WeedEater

[1943]

Roundup

A pint of roundup and a pump sprayer will cure all your problens. and twice a year will do.

_______
``Terry``

 

[BarbC]

The problem with Round-Up around your flower beds is you could overspray the flowers or leave unsightly dead brown spots in the lawn. You'll have to be very careful.

What we used to do is use a line of peat moss between the flower beds and the lawn. We also would use a border of decorative rock or brick.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

I am one of those people that is "two-cycle challenged". I CAN NOT make a 2-cycle run. I hold my mouth different, sacrifice a goat, nothing. I used an electric Craftsman for 10+ years and did fine with it.( I have 3/4 acre, all lawn) When Troybilt came out with their 4-cycle trimmers, I bought one. Great piece of machinery. The wife even uses it periodically. I would highly recommend it.

Add my vote for the Troybilt. At the time I bought mine it had the largest engine available and it has always been easy to start. I also bought the pole saw attachment that turnd out to be handy as a pocket on a shirt. Great for out of reach limbs and cutting heavy brush off at the roots without having to climb into the middle of it. The Troybilt is great for the light home use most of us need and has the power to chew up just about anything within reason. If you need one to do heavy duty work several hours a day, go for the higher end Stihl or Echo brand trimmers.

 

[gizamo]

Buy the DR trimmer mower. Get the higher horsepower one. It's capable of throwing large rocks 50-100 yards. I can personally attest to ruining vinyl siding, putting dents in P-Ups, and breaking one window. It's awsome, and can take down small trees. Women and small children run shrieking away from them. Dogs will growl initially, but then run quickly away with their tales between their legs.

These babies throw up so much debris that you can take out a neighborhood with one. It is comparable to having a Ma Deuce in one hands....

My only regret is that you can't get 1/4" braided steel cables for one. Oh, and replace the wimpy plastic shield that comes with it (the one to protect you) with armored steel....

 

[Rule3]

I live in the land of year round weed whacking. The 4 cycle is heavy and lacks power. Electric are a PITA pulling the cord around. Most all weed trimmers are JUNK!
I've had them all.

Spend the few extra dollars now and by a Stihl or Echo. Drain the gas after each use or run it dry. Add some fuel stabilizer (Sta Bil)to your main gas mix. Use synthetic oil.

My Echo, starts in 2 pulls. One to choke, one to go.

 

[BarbC]

I don't know which brand we have but I'm assuming it's easy to operate.

 

[jj2am44]

1. Stick with gas
2. If you have to go electric or battery operated-stay away from
Black and Decker.

 

[charlie sherrill]

I second the nomination for Roundup. I mowed the first time today. Next comes the Roundup. I got tired of fixing the string trimmers so a little brown spot here and there won't bother me. If I could train the chickens to scratch in the right places I wouldn't need anything.

 

[bigcatonhd]

I just bought a new Stihl yesterday. I talked to several commercial lawn care guys and that's what most of them use and since I use a trimmer more than a mower on my 15 acres I decided to go all out. I used it quite a bit yesterday and was really impressed.

 

[BarbC]

If I could train the chickens to scratch in the right places I wouldn't need anything.

Throw a little chicken scratch (mashed corn) down where you want them to dig.

 

[gunlovingirl]

Thanks for all the recommendations and tips. So many choices. I guess it's like buying a car. Every make has it's fans and naysayers. My main problem is the hard to start issue. I've always used fresh gas, mixed according to directions, new plug, etc. But that damn Homelite seemed to have been made just to aggravate me. So much so that the thought of having a man around the house crossed my mind a time or two! Seriously, it was a huge pita, not to mention in my arthritic hands and fingers. I'll go do some look shopping today, and try to figure out which one will be best for my situation.
This has to be the greatest forum, bar none, on the net! I get answers to eveything from guns to bugs to lawn equipment! What a great family we have here!
Barb.....my offer from last year still stands. If you let me borrow your "gardener" one day a week, I'll provide the food and water, and I'm sure after a couple days with me, he'll never want to leave your side! Oooops. I may have just blew it there!

 

[BarbC]

He's not fussy about food & water but you do have to lubricate well with beer.

 

[Rule3]

I need to chime in again. As I mentioned I use a weed wacker 11 mths of the year. I thought the 4 cycle Troy built would be the Eco way to go. It is just too darn heavy and lacks the power of a 2 stroke. It was heavy and also a pain to start and idle. I returned it to Lowes.
Where I live, not many folks do their own lawns, they have a lawn care service. In fact most anyone with a Pickup Truck is in the business.
99.9 % of them use a Stihl or Echo. I went with the Echo as they have them at Homer Depot. You can get the basic curved shaft for just a bit more than a cheapo.
Trust me, I have been doing this in the Sub Tropics since I was knee high to a hoss grapper.

 

[ladder13]

I don't know which brand we have but I'm assuming it's easy to operate.

Did the therapist prescribe that?

 

[johnjohn]

When my Ryobi (trash) trimmer died I bought a Huskquevarna, best thing since sliced bread.

 

[gunlovingirl]

He's not fussy about food & water but you do have to lubricate well with beer.

Well now, that's another story! If he runs on "premium", he'll need to mow the lawn too!

 

[dmar]

Most people don't know how to start a 2 cycle motor. First Put the correct oil mix in the gas can.

Fill the the weedwacker's gas tank (MOST IMPORTANT)!!!

Push the primer the amount of times it said like x3 or x6.

Set the choke to fully closed.

Pull the cord till you hear it fire (It may only last a second ).

Set the choke the half 1/2 closed.

Pull the cord again it should run.

Let it warm up a minute.

Open the choke.

Now have fun trimming.

This also work with outboards and other 2 cycle engines.

This is good advice, but I'd like to add that if it does not stay running, or does not 'fire/catch' at the '1/2' choke-step, then you should go back to fully closing the choke until it fires again (then proceed to the 1/2 choke step again...).

These 2 stroke engines are what I call "cold blooded" creatures and are not happy/are finicky until they run for a couple of minutes. It's all about getting them to fire, without flooding/fouling them. I've got an old Toro, and it's worked well for me over the last 15 years (I think it was made in USA, not a POS China built one...). I find that if it has not run in a while, or in cold conditions, it takes a little more effort and repeating of full choke and 1/2 choke steps until it wants to fire-up. 2 strokes are always easier to start when its warm out and/or they are warmed up. If it gets flooded, I just hold the throttle all the way down and pull hard until it catches (if that does not work, pull the plug and dry it out...).

I see so many people just repeat the same incorrect steps, over and over and over, and expect the thing to start. What's that definition of insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result...? Once you get a hang of how 2 cycles operate, they are pretty easy to manage, but I do think they pose challenges for folks that don't have a some engine/mechanical knowledge/background... If I did not have this background, I would probably go with an electric trimmer, or find one of the newer 'easy start' gas models, I hear they are much easier to deal with.

 

[m1gunner]

By late last summer I had absolutely had it with gas powered string trimmers. I researched battery powered units and the most highly recommended one was a 24 volt unit Sears sold. It was made by another company whose name I can't recall. Both companies sold essentially the same tool for about $125.

I have been using battery operated power tools professionally for 25 years, and have found out that getting an under powered tool for a job will never work out.

I never could find a 24 volt trimmer last fall or winter without mail-ordering it. Today I was at Walmart and they had what looked like the very same unit, but this ons was being sold by WeedEater. They just came in last night, and weren't even priced yet.

I had the clerk check the price, and it was $74.95. I bought it on the spot.

This unit isn't intended for wacking shrubs, small saplings, or woody plants. It is made for cutting grassy plants, it works quite well for this. I ran it for about an hour today, and didn't have any more weeds to wack. Its only downside is the cutting swath isn't what the gas trimmer's are, but it does fine when used in a gentle arc type sweeping motion.

The biggest plus to me is the Wife said she would gladly use it, but flat out won't use a gas trimmer (and hasn't in the 20 years I've known her).