Leaves

[Scag48]

I'm thinking about adding leaf clean-up to my list of services. Since I need a leaf blower, I'll get one with a vacuum attachment. The only thing I am wondering about is what to charge. I was thinking by the hour? It looks like you could make quite a bit doing this service. There are so many other services you can add on to your basic mowing business-isn't it great?!

[Evan528]

you can do leave cleanups with a handheld blower. To do leave cleanups you need to purchase a push blower and a backpack blower. A handheld with a vacuum attachment suck up about 20 leaves a minuute. A job that will take 2 hours with the right equipment will take you 10-12 with a habdheld blower.

[geogunn]

evan's right. hand held blowers with the vac tube are a joke.<p>get a good backpack blower and be done with it.<p>GEO

[thelawnguy]

A rake is faster than a handheld blower. Spend the money for something larger, or dont bother spending it at all.<p>Bill

[CandJ]

Get at least an 8 or 11 HP blower - that'll blow the leaves to the next county...

[gene gls]

Scag 48: Do a serch for fall clean-ups, there has been many posts on this subject with discriptions as to how we all do it .

[Barkleymut]

While an 8 HP push blower will &quot;blow leaves to the next county&quot; a 5 HP homeowner model is fine. They are surprisingly powerful and can sometimes be found used. I found little difference between a Giant VAc 5 hp and a Lesco 8 HP. Now I have a 9 HP Honda Little Wonder and it is much much more powerful than either but is not necessary unless you are doing 30-50 Hr/WK with it.

[thelawnguy]

As for the push blowers, it doesnt matter what the hp is, its the size of the frame/impeller. For example, giant vac makes a 8 and 11 with the same frame, they perform the same but the 11 uses more gas and costs more and is heavier, they both run at the same rpm and move the same amount of air.<p>Bill

[lawnMaster5000]

use a back pack blower to get all the ****(leaves) out into abig area then mulch the **** out of them w/ your mower ang bag them up. Dusty but little waste.