Electric mower / trimmer?

[Winston]

(...)

She has no plan to change the landscaping. She just wants to keep the plot flattened.

I find it more than a little suspicious that these weeds should pop up on her property and not on any of the surrounding neighbor's land. I'm keeping that thought to myself however.

I've known her for nearly 30 years; I suspect she will continue buying and breaking N+1 A.C. weed whackers.

She does make *some* headway with the little whackers. On average, she clears about 5% as much square footage as I can using my 2 stroke brush cutter in the same amount of time.

I offered to go back and clear the weeds again but she *wants to do it herself*.

Oh Well. :)

--Winston

[Michael Dobony]

Roundup?

[Winston]

(...)

A beautiful machine, no doubt. I am sure it is easier to use than the 2 stroke brush cutter I used for the purpose initially.

My friend refuses to deal with gas powered tools.

That's OK. I refuse to eat cooked spinach.

(...)

Now Pete, name calling isn't necessary. :)

She should be able to get 10 A at 120 V out of a 14 AWG extension cord measuring 75' in length. So that's 1200 W or 1.6 HP. My little 30cc brush cutter does an acceptable job with only 1.0 HP, so it isn't unreasonable to ask for an A.C. brush cutter, is it?

Thanks!

--Winston

[aemeijers]

Machete?

[Winston]

Perhaps.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man."

George Bernard Shaw

Thanks for your time, everybody.

--Winston

[Winston]

(...)

Okay, I'll mention that to her.

Thanks!

--Winston

[Winston]

Michael Dobony wrote: (...)

Roundup wasn't effective against these weeds. My friend had used Roundup effectively in years past against other weeds, but these are really nasty.

Thanks!

--Winston

[Winston]

(...)

My friend is about 5' tall, so she'd need a 4' long machete. Hmmm, maybe a sharpened golf club.

No. Too much work. :)

--Winston

[Michael B]

[Pat]

There are other herbacides effective against woody plants. Crossbow and Garlon come to mind.

[Stormin Mormon]

"If it isn't working, do it harder!"

[Stormin Mormon]

Perhaps you should leave her alone with her own problem, then? Bet she hates it when you force solutions on her.

[Stormin Mormon]

Just walk away. It's her problem, not yours. Leave it be. You can't do much with help rejecting complainers.

[Mike Paulsen]

You might want to look into getting a different trimmer head. There are some bladed heads which are compatible with electric trimmers. Example:

[Winston]

Yup. I did that as a youngster. Sometimes "Hand me the Crescent Hammer" doesn't even begin to work.

Heh! I was thinking of doing the same thing!

I was stopped by the fact that sometimes these weeds are found in 'clumps', too wide to accommodate anything larger than a bare blade.

Yup. If my friend had the upper body strength to swing a scythe, I doubt I would be in the trouble- shooting process *anywhere*.

Thanks!

--Winston

[Winston]

Ah! Excellent!

I will tell my friend.

Thank you!

--Winston

[Winston]

You wouldn't know it from my suave, debonair delivery on USENET, but I have yet to develop the sophistication to allow my friends to think my proffered solution was their idea all along.

This is unfortunate because like most folks on this forum, I find 'engineering challenges' fascinating. Mostly I enjoy the expression on the face of my friends when they 'get' a concept I've been trying to communicate.

--Winston

[Winston]

Ah the joy of bashing my head against the wall!

It feels *so good* when I stop.

--Winston

[Phisherman]

For a 1/4 acre lot use a gasoline-powered weedeater. A cheap pair of shop earmuffs will offer ear protection. I find weedeaters very reliable and they can cut through raspberry bushes.

If she insists on the under-powered electric trimmers, a sickle can come in handy when unwilling to keep up with the growth.

[Winston]

Great minds and all that, Mike.

That's the exact one I bought two weeks ago when my friend broke the spool assembly on her first trimmer.

Though it may be "compatible with 99% of all gas trimmers" as it says on the package, the 'Grass Hog' A.C. trimmer will not accommodate it. Indeed, 'Black and Decker' does not even show up as a compatible brand on the manufacturer's website:

Good thought though.

Thanks!

--Winston