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How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

theatlantic.com

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Re: How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

#131

Post by gambiting »

rootusrootus wrote: post #103
adamswann wrote: post #22

The ban is on gas -powered leaf blowers. I’ve switched to all electric yard tools at home. No regrets; the tools are durable, can easily handle the whole job on a single charge, quiet enough that I feel comfortable letting my children assist (they can hear my instructions and generally what’s going on around them), and no gas engines to maintain.

The real issue IMO is that the battery powered yard tools are infected by the same planned obsolescence as existing power tools. Most gas-powered yard tools last damn near forever even if you don't do maintenance on them. The battery powered ones are good for three years and then you're buying a new one. If you're lucky they still make the battery, but it costs as much a whole new tool. Wish we could standardize mode…

Am I missing something? Most Bosch tools for instance use their universal battery packs, they fit nearly all old tools and it's a pretty safe bet that they will fit all the new ones too. There's plenty of 3rd party replacements on the market, but there's almost zero chance that you won't be able to buy a replacement battery for your bosch leaf blower in few years.

That's their standardised battery pack - it fits dozens of different tools: https://www.bosch-do-it.com/gb/en/diy/tools/battery-pack-pba...

Re: How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

#132

Post by Pfhreak »

rootusrootus wrote: post #103
adamswann wrote: post #22

The ban is on gas -powered leaf blowers. I’ve switched to all electric yard tools at home. No regrets; the tools are durable, can easily handle the whole job on a single charge, quiet enough that I feel comfortable letting my children assist (they can hear my instructions and generally what’s going on around them), and no gas engines to maintain.

The real issue IMO is that the battery powered yard tools are infected by the same planned obsolescence as existing power tools. Most gas-powered yard tools last damn near forever even if you don't do maintenance on them. The battery powered ones are good for three years and then you're buying a new one. If you're lucky they still make the battery, but it costs as much a whole new tool. Wish we could standardize mode…

> If you're lucky they still make the battery, but it costs as much a whole new tool.

Aren't most companies working on a standardized battery (at least within their brand) so you can swap batteries between your drill, blower, trimmer, etc? It would seem that if that's the case, changing battery form factors would be a real bad idea.

Re: How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

#134

Post by graeme »

leetcrew wrote: post #117
graeme wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. Is there any reliable way to tell db noise from headphones? For example, apple airpods on an iphone.

you could certainly buy a sound level meter and measure the output from your headphones at your usual volume setting. you would probably not like what you learned, though. as a rule of thumb, any sound that requires you to raise your voice to have a conversation over is loud enough to damage your hearing. most people don't like to listen to music at safe levels.

So basically you should be able to have a conversation with headphones on?

Or it is slightly different, since music in ear is more distracting than ambient music? (Ie. hear your own voice clearly with headphones on)

I often do a "can I hear my normal speaking voice?"check with headphones in as a way to see if they're quiet enough. But that might not be the right standard.

Re: How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

#135

Post by burfog »

jakobegger wrote: post #122
ericd wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would making them 4 stroke engines make them burn significantly cleaner?

It would make them too heavy. Two stroke engines have a great power to weight ratio, which is pretty much the only reason that they are used.

It's fine. Even my weed trimmer is 4-stroke. Aircraft engines, which really need to have a great power to weight ratio, are normally 4-stroke.

For small things, the only place that seems to justify 2-stroke is a chainsaw. This is partly because weight matters much more, and partly because a chainsaw is held at many different angles. Oil flow in a 4-stroke engine is difficult when you can't rely on gravity going in any particular direction.

Given that the whole point of a leaf blower engine is to move air, I have to wonder if the best solution might be a turbine.

Re: How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

#136

Post by lurquer »

fiblye wrote: post #126
loudtieblahblah wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And not removing them completely removes your control over the landscaping, because they will kill everything under them by suffocating them and blocking light from reaching it. Most people in suburban areas end up with tooo many leaves to compost or to try to mulch with a lawn mower. >to teach us, the widespread degradation and depletion of soil and other resources leads to a civilization’s collapse. This is why I c…

You and billions of others are doing it. Yet people act surprised when articles about insect and worm population collapse come up.

Billions of people are picking up leaves?

The total area of ‘yards’ where leaves are picked up is so utterly insignificant that I wonder if you have ever been outside. In any case, the article is about D.C. and, regrettably, there will never be a shortage of worms in the capitol.

Re: How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

#137

Post by ndnxhs »

jccalhoun wrote: post #108
HarryHirsch wrote: post #8

What is wrong with using a rake to pick up leaves? Leafblowers are loud, dirty, they raise huge clouds of dust, they stink of gasoline, and at the end of the day, blowing leaves into a pile isn't even faster than raking them together. Using a leafblower is a sign of entitled loutishness.

What's wrong with leaving the leaves where they land?

I do prefer when the council blows away the leaves on the bike paths because it gives you better grip.

Re: How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

#138

Post by foobarian »

imglorp wrote: post #129
tantalor wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Making them electric helps.

I just switched to an electric mower. It cost about the same as an decent mower, is lighter weight, always starts, is plenty powerful, and has about 45 minutes of charge on a swappable battery. I could buy more batteries if I wanted more runtime. I can also swap that battery with other equipment like string trimmers. I've overhauled my last temperamental gas carb. The end of gas lawn gear is indeed in sight.

I just switched to all electric lawn tools. I got the trimmer, chainsaw, and blower from the 80v Kobalt line. Like you say, plenty of power, much easier maintenance, and multiple batteries mean the runtime is not limited.

Re: How a small group of activists got gas-powered leaf blowers banned in D.C.

#140

Post by ip26 »

ericd wrote: post #114
crushcrashcrush wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get too hot for use on a device like a leaf blower. Also would add non-negligible costs.

Would making them 4 stroke engines make them burn significantly cleaner?

Yes! But 4-stroke engines have been having a hard time cracking the leaf blower & weed whacker markets. It would also not solve noise.
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