Cut The Grass With A Trimmer

4th August 2020

Country notes Safety when working with a grass trimmer. How to properly mow lawns, slopes, tall grass with a trimmer. We clean and store petrol and

Grass trimmer: why and how to use it correctly

Working with a trimmer is quite simple. Easier than with an ordinary scythe. But everything has its own specifics, therefore, before mastering a new technique, you should do what many leave for later. Carefully read the instructions. This is already enough to roughly understand how to use the trimmer, fill it with fuel, figure out how to charge its battery or connect it to the mains.

We start with safety

Of the protective devices, the glasses and gloves recommended by the instructions do not interfere at all, but the most important is the protection of the legs. The cutting tool, especially when mowing with a gasoline trimmer with metal knives, rotating at huge speeds, picks up debris, pebbles and cuttings of vegetation, scattering at such a speed that they can injure a person. Therefore, it is advisable to work in trousers and closed shoes or boots.

What happens if you don’t protect your legs

As for ear protection, there is a tangible need for this only for the “loudest” petrol trimmer. Based on a two-stroke engine. They usually come with special headband headphones to reduce the sound pressure on the eardrum.

Preparing the trimmer for work

Preparing the trimmer for work begins with checking the condition of all parts and assemblies according to the instructions. In doing so, you need to make sure that the gearbox is lubricated and that there is enough oil in the crankcase of the four-stroke petrol trimmer. The fuel, depending on the type of engine, two- or four-stroke, is a mixture of gasoline with a special oil in a ratio of 40-50: 1 or, respectively, pure gasoline. After the fuel tank is full, all that remains is to open the tap and you can try to start the trimmer, remembering that before you start mowing you need it to idle for 2-3 minutes.

With an electric cordless tool, everything is simple. After checking the presence of lubricant, it is enough to insert a charged battery into the corresponding slot so that it is ready for use. If the tool is powered from the mains, then an extension cord will be required to the intended place of cutting. The wire must be located outside the range of possible action of the trimmer knives.

The site should be free of foreign objects as much as possible: glass, stones, wire, snags, etc. The presence of people closer than 15 meters is also undesirable. Depending on the capabilities of the particular trimmer and the work to be done, the appropriate cutting attachment must be selected. You can use a mowing head with a grass line, metal knives for weeds or hay, or a bush saw. The mowing should be planned in such a way as to move away from buildings and people.

We carry out the correct mowing in both cases

The device should move correctly in front of you and strictly from right to left, because the grass you mowed will surely fall onto the previously mown area, which will give you the opportunity to initially mow the tops of the grass. Then you carry out a reverse motion, due to which you will remove any remaining branches of the grass.

When working with large areas of the lawn, it is best to divide the work into several stages, visually dividing the territory into squares. In the process of mowing the grass, you should move along the outside, which will make it possible once again not to trample the grass at the same time, without complicating the mowing procedure for yourself. To make it easier to work, it is best to move from below, walking parallel to the already treated area, and then come back.

With this approach, you can easily use the line trimmer to mow the grass around the trees planted on the site, carefully bypassing them, and at the same time without loading the devices. By mowing the grass in the way we recommend above, you can reduce the likelihood of the grass scattering to the sides, making it faster and easier to cut.

How to cut tall grass with a line trimmer

It is advisable to cut tall grass in your garden with a powerful trimmer using thick fishing line. But many, most likely, will agree that in most cases, where the weeds are located, the ground will certainly be uneven, as a result of which the owners of such garden plots have different debris and all kinds of stones. To prevent your expensive device (trimmer) from breaking down the mow of tall grass, it is best and faster to mow in two passes. Those. The first step is to cut the entire top of the grass, identify the more difficult mowing areas and run the mower a second time.

When you are going to harvest the grass (using a trimmer) for hay, and you are more or less versed in the area of your plot, then it will be possible to predict the course of the grass mowing in advance. This will be faster, more convenient and easier for you. The main thing in such a situation is not to rush to mow, but to approach business competently with a “cool head”.

How to mow with a line trimmer

Mowing with a line mower is much safer than a trimmer equipped with a cord, but this is not always optimal and profitable. The cutting main element (mechanism) must be selected based on the garden area and the height of the weed.

Previously, we looked at how to mow with a line lawnmower in automatic or semi-automatic and manual mode. In automatic mode, the main cutting element (line) is thrown out after each start of the device motor. On the one hand, it is very convenient, but on the other hand, it is not very economical, for example, your garden plot is of a non-standard shape. There are uneven corners, notches, and with each next transition from place to place, you need to turn off the device and then turn it on again. In this case, it is best to use the second, semi-automatic option. This is when the line is fed in the trimmer by pressing a special button located at the very bottom of the drum (in the cutting area). You just need to press the tip to the ground and the line will be thrown out.

If you are an operator, you should understand that the length of the ends of the cutting element (line), which is located on the drum in an extended (working) state, should not exceed 15 cm. This length should be sufficient for the average power of the grass trimmers.

What you need to do to properly, easily and quickly mow the grass with a trimmer with a fishing line so that the device itself will serve you much longer than usual.

Try to keep the main drum (spool) at least 5 cm from the ground.
When mowing taller grass, mow the top first, and then get close to the stalks to protect your device from damage and prevent mower failure.
In the process of mowing grass, it is imperative to introduce the cutting element (trimmer) in which the reel rotates in the direction.
It is best to mow the lawn grass, which is located near the walls of the garden area as a decoration, using only the edges of the line so as not to overload the engine and not wear it out too much.
Every 15-20 minutes worked, let the device “rest”.

Can wet grass be cut with a trimmer and lawn mower and how do I do it?

Arrangement of a suburban area (and even a local area in a city) is a very difficult matter. Especially because you have to look after the farm all the time. Many people also have questions about how to do this or that work, for example, is it possible to mow wet grass with a trimmer.

Features of the situation

Of course, such a question will not arise for those who live in the immediate vicinity of the lawn. Then you can wait a while and work when the grass dries up. But the need to remove wet grass arises immediately, if you can visit the site only occasionally. What to do if you have to mow the lawn on weekends, on another day with rainy weather, that’s the subtlety. The opinions of the summer residents themselves differ, therefore it makes little sense to be guided by their position. You need to figure out the nuances yourself.

The role of equipment

It should be pointed out at the outset that there are two main types of trimmers that “relate” differently to wet vegetation. Some devices are equipped with a gasoline engine, others are set in motion by connecting to the mains or installing a battery. In turn, the trimmer is divided into two subgroups: with the location of the motor in the lower or upper part of the apparatus. Safe enough for the user to remove wet grass can only be gasoline trimmers or hand scythes.

In this case, it is strongly undesirable to use an electric lawn mower. Sometimes you can find statements that this requirement applies only to devices with a lower motor placement. Such an electric motor comes into direct contact with water. Because of this contact, you can be afraid of a short circuit.

If water does get inside the power plant, there is a risk not only of a short circuit, but also of an electric shock. It is worth noting that these restrictions apply not only to trimmers, but also to full-fledged lawn mowers. The assurances of manufacturers and marketers about safety should not be taken into account. To minimize the risk to yourself and your equipment, you should use a lawn mower. But there are a few more subtleties that must be taken into account.

Even if the mower does not fail and its owner is not electrocuted (let’s say such a favorable situation for a minute), you still cannot mow wet grass with a trimmer. This is a deliberately abnormal mode of operation, due to which the equipment wears out too quickly. Wet vegetation is much more resistant to cutting elements than it should be. Therefore, even very well insulated motors are overloaded.

Due to the sticking of wet grass to the knives and to the spindle, the load on them will necessarily increase. This cannot be avoided, and no skill of mowers, no methods and schemes of lawn clearing help. Not only the motor suffers, but also the shaft, which sometimes turns.

Problems when mowing wet grass can also arise with gasoline machines. Yes, they are more powerful than their electrical counterparts, but the load still exceeds normal values. First of all, piston pairs and other moving parts are “under attack”. If there is no way out other than using a gasoline mower, you need to take care of it. When mowing raw grass, the machine is periodically switched to idle mode without load. 30 seconds is enough to remove excess heat, as well as save the trimmer resource.

And more about different situations

When talking about mowing wet grass, you need to distinguish between the following possible situations:

It is wet after rain;
It is raining;
The reason for the moisture is a damp area (lowland or groundwater).

In the first case, it is quite possible to take a chance and try to put things in order with a lawn mower. In the second, mowing is impractical. In the third, you will first have to solve something with moisture and only then put the lawn or lawn in order. If you often have to mow wet grass after rain or “through dew” in a small area, then it is better to use not a trimmer, and not a lawn mower, but a simple hand scythe. You need to look not only at the grass that is being removed, but also at the one where the power cable is placed.

Moisturizing it can be a very serious risk factor. To mow the grass after rain, you need to wait a little. A few minutes, even with a very big rush, will not noticeably reduce the time that can be set aside for mowing.

As for mowing raw grass, there are still the following objections to it:

It is more difficult to walk with a trimmer or lawn mower in such conditions, you can easily fall and get injured;
You will have to spend more time on work;
After mowing, it will be necessary to thoroughly clean the machine itself;
Wet chlorophyll will leave more stains on clothes, leather, shoes.

Now you need to figure out exactly how to act if you still decide to use a gasoline trimmer to clean your lawn or lawn in wet weather. An important rule is to keep the grass at the optimum length. By overly shortening it, especially in the summer, summer residents run the risk of provoking early drying of plants. It is unlikely that this will contribute to a good appearance.

Sure, wear durable, waterproof footwear. Use headphones or earplugs only when working with a two-stroke petrol trimmer. On a large clearing with flat grass, mowing is carried out along imaginary squares, conventionally dividing the entire territory into them. They first move along the perimeter of each square, then mow it from the inside and move on to the next part of the lawn. Regardless of the weather, before starting work, you should do the following:

Check the serviceability of the equipment;
Remove all debris and foreign objects from the site;
Replace, if necessary, worn cutting elements;
Are determined with the direction of the mowing so that the lawn does not resemble a “washboard”.

Mowing tall grass

If you need to cut tall grass, this is done in several passes. The lawn is processed 2-3 times. The rotating part is lowered from top to bottom, in this case, the grass is not wound around the reel.

The operator should be aware that grass wrapped around the reel will overheat the motor. If this happens, the mower is turned off and the coil is cleaned.

It is most effective to cut the grass with the ends of the line rather than the entire length. In the second case, the tool works worse, the motor may be overloaded. If you need to cut grass over a large area, tilt the trimmer towards the mowing side to increase efficiency.

Running in

Before starting operation, be sure to run in gasoline mowers. The operator turns on the engine, it should run for a while at idle speed. It is necessary to ensure that the engine does not overheat, there should be no load.

When running in lawn mowers, the load is gradually increased. If you start working at high rpm, the motor will not run in well, this will affect the further operation of the mower.

When you start it for the first time, you should not completely exhaust the temporary resource. After the engine runs at idle speed, you can proceed to treating the lawn. The mower should run no more than 15 minutes, after which the motor is turned off and it should cool down.

If you need to run the trimmer, the braid is first assembled. Then do test runs at least 3-5 times. If the engine is running well, proceed to mowing. At first, they work no more than 5 minutes, then the duration of work is gradually increased.