corners of places where I don't want all the crap blowing back in my face.

[Red Green]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Here it is Salty. It's called Toro Ultra Blower Vac Model 51598. Shows at O_Borg but not B-Borg.

# Infinitely variable air control # Metal impeller for mulching