Lawn care equipment can blow away leaf-related grief

METRO DETROIT — Michigan’s trees haven’t shed their foliage yet, but it’s not too soon to start preparing to deal with piles of dead leaves all over the lawn.

A simple rake and some elbow grease may do the job for some yards, and hiring a lawn maintenance crew is another option. Yet other homeowners choose to use a leaf blower or vacuum to handle the task.

Randy Parks, sales manager at Billings Lawn Equipment in Clawson, described several types of leaf blowers available on the market.

He said handheld blowers are the most affordable and added that they’re suitable for small yards as well as clearing leaves from gutters and flower beds. He estimated that the cost for these typically start around $150.

“They’re more convenient to store in the garage,” he said.

The next size up is a backpack blower, which he said is appropriate for a somewhat larger yard with lots of trees. He explained that this type is more maneuverable and “more powerful for the homeowner to do the clearing.” But he said they’re often more expensive, adding that they tend to range in estimated price between $350 and $600.

There also are wheeled, walk-behind models of leaf blowers for estate-sized yards, and there even are riding blowers for professional landscapers. But these machines tend to be significantly more expensive than the more portable kinds, Parks said.

While Parks said most leaf blowers operate on gas, some blowers are electric models. And that means that the user doesn’t need to worry about fuel or mixing it. Electric blowers can either have a cord or operate on a battery.

“They don’t run quite as long as the gas ones, but (battery-powered ones) do just as nice of a job and make maintenance a lot easier,” he said.

Besides leaf blowers, another choice to clean up an autumn yard is a leaf vacuum, which can suck up and even shred yard waste into mulch. Some companies sell lawn care tools that can function as either a blower or a vacuum.

But Parks said blowers tend to be much more popular due to the need for less cleanup.

“It’s a 10:1 ratio,” he said. “Blowers are more popular because, with a vacuum, you’ve got to empty the bag out into another bag.”

However, not everyone is a fan of leaf blowers, and many municipalities have laws on the books that regulate how or when they can be used.

Part of the reason is noise. A chart on Lowe’s website shows leaf blowers’ general loudness ranging from 60 decibels to 112 decibels at 50 feet, depending on the size and type.

Ken Swartz, roads department division supervisor for the city of Sterling Heights, said one of the big concerns that leaf blower users should keep in mind is their municipality’s noise ordinance and related guidelines. For instance, Sterling Heights officials recommend that any leaf blowing activities take place between 7 a.m. and dusk, and they also advised people to be courteous to neighbors by trying to minimize noise levels.

In addition, Swartz said, most cities ban the practice of blowing leaves into the street because of the harm it can cause to infrastructure.

“You should make a pile in your front lawn, put it in leaf bags and put it out on your trash days,” he said. “If you do blow the leaves in the streets, it could clog up catch basins, which could cause flooding in the street. … You don’t want to get that stuff covered up.”

It’s also important to keep safety in mind when using the devices. In the case of leaf blowers, be mindful of the machine’s potential to get too hot, Swartz added.

“People need to be careful because those leaf blowers do get warm,” he said. “I’ve hurt myself on a leaf blower, where the exhaust is. And be sure not to touch it, because it gets hot and you’ll burn yourself.”

Parks added that he always wears headphones to protect his ears from the leaf blower’s noise, and he said gloves are another good thing to wear. He also recommends always wearing safety glasses while doing the job.

“You don’t want anything blowing up into your eyes,” he said.

Learn more about Billings Lawn Equipment in Clawson by visiting billingslawn.com or by calling (248) 541-0138. Learn more about Lowe’s by visiting www.lowes.com.