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Anyone own one of these Toro Blower Vac 51599 ?

torot
14 years ago

Hi all!

I have never owned one of these! I hate spring cleanup! I'm interested in manely it's vacuum shredding abilities! I have Spuces that shed parts and needles threw the winter. And of course the neighborse bits and pieces! I'm hoping that'll vacuum and shred most everything...then I can BURN it all! I've seen alot of great reviews, don't know if there all real! Link below to Toro's site for the blower vacuum.

Many thanks, Ted

Here is a link that might be useful: Toro B/V

Comments (5)

  • masiman
    14 years ago

    I have this model. I would not expect a lot from it. I use it mainly to get those little areas that my backpack blower just can't complete and something that is easy for my father-in-law to work.

    It is a fairly light machine with not much power. It is great for picking up the carport, under bushes and leaves that are not too deeply buried in bushes. If you have azalea type bushes, it won't get much under them because the suction is too weak and you can't maneuver the large tube under the plant.

    It does an okay job shredding but I wouldn't count on it to do much to pine needles. For real chipping and shredding you need a dedicated gas powered machine. It's just a matter of can you justify spending $100's maybe $1000+ for a machine that will do it all and last a long time.

  • lbpod
    14 years ago

    I too have one of these. But like Masiman says:
    forget the vac. feature. The blower works well,
    though.

  • bogey123
    14 years ago

    I have one of these, it does a good job of keeping my garage clean and I use it to pick up leaves in some of the garden beds. It won't pick up pine needles and if there is mulch in the beds, forget about it.

  • ralphgumby
    14 years ago

    I also have one. The vacuum is not as good as my old Craftsman "205 mph" gas vac/ blower, but not too bad. The blower feature is pretty good, on par with my old Craftsman. Adjustable speed is helpful, I use it at about 80% + most of the time (use earplugs). It's pretty good at blowing leaves. It comes with a tip that compresses the output through a smaller tip- I haven't tried (or needed) this yet.
    I haven't used it on vacuuming pine needles, but I suspect it might not work that well on these. It would probably blow them into piles pretty well.
    One comment- keep an eye on the plastic acorn nut that holds the metal impeller on- mine started to make some scraping noises, then it spit out the plastic acorn nut. I found it and re-installed. Don't know if it was loose from the beginning, but I check it often to make sure.
    One of my co-workers also has one and is happy with his also.
    Users in other forums/ comments have commented on weight and vibration- I find it acceptable in both areas. I wear leather gloves.
    A little less convenient because of the cord, but not really a problem for me. I bought a 100 foot cord (14G) to use with it. The manual says this is the minimum for this length. I needed another extension cord anyway.
    I would buy again if someone stole this one.
    Best of luck.
    Ralph

  • rawcar2long
    12 years ago

    I have one of these TORO Blower Vacs. I was very satisfied with blowing and vacuum modes until it stopped working. Problem was the speed controller. Looking at the parts cost to repair $$ decided to "fix" it. I took it apart (easy), junked the control module (knob protrudes). Rewired using a single pole double throw center off (SPDT)toggle switch mounted on hole drilled in plastic case. One "ON" switch position places a 25 Amp high power silicon diode in series with the AC input. The opposite "ON" switch position "shorts" this diode thus applying full AC voltage to the motor. Works great. Turns out, I use the slow position (diode in series) almost never, so wiring with a single pole single pole switch so full AC voltage is applied to the motor is the way to go. Even when new, I used the blower or vac at full speed. The speed controller is not needed!

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