Blowers are a tool you can use all year-round for cleanup tasks in the yard, but they’re particularly handy in the autumn for cleaning up fallen leaves. Leaf blowers make clearing leaves off a lawn and getting them out of landscape beds much faster and easier than raking the yard.
Leaf blowers get a lot of bad press for being “noisy” and “dirty,” but they’re an important tool for yard maintenance. Modern gasoline-powered blowers have lower emissions and quieter engines than older models, and battery-powered blowers are even quieter and have no emissions.
Whether you’re a homeowner with a yard to clean up or a commercial landscaper getting ready to care for customers’ lawns, leaf blowers play a key role in fall yard care. You can make sure you’re ready for the fall season by tuning up an existing blower or shopping for a new one.
Pre-Fall Tune-Up
Before a busy lawncare season, it’s always a good idea to check the equipment you’ll be using most frequently. Down-time with blowers in the fall can have a serious impact on your lawn care routine. Leaving fallen leaves on the lawn for too long can damage the grass by blocking sunlight and holding in dampness. If the blower goes down, you’ll need to spend time raking leaves or risk leaving them on the grass.
You can bring your blower to Richardson Saw & Lawnmower for a pre-fall tune-up or any repairs you might need. If the blower is running fine, just take some time to clean it up and replace any damaged air filters or screens. If it’s a gasoline-powered blower, also check the spark plug. A little preventative maintenance now will help extend the life of your blower and can help prevent downtime during the busy fall season.
More than Just Moving Leaves
In addition to moving fallen leaves, leaf blowers are useful for some other tasks as well. You can use blowers to blow dirt and debris off patio furniture, grills, and other outdoor equipment before putting them into storage. If the house you’re working on has an attic, a blower can help you clean out the soffits.
Attachments can also make your blower more versatile. Many blower models offer a gutter cleaning attachment to help get gutters clean before winter sets in. Some blowers are 3-in-1 models that work as a blower, shredder, and vacuum. Using a shredder/vac lets you shred and bag leaves easily after you’ve collected them with the blower.
Three Great Commercial Blowers
If you’re in the market for a powerful new blower, we’ve got a few suggestions to get you started. These three backpack blowers feature modern low-emission engine technology that makes them much more environmentally friendly than many older blower models. They also pack a lot of power into a compact blower, so they’re easy to use.
Echo PB-9010 H/T offers a choice of hip or tube-mounted throttle. Echo’s new features for this model provide improved comfort for the operator and help extend engine life.
- Weight: 24.5 lbs.
- Max air speed: 239 mph.
- Sound pressure level: 80 dB(A).
STIHL BR 800 X is the quietest and lightest weight blower among these three while still delivering stellar power. The X option is a standard backpack blower, and there’s a C-E model available with additional comfort and convenience features.
- Weight: 23.1 lbs.
- Max air speed: 220 mph
- Sound pressure level: 78 dB(A).
RedMax EBZ8550 offers left-hand hip-mounted or right-hand tube-mounted throttles so you can pick the one that works best for you. Its durability and features to increase fuel efficiency make it a great choice.
- Weight: 25.1 lbs.
- Max air speed: 206 mph
- Sound pressure level: 103 dB(A).
Battery Blower Options
If you don’t need the extra power of a backpack blower, then battery-powered blowers are a great option for both homeowners and commercial lawn care. They’re lighter weight, quieter, and more environmentally friendly than gasoline-powered blowers, yet offer similar benefits.
Battery-powered blowers are also the best option for working in noise-restricted neighborhoods or cities with bans on loud blowers. Many cities have already banned gasoline blowers and others, including Dallas, TX, are considering a ban on gasoline-powered leaf blowers. With growing pressure to move away from gasoline-powered blowers, now’s a great time to start using battery-powered models.
We carry hand-held battery blowers from STIHL, and Echo also offers a battery-powered blower. These powerful little blowers are lightweight and have airspeeds of around 100 mph. They’re so quiet (sound pressure level 59 dB) that you could even use them indoors. In addition to these hand-held models, blowers are also available as attachments for STIHL’s and Echo’s battery-powered multi-tool systems.
Looking for a New Blower?
Battery and backpack aren’t your only options when choosing a blower. There are also hand-held gasoline models, and blower attachments are available for multi-tools. Whether you use a battery or gasoline powerhead, multi-tools can save storage space since attachments take up much less room than separate tools. You’ll also save on maintenance time since you’ll only have one power head to take care of. This makes them a great choice for homeowners and for professionals who want to save space on their equipment trailer.
To learn more about all your blower options, read our “Buying Guide: Choosing the Best Blower.”
Whether you’re in the market for a new blower, need parts for an old one, or want a professional tune-up or repair, stop by Richardson Saw & Lawnmower. We’re a top-certified dealer and service provider for STIHL, Echo, RedMax, and other quality lawn equipment brands. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and help you find the right equipment for your autumn yard-care needs.
