Harbor Freight Weedburner

[GaryM]

Well, I was getting tired of spraying Roundup on the weeds in the gravel driveway and on the garlic that's growing up in the landscape beds. And my wife had the nerve to complain when the Roundup killed a few extra plants here and there. [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

So I started looking at weed burners. These are LARGE propane torches fed by a gas grill type of propane bottle. A disposable bottle like you use for a Berzomatic would probably last two or three minutes at most.

I went with Harbor Freight because it was available locally and though listed at $47 in the store I was able to get it for $25 by having their website printout. It has a pizeo elecric igniter and a TURBO lever on the handle. Hose is about 6-7 feet long.

Took it home and hooked it to my spare 20Lb tank. Fired right up. And when you squeeze the TURBO lever it gets loud! Sounds like an F-15 getting ready to take off.

Burned some weeds without starting any fires I couldn't stamp out with my size 13 feet.

Satisfied with it's performance so far. Looks a little light duty for commercial use, but for around the homestead it looks to be fine. Now I need to see if any of the neighbors need their charcoal grills lit this weekend. Also need to find a good way to transport the 20Lb propane tank, or get a smaller tank. Maybe a 10Lb unit.

[BlueRidge]

<font color="blue"> Now I need to see if any of the neighbors need their charcoal grills lit this weekend. </font color>

Sounds like you'll be all set....

.... once you add a little liquid oxygen. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]


<font color="blue"> Also need to find a good way to transport the 20Lb propane tank, or get a smaller tank. Maybe a 10Lb unit. </font color>

Cheap hand truck? I've seen carriers advertised for those burners - maybe at Northern Tool?

.... pause while he does some searching online....

Ayah. Here it is.


I've been casting a longing eye on those burners, too.....

[GaryM]

That carrier would work in some places. Would work fine on the gravel drive. Not sure I'd like to run it over the mulched landscape beds though. I do have one of those four wheeled garden carts with the mesh bed and fold down sides. I might try setting it in there and secureing with a shock cord

As long as it's for use around home I think this one will work out alright. It's not as nicely built as the Red Dragon units. But to set one of those up the same as this runs about $120 or so. And it still doesn't have the pizeoelectric igniter.

[Fred]

Hey Gary,

Are there any other benefits of burning weeds/grass? Do they disappear faster, as opposed to slowly watching them die and having dead,yellow plantlife in your driveway?

Thanks

[GaryM]

Well, there's less chance of overspray killing plants you wanted to keep. And it's rainproof immediatley too! You also know it's done the job without having to wait and see. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[BlueRidge]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those rationalizations sound good, be we know the real reason is that it's just fun to torch things! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[GaryM]

Well I thought that part was obvious! [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[Fred]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Those rationalizations sound good, be we know the real reason is that it's just fun to torch things!

[/ QUOTE ]

You mean just like we know that you really don't have to light the gas once you pour it down the yellow jacket nest? [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Fred]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
You also know it's done the job without having to wait and see

[/ QUOTE ]

How complete of a job do you expect it to do?
I was just talking with a customer of mine today and he reached down and grabbed a little tuft of grass growing through my gravel drive/parking lot. We started talking about treatments and when I said that I might look into burning them with one of those torches he said it was a waste of time if I wanted to kill the stuff. He said that all you're doing is burning the top and the roots will spread out and the plant will come back bigger.
That was his experience with the torches anyway.

I may need to set up a controlled test site.
I would much rather burn them and have them disappear right away as opposed to spraying them, but if they are only going to come back with a vengeance.... [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[GaryM]

Well, I can say that the wild onion I torched when I first got the unit hasn't come back. And neither has the grass I wilted in the gravel drive.

Maybe some plants are tougher than others. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]