Battle of the Leaf Blowers

[togor]

In Portland. Better blowing a cloud of tear back and forth than shooting live rounds.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/26/leaf-blower-wars-how-portland-protesters-are-fighting-back-against-tear-gas-forming-walls-veterans-lawyers-nurses/?hpid=hp_hp-banner-low_portlandprotesters-1252am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

From the article:

Though some Portlanders have been able to get respirators, goggles and gas masks to protect themselves from the worst effects of the riot control agent known as CS gas, many others have turned to a familiar landscaping tool to blow the chemicals away: leaf blowers.

The loud, pressurized air machines typically used to clear grass, leaves and other lawn debris are surprisingly effective tools at clearing caustic chemicals from the air. They’re so effective that on Friday night, federal agents frustrated at being caught in up in a redirected cloud of tear gas, showed up to the demonstration with their own handheld blowers.

The leaf-blower wars were on.

[rayg]

You got your's oiled up and ready to joint them....LOL...

[togor]

You got your's oiled up and ready to joint them....LOL...

Stihl BG85. Had it for years. Handheld unit but it can move the leaves. Electric-powered stuff is junk, IMO. Don't love the new 4-cycles either.

[Gun Smoke]

Stihl BG85. Had it for years. Handheld unit but it can move the leaves. Electric-powered stuff is junk, IMO. Don't love the new 4-cycles either.

I have a Stihi--think it is smaller than the 85. Great machine "IF" you can get it started. Most of the time I have to give up and sweep/rake leaves.

Had an early 4-cycle weed eater (Ryobi). Paid a good bit for it. I bought it because of all the hype and thought it would start with fewer pulls.

After opening it and assembling it I read the instructions on starting it. "Push primer bulb several times, switch to choke position and pull cord 5-8 times, then switch to half choke and pull an additional 3-4 times, switch to run position and pull cord till engine runs". Exactly what I was trying to get away from on the 2 cycle engines.

The engine had a governor that made the engine sputter at higher RPM's (normal per instruction manual). At full throttle you could practically count the rev's of the string going around it was so slow. Needless to say, it didn't cut very well and you don't hear much of anything of them now. At one time it was stated that ALL 2 cycle engines would be discontinued due to government air pollution controls. They seem to have gotten over this.

Junk

[Johnny P]

Got an older Stihl, and from the day it was brought home if it starts on first try (pump bulb, choke, pull cord until it fires, take off choke, pull another couple of times and hopefully it starts. But, if it doesn't start the first try might as well leave it alone for a couple of hours.

Get out the even older electric blower and it works every time, but you run out of cord. Still use it to blow water off vehicles when I wash them.

[dryheat]

I've given up on all gasoline powered yard tools. Unless you take them inside the house come May the Arizona sun turns the carbs and fuel into carmel candy. Now days you can buy special xxxx of fuel that prevent that.

[jjrothWA]

Forget the 10% gas from the gas station UNLESS they sell the "Non=ethanol" aka "recreatinal" gas. 90+ octane, my 2011 B&S 24HP twin piston engine just turns ovr when I want, same as my Snowblower fille with that.

ANd my 1973 three-cylinder Eveinrude, fires of the first time using the "REC" gas.

[togor]

Loaned out my log splitter yesterday. Told the guy...no ethanol mix gas. He nodded, most people know to keep that stuff out of small engines. Two strokes, especially. I do put a product called Sea Foam in the 50:1 mix. Light distillates, it's supposed to help prevent carbon buildup.

[Gun Smoke]

I agree with the above comments about ethanol and use 100% gasoline in my mowers and yard equipment so ethanol was not a contributing factor to the problems I had with my small engines.

Did you know that ethanol causes all that black mold on plastic gas cans? I keep a couple of red plastic 5 gal. cans topped off for emergency purposes. Every 2-3 months I pour the 89 octane + ethanol into one of my cars or trucks and spray the cans down with bleach before refilling them.

In my area 100% gasoline is hard to find and cost about 70-80 cents more per gallon plus I have to drive about 10 miles away to get it.

In the long run it's worth it but inconvenient in my case.