Does anyone have any recommendations?
I was looking at one of the 2-stroke Stihl ones for the nice smell and portability.
We have a large garden so corded not an option and cordless is probably not going to last the distance.
TIA
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Does anyone have any recommendations?
I was looking at one of the 2-stroke Stihl ones for the nice smell and portability.
We have a large garden so corded not an option and cordless is probably not going to last the distance.
TIA
I've had a McCulloch GBV345 for a good few years, use it quite often and it's never missed a beat.
I have had a Stihl for two years which is used for blowing out and cleaning grain stores. Works well. I am pretty committed to Stihl having Stijl Chainsaws, strummers and hedgers. Always good kit.
My Dad has the Stihl one (blow only, not the blow and suck version), it's great. They have about 1/4 of an acre of grass with about 30 Turkey Oaks 60 ft tall dropping all their leaves, and it copes fine.
The resulting leafmould gets traded for an awful lot of produce from mates with veg patches and allotments, it is an amazing soil conditioner after 2 years.
I have the smaller electric Stihl (suck & blow version), it clears all my little urban garden into a bag no problem.
D
Stihl, hand-held. Not that back-mounted behemoth. I have mine for years now. Bought it secondhand from a local professional gardening and forestry tool shop (run by a former pupil of mine; he was in my class in the 90s). Here, the city council leases those machines for a few years and then they're reconditioned and sold off to people like me. Try to get a reconditioned one. Much cheaper.
Since they're built to last in a professional environment, they will soldier on forever and ever when you pull it out of your garden shed for a weekly 'tour de garden'. On top of that: I use Aspen 2-stroke fuel.
Yep Stihl is the way to go
Stihl here. Huge backpack one. Will clear my garden in no time.
Some other tips I always give;
1 - a petrol leaf blower is good for clearing paths of snow if you get to them before someone walks on them
2 - a decent pressure washer is great for blowing leaves into a pile. You'd be surprised how little water they use and if you have an oak tree, they will blow acorns into a pile easier than even a petrol blower
3 - a petrol leaf blower is great for drying the car. Blows the water out of all those shut gaps that then dribble down your freshly dried paintwork if you use a drying cloth. Takes 2 mins to walk round the car to remove 90% of the water then finish with a cloth
Quote:
Originally Posted by thegreatdogwood
#1: True! Works better than a broom and snow shovel etc
#2: Never tried that! I will give it a try. I suppose that the water 'binds' the leaves, so that they 'stick' together.
#3: Yes. And it also clears the area (what's the word for that in English? In Dutch it's called 'paravan') under the front windshield from leaves and debris, so that the heater/blower intake is clear of leaves as well.
*3- The part you refer to in English is 'Scuttle'.Quote:
Originally Posted by thieuster
Thanks for that!
I've been using a Stihl BG85 for years and years. I think it has been superceded by the BG86. There's a member here uses a Robinson R22 for his huge property.
Another one here with the the Sthll BG85. Must have had it 15 years, never missed a beat. I've also got the vacuum conversion kit to make it suck leaves. Only takes a couple of minutes to change it over.
https://www.mowers-online.co.uk/stih...-for-bg55-bg85
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk
Makita 4 stroke one here, neighbour friendly as it's very quiet compared to the 2 strokes and just as powerful. It also has a vacuum attachment.
Yep...brilliant for blowing leaves and rubbish over towards next door.Quote:
Originally Posted by thegreatdogwood
Leaf movers. For blowing stuff into the road so someone else can deal with it.
Indeed! It are the council’s trees. And the council does its job here as well. A sweeping truck (I don’t know a different term) sweeps the streets every other week.
I've been really happy with my Stihl BG 56.
Another vote for the Makita ( trawl online for best price though).
4 stroke so no fart-assing around either.
Only downside is weight as they are definitely not for the weedy wristed.Sent from my moto g(6) plus using TZ-UK mobile appQuote:
Originally Posted by Thewatchbloke
Thanks everyone for your advice!
I visited my parents over the weekend and my dad had bought a Stihl hedge trimmer which impressed me with its build quality.
I had some time off this morning so visited a local garden machinery seller and came back with the Stihl BG56. Nice smell of 2-stroke oil now hangs over the garden!!
I doubt you will be disappointed with the Stihl, they make cracking gear. As my older chainsaws/strimmers/etc come to the end of their life, they are all being replaced with Stihl gear. I have had duff Husky stuff, but have never had a duff Stihl item yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by j0hnbarker
One tip for leaf blowing is to do it before the leaves get too wet/bogged down as they will be much easier to move before they have started to clump together.
We've had a Stihl for a few years. Been totally reliable.
We have a Stihl BG86 - so far flawless over 5 years (light use). Next door's gardener has the same model used every day, again has lasted well over 5 years.
We nearly bought a Husqvarna but the Stihls were on sale.
Previously had a Ryobi : Crock of poop.
Exactly this!.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bondurant
Blow your trash away for someone else to deal with!.
Ive arrived at age 60 without the need for a leaf blower.......
Had the thread been titled ‘What do you think of leaf blowers?’, both comments would have been helpful additions.Quote:
Originally Posted by P9CLY
As it wasn’t, they weren’t, but thanks for participating. If you followed the thread you’ll see I’ve taken the good advice and bought one, which happens to be for blowing leaves into a big pile in my back garden. Then using the same device as a vacuum/shredder to make leaf mulch.
I’m going to loose off a load of hydrocarbons in the process too.
Thanks! Never thought of 1. Will be trying it out this winter.Quote:
Originally Posted by thegreatdogwood
We have a suck / blow Stihl which works a treat. Just need to be careful not to suck too much gravel.....
About 2-stroke petrol. I can recommend this: Aspen 2
https://aspenfuel.co.uk
Hardly any smell and certainly no smoke.
It's expensive stuff, but I use one jerrycan/year for my Stihl or perhaps even less. The jerrycan also comes with a nice filling nozzle that prevents spilling fuel on the ground. The fuel won't go 'off' or 'age' in the jerrycan. I know that gardening professionals here in my town all use the stuff. Due to the large local market for that fuel, it's widely available here (locally, that it); even at one or two petrol stations.
There's also Aspen 4, for 4-stroke engines. Although I must admit that I use regular 95 RON in my lawnmower-with-an-separate-oil tank.
Menno
Interesting.Quote:
Originally Posted by thieuster
I had formed the opinion that this stuff was 'snake oil' when it was recommended to me, but if the gardening professionals are using it then I may take another look as those guys tend to not spend more money with no perceivable benefit.
I use Aspen petrol in my lawn mower. The big reason is it doesn't age like normal petrol does. I left some in the tank of my mower last winter. The mower started on the first pull this year.
I use Stihl's own fuel in my blower.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maysie
I started using the stuff when my youngest (then 6 or 7) wanted to clear the garden with the Stihl*). I considered that to be unhealthy due to the fumes. The dealer and I discussed this when I picked the blower up from the dealer after a 'pre-season warranty check'. He recommended Aspen as the cleanest possible solution. Smell- and smoke-wise, he's right. Aspen doesn't smell and doesn't smoke like ordinary 2-stroke. So, my youngest looked like a little astronaut when he did the garden: noise-cancelling headphones, safety goggles and small gardening gloves were his main protection. He still has fond memories about that time!
Menno
*) I had considered the big Stihl with the back-mounted gear and the nozzle with the pistol grip. When my oldest (then 10) tried it on, he started turning around, circling backwards when he pulled the trigger.:worked_till_5am: Not suited for small, light kids who want to help their dad in the garden.
M.
Having previously purchased cheaper brands of all sorts of garden tools I now buy Stihl. As my sister loves to say: 'Buy cheap, buy twice!' There's a good reason why many professionals use Stihl.