Landscaping/garden equipment qestions

[DynamoBT]

This is Really off topic!!

This year we want to move into the "high tech" of gardening equipment. We've had it with raking leaves. We get tons of them. We have fences for our dogs and it seems like we trap leaves from miles around.

But our problem isn't just leaves. It's wet leaves, acorns, and hickory nuts. We want a back pack type blower that will move all these suckers!! If it can't handle the nuts, we're not interested. We've bought other equipment that was underpowered ie vacuums. They sit unused because they are useless.

Does anyone have any personal experience with back pack type blowers? Post your testimonials and rants here please!! We need some guidance.

Yes, I know I can't spell "questions"!!

TIA to all.

[BillGargan]

Some backpack blowers are really powerful. My kid used his to move snow last winter.

But, unless you really have a spot where you can send them and stop caring, you will need to pick up the pile and move it.

The ONLY good way is a power vacuum and storage like you can get for most riding mowers. They are also available separately. Many of these mulch and reduce the volume by a large factor as well.

[NancysToy]

I own a push-type lawn vacuum, a backpack blower, and a trailer mounted vacuum that tows behind my tractor. I have also owned a walk-behind blower. None of these is perfect! Especially with wet leaves or things like nuts..and not in tight quarters, either. What ever you get, it will still require some serious work on your part, and some compromises and hand work. That warning aside, I prefer the big tractor-vac. There are bolwers that will do a great job, very powerful, but they will wear you out in a large yard (I have an acre). The small vac was nice, but plugs easily with wet leaves and has to be emptied way too often. The blower not only wears me out, but doesn't blow well after a large windrow builds up, and requires picking up the leaves by hand, in addition to emtying them. In the end, I use all three to do the job around here in the Fall. Each has it's advantages and disavantages. Have you thought about renting a backpack blower to try it out?

[Dudley]

This is Really off topic!!

This year we want to move into the "high tech" of gardening equipment. We've had it with raking leaves. We get tons of them. We have fences for our dogs and it seems like we trap leaves from miles around.

But our problem isn't just leaves. It's wet leaves, acorns, and hickory nuts. We want a back pack type blower that will move all these suckers!! If it can't handle the nuts, we're not interested. We've bought other equipment that was underpowered ie vacuums. They sit unused because they are useless.

Does anyone have any personal experience with back pack type blowers? Post your testimonials and rants here please!! We need some guidance.

Yes, I know I can't spell "questions"!!

TIA to all.

Ever thought about moving to very southern California? No grass to cut, leaves to rake, nuts to pick up. You could save a ton on equipment costs and operation and have hours more to RYDE!:ohyea:

[DynamoBT]

Renting a blower to try it out is something we hadn't thought of. Good idea, Scotty!

We know there is going to be pick up work with the blower. We have fencing that will alow blowing leaves into a corner to trap them. But we also admit that a blower may not be the most efficient way to deal with the mess we get each fall. It's just that we've been so disappointed with the vacs we've used. I have a hand push one that isn't powerful enough and also needs to be emptied way to often. A vac that attaches to our mower is an option but mounting it and removing it for mowing is more pain in the neck than we want to deal with. (makd that than "I" want to deal with as hubby is not mechanical)

This is so frustrating. It appears the disc that ruptured in my back in January is causing me problems again. I am beyond useless at this point. And the mess has already started! :gaah:

[NancysToy]

This is so frustrating. It appears the disc that ruptured in my back in January is causing me problems again. I am beyond useless at this point. And the mess has already started! :gaah:
I know that feeling. Our leaves are trickling down, too, and my knee isn't ready for clean up work. I can't even drive the lawn tractor yet. Frustrating, isn't it? Somehow I have to make romm for the new RT when it comes, too.

[DynamoBT]

But Scotty, doing the work to make room for the RT is joyous work! Whereas fall clean up, not so much!!!

Think of all the fun filled times you will have with Nancy on the RT whether you are ryding 2 up or his and her Spyders!!:clap:

[retread]

Two that I know of, buy not much about, are the Billy Gote (a shredder-vac - huge and self propelled) and Cyclone Rake, 3 sizes, quick connects to lawn tractor, folds up for storage. Think they're both on line.

john

[DynamoBT]

Found them John. Thanks!! We have a dealer near us!!! Deals with STHIL equipment too. I've heard good things about them too.

We'll be making a trip to visit soon!

[Roaddog2]

I own a push-type lawn vacuum, a backpack blower, and a trailer mounted vacuum that towos behind my tractor. I have also owned a walk-behind blower. None of these is perfect! Especially with wet leaves or things like nuts..and not in tight quarters, either. What ever you get, it will still require some serious work on your part, and some compromises and hand work. That warning aside, I prefer the big tractor-vac. There are bolwers that will do a great job, very powerful, but they will wear you out in a large yard (I have an acre). The small vac was nice, but plugs easily with wet leaves and has to be emptied way too often. The blower not only wears me out, but doesn't blow well after a large windrow builds up, and requires picking up the leaves by hand, in addition to emtying them. In the end, I use all three to do the job around here in the Fall. Each has it's advantages and disavantages. Have you thought about renting a backpack blower to try it out?The trailer mount can now go behind your RT :roflblack:

[DynamoBT]

Ha ha, I wish we could. But if we paid people to do all the mowing, fall clean up and winter plowing and shoveling that needs to be done around here, we couldn't afford to live here.

I fully admit we are slaves to our property. But we love it here. And it suits our dogs. So we stay, and work our butts off.

[dabreitbach]

Did you ever think of putting a mulching blade and plug on your mower? I have 3/4 of an acre, 2 silver maples(40 plus feet). 1 red maple(30 feet), 1 johnathon apple ,1 elm & 1 I don't know. In the fall I put the mulching plug in and it grinds everything up so small it disappears into the lawn. The plus is you just mulched your entire lawn for next year.:2thumbs:

[Longlegs]

I use a mulch kit on a 31hp Hustler superZ, and a stihl BR600 backpack blower. I used to have a 27hp toro z500 52" deck with a mulch kit and it was awesome too. I just spread everything out and mulch it up.

[DynamoBT]

Well, after advice here and from BeginnerBikers.org (BBO) we bought the STIHL BR 600 backpack blower. We know there will still be pickup needing to be done. But after someone on BBO said they could push a brick across concrete with the BR 600, I figured it's going to handle the dreaded nuts.

I don't care if it blows the grass off its roots. I just want those nuts outta my yard!!!

[BillGargan]

Did you ever think of putting a mulching blade and plug on your mower? I have 3/4 of an acre, 2 silver maples(40 plus feet). 1 red maple(30 feet), 1 johnathon apple ,1 elm & 1 I don't know. In the fall I put the mulching plug in and it grinds everything up so small it disappears into the lawn. The plus is you just mulched your entire lawn for next year.:2thumbs:

In NH you really do not want to do that. Even if you actually could get the leaves to mulch down to micro-bits it still would be too much volume of mulch for the lawns with the massive quantity of leaves we get here. The truth is -- even the best mulcher cannot reduce the leaves to a fine enough size anyway. You would end up killing your lawn.

[Longlegs]

The BR 600 will scare the leaves back on the tree. As far as blowing bricks, it sure will, I have got them rolling so hard they bust into pieces. My favorite trick with the 600 is to point it straight up and float a basketball the air stream.