Leaf Sweepers

We have a range of leaf sweepers ranging from straightforward push models to larger towable models. We also have a few petrol-powered models.

Feider FAST175T Self-Propelled Wheeled Garden Vacuum

Roy Bretton Leaf Sweepers, Roy Reviews

Today we are looking at the Feider FAST175T self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum. This is the next level up from the traditional garden blower/vacuum. Being a self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum, it takes the hard work out of collecting leaves and garden debris.

The Feider FAST175T self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum is available for £699 including VAT.

This powerful French-made leaf sweeper is suitable for large surface areas (up to 6000 m²) and multi-surface use. Being self-propelled, it takes the hard work out of collecting leaves and other garden debris. The serrated blade impeller helps to reduce the garden waste in size, making even more space in the 150 L collection bag.

Recently we looked at the powerful Stihl BR800 backpack blower. The Feider FAST175T self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum offers a totally different concept to leaf collection and vacuuming.

You Can Purchase The Feider FAST175T Self-Propelled Wheeled Garden Vacuum Here

Features

A powerful budget self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum.
Suitable for multi-surfaces and large areas.
Two-year warranty for peace of mind.
High-performance 173cc four-stroke engine with low emissions.
A self-propelled drive for operator comfort.
Large 150 L collection bag.
Rear-wheel drive.
Optional hose kit for those awkward places.
Optional Kwik-Fit rake and brush attachments are available.
Very positive reviews.

Feider FAST175T Self-Propelled Wheeled Garden Vacuum

If you’re looking for a way to clear leaves quickly and efficiently on multi-types of surfaces. Then the Feider self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum is a good option.

The main advantage of a self-propelled garden vacuum over a leaf blower is that the machine collects the leaves as you go. There is also the added advantage of the optional suction hose which is great for clearing in those awkward places. The suction hose can be used on flower borders, gutters and those awkward to get places.

Engine

The Feider self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum is powered by a petrol four-stroke engine. The traditional recoil start engine has a capacity of 173 cc.

Drive System

I always like to try and use tools that make life easy in the garden. The Feider self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum does exactly this. The self-propelled machine drives on the rear wheels, making it easy to use and turn.

Mulching

The hardened steel impeller helps to mulch the leaves and debris which in turn creates more room in the 150 L collection bag. To give you an idea of the collection bag size in real terms. The collection bag has more than double the capacity of a large rotary lawnmower collection bag.

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Height Adjustment

With five different working heights to choose from between 15 and 60 mm; the Feider self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum can work efficiently with all different types of debris.

**Feider Hose Kit (For FAST175 Garden Vacuums)**

Optional Accessories

One of the most useful items for the Feider FAST175T self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum is the hose kit. The hose enables you to get into places where the actual wheeled unit cannot go. This feature is useful for flower borders, gutters, it makes your garden vacuum into a large outdoor vacuum cleaner!

The other options are the powered rake attachment and the brush attachment. Both are useful attachments for keeping your garden tidy.

To Conclude

In case you haven’t heard of the name “Fieder”, they are a French company that manufacturer budget garden machinery. They seem to have the ability to create good products at excellent prices. Their reviews are also normally very good. The reviews for the Feider self-propelled wheeled garden vacuum average 4.5 out of five. This is not bad for a budget-priced machine.

There is also a Feider FAST175P Hand-Propelled Wheeled Garden Vacuum, this is one hundred pounds cheaper, but it is not self-propelled. Personally, I would pay the extra one hundred pounds and have a machine that drives itself, it’s much easier than pushing!

The machine comes with a two-year peace of mind warranty which is a great added bonus.

Specification

Engine Capacity	173cc
Engine Starting System	Recoil
Drive	Self Propelled
Working Width	58cm
Height Adjustment	15-60mm (5 Positions)
Air Flow Volume	1080m3/hr (at Idle)
Impellor	Hardened Steel with 5 Serrated Blades
Debris Bag	150 Litres
Hose Kit	Optional
Chipper Chute	No
Surface Types	Multi Surface – Lawns; Hard Surfaces; Gravel
Housing	Steel
Wheels	Front 180mm / Rear 250mm
Suitable for Areas Up To	6000 m2
Sound Level	105dB (A)
Vibration	5m/s2
Weight	46.3kg
Warranty	2 Years

Purchasing The Right Leaf Blower

Roy Bretton Leaf Blowers, Leaf Sweepers, Roy Reviews, Vacuums

Over the next few weeks will be talking about, purchasing the right leaf blower. It’s important to have the right machine for the right job, unfortunately, I see far too many people making hard work for themselves in the garden.

As well as leaf Blowers, we will be looking at garden vacuums, garden sweepers and wheeled Blowers. We have a range of machines to suit all gardeners need, whether you are a professional or just need a lightweight blower for your garden.

There is a terrific amount of budget machines on the market, some of these machines are better than others and some do genuinely offer great value for money. I always tell customers to buy the best machine that they can afford. I know of customers who purchased a quality machine 30 to 40 years ago and they are still actually using the machines today. So, although the initial price was high, they actually ended up with excellent value for money and you have the privilege of using a quality machine rather than something cheap and unpleasant to use.

There are various types of leaf blowers, vacuums and sweepers, let’s take a look at the various types below. Leaf Blowers are available with two-stroke petrol engines, mains electric and rechargeable models. My preferred type are the two-stroke petrol models, which generally have more power and can be used anywhere.

Handheld Leaf Blowers

Handheld Blowers are fantastic as they are compact, can be stored easily and take up minimal space in a van or truck. I like the idea of just being able to grab one of these handheld Blowers, pull the starting cord and start blowing immediately! Often, I will just use a blower to blow down a fuel tank before refuelling or blowing a machine down, it takes a matter of seconds and saves loads of time! The traditional handheld garden blower is the machine that I use most in the garden!

The cheapest petrol blowers start at just under £100 and go up to around £320 for a quality, long-lasting Stihl handheld petrol leaf blower. Incidentally, having been an owner and user of many different Stihl blowers, I strongly recommend the Stihl BG 86 handheld petrol leaf blower. Not only for long life, but for compactness and blowing capabilities.

We have several manufacturers who produce leaf Blowers on our website. Manufacturers include Stihl, Stiga, Efco, Oleio Mac, Racing, Cobra, Chipperfield, MTD and more.

Handheld Garden Blower Vac’s

Another great innovation that many handheld leaf Blowers feature is the ability to convert the leaf blower into a vacuum and to mulch the material at the same time. This is a great feature. However, the primary use of most of these leaf blowers is to blow rather than vacuum. I have found that the vacuum feature is great for small patios, but in most instances, it is easier just to blow the material into a corner and to collect manually. Having said this, the vacuum is useful for those finishing touches where it’s difficult to get a broom or collect the material manually.

Backpack Leaf Blowers

Backpack Leaf blowers in general have more power than the smaller and compact handheld leaf blowers that we looked at earlier on. Having said this, some manufacturers, like Stihl make a backpack blower with the same engine as their handheld blower. I guess this is because it’s easier to carry a leaf blower on your back.

My preference for a backpack leaf blower is the two-stroke petrol models. I like the idea of being able to work anywhere and not having the issue of running out of battery power.

Battery models are becoming more common; however, I don’t feel that the battery life is long enough for most users. I appreciate that battery technology is moving along very quickly, however, the batteries are not cheap to purchase. Of course, there is the added advantage of quiet running, but this comes at a cost.

Mains electric models are not available for backpack leaf blowers.

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As I mentioned, I like the compactness of the handheld blowers, however, for most of my work I do use a backpack blower as I like the extra power. The extra power enables me to cover the ground much quicker, it also saves a terrific amount of time in clearing up after jobs. Any of the backpack blowers will literally lift mud and dirt off your lawn or patio.

I personally use a Stihl BR 600 Magnum backpack Leaf blower; my Stihl leaf blower is now about five years old. It’s still running perfectly as these blowers are designed to last. I may upgrade to the larger Stihl BR 800 backpack Leaf blower later on.

Popular manufacturers of knapsack leaf blowers are Stihl, Tanaka, Oleo-Mac, Efco, Feider and more.

Wheeled Lawn And Leaf Vacuums

**Billy Goat MV601SPDS Wheeled Vacuum with Dust Sock**

Wheeled lawn and leaf vacuums are great for clearing large areas of leaves on lawns, driveways, and car parks etc. There are models for everyone, from the keen gardener to the professional landscaper.

Wheeled lawn and leaf vacuums are really like a giant garden vacuum cleaner. Many of the models have a large suction hose that enables the machine to vacuum up leaves in awkward places.

These machines are a real time saver when it comes to the autumn and cleaning up leaves. Wheeled lawn and leaf vacuums can also be used for light litter collection.

Popular manufacturers include, Billy Goat, Feider, MTD, web and more.

Wheeled Leaf Blowers

**Billy Goat F1002SPV Push Force Blower**

If you want to be able to blow leaves quickly, then there is nothing quicker than a wheeled leaf blower. Wheeled leaf Blowers are available in push models, wheel-driven models, stand on models and large towable models.

Wheeled leaf blowers are powered by 4 stroke petrol engines ranging from around 5 hp to 35 hp. The amount of leaves that they can be moved in a short period is remarkable.

Take a look at the video below to compare the work rate between an average backpack blower and a wheeled blower. Obviously, a backpack blower is more universal, however, a wheeled blower is great for large areas of leaves.

Wheeled Leaf Sweepers

Wheeled leaf sweepers offer a great solution for leaf collection on lawns and driveways. Leaf sweepers work on a very simple rotary brush action which sweeps the leaves into a large collection bag.

Leaf sweepers are available in push models, towable models which can be towed with a lawn tractor or something similar to an ATV. Petrol-powered models are also available for those tougher jobs that require more scrubbing.

Our cheapest push leaf sweeper starts at around £120, you can see the Cobra 26 inch push lawn sweeper here.

To Conclude

As you can see there are many ways to clear leaves and garden debris. I believe that the most practical leaf solution for most gardeners are the compact handheld petrol, use anywhere, leaf blowers. My preferred being the Stihl range of petrol handheld leaf blower.

The reason the Stihl leaf blower is my preferred choice is due to the fact of owning one and using many customer’s machines. I also literally see hundreds of tree surgeons using this compact blower.

It’s not the cheapest blower on the market, but I do believe that it will give you many years of trouble-free service. Which in the long run results in a quality machine for an excellent price.

Feider FBA-E200 Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper

Roy Bretton Leaf Sweepers, Roy Reviews

Today we are looking at something slightly different, the Feider FBA-E200 Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper. Yesterday, we looked at the Feider FBT270 Petrol Chipper-Shredder, today we are looking at another Feider product.

Feider is a French-based company that appears to be able to design good products at budget prices. The Feider FBA-E200 Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper is currently selling for £599 including VAT, which includes a £200 discount.

Maybe you don’t think that a sweeper would be used enough in your garden. I remember before I owned a leaf blower, that’s going back quite a few years! I didn’t know if I could justify purchasing such a machine, however, a leaf blower is something that I use more than any other machine.

If you want to keep your garden or yard tidy then maybe a powered sweeper is the answer.

Let’s take a look at the Feider FBA-E200 Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper.

Features

A high-performance sweeper for all year use.
Powerful 6.5 hp overhead valve petrol engine.
Large 80 cm working width.
High grip agricultural pneumatic tyres.
Seven-speed gearbox (five forward and two reverse gears).
Angled debris brush.
Strong steel chassis.
Range of quick-fit attachments.
Optional five-year warranty.

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The Feider FBA-E200 Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper has the capabilities of clearing leaves, grass clippings, litter, snow and more in a very short time.

There are two models available the Feider FBA-E200 Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper and the Feider FBA-E200ES Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper which is the electric start model. At the time of writing the electric start, model adds £200 to the cost of the sweeper.

You can find more sweepers here

Engine

The powerful 196cc overhead valve four-stroke engine delivers 6.5 hp. The engine is a very fuel-efficient and clean running Loncin engine that is built to last. The Loncin engine features a cast iron liner for longer life and a low oil alarm. The alarm is useful if you fail to check the oil level and it becomes low, however, you should be checking your oil level! This particular model is a recoil start, however, as I mentioned in the above paragraph there is an electric start model available.

Gearbox

With five forward speed gears and two reverse gears, the Feider sweeper brings excellent manoeuvrability in tight places. With five forward speeds a comfortable working pace can be found for every type of job in hand.

The sweeper is fitted with 330 mm diameter agricultural tread pneumatic tyres which give excellent traction and a smooth ground drive. The heavy-duty tubular steel frame helps to give the machine all-round strength.

Sweeping Brush And Other Attachments

The Feider FBA-E200 Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper comes with an 80 cm rotary brush that ensures that no areas are missed. It can cope with all sorts of terrain and comes with a tough long-lasting replaceable bristle that will remove every piece of debris. The brush can be angled to 15° to the left or the right should you want to move the debris to the left or right-hand side.

The good thing is that the Feider sweeper has an optional collection box or bucket for collecting the debris once you have swept. There’s also a snowblower attachment and dozer blade attachment. The Feider sweeper quickly becomes a universal machine.

To Conclude

Not everyone will have a use for a powered sweeper. However, the Feider FBA-E200 Self-Propelled Powered Sweeper’s with its various attachments can become a very useful tool.

With an optional five year peace of mind warranty, you have the confidence that the Feider sweeper can be an excellent workhorse for many years.

Specification

Engine Make	Loncin
Engine Type	Petrol 4-stroke
Engine Capacity	196cc
Engine Power	6.5hp / 4.8kW
Engine Starting System	Recoil
Sweeping Width	80cm
Brush Diameter	345mm
Gears	5 Forward / 2 Reverse
Wheel Size	330mm
Sweeper Type	Powered

Homemade Petrol 2 Stroke Leaf Sweeper

Roy Bretton Leaf Sweepers, Roy Reviews

Homemade Petrol 2 Stroke Leaf Sweeper

Here is a video of a converted homemade petrol 2 stroke leaf sweeper. The original leaf sweeper was originally made by a German company called DKY, I’m not sure if they are still in existence.

The engine is from an old Mountfield hedge cutter which had been in my garage for probably around 30 years. I had never been able to start this particular hedge cutter so it was literally abandoned and hanging on my garage wall. The reason I had this hedge cutter was as the original new hedge cutter that I purchased was faulty and the dealer gave me a larger second-hand hedge trimmer. However, I was never able to start this hedge cutter or even get it to actually fire! If I remember rightly I cut my losses and purchased a brand-new hedge cutter. It’s too time-consuming to mess about with machines that don’t work!

We have a range of various leaf sweepers on our website

Thankfully, a good friend of mine, John gone has managed to make good use of this small Mountfield two-stroke engine. John has a good knowledge of two-stroke engines. He always seems to be able to get these old two-stroke engines running smoothly.

I know very few people who seem to be able to get a two-stroke engine running well. In my experience of two engines it seems like once you have a problem with a two-stroke engine, it’s difficult to get the engine right again. In most cases, it’s time for a new one, rightly or wrongly!

I’m guessing that the engine is around the 25 cc size. I know that it came off of a Mountfield single-sided 24 or 30-inch hedge cutter. Apparently, due to the age of the engine, it is engineered in a much better quality way than the equivalent engine today on this type of hedge cutter.

Fitting The Engine To The Leaf Sweeper

The two-stroke engine is attached to the front of the leaf sweeper. Being a bit tight for space on this leaf sweeper the fuel tank has been mounted behind the front wheel. Due to the fuel tank being in this position, the engine needs extra priming to lift the fuel to the carburettor.

The Mountfield engine has a centrifugal clutch that is attached to a couple of sprockets that then power the sweeper. The speed of the rotating brush is controlled by a throttle lever on the handlebars.

As the video shows, the leaves were quite wet. However, the sweeper seemed to cope very well, despite the wet conditions. The brush can be lowered for more aggressive sweeping, however, it also wears the rotary brush quicker!

Maybe a similar conversion could be made on a larger push leaf sweeper, maybe something for the future.

Please feel free to comment below.