Oops................
I have been running this Stihl BG 86 as a dedicated vac for years now. These Stihl blowers are able to be run as a blower or vac by switching over nozzles. It's a fiddly process that takes time, and time is money on the job. So it's been handy having a spare blower set up as a vac, being able to just grab and go when required.
The fan housing on this unit has been cracked for a while now, I guess today was it's last hurrah. I have removed the suction tube and collection bag and relegated the unit to the spare parts department. I'm going to set up my other BG 86 as a vac so now I'm faced with the task of finding a replacement blower.
The easy path would be another BG 86. However, I have had 3 of these BG 55 / 86 blowers now and I think I have had enough of Stihl. So I'm looking at the Husqvarna 525BX for a change in brand. Looking over the spec's, it appears the 525BX is lighter and more powerful but............. more expensive, $559 vs $399 for the Stihl.
https://www.husqvarna.com/au/product...specifications
https://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Produ...BG-86-C-E.aspx
At this point, I want to point out how frustrating it can be researching new tools. I have been doing this for years now, it's frustrating trying to compare machines between different manufactures as they all publish spec's differently, making it a long process sussing out which is the better product. I know why they do it but it just makes it hard for consumers trying to buy the best tool for the job.