General Info

Before I purchased by walk behind blower I did a ton of research and even spoke with most of the manufacturers directly in addition to speaking with local dealers and lawn equipment repair shops. After a year of research I decided to buy the Billy Goat Force F1300 or better known as the Force 13 by Billy Goat.

First of all let me say that it took everything I had to buy something from Billy Goat because everyone I spoke with at this company in Missouri was beyond rude and not very helpful. What was amazing to me is that I am the CEO of Landscaper.com and they didn't give a crap who I was. I lived in Sedalia Missouri for half a year so I was familiar with this attitude. Not everyone was like this but I was an outsider and this was not uncommon. After a few more meetings the barriers were broken down but that was not case with the folks over at Bill Goat Industries.

Ok, regardless of my opinion of some of the executives at Bill Goat I want to focus on my opinion of my new Bill Goat Force 13.

Fuel Effeciency: Sucks! I don't know if this is an issue with the Honda Engine or with the way blower was designed by Bill Goat industries. This thing is about as green as a monster truck with no exhaust system.

Quality of manufacturing: Fair The machine feels very strong and stable but they failed miserably with the aim and shoot lever and cable. This lever and cable feel as about as solid as a cheap bicycle brake found on a new bicycle that cost $10 that was made in China. It is a piece of garbage and I don't know who was in charge of sourcing the lever but he or she should be written up because the damn thing is flimsy as hell. It is also in a horrible location and does not feel very ergonomic in my opinion. Someone needs to find an employee that mountain bikes for free styles. They need to find a break lever that is rock solid and feels solid. They also need to make the lever lock by tightening a screw versus the pop in channel that comes undone when you accidentally grab the lever due to its poor location.

Blowing Power / Velocity: If you live on flat property or need this thing for parking lots that are flat it is a gift from heaven because it has all the power you need to clear debris and surface dirt. If you are like the rest of us and you do not have flat property than this thing can be a beast to move around. I strongly suggest testing this machine on your property before turning it on because the Force 13 weighs a ton.

Sound: I am looking at the Bill Goat brochure as I write this and it reads, "Far Quieter Than The Competition - 3 dBA less and pleasant to operate without irritating the neighborhood." Man that is the furthest from the truth in my opinion. Maybe this is true for the smaller machines, I do not know but I will tell you that this is the loudest machine that is in my garage and I own a ton of Stihl and Honda powered equipment. You do not want to run this blower without hearing protection. For fairness to Billy Goat I will say that I do not own another push blower so it is possible the others are CRAZY loud and this one is just LOUD. If you have a dBA device and a few other push blowers let us know what you find.

Size: You have to sacrifice space in your garage if you want this much blowing power. This machine is big and bulky. It is worth it to me because I have a specific job for the blower but if you just need a machine for leaves and you need to save space than you need to drop down to one of the smaller machines or look at other blowers.

Plastic Housing: This in my opinion is a huge benefit over the competition. The plastic housing seems like it would last longer than a steel housing. It seems very durable.

Accessories: Lock Down Kit - If you are a contractor this seems like an amazing device that will save lots of time.

Accessories: Parking Break - I am beyond annoyed that this is an option. Even on the slightest of slopes this machine will run away from you if left unattended without something under the tires.