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Gas-powered leaf blowers are being banned across US (www.usatoday.com)

submitted 1 week ago by Sunshine@lemmy.ca to c/usa@midwest.social

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[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 21 points 6 days ago (5 children)

Got rid of my gas weed trimmer 3 years ago. I’ll never go back. I got a good quality electric. It has enough power to do all the necessary yard work 2x over on a charge. It doesn’t get bogged down. I don’t have to mix two stroke fuel. I don’t have to clean the fuel system after not using it for the winter or store gas over the off season. No worries about spills. Just swap out the batteries and go.

Blowers have suffered from insufficient power when battery operated. Maybe that’s changed. I’d love an electric mower, but they’re crazy expensive for a decent one.

[–] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 7 points 6 days ago

I love my electric mower. I can do my yard *2 on a battery charge. Worth. Also yes it was like 600$ CAD but no more hassles like you mentioned. Peace of mind is a thing AND it's better for the environment.

[–] RaoulDook@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

My 40v leaf blower is better than a gas blower, because it's just as strong as one and doesn't use gas or oil at all. Also lighter weight and no maintenance. But if you tried an 18v or 20v leaf blower it might not favor as well.

[–] vxx@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

Electric leafblowers should do a better Job than Gas powered. Linear motors are just better. That's why basically any EV let's Gas powered cars behind at traffic lights.

A lot of lumberjacks use electric saws more and more.

The downside obviously is that you cant just refill it on the spot.

[–] dai@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

My 38v pushes leaves and rubbish around well enough in my eyes. It does chew through the batteries however, which ended up tipping one pack unable to charge without manual intervention.

Same batteries go in my electric mower, I can mow my backyard on a single cell if I don't leave it too infrequent between.

[–] KingCake_Baby@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (3 children)

If you don't mind a little more effort, a manual lawn mower is fantastic! Plus it's incredibly quiet

[–] Sidhean@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 6 days ago

My neighbor has a manual mower. Its so cute! I wanna mow the lawn just so I can push it! Also, it doesn't hurt to push (I'm so old haha)!

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 7 points 6 days ago

I mean if the maintenance crew can't wake up the whole apartment complex work the leaf blower what's even the point? /s

[–] greedytacothief@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I have come to love gas powered leaf blowers this past month. There really is nothing better for trail maintenance. If you have to clear a couple miles of trail a gas powered leaf blower makes it a literal walk in the park. Electric ones just don't have the kind of power that the backpack ones do and run out of battery too quickly. Or you have to rake the whole thing by hand which could take a day or two.

That being said in some areas you're not allowed to use a leaf blower (electric or gas).

[–] bieren@lemmy.zip 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

This supports my stance for the electric vs gas argument. Which basically boils down to use the right tool for the job. Is using an electric blower the correct tool to clear miles of trials, not really. Use gas. Does that Amazon delivery vehicle running stop and go all day need to be gas, no. Use electric. It’s not hard.

[–] MDCCCLV@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

For those ev vans specifically they are better but they have some issues with sandy roads in rural areas because they're so heavy.

[–] Liz@midwest.social 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Literally exactly what this person just said is the advice I give to you: use the correct tool for the job.

[–] MDCCCLV@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 days ago

Not exactly. Evs will be drastically cheaper to operate so they will try to use them as much as possible. The owners will push them and the drivers will try to avoid them when they have difficulty. Amazon doesn't like having variants, they prefer to have uniform vehicles that are identical. The point is that the people doing it don't have any choice in selecting the right tool and the people who do only look at spreadsheets.

[–] LowtierComputer@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago (2 children)

While I disagree on the power (try the Ego commercial backpack leaf blower), the battery life is no question. People don't realize how much energy it takes to blow that much air that quickly.

[–] greedytacothief@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Maybe I'll give it a try when it makes sense to buy a new one. For now the Stihl is still chooching

[–] LowtierComputer@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

100% agree. My old man's Stihl will probably last longer than I do.

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I love that you suggested something actually professional, but please don't kid yourself, at 56V you're not going to get anywhere near a 2-stroke/4-stoke or even household AC current.

I do an absolute shitload of electronics repair, and I need people to understand that you cannot ever get close to other solutions with battery power. There are many complex reasons, but the basic answer is: forget it.

[–] MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 6 days ago

How much current you get is just related to how much current the cells, wiring, and connectors can handle.

It's very easy to get 2HP or 1500W from a 56V battery, that's only about 27A which is very little and works through small 12AWG wire. Most lawn care 2 strokes are around 1-2HP anyways.

The run-time is a different story though, when you only have something like a 400Wh battery, drawing 1500W is going to last about 15 minutes.

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[–] avg@lemmy.zip 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I haven't seen a comparable backpack electric blower, but for my backyard the one I got is more than enough and I have a lot of overhanging trees.

Things are progressing quickly though, soon enough you should be able to get one for your needs. Also the lower noose level is nice.

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[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago

Fuck yes about time

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Glad I just got one from a yard sale. I don't really have a use for it, just fixed it and think it is nice to stand in my front yard at the beginning and end of each day (within the legal noise ordinance) revving it up and blowing nothing. Just for my neighbours.

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Leaf blowers - converting gasoline into neighbourhood disharmony since 1955

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