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Good day y'all. I've had this Echo straight shaft trimmer for quite a few years and she's still going strong, unlike me. I'll be 71 my next birthday. I've always stood it up vertically to edge the driveway and sidewalk but I'm getting weaker. Has anybody ever been successful in mounting a wheel to make this task less physical? Home Depot has an attachment but it's too costly for me.

Nobody?

This situation sounds like it is time to hire someone (possibly in the family) to help you with this kind of trimming work.

No disrespect, but at 71 years old, there comes a time to realize that you need to consider backing off of regular physical labor.

I am a disabled veteran just about 61 years of age (with hard mileage) and the past couple of years have really slowed me down. Having the knowledge and willpower to do the work (for me) is getting weighed down by the ability these days.

Auto Doc's said:

This situation sounds like it is time to hire someone (possibly in the family) to help you with this kind of trimming work.

No disrespect, but at 71 years old, there comes a time to realize that you need to consider backing off of regular physical labor.

I am a disabled veteran just about 61 years of age (with hard mileage) and the past couple of years have really slowed me down. Having the knowledge and willpower to do the work (for me) is getting weighed down by the ability these days.

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I never served in the military but I was a carpenter most of my life and I'm a tough ol' bird.

Also using as edger with the proper safety guards as an accident waiting happen. It only takes one stone and piece metal cause some serious eye damage.

Have learned to wear safety glasses when certain areas of the yard. If it weren't that stone the deck throw out, hit a tree trunk, and then hit in the face right at the eye. Good thing that even my regular glasses were safety glasses or I would lost an eye. I did lose that lens to damage.

We older folk don't heal like we once did. It took me over two months to heal from a pull bar impact that cause me to get three stitches. When it hit me my head bounce off the jack stand so the ER insisted me to have a MRI done since I am on blood thinners.

Even as carpenter you should know safety is key to staying our the ER. Nails for one can go flying around the worksite.

StarTech said:

Also using as edger with the proper safety guards as an accident waiting happen. It only takes one stone and piece metal cause some serious eye damage.

Have learned to wear safety glasses when certain areas of the yard. If it weren't that stone the deck throw out, hit a tree trunk, and then hit in the face right at the eye. Good thing that even my regular glasses were safety glasses or I would lost an eye. I did lose that lens to damage.

We older folk don't heal like we once did. It took me over two months to heal from a pull bar impact that cause me to get three stitches. When it hit me my head bounce off the jack stand so the ER insisted me to have a MRI done since I am on blood thinners.

Even as carpenter you should know safety is key to staying our the ER. Nails for one can go flying around the worksite.

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I know what you mean by an eye injury. Back in around 2007, I was on a hike in the the woods. I heard something, snapped my head around and a small twig was lodged in my cornea.
To make a long story short, the eye surgeon removed the twig and put 6 stitches in my cornea. He said I was lucky. A tad lower and I'd of had permanent eye damage.

I am 73 and mow several yards to have a little extra income. I have 2 stihl weed eaters. I have fitted both with a small wheel mounted to the stock guard to assist in edging sidewalks. One of my hobbies is rc planes so I had several extra wheels. About 3.5”-4” in diameter foam wheels so they are super lightweight. One bolted right to the guard sent the other I had to fabricate a mounting bracket which was just a strap of aluminum. I’ve never had to modify or replace them. It can be done.

kenv52 said:

I am 73 and mow several yards to have a little extra income. I have 2 stihl weed eaters. I have fitted both with a small wheel mounted to the stock guard to assist in edging sidewalks. One of my hobbies is rc planes so I had several extra wheels. About 3.5”-4” in diameter foam wheels so they are super lightweight. One bolted right to the guard sent the other I had to fabricate a mounting bracket which was just a strap of aluminum. I’ve never had to modify or replace them. It can be done.

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Sounds like what the OP is looking for. How about some pictures to help him (or her) out?

Chuter said:

Sounds like what the OP is looking for. How about some pictures to help him (or her) out?

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Here is a couple of shots. Hopefully this will provide some ideas. The brand of wheel is Dubro and can be had on Amazon or Horizon Hobby. The first one I did is adjustable but was overkill, the second is at a fixed height. My curved shaft was a bit more of a challenge because no guard where I needed. Hope this helps

We have the same edger. It came with a guard. I wouldn't use it without it. It clamps to the straight pipe, and should be available on the Echo site.

ashingde said:

We have the same edger. It came with a guard. I wouldn't use it without it. It clamps to the straight pipe, and should be available on the Echo site.

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Here's the difference/ What you have is the edger what the OP has is a string trimmer setup and trying if is possible to add a wheel to it.

hillybilly said:

I never served in the military but I was a carpenter most of my life and I'm a tough ol' bird.

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I'm 89 and still pretty active, play bogey golf, mow an acre of lawn, garden, and service all my machines. Getting up and down is a problem, I use a 3 Inch foam pad for kneeling. My advice is keep doing it. If you stop, pretty soon you won't be able to! Do it with more breaks. Sit in the shade and have a cool one more often. The work will still be there; it won't go away!

hillybilly said:

Good day y'all. I've had this Echo straight shaft trimmer for quite a few years and she's still going strong, unlike me. I'll be 71 my next birthday. I've always stood it up vertically to edge the driveway and sidewalk but I'm getting weaker. Has anybody ever been successful in mounting a wheel to make this task less physical? Home Depot has an attachment but it's too costly for me.
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You buy a dedicated edger with a metal blade and wheel if you want this ability. Some commercial guys use edgers, very few home owners. Most people turn the trimmer at the desired angle to achieve a good edge on sidewalk, etc.

If you are only mowing a few lawns a week, then stamina and energy levels should not be a problem at 71 years old. If you are mowing all day, 5 days a week at 71, then it can get more difficult. I am 59 and can outwork many people in their 20’s. I mowed commercially for 10 years and it is a tough, relentless business.

You can rig a trimmer with a wheel I guess, but why would you. The first thing any commercial guy does that mows is take off the guard on the trimmer. Let the line out, and let that dog hunt. The extra line increases productivity. Always, always wear safety glasses when trimming.
Merry Christmas !

It would be nice all us had at least a shoestring budget but some of us have a sewing thread budget. Until I got on SS I was on $300 / month budget for nearly 10 yrs. So many things I needed that just had be to forgotten and lived without so $1300 / month seems like a small fortune.