GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

18-08-2005, 02:14 AM

(Spud Demon) wrote in
:

"Vox Humana" writes in article
dated Tue, 16 Aug 2005
15:08:20 GMT:

"Spud Demon" wrote in message
...
My grass is growing sideways across my sidewalk and into the street.
With 240' of sidewalk, this is 720' of "edge" that I have to trim
(both sides of the sidewalk plus one side of the street). I have an
electric string trimmer, but it will take me all day with that.
There is thatch and dirt encroaching on the sidewalk.

Any recommendations for a tool (gas or electric) to take care of
this quickly?

I would also recommend getting a dedicated edger for that much work.
I have an edger attachment for my trimmer. It is only adequate, but I
have very little to edge. My mother has a gasoline powered Craftsman
edger that does a great job. Unless you have a number of well
positioned outlets, I would forget the electric model. While I like
electric yard tools for a number of reasons, they aren't really
suitable for large jobs.

You will probably have to spend around $300 for a decent edger. If
you are only planning to use it once or twice a year, you might check
out the prices at rental centers. I would imagine that you could rent
an edger for 4 hours for around $25. Renting would also give you a
chance to try this type of equipment and see if it meets your needs.

Thanks to Vox and all others who replied!

I probably wouldn't use it more than a couple of times a year, and
there is a rental place nearby that probably has them, so maybe I will
do that.

On the other hand, there's something to be said for having the thing
in my garage when I need it, and there are a couple of high(er)-power
electric models:

Black & Decker LE750 Edge Hog (2.5 HP, 11 Amp)
Craftsman #79654 12 Amp landscape edger

Anybody have comments on these?

The Black & Decker seems to have mixed reviews depending on whether
the motor burned out or not. If I do get one of these I will
definitly ask for the extended warranty!

Getting power to the sidewalk is no problem, I have two outlets and
one 100' extension cord that will cover it. (It's not all straight
sidewalk; I'm on a corner.)

--Spud Demon spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net

Are you going to edge along a concrete perimeter? I always thought that
was insane, but it wasn't until recently I knew that you could edge
between two soil edges to stop grass encroachment so what do I know.

If you are thinking of buying a mini-tiller/cultivator, some of them also
have edging attachments. You could probably get a Honda Harmony FG1xx
with edger (= blade + wheel) for around $300. I have an FG100, no
problems with starting, but it's a bugger to get the tines off. I think
the edging attachment is $30 seperately, now I am thinking of buying it.