Hand Held Blower Advice Please!!!!

[tzimmerman]

I run a parking lot sweeping service and we use hand blowers nightly to blow debris off the sidewalks and into the parking lot so that we can sweep it up with our trucks. I just purchased 7 echo PB251 blowers and my guys are having a hard time getting them started. They seem to be "OK" for about the first couple of hours but then after that my guys claim they just won't hardly start. We use the blowers intermittently for about 15 minutes at a time every hour or so. I am considering ditching the echo's and going to a blower that is easier for my employees to start, any advice on how to get the echo to be more user friendly or advice about what type of blower I should buy in the future would be greatly appreciated!

[DLAWNS]

I run a parking lot sweeping service and we use hand blowers nightly to blow debris off the sidewalks and into the parking lot so that we can sweep it up with our trucks. I just purchased 7 echo PB251 blowers and my guys are having a hard time getting them started. They seem to be "OK" for about the first couple of hours but then after that my guys claim they just won't hardly start. We use the blowers intermittently for about 15 minutes at a time every hour or so. I am considering ditching the echo's and going to a blower that is easier for my employees to start, any advice on how to get the echo to be more user friendly or advice about what type of blower I should buy in the future would be greatly appreciated!

I would say to try Redmax, that's what I run and they always start easily for me.

[mngrassguy]

Are you sure your gas is mixed right? I've run the Echo's for years and only had that problem once. When the gas wasn't mixed right.

[lifetree]

Are you sure your gas is mixed right? I've run the Echo's for years and only had that problem once. When the gas wasn't mixed right.

That's what I was thnking !!

[grassman177]

either gas, they dropped them, or not following the start procedure. look in the manual as starting them is different than other brands. if you dont follow that, it just wont start.

[tzimmerman]

we are aware of the starting procedure and have already crossed that bridge, could you expand on the "dropping them" comment, how could that affect starting?

[4.3mudder]

Hmm, only advice I have is to get the Stihls. I had a BG65 and BG85, both 3 or less cranks and they were running, never had problems. Only thing that really needed replacing was the air filter, and also the catalytic converter would need to be cleaned. Other than that I would have went with those if you wanted the hand helds. Backpacks are another story.

[shop manager]

clean the spark arrestor in the muffler... i usually just take em out...


DONT GET A ROBIN... !!!! I have a wall full of them that didnt even last a year... Havent had time to tear into em, but I think the arrestor clogged up causing the oil seals to leak thus losing fuel pressure.... just a theory at this point tho...

and no... we dont use the proper fuel mixture... these guys cant handle different ratios for different machines...

[TXNSLighting]

Are they using the primer button? If so stop! Just use choke and hold the trigger down! Never fails...

[Woody82986]

Once again, I agree with TXNS... They just need to take the primer bulb off all Echo equipment. The old choke and pull never fails.

[tzimmerman]

Thanks for all the advice, my day guys have no problem with the blowers just seems to be my night sweeper truck drivers. we have purchased a redmax blower, hopefully they can start these easier. Not sure what the problem w/ the echos are, I think it's 90% mental.

[jiggz]

make sure your mix is right.. you could be fouling out the plugs.. also take out the spark arrestors in the mufflers.. alot of the times they can clog and it'll never start or run like **** cause its choking the exhaust..

Ive always used Sthils the bg55 its light and real strong.. naver had a prob ben using them for years.. but recently i used my boys husqvarna and that felt really nice aswell

[grassman177]

droppin, yeah, i have no idea besides the plug getting screwy, but if they work for the day guys, then i think it is mental

[georgiagrass]

I can't believe anybody uses hand held blowers.

[grassman177]

we have three, but they just sit. they arent worth selling due to not worth much.

[George Mason]

Fuel or fire, it's got to be one of those two. I run all kinds of equip and my Echo blower has to be one of the strongest, due to its longevity, pieces I own. I have had it for about twelve years now, and I got it out the other day with a rash of late clean-up jobs coming in over the holiday and the first pull it started right up. I use the primer and choke.
Two things: 1 - be sure they aren't leaving the STOP/Kill switch off, and 2. what does the dealer say about this? They should be able to help you.

[gandk06]

I find with my echo blower that after the first start of the day it starts right away when i don't prime it. Just like the others said, just choke it and pull. starts right away.

[RonAyersMotorsports]

Check out the new BG 86 from STIHL. More Blowing power, better filtration, less vibration, and better fuel economy. Awesome little Guy. I have a NEW SH86 blower and vac, same thing as the BG86 with chipper blades and vacuum tubes. I love this guy.

I agree check your mixing procedure and be sure arrestor screens in mufflers are clean. When they become completely clogged the unit won't run or won't have any power when running. We usually throw them away when a unit comes in for repair with this problem.

Another tip never pull any unit more than 4 times in the full choke position. A sure flood if you do.

[TomberLawn]

My PB251 starts on 1 pull almost all the time. I really think it's a personnel problem, but could be wrong. Maybe they didn't mix the gas right or are priming too many times and flooding it. I prime mine 2-3 pumps, flip the choke, pull it once, and take the choke off. That's all it ever takes, unless I run it out of gas and have to pump it a few more times.

I guess there are some other variables, like night time air being cooler and damper than day time air when your other guys are using them.

Can you give us a little more information? Here's what I'd like to know:
Are the different crews using the same blowers, or are there "daytime blowers" and "nighttime blowers"?
Do the crews mix their own gas, or is it all mixed by the same person at the shop?
Are you running mid-grade or premium gas in both sets of blowers?
Are both sets of blowers using the same oil?
Have you talked to your dealer about the problem?

[tzimmerman]

Both my daytime and nighttime crews use the same blowers. My mechanics mix the gas in a 5 gallon jug, all the crew people get their gas from that jug. Not sure about grade of gas, I assume it's regular, should we use a higher grade?. We are using the echo oil in all blowers. We are a direct dealer with echo since we buy 10 blowers at a timed, the owner did talk to them but I'm not sure what was discussed.

[02DURAMAX]

Dont prime it after it warms up..mine starts in the first pull

[mngrassguy]

Both my daytime and nighttime crews use the same blowers. My mechanics mix the gas in a 5 gallon jug, all the crew people get their gas from that jug. Not sure about grade of gas, I assume it's regular, should we use a higher grade?.

Are they "shaking" the jug to ensure a good mix before filling? I use premium gas from BP in all my equipment but not sure if that's necessary.

[StBalor]

I also used echo Blowers for many years. never had a problem with echo till last year. They changed their design and came out with the orange blowers. Thye are crap. I always had a hard time starting that thing from day 1. Only used it for about 3 days and now it has been sitting in the garage since last spring.
I am useing Stihl blowers now.

[TomberLawn]

Not sure about grade of gas, I assume it's regular, should we use a higher grade?

The owner's manual says to use mid grade or higher. I always use premium in mine and never had a problem. Looks like if it was the fuel grade causing the problem, the daytime crews would have problems too. Have all the crews been taught how to start the blowers? Sounds simple enough, but doing something a little bit wrong could make the difference.