New Stihl BG 86 blower

Upgrade out of necessity.
GF was running the Husqvarna 125B blowing the driveway off Sunday and comes up holding it saying it made a loud squealing noise then stopped. I had run it earlier in the morning to blow off the pool deck without issue. It was just it’s time, thing has been used hard, and I put a new ring in it 4yrs ago.

This new stihl has an awesome ting-ta-ting-ting at idle and woke up a bit after running for 10-15mins.

My main surprise was it’s .6lbs heavier 9.7lbs than Stihls entry grade occasional use model with more force 10 vs 13.
Of course an extra Benjamin but we’ll see how she does long term. I think the 125B lasted ~8yrs with the ring replacement.

 

Got to love a Stihl, blower, trimmer, what ever! I'm about ready for a new trimmer, just waiting for my poulen to die, then figure out the right model of Stihl

 

Well that blows.

 

I hope you have as good of luck with yours as I have had with mine. My BG 86 is around 7-8years old. It blows grass and leaves at two houses, blows light snow off the walk and has assisted in starting numerous brush fires. It has been a workhorse. It also has the vacuum adapter kit. I use the vacuum a lot too

 

I've had mine for 4 years. Yes after 5 or 10 minutes it runs great.

 

Hey...congrats on the new blower !!!

Mine was a dud when I got it home a few years ago. Wouldn't spool up...or tune right. Stihl was nice enough to make it with a screw in spark screen. So when taken out...it doubled the exhaust outlet !!
Never had a problem with it since....except it's loud !!
Runs great now !

 

Revive this older thread:
I jinxed myself. The blower stopped working, it wouldn’t turn over at all, seized up. I ripped into it and could hear something rattling around. I went to the dealer and they said the screws that are behind the impeller will work loose and lock up the fan.
Sure enough, that’s all it was. The nut to remove the impeller is left handed threads.

 

I got the SH56C a few years ago. That's the smaller version of yours, with the mulching setup.

Never really had problems with it starting or running. Always been pretty smooth. Mulcher is ok, not great. Doesn't mulch well if leaves are damp.

In any case, I really like it. Discovered its value to get brush fires going this year. That's been a nice addition.

 

Agreed, the mulching setup isn’t the best. I didn’t have grand expectations for the mulching kit. It helps around window wells and tight quarters.

 

Good info I’ll bookmark for future reference.
So far I’m impressed with the bit of extra power it has over my old husky. Knocked out the driveway yard and deck in under an hour Sunday.

 

I have the same exact blower, I love it so far, bought it back in the spring! I truly need a backpack blower for the back of the property, just too much space and too many leaves. However I love the handheld for getting in tight spaces close to the house & porch area where the backpack is just to bulky and I can't get into those tighter spaces. Looking at the Echo PB-580T, best CFM around for that price point.

 

Do you guys use these blowers for fresh cut grass after mowing when the lawn is too long? This could be a good solution for me. I often wait too long between mowings in our backyard that grows very fast. It’s pretty damp back there so it doesn’t slow the growth in July and August. I hate raking it but it looks bad and will kill parts of the lawn where it’s thick. I have lots of places to blow it to though

 

I’ve used the blower for fresh cut grass. A backpack blower would work better for heavy stuff. If my grass gets clumped up I just mow it again at a 90degree angle

 

4-mix?

 

I get past the point of that helping on occasion

 

Mow it twice & scatter the clippings out with the blower. If you cut once & wait an hour or so the clippings lose a lot of moisture. They're about 90% water when growing.

 

Bale it?

 

Not a bad plan at all. Thanks

 

We have run the sheep/goats there before. If it’s rainy at all the area stays wet so it can’t be mowed. Even when it’s dry it grows like mad.