Leaf Blowers

[GallardoOwner]

Hi, Looking for a leaf blower reccomendation if anybody uses one, I had an old one from my last house which I tried today and it is simply nowhere near man enough for the job.

Looking for something pretty heavy duty as there is alot to move, Just been using the ride on mower today that has a large collection box and within about 20 meters of each run its completly full.

I am informed that Stihl make good garden equipment but rather than just a brand name a specific model that somebody can praise would be better for me.

Thanks !

[MrCheese]

I have the handheld BG86 with vac bag. Light(ish), easy to hold, easy to start and the vac works for small/med jobs. It is man enough for the job as a blower. It is also handy for clearing the path of snow in the winter.

Also have BR600 backback blower which is insane. Clearing the path and lawns is very fast. The force of the air is so strong it can rip up tarmac and practically scarify the grass if held too close.

Either way buy a Stihl.

[cuneus]

Stihl petrol backpack model

[Harry H]

Can't help on specific model but by the sounds of it you really need to go the back pack route if you've got a big garden. The hand held ones get pretty tiring after a while.

I've also noticed that all the professional gardeners around my way have switch to 4 stroke in the last couple of years. Would imagine they're heavier but a lot more economical and they are definitely quieter. All mainly Stihl or Makita

[netherfield]

I have a Stihl SH85,now SH86, this is a blower/vac, which shreds the leaves as it sucks them in.

As a blower it's very good,as a vac very good as long as the leaves are not wet,otherwise it can soon block up or if they do go through you get a wet leg from the water seeping from the bag.

The bag can still soon get full,so I only use it for around the borders and the like,any that land on the lawn get picked by the garden tractors collector.

http://www.countax.com/pgc.htm

Depending on the leaf fall this can still get full quite quickly,although again if the leaves are quite dry I will mow them into the collector.

[markbigears]

Edited by markbigears on Tuesday 4th October 19:43

[markbigears]

Just bought a stihl SH86 and it's a joy to use. Very powerful, it can blow gravel clean off the drive. Use it for about half an hour at a time and don't find it heavy at all. Nicely made too. eBay is great for bargains. I made an offer of £175 for a brand new unit which was accepted. I think they retail around £300 mark. The only problem I can see is you start collecting more Stihl kit!

[Dr Interceptor]

I can also highly reccommend the Stihl products - great quality and fanastic aftersales backup if you have a good local dealer

Not sure where you're based, but if you're in the Surrey area they guys can't be beaten on price - www.hsstoolshop.co.uk

Only good for the Surrey area though as you have to collect the items in person and get a safety demo - but I use them for a lot of garden stuff!

[Busa mav]

MrCheese said:

I have the handheld BG86 with vac bag. Light(ish), easy to hold, easy to start and the vac works for small/med jobs. It is man enough for the job as a blower. It is also handy for clearing the path of snow in the winter.

Nearly bought this one this afternoon , does seem a good piece of kit , I also like the collector addition too.

Seen it locally with £80 off at £255 !

May be out to purchase it in the morning as wifey was just moaning about how much mess I have left along the drive after using the strimmer

Could probably also use it to dry the cars after washing them

[GallardoOwner]

I got the 86, it was £ 300.00, although they set it all up for me, its local so didnt bother to shop around,

It does work but for big areas / heavy leaf fall I think I could have done with something a bit more powerful.

Next what to do with the leafs, I have tried burning in a oil drum which takes an age to do, The first pile of leafs must have been as big as a mid sized car and looking up at the tress they are still almost full

[jagnet]

GallardoOwner said:

Next what to do with the leafs, I have tried burning in a oil drum which takes an age to do, The first pile of leafs must have been as big as a mid sized car and looking up at the tress they are still almost full

My preference is to turn them into leaf mould. I turned one of my unused garden sheds into a 3 bay compost heap - each bay gets used for leaves for the first year, then compost on top for the second, leaving it ready to be used in the third.

Alternatively, bag them up in black sacks, water the leaves if they're dry, stick holes in the sack with a fork, and leave in a corner of the garden for a year or two.

Leaf mould makes for an excellent mulch or topping on bare beds in the autumn at 1 to 2 years, or as I do can be mixed in with compost at 2 years+

Sometimes though, the lure of a bonfire is too strong and out comes the incinerator, but that's more for fun as it is a very slow process as you've found.

[netherfield]

GallardoOwner said:

I got the 86, it was £ 300.00, although they set it all up for me, its local so didnt bother to shop around,

It does work but for big areas / heavy leaf fall I think I could have done with something a bit more powerful.

Next what to do with the leafs, I have tried burning in a oil drum which takes an age to do, The first pile of leafs must have been as big as a mid sized car and looking up at the tress they are still almost full

A good Stihl agent should also have offered to check it out after about 10 hours use,mine did and increased the speed slightly,he said they like to see them run in a little before giving it full revs.

I made a 4 foot cubed bin to put the leaves in,and if I keep treading them down it holds quite a lot.