lawn trimmer fence damage

[k]

I was going to purchase a lawn trimmer. Has anyone had any trouble with the cord damaging fence boards or trees. I am concerned that after time I will create gashes in my fence.

[David Martel]

K,

The string on a line trimmer will mar the paint on your fence if you are not careful. Can also damage the bark on trees and bushes. Deep gashes in a wooden fence are possible but you'd have to really work at it.

Dave M.

[Colbyt]

You won't if you learn how to use the trimmer. You can kill a young tree quickly or damage your fence if you don't.

If you have young trees, trucks less than 4" you can protect them with a small piece of split drain pipe.

[mm]

I"ve got pickets that are 27 years old and sometimes my weedwacker rips them up a little. If they are rotten, it rips them up more, but very few are rotten, and there woudl be even fewer if it weren't for the termites. (Now I cut the pickets to be about an inch off the ground, so the termites don't get to them.). It probably does the same to the ones that are only 15 years old. After a few weeks or months, the newly exposed parts get to be the same color as the rest of the picket. Gradually, I'm replacing all the pickets anyhow.

I finally learned to put a couple new pickets outside all year round so that when I need them, they are the same color as the fence. It took me 23 years to think of that.

[frank.logullo]

Lot depends on trimmer. I have a Troy-bilt gas trimmer that would probably rip paint off fence. A small electric or battery operated unit would not do near as much damage. Frank