I, like others, didn’t notice the caveat that the nozzle doesn’t go with my new backpack blower. Since it was only $15, I decided to take a shot at making it work.
If you look at the business end of the backpack blower’s tube, it has a double rim around it forming a little valley that looked perfect for an attachment point. With a solid friction fit of the nozzle, the center of that valley is exactly half an inch from the round end of the nozzle.
Using a Wite-Out pen, I marked three spots around the nozzle, one on the mold seam directly oppposite the clip, and two more on either side of the clip to form a neat triangle. With a 5/32” needle-tip drill bit, and the nozzle stabilized around the end of a 2x4, I drilled three holes.
The 5/32” hole is the perfect size for coarse-thread self-tapping black computer case fan screws, which are designed to thread into holes in plastic and also have a flat tip to press against, rather than pierce, the valley at the end of the tube. It’s important not to crank them down too tight, to avoid stripping the holes in the nozzle. A bit loose may even be better, to make it easier to adjust the angle of the nozzle on the fly if needed.
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The three screws snug down into the valley and hold the nozzle perfectly securely, making the nozzle ready to go blow like all get out in turbo mode. Now all I have to do is wait for the leaves to change color and fall... I suppose I can go blow some sticks and acorns around in the meantime.
If you look at the business end of the backpack blower’s tube, it has a double rim around it forming a little valley that looked perfect for an attachment point. With a solid friction fit of the nozzle, the center of that valley is exactly half an inch from the round end of the nozzle.
Using a Wite-Out pen, I marked three spots around the nozzle, one on the mold seam directly oppposite the clip, and two more on either side of the clip to form a neat triangle. With a 5/32” needle-tip drill bit, and the nozzle stabilized around the end of a 2x4, I drilled three holes.
The 5/32” hole is the perfect size for coarse-thread self-tapping black computer case fan screws, which are designed to thread into holes in plastic and also have a flat tip to press against, rather than pierce, the valley at the end of the tube. It’s important not to crank them down too tight, to avoid stripping the holes in the nozzle. A bit loose may even be better, to make it easier to adjust the angle of the nozzle on the fly if needed.
.
The three screws snug down into the valley and hold the nozzle perfectly securely, making the nozzle ready to go blow like all get out in turbo mode. Now all I have to do is wait for the leaves to change color and fall... I suppose I can go blow some sticks and acorns around in the meantime.
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318 Points
Posted 1 year ago
Michael V. Pelletier
I find the flatter airflow from the nozzle useful for getting more air underneath damp matted layers to give them a lift and make them blowable - I have a forested section on my property so that’s not too uncommon a challenge.
SCDC, Champion