Working hard tends to make a mess. Whether you’re trimming trees out back, cleaning up after constructing a new gardening shed, or simply removing fallen leaves, Richardson Saw and Lawnmower has a vacuum to fit your needs.
Wet/Dry Vacuum
Stihl offers three wet/dry vacuums – the SE 61 and SE 62 for homeowners, and the SE 122 for professional use. The homeowner models are described to be “powerful enough for a construction site,” but they are also compact enough for a home or small work space. The SE 61 has a 5.3 gallon canister, and the SE 62 has a 6.6 gallon canister. Both homeowner models have a 16-foot electrical cord and an 8-foot hose.
The professional model SE 122 has 25% more suction power than the SE 61, yet runs with 11% less noise. This vacuum features a 7.9 gallon capacity canister, a 25-foot electrical cord, and a 10-foot hose. All Stihl’s wet/dry vacuums can switch from wet to dry surfaces, and back again, without worrying about changing the filter. There’s even a filter-cleaning system built in.
Leaf Vacuum
For heavy-duty outdoor clean-up tasks, the Billy Goat KV-650H lawn and litter vacuum is a great option. This particular model is a push-type vacuum powered by a Honda engine. Other models are also available, including models with a Briggs engine, self-propelled vacuums and models with a built-in chipper.
Billy Goat vacuums have a 27-inches wide vacuum mouth with a built-in dust skirt, and there is an optional hose kit for use in narrow spaces. These vacuums are powerful enough to clean-up leaves, seeds, mulch, small branches, and other yard litter and debris. The zipperless bag holds up to 40 gallons, and is easy to empty.
Shredder/Vacuum
Some yard clean-up is best done with a shredder/vacuum, especially if you plan to use the yard waste as compost or mulch. Many shredder/vacuums also have the additional option of converting to a blower, so you’ll have two tools in one. Stihl’s SH 56 C-E and SH 86 C-E, for example, both include all the parts needed to convert from a shredder/vacuum to a hand-held blower. In shredding mode, they can reduce the volume of yard waste by a ratio of 14 to 1.
Echo’s ES-250 and ES-255 can both convert to blowers, and are equipped with a 4-blade shredding mechanism designed to reduce the volume of debris by a ratio of 12 to 1. They have a two-bushel bag for collecting the shredded leaves and twigs. The ES-255 is the more powerful, professional model and it comes equipped with an i-30 starting system that requires little effort to start.
