There are tools called rakes and brooms. The latter provide more exercise than a blower anyway. I'm old enough to be considered a senior citizen and I can still rake my "middle Maplewood" (i.e. not tiny) yard.
same! (Though my yard is tiny. I could easily do double the size though.) even little kids can do it ... I did when I was no more than 7 or 8.
I have never understood leaf blowers and never will. They are heavy, expensive (compared to a rake), require maintenance (especially the gas ones), and as far as I can see observing my neighbors take just as long to clean up the yard as a rake and broom. Totally ridiculous...
My neighbors don’t seem to mind me whipping out my Stihl leaf blower and I’m on a corner lot. I even clear their front lawns for them, it takes me about 30 minutes to do all that. The key is moderation, I do it after noon on the weekends, not early morning. My neighbors are both old and I can tell they have a hard time raking their leaves now, after they’ve been doing it for decades. Same thing with the snow, I shovel for them (I don’t own a snow blower) because I love the physical exercise. If we all took care of each other instead of whining and complaining about everything every day we won’t have these crazy laws. I know younger folks who are more grumpy than my neighbors!! I’m dreading the day they are gone…
Aren’t there already more than enough reasons to be concerned about residents living on the financial edge, or worse, without adding this one?
Long time residents are increasingly being forced out of their homes due to the increase in cost of living in our community. Residents who purchased their property for under, often significantly under, $100,000 are not in the same category income-wise as those who are paying $1,000,000 or more to live here now. All of these costs together add up to a for sale sign appearing in the front yard. Replacing a leaf blower may be a small expenditure to some and a final straw to others.
I saw the county using gas blowers to help collect leaves on Wyoming. It was close to the Millburn border. Is the county immune to local laws?
Yes. Just like the County can't regulate the state and the state can't regulate the federal government (absent consent, in which case it's not so much regulation as agreement to abide).
I saw the county using gas blowers to help collect leaves on Wyoming. It was close to the Millburn border. Is the county immune to local laws?
Talk about noise! Is the DPW going to auction off their gas blowers? If one’s neighbor who happens to be on the millburn side of the street starts blowing his leaves 8am Saturday morning who do you call? This entire ordinance is ridiculous, but it’s not gonna end in maplewood, their agenda is to force the entire state to stop using gas powered equipment. Ain’t happening.
My neighbors don’t seem to mind me whipping out my Stihl leaf blower and I’m on a corner lot. I even clear their front lawns for them, it takes me about 30 minutes to do all that. The key is moderation, I do it after noon on the weekends, not early morning. My neighbors are both old and I can tell they have a hard time raking their leaves now, after they’ve been doing it for decades. Same thing with the snow, I shovel for them (I don’t own a snow blower) because I love the physical exercise. If we all took care of each other instead of whining and complaining about everything every day we won’t have these crazy laws. I know younger folks who are more grumpy than my neighbors!! I’m dreading the day they are gone…
You are very lucky in your neighbors, who I can only think have superhuman patience, are deeply averse to confrontation or who are perhaps very deaf. You should bake them blower-shaped cookies this Christmas. Nice folks.
You are very lucky in your neighbors, who I can only think have superhuman patience, are deeply averse to confrontation or who are perhaps very deaf. You should bake them blower-shaped cookies this Christmas. Nice folks.
on the contrary, one of them buys me gas sometimes. The other one warned me about the ordinance, she bought one of those Ryobi battery powered blowers, it only lasts about 15 minutes and it is loud also. I don’t have one of those backpacks that screams, mine is hand held and I don’t have to run it at full throttle all the time. It takes about 8 ounces of gasoline to do all three yards. I don’t see why the homeowner shouldn’t be able to use a gas blower to clean their yards, if you have a problem with five guys with backpacks that’s understandable. Homeowners should be able to do whatever they need to do without some neurotic neighbors guilt tripping them about their carbon footprint and these same people driving around looking for a parking spot in the village.
You are very lucky in your neighbors, who I can only think have superhuman patience, are deeply averse to confrontation or who are perhaps very deaf. You should bake them blower-shaped cookies this Christmas. Nice folks.
on the contrary, one of them buys me gas sometimes. The other one warned me about the ordinance, she bought one of those Ryobi battery powered blowers, it only lasts about 15 minutes and it is loud also. I don’t have one of those backpacks that screams, mine is hand held and I don’t have to run it at full throttle all the time. It takes about 8 ounces of gasoline to do all three yards. I don’t see why the homeowner shouldn’t be able to use a gas blower to clean their yards, if you have a problem with five guys with backpacks that’s understandable. Homeowners should be able to do whatever they need to do without some neurotic neighbors guilt tripping them about their carbon footprint and these same people driving around looking for a parking spot in the village.
I guess we should all be able to choose which laws to obey or not.
Maybe I'll do 50 mph down Prospect. I'll get places so much faster. Why should I do the speed limit?
Maplewood should provide residents with electric blowers being that it could be a financial hardship on some residents. I don’t think many of my neighbors have upgraded. I did see one of the ‘new’ families on the street using electric. Considering what they paid they can well afford it
An electric blower costs anywhere between $50 and $200.
Average tax bill in Maplewood is five figures. I don't see how buying an electric blower is a financial hardship for most residents that own a yard.
My Toro blower came with one battery and cost $340. It is quite honestly Crap.
There are tools called rakes and brooms. The latter provide more exercise than a blower anyway. I'm old enough to be considered a senior citizen and I can still rake my "middle Maplewood" (i.e. not tiny) yard.
There is a non gas powered version of each piece of lawn maintenance equipment that are just as healthy yet leaf blowers are the only ones deemed so bad for the environment they must be banned. It’s dumb unless you ban ALL gas powered yard equipment.
There is a non gas powered version of each piece of lawn maintenance equipment that are just as healthy yet leaf blowers are the only ones deemed so bad for the environment they must be banned. It’s dumb unless you ban ALL gas powered yard equipment.
File under: Perfect is the enemy of the good. Or: Gotta start somewhere.
Or: Who knew California was so smart?
As far as I can tell, the common two-stroke blower is dirtier than the common four-stroke mower.
There is a non gas powered version of each piece of lawn maintenance equipment that are just as healthy yet leaf blowers are the only ones deemed so bad for the environment they must be banned. It’s dumb unless you ban ALL gas powered yard equipment.
Be careful what you post. Nancy may be reading this thread and liking your idea.
As far as I can tell, the common two-stroke blower is dirtier than the common four-stroke mower.
Are other 2 stroke engines cleaner? A 2 stroke engine ban would meet logic whereas a leaf blower only ban doesn’t. As an aside there are also 4 stroke leaf blowers.
A 2 stroke engine ban would meet logic whereas a leaf blower only ban doesn’t.
I’m struggling to imagine how a ban that distinguished between two-stroke and four-stroke engines would be enforced. The logic of the gas blower ban rests, it seems to me, on these contrasts with mowers: electric blower alternatives are more practical than electric mowers at this time, and blowers aren’t a necessity.
If you can’t afford to clear leaves from your yard, why not let nature take its nourishing course?