"Warren" wrote in message
news:3VEtb.165408$ao4.538609@attbi_s51...
Phisherman wrote:
Anyone comment on gas-powered blowers? I'm thinking about getting one
for leaf pickup, and more importantly, to clean driveways and streets
from grass clippings. Any comments on Stihl blowers?

For leaf pick-up, a yard vac with a pick-up tube will work much better
than a blower-vac that's light enough to carry. And if you're not going
to vac them up, a rake is twice as fast as blowing them. For cleaning
grass clippings off of the pavement, what's the matter with a broom? A
broom is faster, too.

Many years ago I had a job picking up leaves. We used two types of blowers.
The backpack blower (essentially a hand blower) was used to get leaves out
of the corners, under bushes, away from the fence, etc. The other blower was
a big puppy on wheels. One person would "cut in" the back end, then the
other would start using the big blower to do the larger open areas. Two of
could do a good sized yard (1/4-1/3 acre) in under an hour.

I would agree that using only a hand blower is slower. However, if you're
willing to spend the bucks, you can use it for the edges (much faster) and
blowing the driveway.

Tip #1: Cut your grass short at the end of the season - makes picking up
leaves easier.

Tip #2: Use your mower and mulch them (if it's not too thick and you have
grass). I always did that and let my clippings drop, too. Never fertilized.
Rarely watered. I always had the first and last green on the block.