Cheap propane torches---weed burners??

[1982fxr]

Probly gonna get one of these for the rental property we live in. Between hf, Home Depot etc is there really any difference in the cheap $20 ones?

https://www.google.com/search?q=hom...&ved=0ahUKEwjHqqONjpPTAhXKq1QKHS3DAv8QgTYIvQQ

 

[MoonRise]

Relatively low-tech, no moving parts.

HF for ~$20 is fine. (have one, use it a couple times a year, works fine. The orange plastic hose from the tank to the burner wand is rather stiff and still has the 'bends' in it from being packed in the box. But it works.)

 

[67King]

I have one. Does not work like I expected. It won't hold a flame. I thought it would have like a pilot light or something, but you have to either keep it running, or light it every time. So it is pretty useless for anything other than clearing a large area. And frankly, Roundup works a lot better (where applicable, such as clearing vegetation from gravel areas).

 

[ducksface]

Hf has two models. One has a piezo starter, one doesn't. Either is fine.

I have the silly little one(not hf) that looks like a walking cane and uses 1lb bottles. No hose to deal with, no 20lb bottle to drag around. It starts brush piles perfectly and will burn a weed but the flame is only about two inches in diameter so it is a specific weed and not a batch of them that gets burned. I wouldn't do a field with it but it does fine to heat things and burn individual things and is very portable and light weight.

 

[1982fxr]

Ducks this is for a Tempe house with rock landscaping---and weeds that try to take hold every day or week or whatever. Mainly individual weeds and a few small patches.

I've got it under control now and wanted to use a torch instead of weed killer in the future. Just go out once a week and nuke anything that's little and green to a wilt. So I guess more of a controlled flame.

Any advice based on those needs? Trying to save my back. The one where you have to light it every time sounds like it would be wasteful on fuel?

 

[zendriver]

Ducks this is for a Tempe house with rock landscaping---and weeds that try to take hold every day or week or whatever. Mainly individual weeds and a few small patches.

I've got it under control now and wanted to use a torch instead of weed killer in the future. Just go out once a week and nuke anything that's little and green to a wilt. So I guess more of a controlled flame.

Any advice based on those needs? Trying to save my back. The one where you have to light it every time sounds like it would be wasteful on fuel?

Just my experience, but burning green weed/grass, is a tedious PIA. You have to kill it, dry it out, then burn it. Used the HF long handle torch. Even little ones, seem to take forever, when they were green. Have to lug a propane tank around over rough ground.

Glyphosate is my friend. Burning dried out dead plants, if I have to, is a cinch.

It will at least kill the plant. Burned-off plants will grow right back.

 

[ducksface]

That cane shaped burner(I looked yesterday for you. It's a benzomatic) that uses one pound bottles is the answer.
It's exactly what I used on 20,000sqft of Lake Havasu gravel yard.
I did refills.
He Phoenix area is perfect for refill of one pounders.
Set your bulk tank upside down in the sun, put the one pounders in the freezer.
1.33 pounds of propane transfered every time.
It took about 30 seconds to transfer.

And there is a weed puller called
Grandpa's weed puller.
It is very nice and I use it on horehound.
No bending over and works perfectly.
Mine came from
garret wade
But HD has a better version.

 

[MoonRise]

I have one. Does not work like I expected. It won't hold a flame. I thought it would have like a pilot light or something, but you have to either keep it running, or light it every time..

Hmmm, strange.

On mine, the steps to use it are (going from memory here)

1) connect to propane tank

2) make sure the flame knob is turned 'off'

3) open valve on propane tank

4) open knob on burner handle and light flame

5) adjust pilot flame via knob as desired

6) squeeze the 'inferno' handle to get full flame amount and release to go back to the pilot flame

And the flame size (and heat output) is waaay different between the walking cane type one running off of 1 lb propane bottles and the ones with the soup-can sized flame 'shroud' running off of 20 lb (or larger) propane tanks.

The 'big' ones put out over 400k Btu/hr (or something like that).

To the OP, kill the weeds with glyphosphate (or similar) and apply a weed preventer in the rocks (like Preen or other similar germination inhibitor stuff http://www.preen.com/products/preen-garden-weed-preventer ). IMHO.

 

[Fixed]

Be careful, my neighbor hit a patch of poison ivy with his, and ended up hospitalized because he breathed in some of the smoke.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[rsanter]

I have one, works ok.
Good weed killer is easier to use
And these can burn though propane rairly quickly so I'm not sure it really cheaper either

Bob

 

[67King]

Hmmm, strange.

On mine, the steps to use it are (going from memory here)

1) connect to propane tank

2) make sure the flame knob is turned 'off'

3) open valve on propane tank

4) open knob on burner handle and light flame

5) adjust pilot flame via knob as desired

6) squeeze the 'inferno' handle to get full flame amount and release to go back to the pilot flame

And the flame size (and heat output) is waaay different between the walking cane type one running off of 1 lb propane bottles and the ones with the soup-can sized flame 'shroud' running off of 20 lb (or larger) propane tanks.

The 'big' ones put out over 400k Btu/hr (or something like that).

To the OP, kill the weeds with glyphosphate (or similar) and apply a weed preventer in the rocks (like Preen or other similar germination inhibitor stuff http://www.preen.com/products/preen-garden-weed-preventer ). IMHO.

That's what I expected, but as soon as I let go of the trigger, it goes out. Maybe I got a bad one. It was not the $20 variety, I think I paid $70 for it. And it will go through some fuel, I get ice forming on the tank in the middle of Summer.

As you said, though, chemical weed killer is much more effective. However, there is one place where this thing just shines. That is English Ivy. Due to the waxy leaves, herbicide doesn't do much good on it. However, the heat will work very well. Prior owners planted it on the shoreline of our lakehouse, and it got int he seawall, and was a MAJOR pain to pull out. The flame has saved me tons of time with it since I got it.