If you have ever paid attention to those trailers being pulled by lawn maintenance crews you will almost always notice that they have two or more gas leaf blowers as part of their equipment. There is good reason for this. Lawn maintenance is a competitive field and in order to be profitable these companies must produce quality work which includes the removal of grass clippings and fallen leaves.
Cleaning debris from driveways, sidewalks patios and other areas can be one of the most labor intensive tasks involved with lawn maintenance so these crews need everything available to get this job done quickly and efficiently. The tool that does this best is the leaf blower and the most used type is the gas leaf blower. While the gas models have many advantages over their electric cousins they do have some negatives.
Professionals and home owners alike have been attracted to the gas leaf blower mainly to get away from the trouble of pulling an electric cord around the yard. While this electric cord may not be a great disadvantage to the homeowner with a small lot you can imagine how inconvenient it would be for a commercial crew working on lots that many times can extend to acreage.
However once the electric motor is replaced with a gasoline engine other considerations such as gas and oil and maintenance become important. This is not a serious inconvenience if proper fuel and oil containers are provided and filled on a regular basis. If minor maintenance such as changing the spark plug on a timely basis is performed than a gas engine should provide years of dependable service.
Weight is another consideration. Gas powered units will normally be heavier but this extra weight can be nicely handled if care is taken to purchase a good backpack model which can be worn comfortably while allowing easy access to the controls.
Noise will normally be louder with a gas unit but whether a gas or electric unit is used earplugs must always be worn to reduce the chance of hearing damage. Keep in mind that these are powerful units which will be blowing lots of tiny material around which makes goggles a necessity also. These safety items should be used with almost any garden or landscaping tools because of the potential for harm to the user.
An additional feature to look for when purchasing a blower is a variable speed control. This comes in very handy in many areas where the full available force of the unit may blow material where it is not wanted.
In conclusion it would seem that for the homeowner with a sizable lot and certainly for the professional lawn maintenance crew the best choice is the gas leaf blower.
