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Any of you guys use a backpack blower?

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
On a whim I bought a Husqvarna 145BT backpack blower yesterday. It was at a little roadside small engine repair store that was going out of business. Maybe I screwed up, but it was marked "clearance" and $150. The guy said that was well below cost. It must be one of the smaller models (I assume) because all of his other models were gone. As a matter of fact, most everything there was gone. Since it was brand new in an unopened box, I assume that I can get warranty or parts somewhere for it. He told me that it was a current model. Anybody know?

I also thought that Husqvarna products were made somewhere besides Japan. :confused: It clearly says "Made in Japan" on the box and the engine is a 2 cycle Kawasaki. Not that I am concerned about it being made in Japan and using a Kawasaki engine, I just thought it odd for Husqvarna. But, that's why I'm asking. I've actually never owned anything Husqvarna before. I've always bought the "other" orange; :D Stihl. I put it together and used it for about 5 minutes and it seemed surprisingly quiet and, for a relatively small model, reasonably powerful. It sure seemed more powerful than the hand held Poulan I have.

Anyway, any comments or tips on using a backpack blower? It didn't seem that bad to use at all once I got the straps adjusted. Anything I should know about Husqvarna? It honestly seems like a quality unit to me, but I am no expert in leaf blowers and I admitted that it's my first Husky.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Oh, you mean a mechanical one ....I thought we were in MLR and you were talking about a creative position. :D
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Dargo,

The 145BT is a new model. Here's some info on it.
http://www.alamia.com/index.asp?PG=80&ID=312&VSP=1
$150 is cheap. They go for $260+
I can't confirm right now but do believe I recall that Husky may be using Kaw engines on some of their stuff.
Comments or tips?
- Wear ear protection.
- They're great for cleaning inside a building as well but don't blow too close to small or light objects or it'll send them flying.
- If you're clearing your driveway or other concrete surface, try to avoid dragging the end of the nozzle on the concrete as it'll start to wear the plastic off.
- Set yourself up to do everything without having to shut it down. If you shut it down, you'll have to take it off your back to re-start it.
- It may have a trigger lock to lock it in at full speed. This is handy.
- It probably runs at 40:1 which may be different than your other equipment. I have other things that run at 32:1 and 50:1. Instead of having another gas can at 40:1, I just fill the tank 1/2 full of the 32:1 then the other 1/2 at 50:1 which gives me the correct mix.
- It may say in the manual not to run at full speed for the first tank of gas (or so).
- Husky and Stihl are both top-notch. You should have no issues with it.

That's all I can think of for now.
 

Junkman

Extra Super Moderator
I bought one at Lowe's last fall that was a return item. They sent it out for "repair", but there was nothing wrong with it. The salesman said that the first purchaser must have used it for his fall clean up and then returned it claiming that it was defective. Cost me $99 on the clearance table. Works well and is easy on the back. The only thing that I don't like about it is that now I don't have a excuse not to clean up the fallen leaves... :mad:
 

Kubota King

New member
i Have many back pack blowers. Stihl & echo are my two favorite. The husky is not a bad unit & being that you are only going to use it at your own home, it will last you years. Change the air filter annually. Also the fuel filter inside the fuel tank should be changed annually. Spray wd-40 on the plactic elbow of the tubing that the air runs threw & spray it on the pivot piont near the handle every time you use it. I use my back pack blower to clean the leafs off roof tops & out of the gutters. It works well for that but if the leafs are wet inside the gutters, they mightmake a mess on the siding of the home so try to do it when conditions are dry in the gutters.
 

Mith

The Eccentric Englishman
SUPER Site Supporter
That Husky should suit you well, cant think of one peice of Husky equipment that I've seen needing fixed at work.
KK - gotta agree, Stihl and Echo top it for me, though only becuase Ive never had any Husky kit before, Echo just seems to go forever, I use some 20 year old Echo strimmers, never been serviced, just put in fuel, 2 pulls and its off. The fact that its covered in oil just stops it going rusty, AWESOME!
 

Kubota King

New member
Yeah Mith - I have found that echo does run forever! I have owned almost every brand out there, including husky, & echo has been the most rugged & reliable for me.
 

Mith

The Eccentric Englishman
SUPER Site Supporter
Isnt it something like Echo strimmers have 10 moving parts to Stihl strimmers 50? Something like that, ya gotta marvel at Echos simplicity, you can have one torn right down in 20 mins and still have room to put a cup of coffee on the bench :D
 

DaveNay

Klaatu barada nikto
SUPER Site Supporter
I tried to use this backpack blower once, but wasn't too thrilled with the results.
 

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