Читать книгу Start & Run a Landscaping Business - Joel LaRusic - Страница 43

One of my favorite magazine ads showed a man driving in his pickup truck. His dog was in the box of the truck and in the passenger seat was a Shindaiwa T-27 trimmer. That ad pretty well sums up the kind of relationship you can expect to have with your line edger.

Keep the following points in mind as you select a line edger, also known as a string trimmer, line trimmer, weed whacker, or weedeater.

Power and size: You should consider power and size together because they are directly related. Powerful line edgers are great when you need them, but if you are trimming for four hours out of the day, you may want to trade off a little power for less weight and less fatigue. The ideal, and your eventual goal, is to have both a heavy-duty and a light-duty edger available for whatever job comes along.

The more powerful line edgers put out about 1.5 to 1.8 horsepower and weigh 12 or 13 pounds. Lighter commercial edgers weigh in at about 9 pounds, at the cost of 0.5 horsepower or so. If you want a heavy-duty model and are concerned about the weight, use a shoulder harness to reduce the load.

Shaft: Avoid curved shafts (also called flex shafts). They are not designed to be used for long periods (you will feel it in your back). Look for the straight-shaft models.

Head: Different brands use different names to describe their heads (the business end of your line edger). Variations of “tap and go” are the most common and probably the best. With this style, the line comes out only when you tap the head on the ground while it is spinning. There are also intelligent or “smart heads” that automatically give you more line when the edger senses, based on centrifugal force, that the line is short.

Best names: Shindaiwa, Echo, Redmax, Stihl, Husqvarna.

Author’s recommendation: Shindaiwa T-27, 1.5 horsepower, 12.3 pounds.