New leaf blower

[orangemower]

I strap an extra 50lb lead weight to my BR600. It helps with the workout.

[Darryl G]

I was just out in my back yard with my 580 blower (quite a few leaves down already due to lots of black birch trees that drop pretty early) and was thinking about this. The Echo harness system is pretty nice for a shoulder harness. I like how you can adjust it, but it's only a 2 point harness (2 shoulders). Whereas the Husky is a what a 4 or 5 point (how do they count this stuff?). On the Husky you can tune it to distribute the weight to your 2 shoulders, your hips and chest, so you don't need super thick padding for the shoulder straps like on the Echo where ALL the weight is on your shoulders, cutting off the blood supply to your arms. So comparing the padding on the shoulder straps on the 2 units is really pretty meaningless...they're different systems. Something to think about.

[Ridin' Green]

Originally Posted by darryl gesner

I was just out in my back yard with my 580 blower (quite a few leaves down already due to lots of black birch trees that drop pretty early) and was thinking about this. The Echo harness system is pretty nice for a shoulder harness. I like how you can adjust it, but it's only a 2 point harness (2 shoulders). Whereas the Husky is a what a 4 or 5 point (how do they count this stuff?). On the Husky you can tune it to distribute the weight to your 2 shoulders, your hips and chest, so you don't need super thick padding for the shoulder straps like on the Echo where ALL the weight is on your shoulders, cutting off the blood supply to your arms. So comparing the padding on the shoulder straps on the 2 units is really pretty meaningless...they're different systems. Something to think about.

Very well said darryl.

[Ridin' Green]

Originally Posted by unit28

I compare the Echo's thick padded straps to what would {per sey} dolly parton want in a nice comfortable bra.

The Husqvarna shoulder straps ain't no where near that.
Looks like the Echo has 4x the padding. They're not cheaply made either.
My last echo was a pb420Ln that lasted over 10 years. This one is going into year 4 pretty soon.

The Husky's hip strap is for stability, just like the tack on a pack mule.
It's designed to reduce operature fatigue and not for bearing a load.
If it were for load bearing, you'd have to cinch the strap very very tight around your gut. {Practically growing up in the Wasatch} A pack mule couldn't survive without that cinch strap, it'd fall head over heals off the edge of the trail...one good thing though, it would be found at the trail head after rolling back down the mountain. Most of us aren't using blowers in extreme conditions. Some do, like myself who use them on rooftops.

I like the business end of the Husky/ The air filtration system is old school but reliable. It's practically the same as what I used over 10 years ago on my old Echo. I do not like the creature comforts though. The load bearing straps are way thin, the back pad is week and the operator cooling system is no where near as useful. Echo, in comparison is better on all points as far as being comfortable. Echos {saddle} back pad is better for vibration and load bearing support, compared to Husky.

I just do not see this Husqvarana back pad being as comfortable as Echo's.
Maybe that's the diference between a "caddilac" and a hot rod?

Look bro, you seem bent on arguing just to bolster your choice, not based on truth or facts.

The Echo is a nice machine. I've already said that. I've also ran one for a while, and I know how it feels after having it on your shoulders for any length of time. It is NOWHERE near as comfortable as the Husky plain and simple, or else I would have spent my hard earned cash on it instead. The shoulder straps NEED the extra padding to help ease the weight of the machine on the shoulders. The Husky's system is much wider and distributes the weight out across a much wider area of each shoulder which reduces the pressure asserted per square inch. The waste belt on the 580 and the waste "ears" on the 570 both help a very noticeable amount with weight distribution, and the cross chest strap really helps with that.

You analogy about the pack mule is significantly flawed as well. I don't carry my blower on my back while walking around on my hands and knees, and if the mule could walk upright on its hind legs, it would need a totally different design for its pack system.


The back padding on the Husky is FAR more durable than the stuff Echo is using. My dealer tells me that is the biggest complaint they get from guys who have bought one and otherwise like them. They have to replace it too often. As for the cooling system, again, you're showing your bias instead of the facts. The Husky's works very well because it blows the air out behind the back pad, and then out and around it and all across your back, instead of directly against the back like the Echo. The Echo is fine for cooling you down in the heat, but by the same token ,it cools you down way too much in the cooler months.

I am not being brand loyal, because I'm not brand loyal on much of anything (outside of chainsaws) these days.

[Darryl G]

Take a look at this. This is a $200 Mountainsmith backpack. Do you see thickly padded straps on it? No, you see a well thought out harness system that distributes the load across your shoulders, back, hips and chest. Looks pretty similar to the Husky system, doesn't it?

The chest strap does take some of the load in addition to stabilizing it. What do you do if you're standing for an extended period of time...find something to lean against, right. That's essentially the type of weight transfer you get with the chest strap. If you don't believe me, take a 10 pound dumbbell and hold it straight out in front of you for as long as you can. Then do the same thing but with it pressed against a wall.

[Ridin' Green]

Even the shape of the shoulder straps looks just ike the Husky's do. I do know they studied back pack frame technology when they designed the way they wanted theirs to be built.

[Darryl G]

Yup...$250 The North Face pack...same thing. Do you see thick padding? These are both high-end backpack manufacturers making packs to be worn for extended periods of time. Does anyone think that they don't know what they're doing?

[unit28]

Originally Posted by darryl gesner

I have to disagree about the Husky waist strap; it does take the load off your shoulders. I do cinch mine up, the same way I would on any backpack, but you don't have to if you prefer to have the weight on your shoulders. Now if you were saying that about the chest strap I could see, but the fact is that you can use that to take some of the load too, although most users would probably keep it fairly loose. It's really a pretty comfortable harness system and I have never wished it had thicker padding or anything. I'd say they got it right. Have you ever actually worn and used one?
The fact remains that the Husky easily outperforms the 770 and I find it comfortable. Yeah, by time I've burned a tank full (about 1.25 to 1.5 hours) I'm ready to take it off, but that's the case with any blower or trail backpack I've carried, and I've carried them a good bit (I'm a 3,000+ miler).

yes, the cinch strap made me look to fat

[Darryl G]

So the problem is that you don't like waist straps because they make you look fat...ummm, OK, lol.

Yes I have worn and used a 770 as a demo at my dealer's shop. After I bought my Husky 580 I ran it side-by-side with a landscaper friend's crew who was running a BR600 and a 770 on a job next to mine, and it outperformed both of them by a fair margin. My friend's son asked to use my blower so we traded units. He was so impressed with it that he asked if he could keep for their next job up the road (it was getting late in the day and they wanted to "knock it out quickly") and I let him. He didn't want to give it back when I went to retrieve it from him on their job up the road! I have 3 witnesses to these facts.

I don't know how well the 770 performs in all situations, as I have not used it extensively, but I do KNOW that the 580 will blow winrows of leaves into the woods/shrubs way better than the Echo...that extra bit of power it has really makes a big difference for that kind of stuff. I also know that the operator of the 770 much preferred the 580 over their 770. He also reported that they were having trouble with the ignition kill switch, and they also had those problems with another Echo they had, a 755 I think. They just pull the spark plug wire. I don't know if this is a common problem with the Echo units.

Have you ever operated one of the big Husky blowers? Or did you just try it on and not like how your gut looked with it on?

[kawasaki guy]

Originally Posted by Belgium

I'm going to buy a new leaf blower next week and was wondering what to buy. I don't really care about the weight as long as it's comfortable to wear. I now own echo pb-755's and i'm very pleased with them, but i really like the high specs of the new husky 580bts (no experience with husky). So what should you buy? Echo pb-770, husky 570/580 bts or just a stihl br600?
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I would recommend Kawasaki KRB650B. Great power, and NO auto choke like the other stuff.