Content
It is convenient to remove cut grass, fallen leaves and just litter from paths and lawns with a special blower. This type of garden tool has long taken root abroad. In our country, most household homeowners still use the usual rakes and brooms, not appreciating the advantages of automation. But in fact, using a blower, you can clean the area very easily and quickly, saving time and effort.
The market offers a huge range of garden vacuum cleaners, from the simplest options to highly functional models. The cost of a tool depends on the productivity and equipment of a particular piece of equipment, but in general, the average Russian can afford to have such a machine on the farm. We will try to tell you about the varieties, advantages and disadvantages of blowers in as much detail as possible, so that everyone can navigate in the variety of models and choose the best one for themselves.
Functional features
When choosing a garden blower for your backyard, you need to decide what functions it should perform. Indeed, in addition to the standard blowing, the garden machine can have a suction and chopping function:
- The airflow allows you to clear the paths from dust and small stones, drive the foliage from the lawn using a powerful air flow. This function is basic for all blower models. The force of the air flow depends on the power of the engine of the machine itself. Some variants of this technique are capable of moving even halves of a brick.
- The garden vacuum cleaner, in addition to blowing, has a suction function, which is very convenient when working with foliage and other organic matter. Such models are equipped with a special bag, which collects sucked litter and foliage. This accumulator is included in the blower kit and can be easily cleaned as it fills. Garden vacuum cleaner for harvesting leaves has a button that allows you to switch the machine from blowing mode to vacuuming mode and vice versa.
- The shredding function can complement garden vacuum cleaners. Leaves and grass of a fine fraction fills the main volume of the bag as efficiently as possible, because the crushed organic matter takes up 5, and sometimes 15 times less space than the unprocessed one. The compost from such vegetable litter quickly reheats.
It should be noted that in some models the grinding function is turned on simultaneously with the suction function and cannot be turned off. However, there are blowers equipped with three separate functions. At this point, you need to pay attention when buying a garden vacuum cleaner.
The functionality of the blowers largely determines the cost of garden equipment: the more equipped the unit, the more expensive its cost. But there are exceptions, for example, the domestic manufacturer "Zubr" offers a powerful garden vacuum cleaner equipped with all the latest functions for harvesting leaves for only 2.5 thousand rubles. The cost of foreign-made machines, similar in functionality, may exceed the indicated figure several times.
How the blower works
The design of garden blowers differs slightly depending on the functionality.The standard equipment of the simplest units includes a blower pipe and a motor. If we are talking about a garden vacuum cleaner, then such a machine will be equipped with an additional garbage bag. For chopping organic matter, the manufacturer uses special knives. The principle of operation and the conventional design of a garden vacuum cleaner with a chopping function can be seen in the picture below:
The photo shows a double pipe. One channel in such a device is designed to supply air flow during blowing. The second channel operates in the vacuum cleaner mode and draws in debris through itself. This design is advantageous when many blowers have only one duct in the nozzle to operate in two modes.
Advantages and disadvantages of blowers with different drive types
The technical characteristics of the blower and the convenience of its use largely depend on the installed motor. So, the blower can be powered by a gasoline or electric motor.
A blower with an electric motor has a number of features in operation:
- An essential advantage of electric driven blowers is the compactness of the unit and its low weight (2.5-4 kg).
- No exhaust fumes are emitted when working with electrical equipment.
- Compared to a gasoline-powered machine, the electric blower produces less noise and vibration.
- The unit can only be used with direct access to the mains. Working with such equipment is characterized by low mobility. Since, in addition to the garden vacuum cleaner itself, you need to monitor the movement of the extension cord.
- The cost of electricity can be higher than the cost of gasoline fuel for treating areas of equal area with machines of the same power.
Analysis of the operation of gasoline garden blowers allows us to highlight the following nuances:
- Gasoline blowers are mobile, capable of operating regardless of the location of the power source. This makes it possible to use the units for cleaning large park and garden areas.
- The presence of a tank and a gasoline engine makes the unit massive and heavy.
- In the process of operation, a gasoline blower creates a high level of noise and vibration, and emits gas polluting the environment.
Choosing a garden vacuum cleaner blower, it is necessary to assess the existing conditions in which you will have to work with the tool. If the area of the site is small and there is unhindered access to the power grid, then you can safely give preference to the unit with an electric drive, since it is he who is able to make the work comfortable. A gasoline analogue is more often used to clean large garden areas.
Blower classification by type of use
To facilitate the work of garden vacuum cleaners, equipment manufacturers are trying to equip their tools with holding devices as much as possible, which will take the load off the body of a working person. So, according to the type of use, blowers can be classified as follows:
- The handheld garden vacuum blower has no holding devices. This tool is convenient to use for harvesting leaves in small areas. As a rule, without special fasteners, blowers equipped with only a blow-off function are produced.
- The mounted blower vacuum cleaner has a strap that can be slung over the shoulder, which partially relieves the load on the worker and frees his hand.
- Backpack blower has two shoulder straps. Such a holding element is often equipped with professional gasoline garden vacuum cleaners designed for cleaning large areas.
- The vacuum cleaner wheel blower is less mobile than the above proposed options for garden equipment, but it allows you to completely free the worker's hands, which is also important. At the same time, it is worth noting the high performance of wheeled blowers, because in one pass they are able to clean a strip of lawn with a width of 40 to 80 cm, however, such a unit will not be able to get into a secluded corner "behind the shed" if there is no additional nozzle in the kit in the form of a hose.
It should be noted that all blower options, with the exception of wheeled models, are compact enough, fit into a special cover and become literally invisible on the shelf in the closet. A wheeled garden vacuum cleaner is bulky and massive, there is only a place for it in a spacious shed.
You can see the work of garden blowers with different types of drive and technical characteristics in the video:
Such a review will help to further determine the choice of the required model.
What points you need to pay attention to when buying
Each blower, in addition to its basic functionality, has specific technical characteristics. So, for garden gas blowers, the main indicator is the speed of the dispensed flow. Ideally, it should be within 300-320 km / h. If this parameter is less than 270 km / h, then it should be understood that such an assembly with leaf harvesting will be difficult to cope with.
The air flow rate and air pressure depend directly on the engine power. A high indicator of these characteristics indicates a good performance of the equipment. However, when choosing an electric garden blower, remember that a motor power of more than 2.5 kW will require a special cable with a cross section of at least 1.5 mm.2.
In addition to power and pressure, when choosing a garden blower, you should pay attention to the following parameters:
- Leaf bags can be from 40 to 80 liters. The larger the volume, the less often the bag will need to be cleaned, while large filled containers are quite difficult to move.
- It is possible to collect leaves in one large and neat godfather only if it is possible to regulate the speed and pressure of the air flow. Otherwise, when approaching a cluster of leaves, the blower will simply disperse them.
- Some modern blower types are equipped with stone guards to extend the life of the garden tool.
- When working with gas blowers, a high level of vibration causes significant discomfort, because after 10 minutes of operating the equipment, an unpleasant sensation will appear in the hands. Therefore, you should also pay attention to the vibration parameter when buying a blower.
- The presence of wheels on the suction pipe makes it easier to control and move the main element of the blower, resting it on the ground.
If, when buying garden equipment, take into account all the listed criteria and choose a high-quality assembly unit, then blower application will be as comfortable and convenient as possible, and the equipment itself will serve for many, many years.
Garden blowers: myths and reality
In some sources, you can find a lot of false information about the capabilities of garden blowers and vacuum cleaners. We will try to dispel some myths and emphasize the real capabilities of air cannons:
- Garden vacuum cleaners are really capable of picking up small construction debris, for example, wood shavings, dust, pieces of foam.
- The pressurized air stream can be used for accelerated drying of walls after painting and treatment with various liquid substances.
- With a garden blower, you can successfully clean the interior of your car.
- Snow cover, up to 10 cm high, can be removed by air pressure.
- Cleaning the lawn using a stream of air allows the plants to be oxygenated.
- The foliage that has accumulated moisture cannot be removed with a garden vacuum cleaner.
- The branch pipe of the garden vacuum cleaner, when it comes too close to the ground, captures dust and sand, which contaminates the internal components of the installation.
- Leaf bags are dust-permeable, so a gray cloud can be observed while harvesting.
- The petrol motors of garden blowers are gluttonous.
Outcomes
Thus, we have tried to provide the most truthful and reliable information about various garden blowers. Now, having evaluated the proposed facts and familiarized themselves with the prices on the market, potential buyers will be able to choose the best model for themselves or completely abandon the idea and use a broom and a rake in the old fashioned way. At the same time, numerous reviews claim that it is quite difficult to return to a traditional tool after such automation tools, because a person quickly gets used to everything good.
