Brush Cutter Central – The Ultimate Guide to Brush Cutters

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The Ultimate Guide to Brush Cutters

Don’t have time to read the whole thing? You’ve come to the right place for the best brush cutter reviews.

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Our Top 3 Best Brush Cutters

Husqvarna 223R – It has enough power for a most applications. We like the straight shaft and bicycle bars. Husqvarna makes great chainsaws, and they don’t seem to slack in the brush cutter department either. It’s a little pricey, but we’ll take it over the equivalent dealer only Stihl and RedMax.
The Blue Max is a bit of a beast with a good Horse Power/Dollar ratio. Bicycle bar handles and a lot of motor for the money. Blue Max seems to be new to the brush cutter game, so the jury’s still out on long term reliability.
Husqvarana 223L – Like the 223R, the 223L is essentially the same but has a loop handle instead making it a little more taxing for long jobs.

Keep reading to understand out thought process.

Introduction

Is this your lawn?

Where do you even start! I can tell you from experience what is not going to work.

Running your lawn mower over this mess
Using your weedwacker

What you need is a brush cutter! The best brushcutters! Think of a weed eater (or string trimmer of you want to be politically correct about it) and the brush cutter is the bigger and beefier brother.

String Trimmer Head versus Brush Cutter Head

The string trimmer is a powered tool used to trim the edges of your lawn. It goes where no lawnmower can go. It is great for doing the fine detail work that you can’t do with lawn mower. What happens when the vegetation is too thick or too tough for a string cutter? You call in the Marines of lawn care, the brush cutter.

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Do I Need a Brush Cutter?

As you look at the Garden of Steven, you wonder how else you can handle it. Options?

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The brush cutter is best used in a situation where you have

Overgrown foliage with thick grasses, tall grasses, “woody” grasses, nettles, brambles, underbrush, and saplings
Fence lines that can’t be reached with mowers and tractors and have hearty foilage
Areas that on a grade or hill that require a person to do the work, and can’t be safely done by tractor or mower

Can’t I just use a String Trimmer?

You can always try. You will probably run out of power before you clear what you need to clear, and you will not have the power to cut through dense undergrowth. A better question is do YOU need to BUY a brush cutter. When you look at the savage land slowly taking over your property, you have a few options

Hire a contractor – Getting someone else to do it
Renting one and doing it yourself
Buying a unit.

If this is an out of the ordinary/one time situation like your parents letting the backyard get out of control, I actually recommend you have your local lawn care professional do the initial work. When the rough cut has been handled, then you may need a brush cutter for maintenance and touch ups. If money is tight, then renting is your next best option. Your local big box hardware store may have them in their rental section, and your specialty lawn care provider will have some for rent. But if property maintenance on this level is going to be an ongoing concern, buying is your best option.

What do I look for in a brush cutter?

The feature

Power – Strong enough to do the job,
Ease of use – Easy to start, easy to use, and easy to care for
Reliable – Will it last?
Price – Does it do the job for the money?

Let’s start with power. Brush Cutters are powered in 1 of 4 ways, 1) by wire, 2) by battery, 3) by 4 stroke gasoline engine or 4) by 2 stroke gasoline engines. I recommend sticking to 2 stroke engines.

Here’s a handy dandy comparison chart

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For now, the electric brush cutters are considerably less powerful. What they lack in power they make up for in being light weight, operating quietly, and can be maneuvered or oriented in any direction. However, if you’re not trying to clear brush in a national forest, just got an acre or two, you might try this electric brush cutter.

The gasoline/petrol brush cutters are more powerful, but they are heavier, louder, and require you to have access to gasoline.

If you stick with my general recommendation, you’re going to pay more for your gas powered unit, but you’ll get the job done.

Two Stroke Engines v. Four Stroke Engines

A little history lesson first.

This is some animation for a four stroke engine.

This is some animation for a two stroke engine.

For our purposes, 2 stroke engines tend to be more powerful than 4 stroke engines. And since they have less moving parts, 2 stroke engines tend to be more reliable.

In choosing between a two-stroke or a four-stroke, four-stroke engines tend to be better on fuel, quieter, and less emissions. At the time of this writing, four stroke engines are more expensive. Two-stroke engines are generally more powerful than four0stroke engines thus tw0-stroke engines are worse on fuel economy, have worse emissions. What they lose in fuel economy and emissions, they make up for in price and more reliability because they have less moving parts.

And speaking of less moving parts, the 4 stroke has a separate oil pan to lubricate the engine. Many lawnmowers are 2 stroke engines and generally cut grass flat on the ground. A brush cutter or a string trimmer often has to be tilted and held at odd angles in order to do its job. That tilt can result in oil moving out of where it needs to be, exposing the engine to greater wear or even damage.

Q. Do I need anything special when I gas up my brush cutter?

A. Two stroke engines, because they have no oil pump, require require gasoline plus some oil. If you run a two stroke engine without adding oil, the engine will seize up and you are going to be in for an expensive repair.

Q. Do I need special gasoline or will any gasoline work?

A. For most of these brush cutters the manual specifies the use premium gasoline with no ethanol in addition to the fuel oil. My research has uncovered that many lawn care professionals will use whatever gas is available.

Other Features

Now that you’ve rightly decided on a gasoline two-stroke power plant, what other features are useful in a brush cutter?

Shaft

A solid steel shaft to drive the cutting head is necessary. Brush cutters come in straight shaft and bent shaft configurations. Bent shafts allow you to get closer what you’re cutting and are sometimes a good choice if you’re doing a lot of detail work. However the additional precision comes at a cost. To bend the shaft, manufacturers put a mechanical linkage between the gas engine and the cutting head. This linkage necessarily is not as powerful as a straight shaft, and because of the typical use (and abuse!) for a brush cutter the bent shaft often has more mechanical problems.

2 Stroke Engine + Solid Steel Shaft – what next?

Glad you asked. The recent trend in the power tools industry is to sell you a strong motor with good internals and good drive shaft to do lots of different tasks. Your drill can become a ratchet or an electric screw driver. Your rotary tool can cut, sand, and gouge. This trend of multi-use tools is welcome, but sometimes you need a dedicated tool.

Quick Change Heads

This trend is now entering the brush cutter market. There are manufacturers offering “quick change”. Avoid at all costs. The standard use for a brush cutter tends to be greater than current levels of engineering. So if you want to change the cutting element on your unit from a tri-blade to a quad blade or to a many toothed saw blade – pick a unit that requires you to to break out your hand tools and get intimate with your brush cutter.

That wraps up the performance and reliability portion of the guide. Bottom line, we’re looking for a gasoline powered brush cutter with a 2 stroke engine that drives a solid steel shaft into the cutting head that is not a quick change head.

2 Stroke Engine + Solid Steel Shaft + Slow Change

Ease of Use

Power

How much power do I really need for my routine tasks?

Power, such a tricky concept. More than just engine displacement, fuel tank capacity, or horse power ratings, power is not just a raw number, but it is how much work you can do given the task at hand. The rule of thumb with power tools is to get something slightly more powerful than you need, but how much power do you need? How much power is too much? How much power is dangerous?

A professional clearing underbrush in a forest to prevent wildfires needs something that is very powerful because they’re likely to encounter tough saplings on a routine basis. Too little power and the job takes too long. That kind of power might not be appropriate for keeping a fence line clear. You may spend too much up front, too much on fuel, and then dreading having to take the monster out. And you never know what accident might happen because the cutting edge goes too quickly through the brush.

We’ll leave the power question for the end.

Handles and Handling

One handed or two handed? You can buy brush-cutters in two designs.

The one handed loop design (right) And the two handed design (left). The two handed design is also known as bull horns, bulbar, bul-bar, tubular, bike handles. The handles are typically offset and designed for use with a harness. As of this writing, I do not know if they have right handed folks or left handed folks.

The one handed design allows for some ease of use, but given the general power of a gas powered brush-cutter and safety concerns you want to use both hands. Also for using a scythe-style motion for clearing land, two hands make it very easy to get a lot of work done quickly.

In terms of handling, if you have a big project a harness plus two handles is the best option

Vibration

A quality brush cutter unit will be engineered to reduce vibration. When it’s idling and not working, the anti-vibration works well. When the brush cutter actually “bites” into a bushes, nettles, and trees, that’s when you’ll notice how good the brush cutter is.

Some brush cutters are designed to be used at full speed, and they may vibrate at lower speeds.

The amount of vibration seems to be different for every machine. Some users will

So with respect to ease of use – 2 handles and anti-vibration technology. Power is the open question.

So what do I recommend. Based on my overall guidance

2 Stroke Engine
solid steel shaft
2 handles
anti-vibration/dampening technology

Power Revisited

If you have a strong engine with a strong linkage, controlled by 2 handles, and the vibration is mitigated by technology, power is your last concern. For heavy foliage many experts recommend a displacement of greater than 35cc and a hp that is 2.0 or greater. For moderate underbrush, a displacement in the mid 20’s and HP greater than 1.2 hp is ideal.

So we had to look at a good # of brush cutters to make our determinations.

Best Brush Cutter Brand

This is a really tough question. If you take it back to the 80’s (when I was a teenager mowing lawns), most of the top brands were made here in the States for US conditions. Names like Echo, Redmax, Stihl, all come to mind. Tanaka and Honda had offerings from Japan, and Stihl from Germany and Husqvarna from Sweden all offered options. Now, we’re in a global economy and different areas have different requirements. Lots of US made options have expanded. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when the factory was in Ohio, new parts weren’t coming across the ocean.

At the commercial level, operations that will pay a lot for the brush cutter and also have dedicated people no staff to keep the machines in tip top shape. For them Stihl is the name to be reckoned with. You have to go to a dealer to buy, and usually to service. None of which come cheap. If you’re making money with the equipment, it’s the cost of doing business. However, most of us don’t run lawn care companies or forestry service organizations.

Brush Cutters Reviews

Troy-Bilt Brush Cutter TB 42

Troy Bilt TB 575 Review

Tanaka TCG31EBSP Brush Cutter Review

Husqvarna 223R Review

Husky 223L Review

Husqvarna 128 LD Review

Blue Max Brush Cutter 52623 Review

Tanaka Brush Cutter TCG31EBSP Review

Here are the recommendations.

For 4 Stroke – We like the TB 575 from Troy Bilt
Our full review is here.

The TB 575 does not have a whole lot of competition for a 4 Cycle. With Honda out of the game, the only other easily found option is the Poulan Pro.

For the 2 Stroke, here are our top 3 again

3. The Loop Handle 223L from Husqvarna. Our full review is here. You can find it on Amazon here.

2. The Blue Max 52363 from Blue Max. We covered this brush cutter earlier this year. Amazon has it here

So what is the best brush cutter?

1. Our #1 pick for 2016 is the Bicycle Bar Handle 223R from Husqvarna. Full review is here.

Honorable mention is the TCG#31EBSP from Japanese manufacturer Tanaka.

If you’ve ever had to deal with a large amount of brush that needs to be cleared you would know that a simple line trimmer while highly efficient at cutting grass and trimming in those hard to reach places is not cut out for denser vegetation, or anything thicker than a quarter inch. For jobs where you are cutting denser vegetation you need a brush saw, or clearing saw. Like the trimmer the brush saw has many different names and applications, some people call it a regular trimmer and others prefer to call it a clearing saw. You can use a brush saw to hedge, prune and clear thick grass that would bog down a string trimmer as well as thick vegetation that even a mower cannot handle.

With brush cutters you have the option of either gas or electric, the downside of electric is that it is limited by the length of the cord and more suited for consumer use, whereas the gas brush cutter is much more powerful, and more versatile, which is ideal because you’re typically only going to need a brush cutter in more remote areas that aren’t well maintained. Most trimmers can be turned into brush cutters, you simply take off the trimmer head and attach a brush blade to the trimmer. If you’re going to turn a regular trimmer into a brush cutter there’s a few things you need to be aware of.

1.Does your trimmer have enough power to handle a brush blade

2.What handle does your trimmer have

For a trimmer to effectively handle attaching a brush blade you must make sure the trimmer has at least a 20cc engine. Anything less than 20cc won’t be able to spin the blade at high enough RPM’s.

Most trimmers have a loop style handle which is inadequate for larger clearing jobs.

The loop style of handle is great for precision tasks and where control is paramount, however brush cutting typically doesn’t require precision, brush cutting requires more force to chop through vegetation. This is why many brush cutters have handles that look like they are from a bicycle.

These handles provide the operator with more movability as well as being able to apply more force to cut through vegetation, they are also more comfortable for longer jobs and many times you can add straps or a harness to them to further increase comfort.

This is the ideal set up for brush cutting, allowing optimal comfort and power for those long jobs where a regular loop handle won’t suffice.

Many people think that attaching a circular saw blade to a trimmer effectively turns it into a brush cutter and saves them the extra thirty dollars on a brush blade. While this seems like a good idea.

It’s not.

The problem lies with the RPMs a brush cutter produces, a brush cutter running on full throttle can be within the range of 7000-10000 RPM’s whereas a circular saw runs at about 3540 RPM’s. This is more than double the RPM’s a circular saw blade is designed for, making the blade unstable and any form of impact whether it be a rock, or a hardwood tree will cause the blade to shatter, sending pieces of shrapnel in every direction.

The good news is brush blades aren’t very expensive and if you buy the right ones as well as sharpen them often you will get a lot of use out of a single blade. But before you buy a blade, there’s a few important details you should know.

Diameter of blade

Arbor Hole Size

Amount of teeth

Carbide Steel or Steel

Guard or no guard

The first and most important factor when choosing a blade is the diameter. The wider the blade, the more powerful of a machine you need to have in order to cut through the vegetation. Blades come in three diameters, 8”, 9” and 10”. The larger the blade the more power your machine needs to keep it at high enough RPM’s. If your blade is not spinning fast enough, not only will it make the job more of a hassle than it should be, you also introduce kick back meaning the blade will kick away from thicker vegetation because it cannot cut it. This is a problem because essentially you are losing control of the brush blade, and its hard on the body when you have to deal with constant kick.

To attach a blade to your machine you need to know the size of the arbor hole

Most brands have 20mm arbor holes but some use 20.45mm arbor holes. STIHL is known to use the slightly larger 20.45mm hole. It is best to double check the size before buying a blade.

The next thing you want to be aware of is the amount of teeth on the saw, this is important because the more teeth you have on the blade the more cutting power you have. Cutting power and teeth are directly proportional however, there are some blades don’t have any teeth on them at all just blades.

The brush blades that have no teeth are your most basic blade, only designed for dense grass and very light vegetation, these blades dull quickly making them unsuitable for heavy or even medium duty work. There isn’t much of a reason to buy these, a blade with teeth on it will cut just as well and is more versatile.

Then you have the blade with 30-40 teeth. These blades are designed to cut through heavy stock brush, thick brush and brambles but due to the low amount of teeth, you cannot hedge or prune with this blade. These are best suited for medium use, where you will not be cutting anything too thick in which case you would need a blade with 80-120 teeth.

The 80-120 toothed blade is your most versatile and best value of the different types of blades, these blades can take care of any brush you throw at them, they can prune, hedge and stay sharpest the longest of the different types. The only issue is once you get into 100 toothed blades and 120 toothed blades the diameter changes from 8” to 9” which as I stated above, can cause issues with your machine struggling to keep up with the RPM’s necessary.

The final thing you want to be aware of when choosing your blade is the type of steel the teeth are made out of, it can either be steel or carbide steel.

Regular steel costs less, is more abundant at your local big box store and is great for light use or if you don’t have the need for a brush cutter often. Regular steel is also easy to sharpen. Carbide steel is longer lasting, a little bit more expensive and harder to sharpen, carbide steel is far superior to a regular steel blade while only costing a little bit more. You should always buy carbide blades, there’s no reason to buy steel blades even if you only plan to use them once. A blade with 30 teeth on it that are tipped with carbide steel is far superior to a regular steel blade with 100 teeth, despite having 70 teeth less than the carbide version.

Depending on the design of your trimmer, you may have to take the guard off in order to fit the brush blade, this can cause safety concerns because you will have nothing to protect you from debris. The plus side to remove the guard is you will deal with less clogs and have an easier time clearing. I personally cut with the blade off but it’s your discretion, if you want to keep the guard on your brush cutter or trimmer then it is best to do a quick measurement before purchasing anything.

There’s many, many different designs for Brush blades and many of which I haven’t mentioned. There’s a simple reason for this, most of them are not safe. In the UK during 2010 there was a fatal incident with a flail type of blade

The one in question didn’t even have a blade attached to it, but rather chain to act as a form of crusher. This sounds like a good idea but when that chain is spinning at 7000 RPM’s and it grabs a rock it’s going to send it light speed toward you and I hope you’re wearing a teflon vest for when that sucker hits you. In EU and Australia these types of cutters are banned.

Which is why it is wise to stick with the circular type of blade, it’s the safest blade to use. There is however one flail blade I will recommend, it’s expensive but if you want something that’s going to last a long time and has superior cutting power to anything else on the market then this blade will be your best option.

The BrushDestructor blades are your absolute best option, even though they are a flail type of blade they have been tested and many professionals use this brand. The great thing about them is they are very versatile, able to handle any brush, weed, bramble, or job you throw at it them. You do not have to deal with switching blades depending on the type vegetation you are cutting. The blades are easy to sharpen and tangle free, which means more time cutting, and less time idle. The downside to these blades is that they are expensive, mainly because each order is done by hand which drives the price up but also means that quality control and customer service will be exceptional. They are made in a little shop out of Australia and the company has been supplying landscapers the best blade on the market for many years now. If you run a professional business and want something that’s going to last a long time, and provide you with a superior cut these blades are the best option. You can find them here.

The next blade that I’ve chosen is the STIHL Circular Saw Blade – Scratcher Tooth.

This blade comes in both 20mm and 20.45mm arbor hole sizes and are about the best blade on the market and will handle anything you throw at it, able to cut through brambles, thick weeds, dense grass and even prune and hedge for you, this blade does it all. I’ve personally used this blade when I worked at a high end private golf course and I had no issues with it clogging or not being able to handle the job. It made spending a week on a brush cutter an enjoyable experience.

There’s one thing to be careful of when you purchase this blade, and that is to make sure it uses Swedish steel and not the Japanese counterpart. Japanese steel is much softer and therefore dulls quicker than Swedish steel, you should be able to check on the back of the package to see where the steel comes from.

You can buy the blade that uses Swedish steel here.

The third blade I’m going to recommend is the 8” Renegade Brush Blade, this blade is designed for multi use which means it can cut brambles, thick brush and weeds with ease as well as hedging and pruning. I choose this blade because it’s a slightly different design than the STIHL blade, which means the cut will be slightly different as well, along with the feel. STIHL blades tend to be a little more heavier than aftermarket blades, the STIHL blade is a heavier blade whereas the Renegade blade is lighter. It comes down to personal preference, both the Renegade and STIHL blade will do the same job, in the same amount of time, and cost about the same, it’s just a different feel. Renegade blades tend to be a bit easier to sharpen as well, according to professionals. You can buy them on Amazon here.

The three blades I have chosen are the best when it comes to versatility, price, cutting power and are used by professionals and consumers alike. Brush blades can be more confusing than trimmer line, there’s so many different designs out there and most of them are rubbish. Knowing what blades are the best can make the difference between spending two hours clearing an area and four hours because the blade you have is inadequate for the job. Brush cutting isn’t supposed to be a chore, and with the blades I recommended I can assure you that you will learn to enjoy clearing large areas of vegetation, hassle free. Happy cutting.

Landscape Protection

An overlooked and equally important aspect of landscaping is protection, many people seem to think with landscaping you don’t need any safety protection, I’ve seen people operating trimmers with no eye protection, that’s a recipe for disaster and a very good way to lose an eye. I’ve also seen people operating mowers with regular running shoes on, what if you lost control of the mower and it went over your foot. You lose your foot. A hefty price to pay. One of the companies I worked for had a girl who was operating a mower trying to push it up an incline, it was a hot sunny day, she was tired and for a moment, a lapse in judgment. She lost control. The mower came crashing down, she got her body out the way but not her foot, thankfully she had a pair of steel toe boots that save her feet from becoming amputated. Safety is no joke, and when you are operating equipment it should be your number one concern.

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The first layer of protection is your safety glasses. In a job like landscaping where there is lots of debris, bits of grass, twig, rocks and sometimes even glass, you want to protect your eyes. Especially when you are trimming, trimming is probably the most dangerous part of the job, you can’t always control what the trimmer line picks up and whatever it does pick up is going to be sent toward you at a high velocity. Another thing to keep in mind is the direction that debris will be shot toward you with the trimmer, have the line spin away from you, working in the opposite direction the line spins at. Something I never understood is removing the guard off the trimmer, the guard is there for a reason. It’s called a guard and it does a very good job of protecting you from debris, especially when you are line edging. Yet many professionals insist on trimming without the guard.

Regardless if you use a guard or not, you’re going to need safety glasses. The best kind to get are the ones that wrap around your face, covering all angles of your eyes. Even on the lower part where some debris can sneak its way behind the glasses. The ones I use have a string attached to the two arms.

I’ve lost many high-quality safety glasses because I would take them off during lunch or when we were working on a garden and I forgot where I left them. I recommend the XX With the string around the arms so you can just have them hang while you do safer work.

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Buy them here .

Once you have the face covered you want to move a little bit lower to the hands, gloves are needed depending on the work you do If you do any heavy manual labor then you should wear gloves. Gloves can also protect you from getting splinters, or thorns stuck in your hand. If you do decide to wear gloves, you should invest in some good ones. Ones that will last a bit more than a season, your gloves will wear out the quickest of any safety protection you use. I recommend the X. Everyone where I worked had them, including myself. I swear by them.

[Image: $_58.JPG] — Best Gloves for Yardwork

Buy them here.

Moving onto another important piece of protection, the earplug or earmuffs. As a landscaper you’re going to be operating heavy equipment that easily exceeds the amount of decibels that can cause hearing damage. Ear protection is mandatory. There is multiple ways you can protect your ears, you use the actual ear plugs that go inside your ear, a headset style protection that has a built in radio or you can use some music headphones, allowing you to listen to music while working. It’s your decision, what I typically use is either small little in ear protection or the big muffs. I use the small ones if I want the mobility without having to having to carry around a headset, and I’ll use a headset if I know I’m going to be on a machine for a while. It depends on the circumstance however you should always be wearing ear protection. Your hearing is too valuable to lose to negligence.

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Buy the small in-ear ones here and buy the big muffs here or the ones with the radio here.

The next set of protection you want to consider is pants if you plan on trimming. Pants will protect you from most of the debris that hits your legs while trimming, you may hit the occasional object that will go through the pant material but that is rare. Whereas if you wear shorts you’re going to have to deal with not only debris, but grass covering your legs, getting inside your boot and so on. It is personal preference, you don’t have to wear pants but your legs will take a beating if you are trimming. You can pick up a pair of pants that are also breathable here, they come off in sections so if you think it’s too hot you still have the option to wear shorts, just unzip the leg. Many landscapers wear pants like these, and there’s no question why. They are great.

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Buy the pants here.

I touched on this before, in the beginning of the article where I told the story of a girl I worked with who almost lost her foot if it wasn’t for her steel-toed boots she had on. Foot protection is very important, especially when you are using a mower. Blade can spin at a speed of 3000 RPMs for your typical homeowner mower and for a commercial mower a blade can spin in the range of 40,000 RPMs. You must wear steel toed boots. I wore heavy-duty construction boots that I had for a previous construction job, they were big and clunky. I would not recommend them for landscaping, get something light. You do a lot of walking and there is a world of difference between walking an entire day in heavy construction boots and walking in something lighter. Regular shoes felt like clouds after a long days work. Make sure whatever you get has sufficient grip, often time you will be cutting in wet grass where you can lose traction if you’re on a slope and your boots don’t have the traction you are required. I’ve seen a lot of landscapers use these, they are lightweight and provide good traction.

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You can buy them here.

Now that we have our whole body covered, we’re ready to go out in the blazing hot sun and tackle or work..right? Not so fast. Before you do ANY work outside you should put on sunblock, skin cancer is a very serious thing and it’s extremely common with people who spend a lot of time outdoors. It’s a slow killer, you won’t know you have it until it’s too late and symptoms have already developed. As outdoors men we tend to take this one for granted the most, we love the outdoors, and we forget that the sun despite providing us warmth and enjoyment, can also harm us, and eventually even kill us. Skin protection should always be a concern. Make sure you buy sunscreen lotion that is properly rated for the intensity of the sun you plan to work in. I recommend this, they’re a good product and a large reason why I haven’t burned this entire year despite it being one of the hottest.

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The final thing I want to go over is simple awareness, the safety equipment I have listed here are great but the best piece of equipment is our own brains. If a job doesn’t look safe, or you don’t think the mower will be able to handle the incline or slope, don’t try to. Be aware of the people around you, especially if you are working near residential or high traffic areas. If people are close, turn the equipment off or leave it in idle and pull the throttle back. This rule holds even more weight if there are children nearby, children are more sensitive to loud noises and their hearing hasn’t fully developed which makes them more susceptible to hearing damage from loud equipment. Be mindful of your co-workers too. If you’re trimming and one of the guys on a mower is passing by, stop trimming and wait for your path to be clear. A general rule is the person on the heavy equipment has right of way, so the guy on the trimmer should idle his machine and wait.

Safety is an overlooked aspect of a landscapers work, there are many hidden dangers when you are operating heavy or light machinery, dangers not only to yourself but also to others as well. We often forget in the comfort of our own backyard that the equipment we are operating has the potential to change our lives, for ever. We often forget when we work for a commercial company, on the same piece of equipment for many years that the equipment is still dangerous and can still injure us just as severely as when we first started. This is why it is important to wear the proper safety equipment and to always be aware of our surroundings because if we don’t we could change our lives, or someone else’s forever and that is a burden that no one would want to live with.

Commercial and Professional versus Consumer

The jump from homeowner to commercial grade equipment can seem daunting

Is it worth the significant increase in cost?
Should the average homeowner run commercial grade equipment?
When is it worth it?

In this article we will look into when it is a good idea to spend the extra money and purchase commercial equipment, as well as the factors to consider when choosing which dealer to go with.

The biggest problem with homeowner equipment is the quality of the parts and the amount of abuse that they can take. A homeowner machine could last longer than ten years if it rarely gets used and if the use it does get isn’t heavy or hard on the machine. Then you have outlier machines, ones that last for years, taking any abuse you throw at them. Sometimes you get lucky, the push mowers that I used at a private golf course I worked for were very old, probably from the mid eighties and they were residential mowers. They took an insane amount of abuse, cutting fescue, running on severe slopes, the mowers tipping over and oil getting into the gas and even running over rocks. The thing is, these machines are outliers, your average homeowner machine lasts about two years from normal use, and if it gets abused this life cycle shrinks even more. This short life cycle is even more noticeable with trimmers, blowers, and other equipment with small two stroke engines. Some people have purchased a homeowner trimmer and had them blow up within an hour or two of use. This is why many homeowners now run commercial equipment, despite the increase in price.

Don’t let the word “Commercial” confuse you, commercial quality products are not going to be bulkier, and harder to work with, it’s actually the contrary. Commercial grade products are going to give you less headaches and you will be able to start the job quicker and finish it quicker as well. Commercial simply means professional equipment with dealership support in case anything goes wrong.

So when do you want to upgrade from homeowner equipment to commercial? When is the jump worth it?

To answer that question, you have to ask your self a few questions.

Are you satisfied with the equipment you currently have?
Do you spend a lot of time taking care of your lawn?

If you’ve experienced issues with your current equipment breaking, or not lasting as long as you would like, then you should upgrade to commercial quality. Yes, it will be more expensive but it will last longer and save you from buying new machines every season. A good commercial mower can last upwards of 7 years. That means for 7 years you will not have to buy a new machine, whereas with homeowner brands you might have to buy a new machine every year, which could add to over a thousand dollars in new machines over the time frame of 7 years, making the commercial grade equipment the better investment in the long run.

Another great advantage that commercial grade equipment has, is dealership support and the warranties. When you buy a machine from a reputable dealer, you can count on your machine being properly serviced and often times dealers will offer new customers free tune ups, depending on how expensive of a machine you got. This also means that if you have problems with your machine, or want to trade it in or if you bought it and realized it isn’t what you expected you are not stuck with a lemon. Dealers are much more generous when it comes to returning faulty product, and if you have an old commercial machine you can always trade it in for a new one to help cut cost.
Contrast this, to big box stores where the policies are stricter, generally once you use it a few times you cannot refund it and if you do you will only get store credit. I believe this factor alone constitutes commercial grade over residential homeowner equipment.

A big plus with commercial equipment is the amount of time that can be cut taking care of your lawn, instead of spending three hours to mow your lawn, it could take two or less with a commercial mower. Making those painful tasks of mowing on a step incline, or slope much easier and providing a nicer cut at the same time. If you find you take more time than you would like maintaining your lawn, then commercial quality might be a good choice for you. You will not only save time but potentially money in the long term.

If you snoop around lawn care forums and ask the members what their worst purchase was, you would see many vouches for homeowner designed equipment, very few people are unsatisfied with commercial grade quality and the ones that are, simply trade in their current product for something better. That’s the great thing about buying commercial equipment, the re-sale value is high. You can buy a new trimmer for 700 dollars and sell it for 400 leaving only a 300 dollar deficit which is about the price of two homeowner trimmers, or one expensive homeowner trimmer.

Don’t let the words “John Deere” , “Toro” , “Echo” stamped on equipment in Homedepot, or any other big box store fool you. It may say John Deere, but it is not. The components are not John Deere quality, the frames will be weaker, the engines cheaper often being MTD engines instead of a Kawasaki, Honda or one of the commercial grade engines you would find in a Deere and the parts are just not as tough as you would find on a commercial piece of equipment. Many people do not know this, they simply assume because it says John Deere on the mower, that it is going to be a quality machine and generally that is true, unless it came from a big box store and has MTD parts in it instead of the parts a true John Deere has. The hard part about this is some big box stores, or department stores will have say a John Deere with the true parts a John Deere has and it won’t have any MTD parts, but this is hard to tell and it’s much better to go to a dealer where you know you will be spending your hard earned cash on a quality product.

The biggest issue with commercial grade equipment is the price, you will pay about double for commercial compared to homeowner equipment, thankfully with commercial equipment you don’t have to buy new. You can buy a used machine for much less than new and still maintain that commercial quality power, cut and longevity depending how much abuse the machine already has. You can also still have the benefits of dealer support when you buy used too, the parts will be the same, and service will just be like you bought it new, except the warranty might be over. Lot’s of homeowners and new business owners choose to buy used commercial equipment, you lose some longevity but you make up for that in the savings, not only with money but time as well.

The biggest thing with commercial equipment is your dealer support, a good dealership is extremely valuable and before you chose which commercial product you want to buy, make sure the dealer is reputable and the mechanics are good, there will come a time where something will need to be replaced and you don’t want to be stuck with a bad dealership, who takes forever to fix your machine or gives you the run-around saying they cannot fix it and that you will have to buy new. A good dealership is worth more than its weight in gold.

If you took the time to read this article then you’ve probably already thought about upgrading to commercial quality equipment, if you value your time, and don’t mind spending more in the short-term then I would highly suggest you make the jump, it’s a little scary, dealers can be intimidating but if you do the proper research and only do business through a reputable dealer, then the jump will be painless. And soon, the struggles of a homeowner machine will be a thing of the past, and you too will be one those homeowners who swears by buying commercial equipment.

Starting A Landscape Business

With the state of the economy and jobs being cut, the idea of owning your own business is becoming increasingly attractive. Many go to into business for themselves as a freelancer and others start their own companies. One of the simplest companies to start is a landscaping/lawncare company. Many people do this and you can make some good cash through it, especially when you start getting big contracts like malls and high-end condominiums. That’s where the money is at.

In fact, you may have ran your own lawn care business when you were a kid. Offering to cut the elderly’s lawn or your neighbors for some extra cash. It’s a great way to introduce a youngster to business and all you really need is a mower.

However, to start a real landscape business you will need much more than a mower. You’re going to need blowers, trimmers, ride on, push mowers, trailer and a truck to haul it all. You can’t really skimp out on any of this either. You may be able to get by without a ride-on mower but that severely limits the amount of work you can take on.

Landscape businesses can be profitable and if you already own some of these things I would highly suggest going into business, even if it’s just part-time. The extra bit of cash definitely helps and if you keep it up you can parlay your business into other avenues like window cleaning or garden maintenance.

Like most businesses though, you need clients. That will be the hardest part, getting people to pay for your services. Once you get some clients it’s relatively easy to keep them due to the nature of the business. Lawn has to be cut on average once a week, that’s residual guaranteed income. Repeat clients. Which is great for a business because then you don’t need to find a new customer after ever purchase. It’s easier to have a current customer pay more than it is to find a whole new customer.

That leads to the one major downside of landscaping, that is that the work is seasonal. Most of the time, you’re only going to be operating between Spring, Fall. Depending where you live the length of your winter will vary. What most landscape companies do is run a snow removal operation during the winter, this is great and helps supplement the loss of income. But as a beginner, there’s a very slim chance you will be able to do snow removal on top of landscaping. The equipment is expensive and unless you like shoveling snow then it would be wise to stay out of the snow business for now. Wait till you have more clientele.

Landscaping seems like a great business to start it has relatively low costs, residual income and is capable of scaling to big dollars. Even if it’s seasonal you can still make great money at it. However, there’s one thing you really need to consider before starting a landscaping business.

That is location. The success of your business will vary completely on your own location, many cities, towns and even rural areas already have a plethora of landscaping businesses. Everyone is trying to get a slice of the pie and the thing is, most of them go under after the 1-3 year mark. There’s a lot to owning and operating a successful business that will last and if the market is already heavily saturated then you’re only making your chances of survival slimmer than they already were.

The problem is, if you do go under, you’re going to have equipment that you’ve already invested into that you need to get rid of. Especially if it’s commercial grade. This makes the cost go up even more. A lot of first-time business owners don’t consider the actual costs of a business nor do they create a solid plan to go about their business. Causing them to ultimately fail. I would highly recommend you to create a business plan if you’re thinking about going into landscaping. You will save a lot of headache by doing this.

One final thing I want to touch on is repairing. When you own a business and have a piece of equipment down, that’s money you are wasting. If you plan to own a business I highly recommend learning how to repair most of your equipment yourself. Waiting for a mechanic to fix things is going to kill you, not only with cost but time as well. Bigger machines, you can get away without knowing how to fix them but the smaller engines you definitely should learn how to fix yourself. You will save a lot of time and money by doing so, which is key in business.

Remember, when you start a landscaping business you have to keep in mind that the business end of it is just as important as the actual lawn care part. Many people don’t take this important piece of information into consideration. You may love cutting lawn or lawn care but to make any sort of profit you have to remember that it is a business. You can’t expect to make cash just because you love the work. Its easy to forget this and it will be detrimental to your business if you do.

Starting a lawn care business can be a great way to earn some extra cash or if you decide to go fully into it; a living. However, before you even consider starting one you should take into account the factors I have listed here. If you do not and decide to start one anyway then you’re going to have a rough time. You might still succeed and I hope you do, but it’s best to arm yourself with knowledge before you decide on something that could impact your life as much as a business could. Starting a lawn care business can be a great idea but only if you do your homework. If you don’t you could end up like the multitudes of business that go under. Be smart, think it over and I have no doubt you will come to the right decision.

Review – Is The Remington RM2520 Gas Trimmer Worth Investing In?

The Remington RM250 gas trimmer is among the common gas-powered trimmers in the market. It is taunted as a good solution for those looking trim their hedges, cut grass, manicure their lawns, trim trees and bushes and many other functions. It can accommodate a range of attachments that turn it into a hedge trimmer, cultivator, branch pruner, blower and mower. However, is this trimmer as good as the manufacturer claims? (Check our guide on weed eaters)

Weighing about 10lbs and measuring 38.25 x 12.37 x 11.25 inches, the trimmer feels light on the hands. It can be used continuously without the user feeling bogged down by its weight. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feature a harness which could have made it even more manageable and user-friendly. The weight of the gas trimmer seems fairly distributed though it feels that more of its weight is towards the back. But thanks to the D-loop, it is easy to control the weight even in the absence of a harness.

The RM250 trimmer features a non-adjustable plastic handle that provides good grip during use and is soft on the fingers. This minimizes the possibility of cramps or aches on the finger joints. Though it lacks any anti-vibration technology, the vibration from the cutter is mild and so is the noise generated. You don’t have to put-on ear mufflers to block off the noise. It is CARB compliant meaning the noise and emission levels are within the acceptable standards.

Being gas-driven, the Remington RM250 features an exhaust that allows the fumes to escape when in operation. The exhaust is located in a safe area that reduces the possibility of the user accidentally touching it or getting burnt during use. The 10 oz gas tank allows the RM250 to operate continuously for 30 minutes or even more. However, it may get quite hot when cutting through course grass, thick bushes, or tough tree branches.

Powered by a strong 25cc, 2-stroke motor, the Remington RM250 gas trimmer is regarded as a multi-tasker. Using the right attachments will turn it into a cultivator, grass cutter, hedge trimmer, weed remover, bush cutter and more. It can be used on the lawn, walkways, hedges, garden, field and other situations.

The gas trimmer is powered up manually and will start easily courtesy of Remington’s QuickStart Technology. This is boosted by the advanced bump line system that allows fuel to flow fast. Re-threading the machine incase the line runs out is not very complicated and can be done by anyone.However, you need to be extra careful to avoid doing it the wrong way.

The gas trimmer head is not replaceable and care should be given when handling and operating the device. Remington offers a fairly-good support network for parts and service and the policy on return is 30 days. The trimmer also comes with a 2-year warranty from the manufacturer.

The trimmer scores well in regard to weight, versatility, built-quality and service backup. However, it shouldn’t be used for very long periods as it gets pretty hot. Also, the 10oz fuel tank can only last for so long and controlling it without harnesses may put a strain on the user’s body. All-in-all, any person looking for a simple, no fuss and reliable domestic trimmer will find the Remington RM250 gas trimmer a good choice.

Weed Eater Model w25SFK For Occasional Trimming – A Review

The Weed Eater Model W25SFK is an interesting entry into the mid range gas trimmer. (Check out our full tutorial on picking a weed eater) Trimming the lawn is necessary and as much as possible it should be done on a regular basis. For an efficient trimming, having a good weed eater is the main requirement. One of the reliable weed trimmers that are available today is the Weed Eater model w25SFK.

Design

The Weed Eater w25SFK is a gas trimmer that features a lightweight design. Weighing only 10 pounds, this weed eater is very light and portable enough to use around the yard. Coming with a straight shaft, fixed line trimmer head and 15-inch cutting width, one can feel an equal weight distribution from the handle to the cutting head. This weed trimmer has a plastic, D-loop handle that gives comfort and easy grip.

The noise of this weed trimmer is in moderate level and earmuffs are not really necessary unless you have very sensitive ears. This weed trimmer does not come with an exhaust and anti-vibration technology. Thus, you can really feel the vibration with performing the task. The vibration is in moderate level but, it is still not advisable to use this trimmer for large-sized yard because it may result to muscle fatigue. Also, this trimmer does not have a harness.

Performance

The Weed Eater w25SFK features the Simple 2 Start™ system. With a simple prime and pull, you can easily start the trimmer. This trimmer does not consume much fuel as well. It features a 15-inch cutting width that is strong enough to cut thick weeds and vegetation. It has a 25 feet line feed capacity which is considered to be impressive as compared to other trimmers available in the market today.

This weed trimmer also comes with an easy bump-and-feed mechanism to feed additional string to the trimmer. The fixed line cutting head is designed to allow easy loading of pre-cut trimmer line. Once the line runs out, rethreading is very easy. It is also designed to prevent line from getting tangled.

Warranty and Long-Term Care

Manufacture offers this weed eater with a two-year warranty for the labor and parts and two-year warranty on the drive shaft. The manufacture is also selling parts and accessories should you wish to have spare parts for future use. There are also several service centers throughout the U.S. where you can purchase parts and have the weed trimmer repaired.

There is also a user manual available online. You can refer to the manual online if you experience difficulties in handling the trimmer. The manufacturer can also be reached through telephone call and email.

Conclusion

This weed eater comes with several features. It is easy to start, lightweight enough to carry around the yard, and easy to assemble for convenient transport and storage. Though it lacks the anti-vibration technology and other features, this weed trimmer is still reliable to cut thick weeds. Yet, this trimmer might not be ideal for large-sized yards.

This weed eater is enough to eliminate ugly weeds and groom your lawns efficiently. Compared to other gas trimmer, this weed eater will not disappoint. It is easy to start and restart and absolutely easy to maneuver.

With that in mind, this is not in our top picks for the mid range gas weed eaters.

Ryobi RY253SS Gas Weedeater Review

Be sure to check out our guide to weed eaters.

The Ryobi RY253SS is reliable 2-cycle gas trimmer. This gas trimmer comes with several features that give users a satisfying trimming experience.

Features

The Ryobi RY253SS fgas trimmer comes with several features that make it a reliable weed trimmer. Some of the features include the following:

The Zip start carburetor allows easy starting of the device.
It comes with a two cycle engine. As two cycles go, this one will probably need carburetor adjustment to make sure that it doesn’t run rich or lean. This of course means also using ethanol free fuel, and mixing the fuel with motor oil.
It features the Ryobi Universal Brand Fit attachments that allow the trimmer to accept universal fit attachments.
It comes with a Reel-Easy String Head that allows easy head string reload. Just thread the string and twist the head and then you are ready again to resume trimming.

Design

The Ryobi RY253SS comes in a sturdy design. It weighs around 15 pounds and it feels fairly heavy when used. This trimmer has a straight shaft and the weights are equally distributed from the engine to the cutting head. It comes with a plastic, round loop handle that is highly adjustable, giving comfort to those who will use it. The handle is not padded. This trimmer does not have a harness or anti-vibration function. When trimming, you can feel the vibration in your hands but it is pretty manageable. Compared to other trimmers, the sound level of this trimmer is also acceptable by the ears without any protection, but we recommend it anyway.

Performance

The Ryobi RY253SS gas trimmer is fuel-efficient. It also comes with a zip start that is designed for an easy starting and restarting. It is reliable and strong enough to cut through thick weeds and ugly vegetation. It has a 17-inch cutting width and a 25-feet line feed capacity.

It comes with bump head feed that allows you to extend more string easily with just a simple thump on the ground. In this gas trimmer, rethreading is pretty simple and easy. The line does not get tangled and you can expect an efficient weed trimming session.

Warranty

This trimming device is offered with a three-year warranty for the labor and parts as well as the drive shaft. Compared to the average trimmers, this warranty is better. For troubleshooting help, online manuals are readily available in their website. For further concerns, you can also call or email the manufacturer. Also, local service centers are willing to assist you with your weed trimming concerns especially when it comes to repair. The unit reviews fairly well, but not necessarily in the top tier.

Conclusion

The Ryobi RY253SS gas trimmer is a durable trimmer that could last for years and it really provides great features. Aside from being heavy, another drawback of this trimmer is the lack of anti-vibration system. But overall, this gas trimmer really gives an impressive performance. It is easy enough to use and reliable enough to clear away unwanted weeds and vegetation.

A Look At the Poulan Pro PP 966774301 Review

The Poulan Pro PP 966774301 is a good four-cycle gas-powered trimmer. This helps you to cut all sorts of tough spots all around your yard. It is a good option that can especially be easy to maintain and start up as necessary. (For an idea of how we look at these things, check out our weed eater guide)

Physical Features

This trimmer weighs about 13 pounds and has a bit of a heavy feeling to it, especially when compared to the typical 2 Cycle gas trimmers. The better emissions and less smelly exhaust comes from using the 4 cycle engine. Like most trimmers, most of the weight is on the back part where the motor and chain pull ignition feature are featured.

This means that you will need to be cautious when trying to balance it.

This model does not have a harness for easy carrying. The D-loop on the middle is used as the key handle. This is close to the middle of its body to help you with carrying it around quite well. The handle does not have any padding on it as it is made with a standard plastic body. If you plan on using this for more than a hour, we recommend getting some padding for the handle and a harness.

Noise and Control

The Poulan Pro PP trimmer does vibrate although the vibrations are not all that strong as compared to a typical 2 stroke. Also, it does generate a bit of noise. so it would be a good idea to wear earmuffs.

The exhaust on this trimmer is rather minimal and should not get in your way. However, it can smell if you get a little too close to use.

Strength

The trimmer has a powerful motor mated to a good shaft that can create faster cutting speeds when compared with electric trimmers. This can easily get through thicker weeds and can also cut through bigger vegetation spots. However, it might struggle with some spaces if they are far too dense.

Other Usage Points

It can take about fifteen to thirty minutes for the fuel to run out. It is easy to get into the fuel container on the unit though. Also, this is very easy to start with a pull cord that works quickly. It especially works faster if the engine is already warm and has been properly primed.

The semi-automatic line is designed to where it will not become loose or worn out easily. However, it can also be replaced and cleaned off as needed. Still, when it is in use, it will not get into a series of annoying knobs or other bends that might keep it from working well.

Long Term Care

The Poulan Pro PP trimmer is supported by a company that offers plenty of solutions for cases where its products might wear out for any reason. Poulan offers plenty of technicians around the country that can help with repairing its many items.

The warranty on this trimmer is good for two years. This warranty only covers damages that might have come about from product defects. It also covers those that have happened during the normal usage of this product. Therefore, people will have to be careful when using this to ensure that they don’t use it incorrectly or try to adjust it in some way.

Overall

This is a decent model from Poulan Pro. It’s offered in this straight shaft configuration as well as the curved shaft configuration.

A Review of the Black and Decker GH3000

A Review of the Black and Decker GH3000

The Black and Decker GH3000 7.5 Amp 14-inch trimmer and edger is a convenient electric string trimmer that you can use in your yard right now. This can help you to take on the hardest weeds, grass and other growths in your yard with ease. If you want to get an idea of what we look for in a corded weed eater, check out our guidelines.

Physical Features

This is about 6.9 pounds in weight and carries most of its weight on the top part where you would handle it. The handle is a D-loop option with a trigger handle on the back to help you move it around with ease. This does not come with a padded material on the handle although it is smooth and easy to hold onto. A non padded handle is fine for this application because it’s not designed for very long sessions.

This does not come with a harness. Fortunately, the handling system makes it so it will be easier for you to carry it around wherever you might go. It will not vibrate much nor will it be far too difficult for you to carry around with you wherever you might go when using it.

How It Feels When Using It

The GH3000 will not vibrate as much as a bigger electric weed eater or a gas powered weed eater. This is thanks to how it works with an electric cord. Also, it does not generate far too much noise and it will not create any exhaust. The model can get warm when you use it for a while but not to the point where it will wear out and weaken.

Usage Points

The GH3000 works with an automatic line feed. The Feed Spool AFS works to get the line to work quickly and to keep it from wearing out all that quickly. This makes for a simple setup that is easy to follow. It does not require any bumping. It addition, the line will not get easily tangled.

A guard is also used around the line. This is to keep the main mechanism from getting caught up in different things as well as stopping debris from hitting you.

The cutting path is wide and powerful enough to get through many tight spots. It can cut through weeds and grass quite well. It takes a while to get through some thicker or wetter spots though.

Powering It Up

This electric model is easy to start up with a simple switch. It also works with an electric cord, thus meaning that it will not require a battery.

Although this corded trimmer can work for a while so long as it has enough electric power going into it, this will be rather difficult to use if you don’t have a proper extension cord. You will need a good cord that can extend to your location to provide you with something that is easy to use.

Here’s the guys at Tools in Action with their take

Long Term Care

The long term care points of this Black and Decker trimmer especially deserve to be seen. Black and Decker offers a two-year limited warranty on this product. This works for regular home use only.

Also, the product can be easily fixed by most professionals. Black and Decker has various technicians around the country that can repair this as needed so you can keep your model running well in the event that it breaks down for whatever reason one has.

Overall

This is one of the nicer corded weed eaters available.

A Review of the Troy Bilt TB 525

Our review of the Troy Bilt TB 525 touches on a lot of the factors that we use to evaluate weed eaters and brushcutters.

The Troy Bilt TB 525 EC Curve Shaft string trimmer is a four-cycle gas trimmer that can handle all kinds of attachments. This choice uses a dual line and a setup that makes it easier for you to reload the trimmer head as necessary. You can use this gas-powered option to help you out with trimming a variety of spaces all around.

Physical Features

The TB 525 is about fifteen pounds in weight. This is rather heavy in that much of its weight is distributed around the back area where the motor is. Most 4 cycle engines are heavier than their 2 cycle counterparts. This is the trade off for better emissions and not having to mix fuel and oil. The weight does requires you to keep a good hold on the unit.

This does not come with a harness but it does have a D-loop design for its handle. This is located in the middle to give you a little more control over it and how you are holding onto the trimmer. This handle does not have any padding materials on its body, so that adds to the vibration and the “creature comforts”. Some aftermarket foam padding might be a good idea if you plan on running the TB 525 for more than an hour.

How It Works

The 29cc four-cycle engine on the gas trimmer is built to run with a cleaner body. This produces less noise and exhaust than most other models. You will not need to use any earmuffs when using this. It should not be all that hot either.

This uses more power while using fewer RPMs than most other models. Therefore, it creates fewer vibrations than what you might find elsewhere. This in turn results in a stronger body when used right.

Usage Points

This is very easy to start up and will not be all that complicated for your use. It can work with a traditional starting mechanism but you can use the JumpStart electric start adapter if you prefer.

This can work for about 30 minutes at a time with a fuel tank of fuel. The unit is very easy to refuel when needed. It is especially easy to handle as it will not use far too much fuel at a time, thus allowing it to last longer enough for a typical day’s worth of work.

The line will not be tangled far too easily. The mechanism also allows you to open up the casing on the inside to help you get the thread adjusted when needed. This can work quickly and effortlessly to get your spool organized.

Long Term Care

The long term care that Troy Bilt are especially important. The company always works hard when getting the machine fixed and treated as needed. The company also offers an online service where you can order replacement parts as needed. This is for times when you might need some help with getting a machine fixed or maintained the right way. However if you read any of the reviews, there are a good amount of happy customers but plenty of angry customers.

The warranty program offered by Troy Bilt is an especially important point. The warranty works for about two years and will be good for coverage on regular use. This includes use that has not entailed you using anything other than what Troy Bilt has offered while also using this only for the purposes that this machine was designed for.

Overall

This is a decent 4 cycle trimmer when it is working, but there are other models that are just as good.

Black & Decker Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700 Review

There are great deals of factors to consider before buying a costly grass/weed trimmer for your yard. So what qualities would you look for while buying one? Check out our guide to see more of our thought process.

If you are after quality clearing of your compound, I propose you have a look at the Black and Decker Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700 and you will welcome the solace this ‘get and go’ comes along with. The Black and Decker Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700 has been uniquely composed with a programmed sustain spool that guarantees consistent work without bumping or stopping to adjust the spool.

This Automatic Feed Trimmer allows you to maintain your yard neat and perfect. Its advantageous flip up edge guide allows clients to change from trimming to edging in negligible seconds. It is really the best with regards to trimming weeds, grasses, over-growth and can likewise be utilized for edging along hard surfaces like pavements around your home. Also, this Automatic Feed Trimmer is all around outlined with a selective Black and Decker Automatic Feed Spool framework that naturally progresses the cutting-string without bumping. These are a portion of the reasons why it has turned into a most loved trimmer for many homes. Go along with me in this article as we reveal more insight into this Black and Decker Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700; dig into its specs, points of interest, detriments and give our autonomous suggestion on whether it’s a great purchase.

Specifications

So what additional specifications make this item the best?

A 4.4 Amp engine turns the line at a velocity of 10,000 RPM and gives the ST7700 the force it needs to handle over-grown grass & weeds.
The Groom “N” Edge head turns 180 degrees to change over the trimmer to an edger and the other way around in a matter of seconds.
This is an Electric Trimmer. Thus it uses no gas hence has minimal exhaust, noise and vibration.
It is a corded electric trimmer, so you’ll require an additional rope in the event that you have an expansive yard.
It has a light weight of 4.5 lbs. For individuals who aren’t linebackers, this is a light unit. Prescribed for seniors and women alike.

What’s So Great About The Black and Decker Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700?

There are many reasons why this Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700 is the main inclination for most homes. It has various advantages that include:

Comfortable: The inherent D-loop handle gives greatest solace and control.This well-padded handle helps minimizes wrist weakness for long haul use while the string maintenance framework averts unplanned line separation for constant trimming.

Powerful: The effective 4.4 Amp engine turning the line at 10,000 rpm functions as an intense device for trimming overwhelming weeds and grass.

Light: Weighing in at a simple 4.5 pounds, the ST7700 allows for less weariness but rather more control.

Guarantee: This product comes with a 2 year full warranty.

What’s Not So Great About The Black and Decker Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700?

There are a couple cons of the Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700, too, however they are for the most part eclipsed by the advantages. The disadvantages include:

· Session Length – Running this trimmer for quite a while is not exhorted. This is a light obligation trimmer. If you run it for too long it may overheat

· Low torque-For a huge chunk of yard, the electric trimmer may not be very effective. The gas powered trimmer may have the necessary torque to handle such magnitude.

· Difficult to Start- When the trimmer switches off due to bumping it may prove difficult to re start it.

· Internal wiring needs to be adjusted in order for it to work dependably

Is this Product A Great Purchase?

There are a lot of Automatic Feed Trimmers accessible today yet the majority of them are tormented by one essential issue; insufficient power to complete even the most fundamental trimming assignments. Automatic Feed Trimmer ST7700 uses its 18V battery rechargeable in 6-9 hours. This helps it to accomplish tried and true trimming and edging services where different trimmers have ended up inadequate. This makes it the best Automatic Feed Trimmers as well as the most dependable trimming accomplice. The Black and Decker ST7700 Trimmer and Edger makes your yard look impeccable and excellent in a matter of moments.