What's the best backpack blower on the market?

[KG441c]

I wouldnt want to deal with anymore more than the br600. That thing torques you sideways when opened up.

 

[computeruser]

Walk-behind blowers are fun and useful where appropriate, but they are not as versatile as a good backpack, or two backpacks and a buddy to move leaves with. They are particularly ill-suited to clearing areas where the grass was not well manicured prior to the leaves coming down. I tried cleaning my 10 acre cemetery that way for a few years, and it was tedious and, in hindsight, a waste of time. Ended up paying the grass cutter guys some extra money to buy mulch kits for their mowers, and now they just mulch up the leaves.

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

...and Stihl did fix the BR600 Series 1 blower issues including upgrading existing Series 1 units to Series 2 as a warranty item...

How so and what are the determining factors differentiating the two? And when did this happen? Serial number break point or date available somewhere as an indicator?

Just curious since I've had a BR600 for three years with the snot run out of it every year and still no problems or performance issues so far.

 

[JRHAWK9]

The Husqvarna 580 is a RedMax EBZ8500 with added accessories like the waist belt, having RedMax quality--which is decent if one learns the "tricks" like taking the manual seriously and oiling the air cleaner element before using it, something other manufacturers do during assembly.

May want to read the manual again...lol

http://cdn.husqvarna.com/ddoc/HUSO/HUSO2013_NAenNAfrNAes/HUSO2013_NAenNAfrNAes__1155849-49.pdf

For 570 and 580:
Page 21, "DO NOT OIL THE FILTER"

560's have a different filter and DO require oiling.

 

[tlandrum]

I sell the 580 with the throttle located on the tube for 539.95,msrp is 579.95

 

[JRHAWK9]

I sell the 580 with the throttle located on the tube for 539.95,msrp is 579.95

Do you also sell the BFS or just the BTS? The place I bought mine from almost exclusively sells the BFS ones over the BTS to landscapers.

 

[tlandrum]

I sell the bts over the bfs

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

How so and what are the determining factors differentiating the two? And when did this happen? Serial number break point or date available somewhere as an indicator?

Just curious since I've had a BR600 for three years with the snot run out of it every year and still no problems or performance issues so far.

I've read a lot of posts lately, but believe it was addressed earlier in this thread, pages 6-7? One person said they had a transition machine and would post the S/N, they may have but I didn't see it.

May want to read the manual again...lol

http://cdn.husqvarna.com/ddoc/HUSO/HUSO2013_NAenNAfrNAes/HUSO2013_NAenNAfrNAes__1155849-49.pdf

For 570 and 580:
Page 21, "DO NOT OIL THE FILTER"

560's have a different filter and DO require oiling.

You are 100% correct--don't oil them, thank you!!! I'd read a few posts about dust getting past the filters on 580 units and in a few opinions the filters should therefore be oiled, then read the manual (quickly) not realizing it was the 560 section. The 560 has a one-stage filter, the 580 has a two-stage filter, and I don't know the conditions a handful of people faced in order to wear the rings & cylinders....

I wouldnt want to deal with anymore more than the br600. That thing torques you sideways when opened up.

The Stihl BR 600 is a powerful machine, no doubt. I need a blower to scrape out maple & oak leaves buried in grass (high MPH), push a resulting large volume of wet leaves across a large lawn to the edge of the woods (high CFM), then carve an opening through black raspberries and jet the pile into the woods through that opening (high MPH), all in a reasonable amount of time--certainly a difficult task for any blower. In this case having more power will significantly shorten the time required, and be easier on my back! Therefore (thanks to you guys) the thought is to use a stock Husqvarna 580 setup with extended tube (I'm 6' 3") to get the leaves to the yard edge, then put on a reduced diameter nozzle and jet them into the woods. I'd prefer to stay with Stihl, but the power of Husqvarna's two-stroke is probably a better choice, even though some homebrew modifications are required.


To address an old question on page 8 by Carl Anderson, I own a Stihl Kombi-system with the "KM 130 R" motor and all the attachments (if there are two similar it's the higher end item, like heads trimmers it's the pivoting not the straight) no problems with the attachments or motor. It's heavy, especially with a few metal extensions when tree trimming with the chainsaw attachment (like 5--don't do this!!), but it gets the job done quickly, every time. The chainsaw, hedge trimmer, end extensions get stiff in cold weather (50°F), but work fine when warmed up. Msybe the Stihl grease & oil are a bit thick for colder temps.

 

[JRHAWK9]

FWIW, I gained ~300rpm's by just removing the baffle inside and opening up the muffler on my 580.

I'm 6'5" and also added the additional intermediate tube.

 

[blsnelling]

FWIW, I gained ~300rpm's by just removing the baffle inside and opening up the muffler on my 580.

Does it have an adjustable carb?

 

[7sleeper]

@Brad Krause

for your needs I would get a lawntractor and simply collect the leaves and dump them then out back.

7

 

[Andyshine77]

How is the Stihl 4-stroke so inferior to the Shindaiwa? I've rebuilt several BR600s from the crank up. Yeah, there are lots of parts, but you're going to have those with any 4-stroke. Early on, my dealer couldn't keep this landscapers blowers running. Since they fixed the problems, they simply don't come back.

Not referring to just the engine. I didn't care for one aspect of the blower, besides maybe comfort. Simply put I feel like the BR600 is overall poorly designed and cheaply made IMHO. Nik wasn't all that fond of the BR600 either. I just think they're better options available from other manufactures. The more I'm around Stihl "non chainsaw products" the less and less I care for them.

 

[lone wolf]

Not referring to just the engine. I didn't care for one aspect of the blower, besides maybe comfort. Simply put I feel like the BR600 is overall poorly designed and cheaply made IMHO. Nik wasn't all that fond of the BR600 either. I just think they're better options available from other manufactures. The more I'm around Stihl "non chainsaw products" the less and less I care for them.

I have one and it sure as hell cleans up yards fast and saves us tons of time !

 

[Andyshine77]

I have one and it sure as hell cleans up yards fast and saves us tons of time !

Proper care is everything.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

FWIW, I gained ~300rpm's by just removing the baffle inside and opening up the muffler on my 580.

I'm 6'5" and also added the additional intermediate tube.

Issues with increasing the RPMs by 15%:
- It will lean out the two-stroke and cook the rings unless the mixture is enriched enough to compensate. (Brad S. asks if the carburetor is adjustable for that reason.)
- The extra heat will be felt by the head & valves.
- The bearings will take the resulting load, which is more than 15% excess.
- The increased fan output will be less than 15%, I'll guess 5-7% as the fan is beyond its maximum efficiency.
- Hot-rodding leaf blowers is worthy of a Jeff Foxworthy segment.
- Mr. Snelling will probably feel the need to make further "improvements."
It is interesting, but will effect the lifespan of the machine, and is beyond my abilities. Great that you have that talent though!

Thanks for mentioning an additional intermediate pipe worked for you, I was wondering what works best. Can an additional control pipe be added the same way?

@Brad Krause

for your needs I would get a lawntractor and simply collect the leaves and dump them then out back.

Thanks for the suggestion, it's a good one, and would work well under normal circumstances. I have a sweeper attachment, but it doesn't work well in the soft, sandy soil, especially when it's wet (plus the surface is uneven); it thins the grass in some areas and misses the leaves in others. When the leaves are dry the sweeper works great but the unit fills up quickly. A mulch & blower unit with trailer would work great if the area were open and able to dry out, but it's not. Don't know if you've ever run over large dog remains, but that's somewhat unpleasant also....not that much of this information was mentioned earlier. But thank you again, that would normally be a great solution!

 

[blsnelling]

Not referring to just the engine. I didn't care for one aspect of the blower, besides maybe comfort. Simply put I feel like the BR600 is overall poorly designed and cheaply made IMHO. Nik wasn't all that fond of the BR600 either. I just think they're better options available from other manufactures. The more I'm around Stihl "non chainsaw products" the less and less I care for them.

Suup Andre? As you well know, I passed on the BR600 when I bought several years ago. My opinion changed when I actually got to use one. I thought for sure it had to be several pounds lighter than mine. I was shocked when I found that it was only one little pound. My point....little things make the difference. I'm far more of a proponent of the BR600 today than I was before. Of course, the reliability has to be there as well, and my dealer assures me those problems are gone.

I love the sounds of these new Husky blowers. The weight really raises my eyebrows. If one pound can make that much difference, what about 3 or 4? But then again, you may not feel that weight if they're ergonomically designed.

OK, I'm rambling, lol.

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

I've read a lot of posts lately, but believe it was addressed earlier in this thread, pages 6-7? One person said they had a transition machine and would post the S/N, they may have but I didn't see it.

Thanks for the reference. I remember Tom's post now.

Guess I'd better gas up and get my *** out there and blow some leaves.

 

[lone wolf]

Suup Andre? As you well know, I passed on the BR600 when I bought several years ago. My opinion changed when I actually got to use one. I thought for sure it had to be several pounds lighter than mine. I was shocked when I found that it was only one little pound. My point....little things make the difference. I'm far more of a proponent of the BR600 today than I was before. Of course, the reliability has to be there as well, and my dealer assures me those problems are gone.

I love the sounds of these new Husky blowers. The weight really raises my eyebrows. If one pound can make that much difference, what about 3 or 4? But then again, you may not feel that weight if they're ergonomically designed.

OK, I'm rambling, lol.

Like I said mine works good.

 

[166]

Does it have an adjustable carb?

The newest EBZ8500's have an adjustable HS needle.

 

[xxl]

Echo PB 755 ST runs great some of these newer blower lack force behind the air coming out the tube