My first full year of grass cutting went well, except for getting my edging down. Here's my dilemma. I cut some very high end yards in my neighborhood, so all are trimmed and sidewalks/driveways are edged. I have a gas edger (stick type with blade) that does a beautiful job. Looks perfect after I get done. Here's my problem though. Almost all of my jobs in this neighborhood, have irrigation systems and when built, the irrigation contractors put the spray heads dead against the concrete. I'm afraid my edger blade is gonna hit one of those units and tear it all to hell. So I decided to not use a blade type edger and go to a trimmer. Well, my trimmer is a Husqvarna 128LD which if you own one, you know it is a manly unit. I can't no more edge with that thing than a man in the moon. Looks like total crap when I get done. It just seems too big and bulky for that type application. Soooo, I decided to give my old B+D battery pack trimmer a try. Light and easy to maneuver, but the problem there is yeah, you guessed it, BATTERIES. I'm wasting too much money on these batteries. I just bought one of the 40 volt lithiums which works OK but I have a feeling it's gonna cost me in the long run. So here is my new plan. I want a gas trimmer that is not as heavy, manly and bulky as that Husqvarna, and nothing against that trimmer, it does the job on HEAVY trimming great. Can anybody suggest a lighter version which would be easier to handle and give me better edging quality than what I have. OR if somebody uses another method. Like I said, I'm worried about tearing up a spray head with a stick edger blade so that is why I am set on using a trimmer turned up to edge. Thanks for any input.
Edging
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I'd say that 3 pounds would make a world of difference as far as maneuverability, thus probably a better quality edging job. Don't know if I wanna spend $370 to find out though.lol. Maybe I could sell my Husq. to cut into that. Don't know how much I could get for it though. I'll at least look at the Stihl. Thanks.
Ultimately it boils down to practice, lots and lots and lots of practice.
At least you're calling it trimming and not 'weedeating,' with practice comes progress and this progress is constant.
I'm personally not as concerned about cutting into the dirt itself, I know some customers are but I'm more worried the grass edge look straight.
The big problem is coming in at a low angle leaving a strip of exposed dirt, that promotes weeds not to mention the strip keeps growing wider.
If I hold the trimmer upside down I can cut vertical edges, leaving a neat line right alongside the pavement and not exposing any dirt.
Of course now there's the issue with tiny pebbles the string likes to pick up, not to mention pavement likes to eat string a mile a minute.
Here's where a good trimming technique starts to separate the men from the boys, and where a true learning curve begins.
The idea is to hover the end of the string really close to the pavement but without touching.
In terms of technique it's similar to how a barber would shave someone's face with a straight razor.
That skill comes in particularly handy around mailboxes and playset posts as well, when a landscaper can trim the grass without eating into the paint, getting so close the only way you know it isn't touching the post is because the paint stays intact... It's that same technique that helps keep the string from wasting down to nothing when faced with pavement and keeps flying pebbles down to a minimum.
Oh, it took me years...
Don't recall exactly when I had that one down pretty good but anytime is a good time to start because landscapers, we got nothing but time.
I just finished my 15th...
At least you're calling it trimming and not 'weedeating,' with practice comes progress and this progress is constant.
I'm personally not as concerned about cutting into the dirt itself, I know some customers are but I'm more worried the grass edge look straight.
The big problem is coming in at a low angle leaving a strip of exposed dirt, that promotes weeds not to mention the strip keeps growing wider.
If I hold the trimmer upside down I can cut vertical edges, leaving a neat line right alongside the pavement and not exposing any dirt.
Of course now there's the issue with tiny pebbles the string likes to pick up, not to mention pavement likes to eat string a mile a minute.
Here's where a good trimming technique starts to separate the men from the boys, and where a true learning curve begins.
The idea is to hover the end of the string really close to the pavement but without touching.
In terms of technique it's similar to how a barber would shave someone's face with a straight razor.
That skill comes in particularly handy around mailboxes and playset posts as well, when a landscaper can trim the grass without eating into the paint, getting so close the only way you know it isn't touching the post is because the paint stays intact... It's that same technique that helps keep the string from wasting down to nothing when faced with pavement and keeps flying pebbles down to a minimum.
Oh, it took me years...
Don't recall exactly when I had that one down pretty good but anytime is a good time to start because landscapers, we got nothing but time.
I just finished my 15th...
I've tried this Husq. 128 more than I want to. For one thing, at 13lbs. (w/o gas) it's pretty heavy for this old dude running it.lol. It's extremely hard to throttle in an upright position, so I'm constantly adjusting grip on the throttle. It's pretty manly and if I let it drop just a little too deep into the trim surface it takes hold and tries to take off on its own path. Like I said, it ends up looking like crap and I can't leave these high end houses with edging jobs looking like that. I've adjusted the grab bar on the thing, the angle on my grasp, the whole 9 yards and I just can't get down to a quality edge and most of all, it's working me too daggone hard.lol. My little battery pack B+D, I can handle it pretty good and am able to get a good clean line with it, but I don't know if I want to depend on battery trimmer/edgers just for the fact of buying batteries all the time. I'm just wondering A) Would a lighter gas trimmer help out and B) What are the brands/models to look for if indeed this is an option. I actually thought about letting one of the yard cutting guys who cut other yards in the area, to see if they could edge with my Husq. OK. Or what they thought about it. Could VERY WELL be user error.lol.
Ric
Lawn Pro
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You can edge with what you like but personally Id stay away from edging with any trimmer, they are not designed to edge sidewalks or drives and flower beds. they just don't deliver the job that a or your stick edger will deliver. Besides that the edger will give you a better look or finished product and it's faster and you don't look like a Hack.
If your Husqvarna 128 is doing the job trimming, keep it and use it till it dies. If I was going to invest in anything I'd go with a good stick edger, the Stihl FC 90 will do everything you need or want. If the sprinklers are going to be an issue I'd talk to the owner and suggest sprinkler head donuts, you can get then at HD for like $1.18 each, there concrete and last forever and some what cheaper than replacing sprinkler heads and there easy to edge around. If the sprinkler head is next to the sidewalk just cut the donuts in half and install one on every sprinkler head. If the customer is going to the trouble to hire a lawn service to take care of his lawn then investing in a few donuts shouldn't be an issue.
Hey, that sounds like an option. 1/4 inch would be plenty of space for a blade to go down between. I've had a few that I couldn't even see the head initially due to overgrowth (have actually nailed a few without damaging luckily) so I could at least do the first edge with a trimmer to be on the safe side, align with the shovel and use my stick from there on out. My first plan was to plot em out on a map believe it or not, to have handy before I did each yard, but that was entirely too much work. Think I'll give that a try. I really wanna get back to my stick, because it does make a noticeable difference. I call it a stick, but it's actually a Yard Man push edger with an engine and 4 wheels using a Tri star blade. Same principle.
bertsmobile1
Lawn Royalty
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Gees, me agreeing with Ric again.
A dedicated blade trimmer will always male a nicer, cleaner sharper, cleaner & more professional edge than a line trimmer ever can.
Most home owners will not notice a little scalp on the lawn or a couple of high spots, but every day when they drive out of the garage and eyeball the edge, the slightest varaition from a strait line or vertical cut will stick out like a bull's scrotum.
Where as ever time they look across the razor sharp dead strait edge , "that bloke has done a nice job" will flash across the back of their minds and the cheapest & best advertising is a happy satisified customer.
Well said.lol And correct. Makes a difference of night and day as far as I can see it. Some people really probably don't care, but these houses I am doing are in the 500K range, so they expect a perfect look. That's why I prefer the gas edger I have, but I'll be damned if I wanna have to be changing out sprinkler heads on every yard by nailing the piss out of em with a blade. Which begs the question anyway, have any of you guys ever run into that problem? A stick with blade going over the top of a sprinkler head? Granted, I've not destroyed any, but I would have to think it's no good for em. I have hit em slightly, and I could feel it. THAT'S when I decided to back off using the blade. MOST, if not all the yards I do have irrigation. And MOST, if not all, have the daggone heads resting right on the concrete edge or corners of the sidewalk or driveway. Does it make sense, that a square hit on that plastic sprinkler head with a steel blade just right would/could destroy the thing? Or am I just worried about it too much?