Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Heavy Duty Trimmer?

I have about 600 feet of pipe/t-post fence + around the edges of my lake, in addition to regular trimming around the cabin.

Regular trimmers arent up to the task - the line jams, not enough power, its just not big enough to handle the job.

What do you use for a commercial grade trimmer? I was thinking about a walk behind line trimmer (to help out on those long hauls - my dam is approx 600 feet across too) - anyone have feedback on those or other suggestions?

Gator

hi gator,
those walk behinds look nice, i've never tried one.

FWIW - my comments on a commercial grade hand held though? how much you wanna spend? i bought a $300 dollar straight shaft shindaiwa in 1982, that was alot of money back then, that thing still kicks butt. comparable unit is probably over $500 now. i have three heads for it (string, changeable plastic blades, and 10-inch saw blades that'l do trees up to about 4-inches). i couldnt tell how many hours it has on it, but it sees routine spring, summer and fall use in tough conditions, has only had one service to replace fuel pump. i clean it regularly....it aint made in the USA, but its one of the best power tools i've ever used or owned.

Gator,
Have you ever tried a heavy-duty Stilh trimmer? They leave the others in the dust IMO. You can get heavy line and I've never had a jam in 3 years. Good luck.

I have a long fence row that gets a lot of blackberries and other fairly thick brambles along it-had the same problems you are, mostly because I just want to cut it once or twice a year, and the growth gets really thick with that degree of laziness. I looked at several walk behind trimmers, finally bought an Ariens. It's a great piece of equipment, very reliable-my only criticism is that the factory supplied strings are not durable enough. Solved this by buying another manufacturers heaviest duty stings and putting them on the Ariens. Other units were a lot more expensive, I think I paid about $320.00 for mine.

Gator, I have a cheap walk behind timmer mower, I bought it at Tractor supply around the same price as Yolk sac. I too got tired of line feed problems with my weed eater. The other issue is I have cronic back problems and I am a very tall and large person, they don't design any thing for us 6'5" people. Most things I buy are to short and I have to bend my back to use it. That kills me. I will never go back to a weed eater. The trimmer mower has 1/8 thick sq line and cuts about any thing. As I said I'm a large fellow and I have no issues man handling the trimmer mower and it is far easier on my back. My smaller buddies and wife don't like it because it's harder for them to manuver. Mowing the slopes of the dam is still a work out. As for fences it kicks butt. It will swing right or left with the cutter head. I also like it that I don't have the shakes after using it experienced with the vibrating weed eater.

I know a guy who ran a commercial lawn care business for 20-25 years. He recommends Echo or Husqvarna trimmers.

Forget string, swinging blades are the way to go.

My father-in-law has a big wheel walk behind that kicks butt since he got the rope looking plastic, sorta like 3 strings woven together.
If your budget calls for a string trimmer, I just did a lot of research. All the 31cc 2 cycle motors are the same, made in china. MTD owns anything from Bolens, Troy-bilt, Yard Machines, Yard Man, Ryobi, etc. I paid $90 bucks for the Bolens 150 vs. 150 for Ryobi or Troybilt, which advertizes as trimmer/brush cutter, it is only a small 8 in blade you have to take the head off and attach. The trimmer has the removable shaft for mounting other options, but they are overpriced. The switchable shaft also adds too much weight. Bolens straight shaft, 10#. Others with removable shafts, 14#. Echo is highly regarded and you will notice that most yard groomers will have them on the trucks. Stihl and Husqvarna are also highly regarded, but overpriced. I was shocked at the price of the Husqvarna; I got a chain saw that was reasonable, ordered from an outfit in Co., $100 less than Lowes. I just cant go $300 for a string trimmer.

kilz-all and brush killer sure works good along a fence

For the above mentioned string trimmer,I got a 3 blade Gator cutter that has 3 stainless blades incapsulated in plastic. I also just got this, so only needed a light duty: http://www.amazon.com/Swisher-Predator-2...79369118&sr=8-1

This is 300#. Not for the faint of heart.

I'm with Howard.
I used to fight grass along fencerows with a weed trimmer also. Anymore I will do one or two passes a year with my 3 gal weed sprayer and a quality herbicide to save lots of work.

Hi guys, thanks for all the ideas.

I like the idea of spraying the fence line. What herbacide do you use? Does it affect trees if I spray in the drip line? Is it harmful to humans? I dont want cancer or start growing extra appendages just for a clean fence line.

For my lake edges, maybe a walk behind, self propelled brush cutter would be the best choice. I get a lot of mail from DR Mowers - are they worth the extra $? Other that havent been mentioned?

So - If I spay the fence line + trim the lake with a walk behind brush cutter (need to decide which one) - I could keep my current weed eater and only do light-weight duty with it...yes, that might work.

Its nice to have grass again after 2 years of drought.


Thx again.

If you want a good commercial trimmer look at redmax
trimmers stihl is a good trimmer but the redmax will
walk all over the stihl. I use both in my lawn service everday so trust me i know. One thing you can count on sooner or later the stihl will give you problems starting.

roundup, I've even started using it every were weed trimming is required side walks, porches etc. By the way you still need some kinda of trimmer because you have to cut the grass at least one time to remove winter grass and weeds from spring. round up is not as effective until it's hot out side. Be carefull with the spray width, my boss wasn't too happy with me the first year when I left a 18 inch wide dead zone around the entire house and all her flower beds. I have sense learned to narrow the pattern. Round up is good on the back too.

- So for trimming right at the waterline - Walk behind brush cutter or commercial grade weed eater/trimmer? Or other?

Which do you prefer, why?

I have the Ryobi 31 cc unit that Burger eluded to; it is the multi-attachment unit. I hate the string trimmer head for all the reasons this thread got started. I picked it up for $100 at H Depot. I have the brush cutting head and the mini roto-tiller head, also. They both rock, albeit in small doses due to their small size. The brush cutter hacks thru saplings up to about 1.250" dia....takes a couple of "whacks". I like it for small jobs.
Past that, tho, it's chemicals for me, yessirree. Round up comes in various levels of concentration, so do your math WRT $ vs volume. Their big marketing push over other generics is the "rain proof" thing. I was just talking with the farmer that has been helping me with the pond project. He farms about 1000 ac. He says that veg killer really only needs to be on the plant a few hours before a rain and dismisses the "rain proof" advantage as needless.
Me, personally...I went to Rural King and bought a 2.5 gal jug of their veg killer concentrate. They have 55 gal barrels, too. It's not rain proof, but I will "play the weather". I have never been disappointed...it kills it dead.

Gator you need big kahunas and a tractor with brush hog. The kahunnas are needed so that you will drive close enough to the edge on that slippery slope.

Gator my two cents, if you can afford the Self-Propelled models do it. Working on the slopes of the dam is a real workout manually.

By the way I'm short on kahunnas so I back my kubota down the slope foot on brake free wheeling with 4x4 and fwd granny gear engaged so I can dump the clutch and bail if the brakes start fading.

rt, I am short on the kahumas too, the last couple of feet close to the water dont leave much room for error.

It was a big mistake not getting 4x4 on our kabota, 2x4 just dont cut it on slopes or uneven ground.

Thanks B'ski - I appreciate your experience.

I only use a weedeater near the waters edge i have to cut about 1200 feet about 1-1.5 feet wide. I try to get as close as i can with my mower. I would think one of those dr trimmer things would be more work than a weedeater close to the waters edge.
Now on a steep incline(dam) it would be alot better than a weedeater. When i bought my kubota i made sure to get a 4x4 its a world of difference between a 4x2 and a 4x4.You dont need big kahunas you just need to close your eyes.LOL

I was perusing Wal-Mart the other day, and ran across a gas powered hedge trimmer. It looks like a chain saw with a 24" saw fish bill attached... or for the farmers among us, a miniature sickle bar. I thought about clamping it to the loader bucket on my tractor. I think it would work real nice. No string to break or replace, no dust, no green stuff on your shoes, and no shrapnel flying. It could also be clamped to a small trailer pulled behind a riding mower.

I use a cheap, but good Echo. I bought an after-market head that usually holds plastic "blades" and I replaced the blades by pinning in the same length in chainsaw chain links (without the cutter and drag, JUST the chain lengths themselves.)
I then grind-sharpen the very tip of the end of the chain length so that it "cuts" instead of 'Whacks",,,, It lasts for years and there isn't a weed made that can hold up to its force. BTW, wear BOOTS while operating it. It ain't no toy,,,,

BTW, you can build an aluminum 3 wheeled cart, much like a golf-club carrier that the weed-eater clamps into and it will turn a standard weed-eater into a type of light-weight DR Trimmer/mower. That way the weed-eater doesn't have to be carried and swung.

Your kidding right.

Wickedinhere, you have no imagination... :rolleyes: You ever hear of Farm Show magazine? No? Well, that's where I got the idea, and for those who can't imagine, they even have visual aids (pictures)!!!

I am gonna have to take a look at that magazine.