?'s for backpack blower owners

[mh9162013]

Doesn't anyone here use a vacuum?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I tried one of those handheld ones and it was so slow - might as well pick up each leaf by hand, one-by-one.

 

[spyder62]

I bought a backpack blower a couple of months ago.I could kick myself in the arse for doing so.doing Leaves are a pain in the butt and I tried different methods over the years. By far , the most effective way in ease and time. is running them over and mulching them with my lawn tractor . Starting on the perimeter of my yard and working my way in. You end up with a few small piles to deal with. Easy peasy. Hell just keep running them over and you don’t have to pick up nothing. Damned thing really sucks down the fuel also. I was trying to blow them about 200 feet against the wind of course which didn’t help. I really only wanted something to blow the dirt and grass off the sidewalk. But one thing led to another

 

[Highland_hunter]

Over the years, I done it all. Rake and tarp all day event. Backpack blower and tarp. Handheld and tarp. Did it with a backpack and MightyMac chipper shredder one year. By far the easiest at this point is the free Craftsman lawn vac chipper I used this year. Made short work of the yard ~.5 acre, and could do it over multiple days. Have a relatively flat lot at the moment with LOTS of maples. At the end of the day if/when I get a larger lot I'd look at tractor with some sort of vac and dump along the road or at the tree line for mulching purposes.

 

[chuckwood]

I've got a Husky 150BT that works great. But most of my leaves get mulched. I use the blower to get the leaves bunched up in piles about a foot deep. Then I use a riding mower with the discharge opening blocked off and mulching blades installed. I chop the leaves up into mulch with the mower and leave it all on the lawn. After a month or two, the powdered leaf material will vanish into the soil and enrich it. I find it more pleasant to ride around on the mower listening to music via headphones while I'm working on the leaves.

 

[spyder62]

I've got a Husky 150BT that works great. But most of my leaves get mulched. I use the blower to get the leaves bunched up in piles about a foot deep. Then I use a riding mower with the discharge opening blocked off and mulching blades installed. I chop the leaves up into mulch with the mower and leave it all on the lawn. After a month or two, the powdered leaf material will vanish into the soil and enrich it. I find it more pleasant to ride around on the mower listening to music via headphones while I'm working on the leaves.

Basically what I do. And the more you run them over the smaller they get. Headphones are a must with some good music and maybe some beer. A leaf blower is just insanity

 

[Silverado 2500]

I agree with most. Although at first start it may seem like it will go quickly, but believe me,it doesn't. No matter how big the blower. The smaller hand helds blow at about the same rate as the backpack blowers. I have tried both with no discernable difference. The walk behind is definitely your next option. On a day with even a small breeze, as you blow the leaves, depending on the way the wind is blowing, they can wind up right back where they started if not further. I would definitely stick with the sweeper. Scoup them up and dump them out at the curb. I guarantee it would be quicker.

 

[Sebago Guide]

For years I raked Then I tried the handheld blower from my shop vac. Then I got a Husky 560bfs Love it . This year I got a agri fab lawn sweeper to pull behind my John Deere x350 . That cut my time from 8 hours down to 1 Wish I had done it years ago.

 

[Colt Marlington]

Leaves bunch up in places that you can't get a sweeper into.

Like others, I use a blower to get the leaves into a row and then mow them up with a lawn tractor.

My handheld blower wouldn't start last weekend so I went and bought a used backpack blower.

The handheld is nice for everyday use of blowing off the patio and walkways. But the much more powerful backpack blower excels in moving large piles of leaves and also dirt that washes up on the driveway.

 

[Cycledude]

I believe the new Stihl 800 is a little over 900 CFM not 1,000 and list price is $600.00 , one major improvement is they designed the new 800 so that the operator can pull the rope to start it without having to dismount it from the operators back first, I am very seriously considering buying one.

Well I had told a Stihl dealer last November to call me when the new 800 blower comes in, he called this morning and said they finally got their first one yesterday but it’s sold to someone else that was ahead of me on the list but I should stop in to look at it. Seems like a very nice unit, $659.00 , being able to shut it off and restart it while it’s mounted on your back it a very nice feature but it seems odd they didn’t start building backpack blowers like that years ago. He has 3 more sold ahead of me and has no idea when the next one might come in. They are also available with for the same price with electric start but I’m not interested in having to mess with a battery.

 

[Huskyuser]

I bought an Echo back pack style 2 years ago. I use it a lot and yesterday was a prime example. It works great, easy to start, and of reasonable weight for its size...

No regrets...

 

[trophyhunter]

I just bought a Stihl 600 backpack blower, this thing is a beast compared to my handhelds! It's going to cut a bunch of time off getting leaves and debris out of the landscaping and other areas you can't pull the sweeper into.

Should have bought one of these years ago.