I Built a Giant DIESEL POWERED Leaf Blower!!!

[@Mr.Z1776]

Try trimming 2 inches off the tip of each metal blade, then bolt on rubber blade tips cut out from an old mud flap. This will seal better and not throw sparks. After running it the first 5 minutes the rubber tips will wear to the shape of the housing giving you a great seal. I did this with my snowblower, works great!

[@deffocrap73]

i did the same on my snoblower,works great !!

[@DirtBrute]

We have to do the same with the Large Truck mount leaf vacs . They will suck up rocks and sand wearing out the inside 👍

[@larrylenz7723]

Convair belt works great

[@kevinhonaker9468]

I was thinking the same thing!!

[@richardnott9587]

Just replace the bearings and realign it. No need to over engineer it. It blew corn 50 ft in the air designed the way it was. Simple alignment would fix the dragging problem.

[@Bryan13402]

Rotate the outlet to other side, it'll blow at a slight downward angle. would make it easier to go from leaf to straw blowing mode and you'll get the volume back

[@kamilbednarz227]

I am so lazy, that I waited for someone to post this idea...

[@buttonmonkey6845]

Do this then make a tube to get down nearer the ground and then some sort of “foot” duct to vector the air to where you want it. Doesn’t need to be anything fancy, sheet metal and rivets would work.😀

[@beezalbub7325]

And if that doesn't work just flip the entire outlet so it sits more level on the now opposite side. A couple of hinges on the expanded metal with a lynch pin and the intake cover swings out of the way for straw blowing.

[@robrvdm]

I agree rotated a bit more 180° down the ground and go from there

[@erickwport]

This is exactly what i was thinking, rotate outer part 180 degrees then just add elbow and tube that points at ground. At ground level could even make nozzle that manually rotates to either left or right to direct air.

[@Jandoranis]

Rather than cutting open more holes on the back of the fan, keep the opening where it is, rotate the chute to the top pointing directly sideways like you'd planned to have it for throwing straw, and then just build an attachment pipe that can bolt on to the existing bolt pattern on the chute for leaf blowing. Saves the structure that's existing, and saves having to rotate the chute around any time you want to change what you're using it for.

[@knurlgnar24]

From messing with centrifugal blowers I'd recommend elevating the air nozzle and angling downward. You don't need/want a high velocity concentration for your application but a more even 'wind'. By rotating the chute 270 degrees or so and blowing from the other side I think you'll get good results without any modification to the unit. Worth a shot given how easy it would be to try. Then you can tell me I'm wrong. :)

[@jackyoung42]

that might be even better than the idea I suggested !

[@Whipple1]

I like your suggestion of rotating the chute 270 degrees. I wouldn’t modify anything until I tried this idea. Cheers! Whipple

[@Whipple1]

@@bellofbelmont I agree Jim. Always worth a shot, right?

[@jasonflanagan2757]

Exactly! A little downward direction and on the other side. Then no need to alter the air intake other then closing up some of it. Also the rocks will be less likely to scattered into the forest.

[@dwarnermg]

That’s the first thing I thought,blast down at the road/leaves it would also build more velocity if it had the whole “snail shell” to develop pressure/flow

[@Kevin-lh4cg]

Hey Matt, I think that for centrifugal blowers like this, the hole should be in the center around the shaft, so that low pressure air is drawn in in the middle and high pressure air is pushed out at the edges. I also think you should consider using a smaller nozzle so that you get more airspeed for your given pressure. Just my two cents, loved the video! Always looking forward to your Saturday morning cartoons.

[@geofham8332]

yes agree on all you suggest

[@davewood406]

Right, he needs to visualize this like a turbocharger or squirrel cage fan. The intake is in the center for a reason. There's probably ratios available that would tell you the ratio of intake orifice size to output size but I would be generous given the impeller here is a compromise between throwing silage and moving air. At least double the ratio of a turbocharger(Intake bigger than exhaust). Block up the majority of the existing intake and cut out around the center of the impeller on the other panels. Seat of the pants guess: the center hole diameter will be as large as where the impeller blades take that angle towards the impeller shaft. I would maximize that variable before messing with the output size.

[@davewood406]

Now that I think about it a bit more, I'd think that the intake diameter exposing the area where the blades are full width becomes a diminishing return, it would probably leak some portion of the additional potential intake capacity... So blade clearance and fitment and the output size are your variables after that.

[@tommckinney3947]

If you decrease the output hole to say 6inches by 2 inches, it will increase your air velocity.

[@not-pc6937]

Totally agree - much the same as a sawmill dust extractor 👍

[@alasdair4161]

The way a centrifugal fan works requires the intake to be central (close to the axle). Pressure is developed in the entire periphery of the housing, so to maximise efficiency you should close up the original intake and cut a 12" hole as close to the centre as possible, leaving the bearing support framework in place. I made a similar version, but mine was mounted horizontally with its own vertical mower engine, and it sucks the leaves up before discharging out the side with some bleed air used to lift the leaves as it passed, works amazingly well as it partially mulches them at the same time. Cheers.

[@____________________________.x]

yes, good point about hole placement

[@thefretfiend]

I'm late to the party, but this is exactly right. Put the intake in the center. You gotta have the center bearing for support, but you can cut some wedges out around it for air intake.

[@WrinkleFitzGerald]

This guy blows…. Some leaves!

[@arcanewyrm6295]

... But it's not a centrifugal fan. Those use a hamster wheel with vanes in a cylindrical pattern around the outer circumference. The way the blades on this prop-style fan are designed is for pulling the air in through the exposure of the blade edge near the opening to scoop air into the housing as it passes the opening. It just needs the air to travel around as much of the circumference as possible between the intake and the exhaust.

[@kodez79]

@@arcanewyrm6295 Well, it is. I dunno what else to say than that to convince you. The pressure in a rotating assembly like that is highest at the outer edge, so you should only allow air to escape in the intended exit. The lowest pressure is near the center, so that should be your air intake. The original usage wanted to preserve the grains, so it was throwing the grains as much as blowing them, but even that closed up the furthest outer edge of the intake.

[@BC-bf1fq]

Matt good stuff! Have you considered running the outlet on the other side of the unit? Two reasons. First you'd be able to achieve the downward angle just with the spout, without having to adjust the 3 point. The other would be you'd put the air inlet much further away and increase the pressure. Something to think about.

[@dack6528]

What I was thinking, couldn't hurt just to turn it to find out.

[@paulsilva3346]

AND stick a SnowBlower Nozzle on the end.!

[@MKPatrolGuy]

I was thinking the same thing 👍

[@awo1fman]

I came to say the same thing. No more modifications, just an adjustment that already exists.

[@jeffpeterson6335]

yeah, just rotate 180 deg so it points to the other side and down a bit

[@Buddiematt12345]

This is like the adult versions of Saturday morning cartoons!

[@bartys227]

Its 3pm where I live. Best thing to watch when I wake up hung over

[@formulized94]

I second this.

[@Joe.M]

🤣🤣🤣👍👍

[@Midcon77]

Couldn’t agree more! Loved this video!

[@drunkdunc8738]

Bob the builder meets The whacky races 😝🍻

[@gregdrmax]

We had one of these silage blowers on my family farm growing up. One day blowing corn fodder into a barn. Had a Super C tractor on the blower and blower got plugged up. Detached the blower pipe off the top of blower, backed of the blower paddles on PTO with a crow bar. I reached in to grab a last handful of green, tough corn stalk/fodder and my brother through the PTO on with tractor wide open. The paddle caught about an inch above my left wrist. The Super C stalled as my arm was another "plugged" situation. Busted my arm good. Lucky was not sharp blade type paddles as some of these blowers have/had. No bleeding. Damn lucky. I was 13. Brother probably 18. In hospital for a week to insure circulation to fingers. 57 now and glad I still have my hand!

[@DieselCreek]

You got lucky 🫣😵

[@DieselCreek]

You got lucky 🫣😵

[@chugaaa]

I would try a reducer from 8" tip of the blower to 6"or 5", that would make the air go further, faster and stronger. Nice Frankenstein love the thinking out of the box...👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@jasincolegrove4798]

In the HVAC industry we're well aware that these type of fans need to build pressure to work efficiently. You'd be surprised at just how well adding a few inches of WC will do for the efficiency of the fan. This is most definitely an underrated comment

[@minecraftster50]

And flatten the nozzle it will create a more even stream of air.

[@CharredSteak]

that's contingent on the fan actually being able to build good static pressure. used that trick on wheeled leaf blowers forever, would blow stuff from 30ft away lol

[@billbergquist4722]

The auger and related housing covered up the outside portion of the intake which helped keep up the air flow by drawing in air closer to the center as others have suggested. The fix may be as easy as covering the outer 8" to 10" of the inlet.. A friend and I built a wind tunnel for for testing aircraft instruments and we used a blower from a grain elevator. It is capable of 500+ mph air flow in the venturi test section. As others have mentioned a nozzle on the outlet would help.

[@lewisgoodridge1308]

Yes Put the wheel on and also add a nozzle shaped to spread air across the ground. I have a hand push unit and I modified the discharge to go from 12" wide flat nozzle to 18'' wide by 1'' nozzle. My unit has a 5hp B&S motor and does that shift the dirt off concrete driveways. Also can be set up as vacumm cleaner. With the size of that unit, and the improvement to air intake a 24"x 1 1/2" nozzle should work a treat. Out and in along your drivewayonce and all done. Also make the air intake with an adjustable gate to set the air flow. I find this useful when blowing carparks. Keeps the crap from hitting vehicles. Would allow you to set up and not blow the stones away.

[@akhtarkh]

For maximum efficiency you would need a hole in the center, around the fan axis. Your fan blade has diagonal or taper cuts, originating from axis. The size of the hole should not be more than the taper cut on the fan.

[@StopTeoriomSpiskowym]

i thinkig the same compred this to any industrial blower lika turbo air always with centrifugal force

[@StopTeoriomSpiskowym]

for the air to escape faster, the outlet hole can be made smaller

[@Idotry1]

I totaly agree with a centre hole, you are loosing an awful lot of pressure with that huge hole in the side, By the way, I dont mind you working in the night, I can't hear you accross the pond..

[@lutemule]

It's called air conveying. It will only blow good if the right size intake is made. Example: if you only made the hole 3 inches it will only blow as much as it intakes. A little bit bigger hole than the exit would be about right if the hole is made in the right spot. I believe the intake hole should be opposite of the exit. Could be wrong but there is a lot online about this air conveying.

[@akhtarkh]

@@lutemule it was an air conveyor originally, now he wants to modify it to air blower.

[@benknotes9450]

Hell, leave it in "silage blowing mode" and just blow the leaves off the trees before they even fall on the driveway. Also, a slider door on that intake seems like it could be convenient.

[@scottcol23]

then use it as a diesel powered fire bellow! to burn the mess LOL

[@brucep9123]

Matt, That blower would make a fantastic addition to a burn pit. The forced air would allow you to burn practically anything!

[@hasemithut]

Its not only the "arm remover 5000", its also the "forest fire 5000".

[@fuzzwack1]

LOL!!

[@DieselCreek]

Things are wayyyy too wet around here to burn

[@icondonnied]

Spray Welder 5000

[@jeepindave5464]

Thing would be great for throwing confetti for gender reveal parties.

[@yojop123]

that was my first thought when I saw the sparks flying out lol

[@jontrudell7529]

Tim the tool man taylor would be Grunting over this one!

[@pootthatbak2578]

Its a binford!

[@whoaaanelly65]

R r r r

[@danhard8440]

i was watching this and thinking he is a real world Tim

[@2020HotShotTruckingLLC]

Tim would be changing the 540 to 1000 and then start playing with the injector pump...

[@nikjames2965]

@@pootthatbak2578 Home Improvements... in its hey day it was by far the funniest show on TV.... more power

[@alvarsdzenis4739]

I made one of those when I was 15 in 1975! lol. Dad bought a new silage blower, so I used the old one to make a leaf blower. Yours is quite similar but I indexed the chute to the other side because that's the way you turn when operating equipment normally. I had it on a downward angle because it seems to blow damper foliage better. My air intake was 2X the volume of the outlet pipe, with a swing flap to adjust the air volume. And I took some old stacker/conveyor belt pieces of equal size and screwed them to the blades to reduce the gap between the fan and the housing. Good video. This brought back sooo many memories. Thank you, I hope this helps. cheers🇨🇦 👍

[@petervrabcak5597]

Most intelligent thing I’ve heard today

[@kenellis8353]

I was wondering what would happen if you were to bend the ends of the blades so that it would cup the air, and as another person mentioned, adding the piece of metal over the hole, and drilling a 12” hole down toward the bottom, facing the front of the tractor. Just a thought. Not sure if it would work, or not. Anyone else think my idea would work?? Someone Please feel free to correct me, if I’m wrong, but I was thinking that if he bent the ends of the blades, like a quarter-noon shape, they would work as “cups”, and grab more air, that way! Just a thought!

[@c.henschke1973]

I'd try rolling the exhaust all the way back around to the other side and have it point down at an angle. You would get the extra pressure and if you needed to could make a small nozzle to direct it better.

[@paulsilva3346]

I concur, rotate the housing 250*... AND stick a SnowBlower Nozzle on the end.!

[@217daryl]

Yes, rolling the opening all the way around would help out. Also putting a deflector of some sort on it will help too maybe even a directional end to blow them at an angle away from the driveway or whatever you're using it for. Then the deflector could also be used for the straw to spread it more evenly. Just some things to consider Matt. It is a great build for sure thanks for making the vid.

[@bobcats905]

Make a great bellows when burning brush piles, but put an extension on the end.🇨🇦

[@pootthatbak2578]

Or he could make a foundry!

[@markstevens1729]

Then it would become the “Fire Spreader 2000”

[@accretiacat]

Definitely add a tube extension, but it will make short work of burn piles.

[@John-ok6sq]

What a great invention! the sparks start the leaves on fire then the fan adds oxygen for a complete burn!

[@danielharder2052]

I really like the suggestion of cutting blades back 2” and adding rubber tips. Not just for increased air flow but to reduce the fire hazard

[@szki272]

I would cut the metal blades down to just a mount and put UHMW plastic on them because blowing dry leaves with a spark throwing machine. How about NO.

[@WatchWesWork]

Man I need one of those! *45 mph sustained winds for the last 2 weeks* OK, maybe not...

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

There isn't a tree within 50 miles of you.

[@justinphilpot7988]

Wes needs it to blow all that oil dry away

[@simonilett998]

@Watch Wes Work Hey Wes..You could set one up before you do hydraulic work...the oil would never hit the floor of your workshop...you could aim it out the door and share it with the world...EPA Knocks on door...'what oil??'🤣👍🇦🇺

[@WatchWesWork]

@@tihspidtherekciltilc5469 ? Northern, IL is all trees. This isn't Kansas.

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

@@WatchWesWork My bad, I thought you were somewhere else.

[@kristofferkorneliussen893]

As several other has commented, i would also suggest that you rotate the outlet to the right side to get a slight downwards angle. One thing that came to my mind was that you can rotate the housing to the point where you get the best airflow and then use for example duct pipe to make the "shooter", this gives you the best airflow and the air exactly where you want it. This will also benefit you later as it's easier to keep the original inlet opening. That's just my two cents.

[@nicopaletta9853]

Took the words from my mouth. 👍

[@Xtreme543]

I'm really impressed by the results. I do have one suggestion: maybe you can turn the blower around to the other side, pointed (a bit more) downwards, use a small extension tube? This way you have more ground clearance, more compression and a better downwards pointed airflow. Nonetheless well done! ;-)

[@matth6965]

Agree, then make a little necked down shoot like the end of a leaf blower, making it a smaller exit for higher velocity, aimed the way you want

[@allenwallace4329]

When you had it set up on the right side it was facing n the perfect angle 📐 to blow also agree add a cone shape extension when set up on the right side

[@glenn9989]

My thoughts exactly

[@shockmebabby]

I agree 100% with rotating it around the other direction

[@peterwardle572]

Rather than move the air inlet, how about spinning the outlet round to the other side and if needed put a outlet fan nozzle on it to give better direction, that way you don't butcher the main body and you would now get about 270 degrees of sweep from the air inlet to outlet, just a thought.

[@D_Mukness]

Wouldn't it be on top right? Instead of bottom right?

[@peterwardle572]

@@D_Mukness I was thinking go a bit more than top right so it is pointing down say forty five degrees then add a swept outlet to fire it more horizontal, that might also do for the straw chopper.

[@ianlevine273]

This would also make it so that you only need about 60 degrees of rotation between leaf blowing and straw blowing.

[@ianlevine273]

This would also eliminate the need for the bogey wheel because the angled down discharge would be a little higher. It also get rid of the need to adjust the three point hitch out of level.

[@peterwardle572]

@@ianlevine273 I think we had better let Matt get on with this having thrown in a few ideas, it's all right talking about it but the hands on bit might throw up more problems, all the best from the UK, Peter.

[@BillyBob-xd8qj]

Awesome idea, not only can you blow leaves you can set them on fire as you go!

[@4sl648]

Operations at our airport uses very big versions of this to blow snow off the runway. When you get fluffy snow in PA you can do the same thing. Much faster than plowing. Build a 12 to 18 inch nozzle that necks the discharge down by about 25% will increase the velocity of the air. Cover over most of the intake opening so that its about 24 inches in diameter and right around the center axis of the impeller.

[@4sl648]

@marcoNLD We have F35s here at VT Air Nat Guard. Sweet planes.

[@r1mein54]

I like Jon Trudell`s thought - Matt you need to stencil BINFORD BLOWER on this. The cover you put on needs to be made as an adjustable shutter to vary the air flow.

[@joedraneiii6390]

Fantastic. No blueprints; just a plan in your head. Congratulations!

[@tomcardale5596]

The farm I used to work at had a grain lifter like that. The 120hp Fendt would run it flat out, but we often needed that tractor for carting. Put on the Case 844 (80hp tractor with the pump turned up quite a bit) the exhaust manifold would glow red for hours.

[@harveystephens6115]

Name it “Sparky”. Nice build. You need to eliminate rub before it throws bearings out. Enjoyed

[@danhard8440]

perfect name

[@tomerickson3215]

Since it's a design/build for clearing the driveway, how about "Road Warrior" 🪖..?

[@marcoscoluci7974]

I swear i could smell the burnt metal when that thing started shooting sparks that way

[@F2DG_Diesel]

Killer logo, killer video again, support from the other side of the world, Hungary, Central-Europe. ROCKNROLL!

[@fknsl1]

Make a solid cover for the current intake. Then make another intake hole at 180 degrees from the current one. The cover might be made to fit both openings. Hold the cover on with a few bolts or other quick fasteners. You can move the Intake cover and Exhaust to make an ideal Hay dispenser OR Leaf Blower... Just a thought

[@roberthickey1465]

I'm waiting for the turbocharged big block hair dryer for the wife :)

[@fatblokes_ferguson]

My wife was watching this video over my shoulder as I watched it on my iPad ( other tablets available) she said you reminded her of me and my brother back in the day, we used to have ideas that we made things out of bits and pieces, i never thought about it but it’s right, we got something done using non standard items which upsets me as I’m no longer in a fit place to do it, but nevertheless I can watch and enjoy the things you do. Great stuff Matt 👍

[@dougwatson6246]

0220 hrs. I used to love to do the things you are doing. Impressed with your knowledge and ability

[@Roboticus_Prime_RC]

This is some Mad-Max shenanigans. I love it! I'd try just rotating the outlet to the other side for a downward angle. Shouldn't need to move the intake then, and can put both wheels back on. Could also make it to where you can mount the auger section for when you want to use it as a straw blower.

[@DirtBrute]

I had a large leaf vac mounted on a 20 yard container truck . To increase the suction I reduce the hose. I think if you put a pipe on the end that can reduced and concentrated the flow Added with the smaller intake hole you would get more blowing pressure. It worked for me just in reverse of what you’re doing. Great video great build

[@greatnortherntroll6841]

Thar She Blows! That's going to be a fearsome piece of equipment when you're done! 😊👍

[@ronwhite6719]

Hey Matt, I agree with the previous comment about a central intake around the main drive shaft. Also if you reduce reduce the nozzle it will create a venturi and you'll get more velocity than just open CFM. Rubber tire flaps on the blades will also seal inside the housing, which is where you are loosing cfm. Just my 2 cents

[@charlesreohr6236]

I like you ideas.

[@explorationuk6737]

I'd personally flip the output tinware around so the output spout was facing down ....and make the input vent 180 % opposite the output ...I'm sure there is a magic number for the actual degrees but 180 should work fine ..it won't be full chootch but I don't think it will be far off ..Best of luck with the rest of the build dude and can't wait for the future video's Peace n love from Cumbria UK 🇬🇧 ❤

[@dennishyde2637]

Matt: You are amazing. I am addicted to your videos. Keep’em coming.

[@EngineeringVignettes]

What a wonderful leaf blower you made Matt! It's so efficient. It can blow leaves _and_ light them on fire at the same time! Superb. :D Cheers,

[@EngineeringVignettes]

In all seriousness though, I agree with the others. It may be easier to just rotate the outlet to the other side and point it downwards. That way, no major surgery is needed to increase air intake. It may need some ducting and deflectors added as well. Cheers,

[@rickigunter1960]

That's funny, blow the leaves..while sparks light them on fire..lol

[@colddiesel]

I suspect that the big hole air intake is reducing the draft output from this machine by 90%. If you block that and make a new hole closer to the centre of the shaft, make sure it is fairly big and adjustable. You may need to increase the size of the intake to reduce the air output even at fairly low PTO speed. Without an adjustable intake you could find that you have invented a rock thrower. Good video.

[@OldSneelock]

Bolt a plate over the hole in the side. Open an intake hole on the side opposite the PTO about equal to twice the diameter of the output. Put an intake funnel tapering from three times the diameter of the intake to the intake size over about two feet of length. That will force the intake air to enter the center of the fan wheel in a smooth flow. Then the air will be forced out to the outside of the fan wheel and gain speed as it travels. Extend the output about two feet longer. Have it taper to be 20% smaller at the end. That I'd what I did with a centrifical exhaust fan blower on the anodized tanks at UTC in 1983. Doubled the flow at the output and increased the pressure at the output.

[@randybarnes8454]

Great job Matt. Maybe put a single, swivel wheel out back of your blower housing instead of two wheels. Kinda like on a brushhog deck.

[@persistance1000]

Matt, I was a design engineer for a fan company. A fan is a centrifugal pump. Look at any centrifugal pump and you will see the inlet is at the center. The centrifugal force causes the air moving to the outside away from the center. The forward side of the blades push the air, a fan doesn't suck, it pushes, then atmospheric pressure fills in behind. The lowest pressure is at the center, the further from the center the higher the pressure. If you have openings near the outside diameter, they will just be more outlets. I would close off and seal most of the inlet opening that is not close to the center of the shaft. The current opening is way too large. It was used for solids which in reality clogged up most of the opening. You are not using solids, so your application is a little different. The inlet opening should be maybe one and a half as large in cross section as the outlet, at only at the shaft location. A circular cutout around the shaft would be best, the closest to the center would be best. I hope this helps, and thank you.

[@ericmartin5720]

This is your solution^, think of a turbocharger, inlet at the center, exhaust at the edge, should work like a champ.

[@jetstreek17]

Would love to see a follow up on this where the original air intake is modified, and your getting a ton more pressure. Cool idea. Thanks

[@murphymmc]

A nice project in progress. Having only an electric leaf blower, I found that a tip that was necked down to a flattened rectangle, not a fan but like the crevice tool on a shop vac works the best on mine. A more focused air flow much like how a water nozzle works on your garden hose. I think it's a great project. The snow blower aspect is a game changer, move the snow completely away from the driveway without losing rock. You may also think about running some 3/4" minus gravel down to lock in the large stone and help prevent the debris infiltration. A road builder I hired for a project many years ago would run a base of 3-4" stone and then fill in with the 3/4 minus. The sand and fine crush fills and locks. Compacts very well. You could experiment on a section to see which combo gives the best flow through drainage.

[@paulsilva3346]

AND stick a SnowBlower Nozzle on the end.!

[@robertmcmillan3936]

Great idea but how about building a shoot to suck the leaves up and shoot them out just a different approach

[@SaiTorrKalFas]

Nozzle and inlet position have been mentioned, so I want to mention one other thing: Rubber (mud flaps of converyor belt) bolted onto the fan could give better sealing towards the housing. If you cut off the tips of the rotor a bit for that, it even creates clearance (also dry leaves and sparks are probably not a good combination). I did a similar modification to my snowblower, and it really makes a difference.

[@jeremywilson4326]

If your nearest neighbor is far enough away that they can't see or hear you ,,,, your good. What you have is golden. I appreciate you Matt . ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Jeremy in Alabama.

[@ranga2050]

As this is a basic centripetal fan, close up that hole near the outer edge, and cut your new holes close to the hub.This will give you the best possible static pressure. When combined with the other guy's suggestion of rubber tipped blades will make a huge difference. Even better if you have the sides of the blades somewhat sealed too. You could even go overboard and build curved blades a-la your normal radial fan arrangement.

[@corydriver7634]

That thing would be perfect for starting brush fires. Make a cone shaped spout of sheet metal to focus the blower that will increase the airspeed (Bernoulli’s principle). Leave the intake the way it is just build a hopper over that spot so you can feed straw in, then use a removable expanded metal shield over the hopper.

[@kloeskatten]

Wild fire starter 5 million 🔥🤣🤣🤣

[@danaitch3880]

Bingo! *Bernoulli’s principle* , that's what I was trying to think of and couldn't.

[@rond5661]

I'd recommend making a nozzle to bolt on to the outlet with a smaller diameter, maybe rectangular in shape for more velocity.

[@colemichael9315]

Yup create a lot more pressure

[@itsverygreen532]

Air intake needs to be basically central, I'd make the surface area of the intake about twice the area of the outlet and you'll be golden. If you can make the hole central and still provid bearing support, that would be perfect.

[@tode5675]

This is correct. I have a large material handling fan in my shop and it draws from the center, all the other ones I'm aware of do too.

[@finnalexander17]

i’d make a detachable nozzle that goes on the output and goes from round to a more long rectangular shape so you get a wider effective area rather then the air just coming straight out all in one spot

[@eloleddie]

Compare that to the end nozzle of a hand held leaf blower - airstream is concentrated through a rectangular opening.

[@finnalexander17]

@@eloleddie exactly lol I worded that in like the worst way possible but ya pretty much make a giant leaf blower nozzle

[@scottwaroquier4602]

Hi Matt love all your videos. I have been watching everyday. My 2 cents on the lead blower is rotate the nozel back around so it's pointing downward to the right side. Then you won't have to cut new holes and you can adjust the nozel accordingly. It's an easy test and go from there. I think your a genius and I love your creativeness. Thanks keep up the good work Scott from Michigan

[@bobstratton6362]

It has been said already, the best place for the intake is on or as close to the center as possible. If you were able to watch in slow motion with smoke, you would see the air travel from center to outer on the blade. With the opening that close to the outer circumference, there is no time to pick up speed. You are sort of just hitting the air. You already mentioned not moving the gravel. Adjustable inlet and rotate 180 degrees.

[@honeybeecare6393]

love your dedication..... 2 thoughts on the blower. 1 just loosen the sliding housing bolts up and spin the blower chute to the other side it will naturally be pointed downward and you can remove the cant from the hitch. Or 2 since the chute looks like a giant hose clamp take the bolts out spread it and pop it off, then mirror image rotate it so the chute is still on the bottom but on the other side. Spread it and pop it back on, tighten the bolts up and you're done. Both option 1 and 2 get you back to full air power with no cutting grinding or welding required!

[@joemascioni3101]

Great idea, but it won't work. With the chute on the opposite side, it will suck instead of blow. Because of the rotation of the fan. Make a great leaf vacuum tho.

[@honeybeecare6393]

@@joemascioni3101 just throw a pto reverser in there (avail on ebay) plate of the existing intake and plasma cut the air intake to the left of the plated off intake and you're done. Most things in life are not free.

[@nikjames2965]

The blower is a centrifugal air pump. It needs the air intake closer to the spindle - like the wife's hair dryer. Suggest you block off the current air intake except for a hole close the the spindle. This should be the shape of a curved sausage. Another intake on the opposite side of the fan housing will double the intake area. This arrangement will allow the fan to accelerate the airflow radially. You will get a huge increase in output. Cheers mate from New Zealand... Also trim 10mm off the end of each fan blade to get good clearance

[@kevinobrien1459]

I am modifying a blower just like this. What size holes do you recommend in relation to outlet area?

[@billmoran3812]

I’d close up most of that intake opening, just leaving a 8” or so diameter open round the driveshaft. The blower develops pressure because of the enclosed perimeter around the blades. The intake needs to be more centered. That will make a big difference.

[@agistan7764]

That feels to me like the right solution for the loss of air pressure

[@hiscifi2986]

Yea, as with centrifugal water pumps, the inlet needs to be at the centre. I was hoping you would direct it to the right, and blow down on the leaves. Maybe a conical jet would speed the airflow. As per usual, they were the wrong sort of leaves.

[@davidjones8680]

To fit a wheel to keep the blower from dragging the ground, just run a trailing link arm/tie rod back from the old axle to a new one about a foot behind then brace it back to higer up the machine with an old rear shock absorber. Keep up the great (and crazy content) , you're one of the best on youtubed. David in the U.K.

[@ronaldvanotten6812]

Hi, I think that if you cut two four inch holes on the tractor side just above where the air output is, you can maximize the force. I also like the idea about trimming the blades and adding some flap material for a better seal... Great project! Ron...

[@HUBBABUBBADOOPYDOOP]

Awesome fabrication skills! Thanks for the cool video, Matt!

[@edwardbraam4973]

Great idea! A lot of good comments on how to improve or make it more effective. I would add, if there is a lot of damage to your blades, you might have to check the balance before it throws the bearings and tears itself apert

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Looks like you made a custom diesel tractor driven Spark Thrower There Matt You should be good in the cold needing to start a camp fire 😂 32:10 @Diesel Creek

[@metricstormtrooper]

Matt, you could do with having the inlets as close to the center of the impeller is possible and like 45 degrees after the outlet. I think you are going to make a HUGE jumping castle, and use that to keep it inflated, or use it to evacuate a spray booth😁

[@fourhillsfarm]

Auction prices of old silage blowers just went up tenfold. Love the band’s take on Mike Judge.

[@KB2RWW]

I agree, by rotating the chute 270 degrees so its blowing from the other side down at an angel to the ground with a plenum installed on the end will give you the best performance.

[@grumpycat_1]

"Why do we need a giant diesel powered leaf blower???" B/C leaves that's why.

[@colbycarnes5786]

😂😂

[@keithrutherford8619]

Because it's there, silly!

[@Pyro_Patriot]

Nothing like hitting the couch on a Saturday afternoon after doing chores and seeing DC uploaded a video! You’re the man Matt!

[@jpsimon206]

I live in an older house that has a lot of textured surfaces like sandstone. A few years ago we figured out that there was a hell of a lot of dust building up on the literal walls. We were in the middle of a spring cleaning and I ran an extension hose upstairs from the shop to use the air blower. It works so much better than a vacuum! We literally open all the doors and blow the hell out of everything. Well, I'm sure you know that leaf blowers exhaust oil so they are no good indoors. I ended up repurposing a furnace blower, the thing blows like hell! I made a backpack strap For the wife, when she plugs it in it makes her take three or four steps back from the power. Best house cleaning tip I ever discovered

[@Fly_Away_2]

Just block off the outer half of the intake opening and leave the center clear. Centrifugal force will keep the air to the outside of the rim. Don't make any openings near the outside anywhere on the cage (top or bottom half) since that is where you build pressure. Use an A/C fan as an example. The intake is in the center. Great video.

[@mikes78]

That combined with the rotating the outlet 270 to point down on the other side (as suggested by others) would probably go a long way for improving the output pressure. Good thinking there.

[@bruceleckie3110]

I would suggest having your intake in the low pressure area around the fan axle and putting on an outlet reducer to increase the velocity of the exhaust. Perhaps bolt on an appropriate sized traffic cone and trip the end as needed

[@dwightbye2149]

I am excited to see it completely finished, one thought I had was some sortof defeating shield on top of out shut directing the air downward a bit.

[@drunkdunc8738]

I'm blown away by your work Matt 😲🍻

[@DieselCreek]

Thanks 👍

[@onesadtech]

Great work. I think moving the intake higher, and adding a guard will help a lot, the only other suggestion I have is maybe an end piece for the output that turns the round hole into a flatter, wider opening, to create more of a wide sweeping wind output. 😁

[@richardc3208]

Well Matt, believe if I had to swap implements very often I would have made a quick hitch. As handy as you are

[@williambradford1467]

I really enjoy all your projects, but I particularly like this one. This is very much something I would do in the same situation! I especially like the idea of repurposing old equipment, which is more or less your "brand". I hope it works well for you over time!

[@michaelguinn5736]

Morning Matt, with a little tweeking, I think your contraption will work, as some of your subscribers suggested, rotate the chute, cover that huge hole, maybe even shorten the blades a couple inches, bolt some rubber flaps on.....be safe, God Bless!!!!

[@richardk.3140]

Perhaps making a small sheet metal flange to fit the round area of the air flow pipe. Make that narrow down but wider to cover more area. This would be more directional and make the air even faster... Great job!

[@TheRestorationShack]

Leaf blower and flame thrower at same time - love it, great work again Matt! You could rotate the chute 180 - you get great air pressure (as blade travels further before exit) and add a piece of pipe - like you get on a snow blower, maybe even a moveable end to direct flow exactly where you need it. either way, great upcycling.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Going to be a beastly leaf blower when your done Matt Heck yeah 20:03 @Diesel Creek

[@Nudnik1]

Awesome squirrel launcher Bearing s must be loose letting fan hit housing. We had big Jacobsen and Toro ones on Ford tractor s on Air force base run at full throttle 540pto rpm would blow 15 ft away anything.

[@CSWmanofsteel]

You need to make a cone outlet from round to rectangular about 2” rectangle 12-18 inches long to concentrate the airflow

[@paulsilva3346]

AND stick a SnowBlower Nozzle on the end.!

[@hathgar42]

Narrowing down the outflow opening will also increase air pressure and speed. It's done on all leaf blowers. Just like with water stepping down the opening increases the pressure and velocity of the flow.

[@____________________________.x]

A straw blower + spark generator is definitely going to make an exciting video come the Summer time... 😳😱

[@gregbrodie-tyrrell3473]

Mate, well done! You get an A+ for ingenuity. A suggestion, though; have you thought about using it as a vacuum cleaner instead of a blower? Rotate the outlet nozzle about 180 degrees, and fabricate a box-shaped sheet metal cover for the huge inlet hole, with a single open side facing directly downwards. This would mean that as the blower inhales air it would also inhale leaves with it, probably mulch them on their way around the impeller shroud, and blow the whole mess straight out of the right-hand side of the machine and on to the ground at the side of the road. Since you drive on the right-hand side of the road this will be second nature to you. You would have much greater blower efficiency and air velocity because of the longer air path. This combined with the direct collection of leaf litter would perhaps result in greater road cleaning efficiency. Also replacing the road wheels with two new ones, with solid rubber tyres, to maintain both road clearance and vacuum efficiency, would also help. Rubber flaps on the sides of the air intake box, as suggested by other readers, would also help here by keeping air vacuum constant, but they would need to be clear of the road surface by a few inches (maybe three inches, but you could make them height-adjustable by slotting the mounting holes so that you could "tune" things) so that the machine sucks up the leaves instead of sweeping them ahead of it. For other uses, such as straw blowing, you could perhaps revert to the silage auger feed method; remove the leaf sucking inlet and replace it with the auger feed mechanism, allowing it to discharge into the standard feed point. I am not trying to teach you how to suck eggs; these are suggestions only. I hope this helps.

[@lesabre1972]

you need to weld on a deflector to point the wind towards the ground more.

[@HamiltonvilleFarm]

Interesting. That’s crazy how that hole location effected the pressure That much. You’ll figure it out

[@davidk8893]

for a centrifugal blower to work well, the inlet needs to be towards the center (or ideally directly in the center) of the blower. Think of a furnace blower, or a centrifugal water pump. The blower works by essentially slinging the air from the center of the impeller to the outside. Since there is a giant hole on the side of this blower that is almost all the way out to the edge, the centrifugal action that would let it build pressure at the intended outlet is released. The inlet of that blower should really be a few openings as close as he can get them to the center of the impeller. Every bit of distance between the outer edge of the inlet and the tips of the blades is more pressure to be built up.

[@danmackintosh6325]

I can see it already, my thinking is the location of the inlet in relation to the outlet is important & moving the nozzle 90* put it way too close to the inlet hence losing lots of potential pressure. That or moving the inlet to the centre as David says.

[@pikethree]

Instead of the blower outlet being at ground level and thus a very short throw, turn the thing 180 degrees so it blows out the other direction, from higher up (better). Also that huge inlet hole is too big and too close to the outside rim. These other comments are right, center the hole. Grease the bearings on the fan, maybe 2 grease nipples. Forget bits of rubber on the fan blades, that's just silly.

[@twinkie27271]

Now Hank's gonna build one!😄

[@andrewmcglaughlin8412]

If you want to use it "pin point" accuracy with leaf blowing or straw blowing, you could talk to some local cow farmers and see if they have any old heavy duty Ag sprayer hoses with the locking clamp on one end. Then all you would have to attach it to the blower, and put a handle on the end of the hose. I've seen a few rental straw blowers that have that and it would make your life easier. Just park it in one spot, and use the hose to get an area evenly before you have to move the tractor again. As for straw Blowing, why not make a simple feed ramp that folds up and acts like a blocking plate for when you need to blow leafs.

[@richardsharp6875]

WOW!!! That was a lot of fun Thank you. A magnum leaf blower quite original

[@bradpeters2281]

The thing I find most amazing is your wife goes along with all these projects. She has to be the most understanding person on the face of the earth.

[@atVVV1]

Has she ever been out here to the property? Does she even know about it? 🤪🤪

[@seudechrist]

@@atVVV1 Yeah she's appeared before

[@suburban404]

@@seudechrist And she's easy on the eyes.

[@HJZ75driver]

@@atVVV1 Has driven the orange loader

[@TreachourusJdogg]

When you aren't blowing leaves, you can run a hose from the outlet of the fan to the intake on the tractor. Make the world's largest tractor supercharger 🤣

[@atVVV1]

Out here in CA pto blowers are very common, they're used during tree crop harvest. The intakes are usually central and the nozzles have adjustable louvers. Both would be great additions to your rig.

[@kenmassey2430]

when you put the cover over the existing intake try leaving it open around the shaft instead of having the new holes around theouter edge thiswill act more like a squirl cage fan and increase the exhaust air probably by five times

[@ThePostApocalypticInventor]

And once again we both posted a new video within a few hours of each other. You again beat me to it though! BTW: I also built a leaf blower last week. I built it from a huge eletric blower that is usually used for gas heating systems. A few times the leaves were accidentially sucked into the intake an shredded by the rotor. It was kinda scary :D

[@danhard8440]

love your channel bro !! and nice to see you on other channels

[@loz11968]

I’m off to watch your video now I have watched this one

[@DieselCreek]

Can’t wait to watch it!

[@adamcfmacdonald]

Two of my favorite channels in dialogue. Fantastic. Just need Wes in here and it’s a party.

[@docsridingadventures2880]

If it hadn't been for this comment I may have never found your channel... you just got another sub just for the name of your channel

[@patrickdavis9796]

Excellent job I personally think it will work beautifully once the removable block off plate is installed and you turn the throttle up on the tractor I would build a loading chute for the straw where the block off plate is located and make it removable and then switch them out you will have to move the chute around for the straw so you can install the straw chute at the same time and away you go this is really a nice setup and it will have multiple uses i also agreed with Mr. Z about the rubber

[@timprz420]

Hey Matt I'm curious how it would blow if you repositioned the shute to the 4 o'clock position instead of blowing at 90°. Also with the dragging problem I wonder if you made like a swivel wheel ok the back like on a 3 point brush cutter.

[@rawr51919]

put a hose going out the other wheel from that and it'll be superpowered, also some of the other comments suggest the impeller being close to the center of the fan

[@williamswenson5315]

And my first thought after reading the title of this video was...of course, you did, Matt. A shallow venturi concentric with the shaft would improve the airflow (think ventilation fans in air handlers). In fact, a smaller version of this concept is visible in your storage container. The blue-painted blower housing behind your chop saw (seen as you cut that angle for the 3-pt. bracket) is a good example.