Choosing The Right Grass Trimmer

There are several factors to address when buying a commercial trimmer: Engine type (2-cycle vs. 4-cycle), straight or curved shaft, comfort level and string trimmer style.

 

The primary factor when choosing a trimmer is how much use it will see during a set time. The more use it gets, the more a contractor should spend on it (to a degree). A higher price doesn't always mean a better product, but it's a good benchmark nonetheless.

The Engine
The main choice here is between 2- and 4-stroke gas engines (electric ones have yet to rise to the serious demands of commercial landscape maintenance professional). The 2-cycle engine runs on a gas/oil mixture, requiring the contractor to mix the appropriate gas/oil ratio and keep it on hand in a separate fuel container. The 4-cycle engine requires only gasoline, and tends to be more powerful at lower speeds and runs cleaner, producing fewer emissions than 2-cycle engines without a catalytic converter. But 4-stroke engines are heavier, adding to the overall weight of the trimmer. It's a balance between the need to premix gas and oil against worker fatigue of using a heavier piece of equipment.

There are up and downsides when considering a 2- or 4-stroke engine trimmer. The 2-stroke engine requires premixing gas and oil beforehand as well as having to tote around a gas container to refuel it. However, 2-stroke engines are lighter. While the 4-stroke does not need premix fuel, it can weight twice as much as the 2-stroke engine. It is a balance between efficiency and worker fatigue issues.

Straight Or Curved Shaft
String trimmers come in either a straight or curved shaft design. The curved shaft trimmers are generally economical to purchase and work well for average-size yards. The curved shaft string trimmers are among the lightest in weight, and are easy to level for a clean cut without scalping the lawn.

Straight shaft trimmers are the choice of most landscape professionals. They provide additional reach beneath bushes and into other hard-to-reach areas. Straight-shaft models produce less vibration, which can add to their comfort level when undertaking trimming jobs that will take more than a few minutes. They often have optional attachments you can purchase for edging, hedge trimming and other trimming jobs. Somewhat heavier than curved-shaft models, straight shaft string trimmers also are more expensive.

Bump-feed string trimmers use a spring-activated mechanism to feed out a fresh piece of line, but maintenance professionals who run their equipment for hours on end, this style can lead to jamming problems and down-time issues.

Comfort Level
A gas-powered string trimmer generally weighs between 10 and 15 pounds, with the curved shaft trimmers weighing less than straight-shaft ones.

String Trimmer Style
There are two string trimmer styles: bump-feed and fixed-line. For the bump-feed style, the operator bumps the trimmer head to activate the spring-loaded mechanism that pushes out a fresh length of line from the spiral coiled in the head. However, operators have reported problems with bump-feed line heads. The dirt, heat and constant banging can cause the line to jam. This requires the contractor to stop, disassemble the head and re-feed the line.

Manufacturers have made changes to correct this by partitioning the cavity of the head to ensure better line flow (Stihl). The Echo and Craftsman trimmers use a head with one or two pieces of short line clamped into place. The fixed-head trimmer uses a precut length line, eliminating jams and tangles; it only takes only a few seconds to insert a new line.