Fall is right around the corner, which means lawns will be flooded with fallen leaves. Billy Goat’s walk-behind and stander leaf blowers clear areas several times faster than backpack blowers, making them the best choice for productivity. Which one is right for you? There are several factors to consider, including power, control, and movement speed.
What Do Measurements Mean for Performance?
Performance is measured in three ways: velocity, volume, and movement speed. Each measurement has a different effect on working speeds.
- Velocity: Airspeed is measured in miles per hour. The speed at that air exits the blower determines the force it exerts. Faster air is better for moving heavy materials, like wet leaves.
- Volume: Air volume is measured in cubic feet per minute. The higher the air volume, the more leaves the blower can move with each pass.
- Speed: All things being equal, a faster-moving blower clears lawns faster. That’s why you’ll see different acre-per-hour ratings for self-propelled and push blowers. Like lawn mowers, blowers aren’t effective at their top speed. For example, a Hurricane blower has a top transport speed of 11 MPH, but its top operating speed is only 6 MPH.
Directing Air
A leaf blower is only effective if it moves lawn debris where you need it. While you can point a backpack blower’s nozzle anywhere, larger blowers use nozzle control systems to direct air.
Walk-behind blowers use a nozzle that moves up and down. Tilting the nozzle down pushes air along the ground, peeling up compacted leaves. Raising the nozzle directs air across leaves, helping you gather them into piles for disposal. Billy Goat makes elbows for walk-behind blower nozzles that push air forward. This blows leaves away from buildings and retaining walls.
Hurricane blowers have adjustment flaps, and they also have multiple nozzles. Using the control stick, you can send air to the left, right, or front of the machine. That way, you don’t have to back up before making your next pass, and you don’t need attachments to work around fences and buildings.
Need to get leaves out of bushes and away from landscaping features? You can get a hose kit for the F6. This lets you direct air exactly where you need it, much like the hose on a lawn vacuum.
Noise
Noise pollution is a major concern, which has prompted many neighborhoods to limit lawn equipment to 70 dB as measured from 20 feet away. Billy Goat’s walk-behind blowers stay below this limit by using cast composite housings and fans. These have tighter tolerances than metal components, reducing stagnant air pockets and turbulence. The result is a significant decrease in noise, not to mention wear and fuel consumption. These models make between 87 and 97 dB as measured from the operator’s position, which is well below the standard neighborhood sound limit.
If you’re looking at stander blowers, keep in mind that the Z3000 and P2000 are quieter than the old X3000, because the engine runs at lower speeds during operation.
Getting Parts and Accessories for Your Billy Goat Blower
When you need something for your walk-behind or stander blower, visit www.billygoatparts.com. Billy Goat Parts isn’t just a Billy Goat dealer. We’re also an authorized dealer for their manufacturing partners, including Honda, Vanguard, and Hydro-Gear. Our site can find parts specific to your make, model, and serial number, and it has built-in factory parts diagrams, so you can see exactly what you’re ordering. We ship OEM parts and accessories across the U.S. and Canada.
