SPECIAL REPORT: DEBRIS HANDLING
By Ryan Whisner
What’s trending in blowers and loaders? Use of the walkbehind or wheeled blowers is a slowly declining market
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ithin the area of debris handling, leaf and debris blowers are constantly evolving and gaining strength, whether they are carried on your back, wheeled or otherwise. There is more demand for the backpack style models as they become more powerful and maneuverable. “Backpacks are definitely more common, and it seems to be the more preferred tool,” BlueBird Turf Products vice president sales and marketing Chris Durig said. In conjunction with the shift from wheeled to the backpack blowers, it appears the debris or truck loader segment of the business also is rapidly growing. “Outside of the blowers, especially if we’re talking debris clean up, in
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Stihl’s BR800X backpack blower are among the units cutting into the sales of the wheeled blowers. STIHL The sales trend may be misdirected as the power difference appears clear that as wheeled blower still does the work of two to four backpack blowers. Power comes down to more than wind velocity. Air volume, engine power and comfort also must be considered Little Wonder
the fall or leaves and that leaf season, the truckload or debris loaders have become a big part of that,” he said. Durig said crews for contractors with backpacks or other blowers will be at multiple properties in limited area blowing debris to the curb and then another crew coming through with the debris loader to suck it up, mulch it and get it into the back of the truck.
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Backpacks on a roll
Sales managers representing multiple manufacturers appear to agree that the use of the walk-behind or wheeled blowers among landscape contractors is a slowly declining market.
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7/31/19 9:22 AM
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