Makita has added a backpack blower to its 40V max XGT platform. The GBU04 is pitched as a replacement for a 65cc petrol machine rather than a supplement to one — the comparison Makita makes throughout the announcement, and the one that decides whether a grounds crew can actually leave the two-stroke behind.

The numbers Makita gives are up to 32 newtons of blowing force and 675 CFM maximum air volume, from a brushless motor. On noise, it quotes 60 dB(A) sound pressure measured to ANSI OPEI B175.2:2012, which it says is up to 65 per cent quieter than competing 65cc petrol machines. That figure is a Makita measurement against unnamed competitors, and the standard it cites is the relevant one for outdoor power equipment — worth knowing if noise limits are what is driving the switch on a given site.

The blower takes any 40V max XGT battery, but Makita says it is optimised for the XGT High Power 8.0Ah pack (BL4080H). No runtime figure was given for any battery, which is the number a grounds crew would want most, and its absence is conspicuous in an announcement otherwise built on the petrol comparison.

Availability

Makita gives no price and no on-sale date. The announcement was issued on 4 August from La Mirada, California, and covers the United States; nothing is said about other markets.

Where it sits

XGT is Makita's 40V line, kept deliberately separate from the 18V LXT range that most of its catalogue still runs on — the packs are not interchangeable. A blower at this power class is the kind of tool that justifies buying into the platform rather than the other way round, so its arrival matters more to crews weighing XGT as a whole than to anyone already holding a shelf of 40V packs. The GBU04 is not yet in our catalogue.

Based on a press release from Makita U.S.A., published 4 August 2026.