This becoming the next faux-outrage, Republican/conservative wedge issue in...3...2...1.
They’re coming fer yer gas lawnmower!
Like the police will come round and take them.
well, pretty sure ICE has rounded up many a white person's lawnmower.
Counties near me already banned two-stroke engines. Gas leaf blower ban is on the books for a month or so from now.
Good, they aren't needed anymore since electric ones do the same job.
The amount of people I hear discussing their surprise satisfaction with electronic tools is pretty astounding, even coming from electrical engineers and similar. The skepticism and doubt, propaganda from Big Combustion is real 🤠
I’m not sure if it was intentional or if brushless motors are really that much more powerful but electric tools are far better now than they were even just 10 years ago.
Battery pack improvements have to be right up there with why electric have gotten so much better now.
The new tabless batteries in particular are a good step forward even with older tools. And they are last 18 months or less depending on your tool colour of choice.
Really big tools like most landscaping or concrete tools that use the really big batteries (think back pack batteries) have an insane amount of watts they can push out.
I never used petrol tools but I did use mains tools a lot due to the extra power but now 240v is often lower than the top battery tools now.
I have an even more effective proposal that can run for centuries with minimal repair and does just as good a job on fuel that is practically free.
spoiler
And it makes you healthier, and uses far less resources.
As a homeowner, sure. However, if I had a landscaping business, I would need something that can run all day.
Carpenters do just fine all day with electric tools. Replaceable batteries are a thing!
You underestimate just how big and heavy of a battery you would need to power a leaf blower all day. Gasoline has 50-80x more energy density than a lithium battery.
I suppose you could bring a bank of smaller batteries with you and swap them out throughout the day, but that means another piece of equipment to lug around, and climate control becomes an issue if you live in a hot climate. Batteries and heat are not a good combo for safety and reliability.
This all sounds like FUD to me. You might as easily complain about how much harder it is to refill the gas tank than swap the batteries a few times.
Lithium Ion batteries generally have a maximum optimal operating temperature of 122°F but will operate up to 176°F. If the temperature is approaching 176°F, I think the human will be the first thing to fail.
Also, nobody needs to lug around a full day of power. Spare batteries can stay in the truck until needed, at most you would have one spare on your person.
Use a rake?
Using a rake for 12-14 hour shifts, 5-6 days a week in the summer sun? Get real, my dude.
What a creative way to tell me you've never worked a day of physical labor in your life, without telling me you've never works a day of physical labor in your life. Raking leaves by hand all day every day would absolutely destroy your shoulders and forearms.
And I hope I never will. And having to work those kinds of hours to make a living is the really fucked up part of your story.
I don't work labor (edit: anymore) but that's the reality of the world we live in, my dude. Landscaping sucks, and doing it without a leaf blower would suck even more.
I was thinking in the context of a landscaping company driving to a bunch of different clients’ houses and doing general cleanup and maintenance, lawn mowing etc at each one. Electric lawnmowers now have dual battery packs that you can swap between, each one lasting about an hour. I wouldn’t expect a leaf blower to be much different in power requirements. Could probably even share the same battery design with the mower.
If you’re only doing an hour or less of leafblowing per client then you can just keep swapping batteries and have spares in the van/truck. For a really big job you might need more but then you could probably ask the client if you can plug your charger into their house to charge. I think a lot of people have outdoor outlets. Otherwise you could have a charger in the vehicle.
There's plenty of landscaping businesses in my area that advertise as fully electric and seem to be making a profit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Leaf blowers in general need to be banned. They cause too much soil erosion.
the number of people who deliberately use those things just to annoy everyone is ridiculous
A number of states and cities are banning gas-powered leaf blowers due to pollution, noise and health risk concerns.
🧐 Cars are next, right? Riiiight????
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Leaf blowers - converting gasoline into neighbourhood disharmony since 1955
Fuck yes about time
The scythe returns...
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