Electric mower / trimmer?

Hi all,

I've a friend who is losing a battle with some 4' tall, fibrous weeds on her 1/4 acre lot. I bought a gas powered brush cutter and knocked them over once but they are back.

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My friend does not want to use any gas-powered tools because of reliability and noise.

She has been attacking the weeds with a standard A.C. powered 'Weed wacker'. (Black and Decker 'Grass Hog'). Clearly, the fibrous stalks are more than a match for the weak 'fishing line'. She is well on her way to trashing her second 'Grass Hog'.

I think that an A.C. powered mower / trimmer would work a lot better for her but my Google-fu fails to locate anything like that. Lots of gas powered units but nothing quieter and reliable.

A standard A.C. mower isn't going to work on these monster weeds because they grow very high, astoundingly quickly.

Short of slicing the front wheels off an A.C. mower, what can I do to help her be self-sufficient?

Thanks!

--Winston

Reply to
Winston
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The reliability problem with gas powered tools is the reliability of the operator taking proper care of them. As for the noise issue, electrics are somewhat quieter, though far from silent, and due to the lower power than gas models you have to listen to them longer to get the same job done.

Suggest the friend just hire some maintenance folks who will work quickly with their loud, properly maintained gas powered tools and be gone before she could even get the extension cords for the electric powered tools untangled.

Reply to
Pete C.

Roundup, of course.

Joe

Reply to
Joe

That was what I was going to say. Or some weed killer like it.

On only a 1/4 acre lot how did those things manage to get so tall ?

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

A couple years ago, I set aside a brand new (used it about 5 times)

2-stroke brush cutter that was always hard starting, and replaced it with a 4-stroke Cadet brush cutter from Home Despot. The difference is night and day. The 4-stroke always starts on the first or second pull, even after sitting for 6 months. It is quieter, smells better, and really isn't much heavier than the 2-stroke. I'll gladly tote that extra pound or so for all the benefits I got. It seems to have more low end "grunt" too. It doesn't bog down under load as much.
Reply to
salty

I have a number of 2-stroke items including a trimmer and I don't have hard start problems, the key being that they are pro grade units, I maintain them and I always use stabil in my fuel supply.

Oddly enough, it is my larger 4-stroke items that give me the most grief, however pulling the carb off and running it through my ultrasonic cleaner with Simple Green solution followed by a blow dry with compressed air resolves most issues for quite a while.

Reply to
Pete C.

An AC powered mower will do just fine with a wicked sharp blade and mow it often, twice a week if needed. There are 13 amp and 24 volt cordless mowers 2 to 4 hundred dollars.

Reply to
Van Chocstraw

No matter how hard you pound, the square peg will not fit the round hole.

There is no AC powered tool appropriate for this job. Get her over her irrational fear of gas power tools, buy a 4-stroke Cub Cadet brush trimmer, teach her proper maintenance, and off she goes.

Instead of just knocking the weeds down, though, you really should be looking at ways to KILL them. Insanity is defined as performing the same task over and over and expecting a different result. Cutting the weeds down obviously isn't working, as they just grow back faster.

Reply to
mkirsch1

As I said, the 2-stroke brush cutter was lousy from day one. It was not a cheapy. However, rather than a normal carb with a choke I could adjust, it had a goofy "eazy start" mechanism that was a rube goldberg wet dream. I have and have owned many 2-stroke engines. I never had any real problems with them. This new 2-stroke brush cutter was a lousy design. There was no way to know that until using it. What was supposed to make it easy starting, made it absurdly hard starting.

I, too, use Stabil for all my small engines, 2 and 4 stroke. I don't have any particular problems with any of them. I find the 4-stroke brush cutter to not only start very easily, but is more comfortable to use. Quieter, less vibration, more torque, less stink. Better. Because of these additional benefits, I would not consider buying any more

2-stroke powered brush cutters, weed wackers, or edgers. That sort of thing. The 4-stroke that works so well is in the middle range as far as price point.

When someone comes out with a 3.5 hp 4-stroke outboard for my sailboat's dinghy that weighs 30 pounds, I'll be buying one. until then, my 30 pound, 3.5 hp 2-stroke starts on the first pull every time. That's one place where I won't compromise on the weight issue.

Reply to
salty

"ROUNDUP"..the Generic version (about half the cost of the "real" stuff )available at WalMart labelled "Eliminator" Weed & Grass Killer , 41% Glyphosate

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Get a quart for $ 14.97 or half gallon for less than $ 30, mix it in your Tank sprayer at about 5 oz/2 gal and kill 'em dead ! They won't be back..

Reply to
Rudy

Read Echos site on Engine hour rating, the motor will be the last thing to go, ans wear earplugs. I have stuff from the 80s, it all works. How you run and care for power tools determine their life.

Reply to
ransley

No such problems with my scythe. So long as you resharpen often, a scythe cuts brush about as fast as a power tool.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

(...)

Yeah, that is true for a lot of folks, especially those of us of a 'certain age' who have a great affinity for machines. Perhaps you have seen a non-aficionado struggle with starting a small gas engine? It is very frustrating for them because they can't do the 'Briggs Mind Meld' necessary to set the machine up properly and they don't have the troubleshooting ability necessary to recover when the motor becomes flooded, etc. My friend has no interest in the physics of gas engines. I understand that it is possible on an intellectual level not to like little gas engines.

I agree.

I want to emphasize that my friend is a very independent type who needs to accomplish this task by herself. Perhaps you have met that type of person?

Thanks!

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

(...)

Hi Joe.

My friend has tried several applications of Roundup. These weeds laugh it off.

Thanks, though.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

It is a puzzlement. They grow like weeds. It is uncanny.

My friend has tried several applications of Roundup. These weeds laugh it off.

Thanks, though.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

... Pictures...???

Contact local extension office and find out what they are...

--

Reply to
dpb

(...)

That would work for me but not for my friend.

Perhaps you have seen a non-aficionado struggle with starting a small gas engine? It is very frustrating for them because they can't do the 'Briggs Mind Meld' necessary to set the machine up properly and they don't have the troubleshooting ability necessary to recover when the motor becomes flooded, etc.

You can guarantee that a non-aficionado will manage to set the choke exactly wrong for any ambient temperature!

My friend has no interest in the physics of gas engines. I understand that it is possible, on an intellectual level, to not like little gas engines.

My friend will happily use a corded tool however.

Thanks!

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

(...)

That's a great answer for you and me.

Not a good answer for my friend who dislikes the thought of using any gas-powered tool.

Thanks!

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

I agree.

Nup. Look up 'Stubborn' in the dictionary. You will see a picture of my friend. I bought her a 4 stroke gas lawn mower. She sold it in a garage sale.

That 4 stroke brush trimmer is the exact right tool for you and me. Ain't gonna work for my friend.

I agree. Several applications of Roundup has not affected these plants. I suggested several times that the soil pH can be readjusted to be 'weed unfriendly' in this vacant lot. She is not a great listener however.

Thanks!

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

These weed laughed at several applications of real, branded Roundup. They came back, time after time.

Thanks!

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

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