Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

[WizeOne]

Looking for opinions. My trees have gotten so big my hand held blower is no longer up to the job. I've used a backpack blower one time and the ability to move large piles of even wet leaves around was astounding. There was no comparison between the direction control of the backpack vs the handheld. Extra power was no doubt a significant factor too.

I'm kinda of eyeballing a Stihl BR600. They seem to be compact, light for the power, great cfm and mph but at the top of the price scale.

What say ya'll?

 

[i386]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Stihl or Echo will do what you want. Just check out what the landscapers are using. I have the $99 Homelite "backpack" model. It's pretty good for blowing grass off the driveway and drying my motorcycle off after I wash it. It blows dry leaves pretty well if they're not too deep. It will not move huge piles of damp leaves. It just doesn't have the power to move the volume of air that the $250-$300 ones do. That's my experience. YMMV.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

I also have a homelite. about middle of the road one i think. got it at a auction for $10.00 3 or 4 years ago. new plug and it runs great.
Id go to the local repair place and see if they have any used ones or ones that came in for repairs and no one picked up. get the same thing for way less.

 

[Landscaping Wiz 808]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

The Stihls are good, but a little overpriced, Echos are good for light duty use a couple of times a year. You said you have a bunch of trees and would be moving wet piles sometimes. You should look for one with a wind speed of 125-150mph at the nozzle. A couple of years ago my company switched from Stihl to Husqvarna for everything (blowers, line trimmers, edgers, etc.). The quality is as good or better than Stihl for a better price.

Here's a good one for home use:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200151674_200151674

Don't forget the ear/eye protection!

BOB

 

[pinecrestwoods]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Haha! Now this is right up my alley. I teach full time and operate a lawn care service part time.

The BR600 is a popular machine for moving leaves. I don't have that one, specifically, but I hear (read) great things about it. It packs quite a punch, and is a true "commercial" machine. Yes Stihl costs. How much stuff do you have to move? There comes a point where a "leaf plow" (do a google image search.... trust me) is the way to go. Personally, I don't have a need for anything nearly that drastic- I just run over the leaves and mulch them, then again with the bagger. The rest, I can handle with a little hand-held, or the dreaded rake.

As far as brand preference, that's a Ford-Chevy-Dodge debate. Echo-Stihl-Shindaiwa, Echo-Stihl-Shindaiwa... Remember, there is quite a life-expectancy difference between home-owner equipment (box store stuff) and true commercial machines from a dealer, but that's another debate, entirely. Even within a brand, there are different grades, so saying "Echo is for light-duty stuff" isn't really true. It would be more accurate to say, "The Echo you get from Home Depot is not a true commercial machine." Husq. makes some decent stuff, too, but do your research.

Thanks for opening a can of worms. Duramax is better.... no, I like Powerstroke.... no, they're crap..... my dad can beat up your dad!

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Your comments are all great. I will say that I do not have such a big job as to need a 'leaf plow", (I did google it) but sometimes in the PNW, the leaves get wet before I am able to get to them. There are enough of them that mulching over them with my mower still kills the grass and I just do not have enough directional sweep with my hand held. I've watched professionals moving podigious amount of wet/damp leaves with just a swirling motion of the backpack tube. That is what I want to be able to do and control where they end up.

I don't want to overbuy but good deals are to be had on the net and if I underbuy I am kind of stuck. It would seem to me that a air velocity of 200 mph would be good insurance that those pesky leaves would go when I wanted them to and where I wanted them to.

Lowes has a Huskvarna 150bt at $299 (180mph) that looks pretty good but I may be able to pick off a Stihl BR600 (200mph)at near that price from the net. The Stihl is also lighter than the Huskvarna.

I have learned, with 2/3 acre, that some homeowner type equipment just gets worn out in a hurry.

I'll let ya'll know what I decide.

 

[Splat]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Redmax EBZ8000 period. 200mph at over 900CFM!!!!!!!!

I used to sell Redmax, so perhaps I'm partial to them. They really are true commercial machines tho.

They will move gravel out of your grass after a winters worth of snowplowing.


But if you don't need that much machine the EBz7001 will be plenty, plus it's like 5# lighter.

The thing to remember here is MPH isn't nearly important as CFM or volume.
Any manufacturer can put a fan of a shaft and wallah! you suddenly have a 200mph blower, but there's no substance to that air moving at 200mph.

It's like swinging a piece of paper at 200mph across your face, sure you'll notice it's there, but how far did it move you? Now take a cinderblock and swing it at 200 mph. The velocity is the same, but there's substantially more volume, or more punch. This is what will move your leaves.

Stay away from Homelite, featherlight, Ryobi, and for the most part anything sold at a big box store. They are all junk and "disposable" it will cost you almost as much to repair one, as to just buy a new one, plus the performance is crap. Go to a local OPE dealer, and ask to see their homeowner line. You'll pay a little more upfront, but have a much better machine, that will perform better, and last much longer, plus is repairable.

Redmax,Husquavarna aren't bad, nor is Stihl for the most part. They all make a homeowner line, as well as a commercial line.

Bill

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

I googled that redmax EBZ8000. That thing is a monster. They say you need sponsons to keep from being torqued over on your right side, from the power of that fan.

 

[pinecrestwoods]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Splat- I like your "piece of paper at 200mph" analogy.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Personally I think you may want to consider a lawn sweeper. In my town we just blow the leaves to the front curb and the town comes and gets em, no bagging just moving. My leaf blower did a good job getting the front but getting the leaves from the back all the way to the front curb was too mush work. I don't have a backpack blower but my neighbor does and he uses the rear bagger on his mower for the bulk of the leaves.

I have a lawn sweeper and When my other neighbors lawn service showed up after 2 weeks of no showing (I guess there mowers broke at the same time or something) they left an inch of grass clipping on top of the lawn. After watching my poor female 70 something neighbor get out her rake I yelled at her to stop (In a friendly way) and got out the sweeper. I had her 1/2 acre looking like a golf course in 1/2 hour without ever getting off of my mower one time.

I will admit that I have not tried this on leaves yet, but from what I have read, it should do just fine. It is way easier than blowing and leaves a MUCH cleaner lawn. Leaving less material like helicopters under the grass leads to less thatch and a healthier lawn. Thatch is also why mulching leaves into the lawn can be bad.

This picture is not me, I just wanted to show a picture of someone actually using a sweeper as opposed so you could see what I mean.

 

[wingless]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

A three-wheel blower is handy too!

It pushes way more than the backpack blower.

On my large property I use both to keep the oaks in-check.

 

[Splat]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Yea those EBX8000's are actually a bit much.

I used to work at a dealership so I got one at cost. They are like $499 new if i remember correctly. anyways. They are nice tho. Like i said we use mine to blow the gravel back into the driveway after the winter plowing, as well as a host of other things.

When I first brought it home I was still living with my folks. My dad was like "what the hell do you need a blower for, especially one that you wear like a backpack, seems like a gimmick and a waste of money" that was until he used it. It has since come to reside permanently at his place. I only get to take it to my house when I need it, then promptly return MY blower so I don't hear about it from the old man. Parents.

I'll put it this way, they were even smart enough to add vents in the part that is against your back, so when the blower is on it blows air on your back and gives you air conditioning

Bill

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Just DO NOT get a 4 cycle blower or string trimmer!! I know it is easier to not mix gas but I use a 4 cycle backpack blower a few times a week and it sucks!! Also the reason that a lot of the blowers or trimmers are 2 cycle is because the ability to run them in different angles. 4 cycle backpack blower, you bend down too low and the oil spills out and burns you. you cannot edge with a 4 cycle string trimmer cause you cannot turn it upside down. They are not powerful at all. Just JUNK

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Backpack leaf blowers! Who has one?

Just DO NOT get a 4 cycle blower or string trimmer!! I know it is easier to not mix gas but I use a 4 cycle backpack blower a few times a week and it sucks!! Also the reason that a lot of the blowers or trimmers are 2 cycle is because the ability to run them in different angles. 4 cycle backpack blower, you bend down too low and the oil spills out and burns you. you cannot edge with a 4 cycle string trimmer cause you cannot turn it upside down. They are not powerful at all. Just JUNK

Good things to know dm, although I never did consider them just because I thought 4 cycles would be heavier and more sluggish. As long as they keep making 2 cycle motors for yard equipment I will continue to buy them and continue using my A***** 100:1 two cycle oil.

There is certainly a dizzying array of backpack blower brands and models to choose from but one of my prime attractions to them is just simply control. Although I am exited about the extra power, even if I had one that had no more poop than my hand held, it would be a lot more effective moving leaves around than trying to swing that whole hand held mass.