My new best friend - really made what used to be a 2 day job an afternoon deal.

A-Jay

Might could use that once Hurricane Sandy passes our neck of the woods.

I've owned that same blower for almost 8 years now. Had some initial issues with it and they replaced some of the electronics. It would die under load after it got good and warmed up. I only use it around the house, not commercially. The only other problem is the fuel line went bad recently. Never had any ethanol in it, so kind of surprised me. Not been an issue on my other Stihil stuff.

Great blower, though. Moves some impressive piles of leaves.

I hear ya, I can't vouch for the that older model, but this one is Beast of a blower.

This was my first Fall season using it.

Not cheap by any means, but it came with an extended warranty, the Dealer is close and does in house (factory Trainer) repairs, so I expect to have quite a bit more fishing time each fall.

A-Jay

I don't think it's changed any since I bought mine, so I'd expect you to be pretty happy with it!

Another thing that makes life easier in fall is the cyclone rake. My neighbor had one and we could in a matter of hours do both of our yards. Took three day job to a few hours. It is costly though.

Past few years (as well as at my last property) I did the Tarp deal. I Raked them onto the tarp and then used a small tractor to haul them off the property to be dumped back in the woods. It was an effective but very laborious process.

The Back pack blower IS the way to go - at least for me.

A-Jay

Another thing you might look at is removing the screen spark arrestor. That is something the dealer recommended I do, although not officially, of course. They restrict the motor a bit and can clog up.