View Full Version : Whats the advantage of trimming without a guard???
I see some LCO's using no guards on their trimmers. Why???
Evan528
06-09-2002, 02:02 PM
Give a try......you will answer your own question! The first thing I do when I buy a new trimmer before I even put gas in it is rmove the sheild. Always wear those saftey glassed though! When I trim I like a good 10 inches of strong on each side....this makes for faster trimming and better visibility. Also much easier to edge with long string and without anything blocking your veiw of what your doing!
lasher66
06-09-2002, 02:11 PM
How does the string get trimmed down with the guard off? Wont the string be uneven then?
Lasher66
That was my main question...
rock, brick, side of concrete drive anything can be used to set string length. my help would use guard . me ,i want the trimmer to work rite. no guard . added adv is its lighter. lot o fellas disagree here but trimming w a guard would be like felling a tree w a pocket knife ,for me.jmho
LAWNGODFATHER
06-09-2002, 03:24 PM
You can't mess a trimmer up by running one line shorter than the other.
Great thing about no guard is you can trim around most trees from one spot. No more walking around a tree to trim it.
Run the line a little longer, trim more area at one time.
If the line gets to long for you, take it in the street and wind the throttle up and wear it down on the pavment.
bubble boy
06-09-2002, 03:55 PM
when you restring the trimmer cut the two lines of string to the same size using snippers or pruners. obviously you have the pruners out, cause you just cut line from the reel.
after they are even they will wear evenly.
ive been told (by a dealer) running the line too long is not good, will burn the clutch.
but never had it happen to myself.
LawnSmith
06-09-2002, 05:03 PM
Originally posted by Evan528
The first thing I do when I buy a new trimmer before I even put gas in it is rmove the sheild.
indeed!!
lawnkid
06-09-2002, 05:11 PM
Do you guys use both lines or only one line? I only use one to save money and it cuts just as well.
I can definately tell the difference from 1 line to 2--- there is no way 1 line can cut just as well. Read all the threads going on now about double blades...same thing but with trimmers.
Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER
You can't mess a trimmer up by running one line shorter than the other.
Great thing about no guard is you can trim around most trees from one spot. No more walking around a tree to trim it.
Run the line a little longer, trim more area at one time.
If the line gets to long for you, take it in the street and wind the throttle up and wear it down on the pavment.
Not that you would mess the trimmer up, but you can feel the vibration from 2 different lengths of line.
How can you trim around a tree from 1 spot, with or without a guard.....and without hitting the tree.??
If the line gets too long for you in the middle of a yard, you have to walk all the way to a sidewalk or street to cut it off?? Sounds like a waste of time to me.
I tried trimmers with no guards and hated it...string came out too long, edging was a pain (debris everywhere), etc. But to each his own.
FrankenScagMachines
06-09-2002, 06:30 PM
Well, simply cut off part of the guard that you don't want and leave the blade to trim off string with. For edging, double strings are a must. I tried it both ways (el cheapo weedeater brand single line trimmer vs. Homelite 2 line trimmer, big difference). The double strings cut better too. I wouldn't worry about cost on something like this, cause you need the extra string to help you trim faster.
Eric
General Grounds
06-09-2002, 07:56 PM
:blob3: trimming w/o a gaurd puts alot of undo stress on the engine, and you see that it will not be as strong because of the excess length. tony
Turf Technologies
06-09-2002, 08:31 PM
WHen the string gets to long , just turn the trimmer upside down and twist the string back in the spool.The line will allways be even once you put it on the spool and snip it.
The guard offers almost no protection from projectiles.
However,..... It does have one thing on it that is V E R Y important for me......The CUTOFF KNIFE!
I need a "Sharp" clean cut line to get any type of a good "cut" with a string trimmer. A worn/frayed line will not cut grass cleanly, and will end up browing like a dull mower blade does.
Another thing is the length. One tap too many and you have 2 foot of line out, and 100 yds to the nearest "sharp" object. With the guard/cutter on, a misplaced/accidental "TAP" is quickly corrected with the knife. Too much line WILL eventually cause premature clutch failure.
Visibility with the guard on isn't bad for me on my Echo, and the newer Echos have an even thinner guard, so visibility would only get better.
This is all a personal preference thing. The time saved without it would be wasted when too much line comes out and you have to stop and clip it.
Flex-Deck
06-09-2002, 09:17 PM
If you would just add a flex-deck to your mower, you would only have 1" wide strips along buildings etc, therefore this topic is mute. The only people that worry about the length of the string on their trimmer are those that can not put a blade on the grass they are mowing. Visit our sponsor forum and web site www.flex-deck.com for details.
Tony Harrell
06-09-2002, 09:20 PM
I'll second what TLS said about the ECHO trimmers. I was at the shop Saturday and a guy brought a Robin trimmer back because the guard was way too big (it looked like a motorcycle helmet!). He bought it because it was cheaper than the ECHO he had before. He does a huge cemetary and said he couldn't see where he was trimming. Well, he exchanged it for the newest ECHO model which replaces the model he had before.
Maybe thats why I never had the need for no guards. All iIever used were Echo's. It just sounds to me running guardless is more trouble than its worth.
LAWNGODFATHER
06-09-2002, 10:54 PM
Running a trimmer on low throttle will wear out the clutch too.
The only way you get to much string in the first place is you TAPPED it to much.
Next SOMEONE tell me they trim and not touch the object they are trimming. If you do tell me that you are FOS!!!!!
There is a difference between touching it and goudging it.
I have one guy who runs 1 line in a 2 line head.
I load up trimmer line and if I don't get them the exact same lengths, it will wear off to the same length.
None of my trimmers have had guards on them.
About every 4-5 years I have to buy new trimmers, and they did not wear out from this but from "USE"
Now with using the Flex-Deck more and more, we have cut trimming time down.
Trimmer guards are on there for home owners, and make trimming slower.
Runner
06-10-2002, 12:53 AM
Gentlemen, gentlemen! To run without a guard is simply like this. First, yes, sometimes the lines DO become uneven. I know this, because whenever I sharpen my line, I measure, both before and after I cut it. When I measure it before, it's by simply glancing at it against my pruners. Which brings me to that - sharpening the string. What I do, is carry a set of pruners in my back pocket. When the line becomes flat, or flared from running along cement, (when it runs along a wall or stones, it doesn't cut worth a DARN after that) I then slide the trimmer down my hands so I have a hold of the spool. (It appears that I drop it, but I don't). I whip out my pruners, glance at the string, and ALWAYS CUT THE SHORTEST STRING FIRST. I then hold my pruners (also works with sidecutters or anything else) up, and visually see a marked spot on the pruners to mark the length of the string. This can be a dirtspot, scratch, bug doodoo, or anything else on the pruners, because I always mentally say "just above that" or "just below that", then turn the trimmer head half way around, and cut the other side to match. Now, if the string is a bit too long to begin with, the beauty of a bump head is that you can just wind it back up a notch - all too easy. I quickly stuff the cutters back into my pocket, have a way of "throwing" my trimmer back up and catching it in midair, restart, and bump the head once. Now, I know this sounds like alot, but the whole process only takes like 15 seconds, max, and the trimmer is running again. Oh, some may say that that's quite a bit longer than one bump of the head with an automatic cutoff, but to that I say I can make up that difference and more in productivity and performance running withOUT a guard. Now, here's the bonus, whenever you are running down fenceline, the string is auto sharpening, because it breaks off as it goes down the fence. Also, if I come across something like a steel driveway culvert, I use THAT to quickly put a fresh edge on the string. Many of times, if the string needs sharpening, and I'm nearing a fence, I just hold out, because I know that sharpening is on it's way, but on the OTHER side of that coin, sometimes, I stepped a few steps out of my way to hit a fence, and run my spool against it (anywhere) for a moment. This quickly gives me that fresh edge as well. Anyway, running without a guard provides more versatility in cutting capacities for different conditions. For instance, for just normal mowing conditions, running a wider blade provides you with more actual cutting power than a shorter blade (string). Now, by more cutting power, before you say no, it doesn't, here's what I mean. As the blade tip is much faster, as long as you still have adequate engine power, you are going to rip though material easier with less rpm's. The only thing is with that, is that there is a limit on how far you can go on your blade diameter before you start sacrificing engine power. Once you cross that threshold, you are dragging the motor down, losing you tip speed, and causing the string to beat and not cut. Simple rule of thumb,- the shorter the string, the more ENGINE power you will have. But, like I said, there is an area there of more actual CUTTING power as well. Which brings us back to the versatility issue. Without a guard, you still have the option from going to a medium-long power swath, to a shorter string for real heavy growth like thick ditches, and such. Well, anyway, enough for this chapter, this is just MY experience of twenty two years running a trimmer.;)
MikeLT1Z28
06-10-2002, 01:24 AM
i got sick of getting my face sandblasted without the guards. also seems to serve as a level with the ground.
I removed the guard for a little while, found no advantages...only disadvantages. Re-installed guard and will leave it there. :D
David Haggerty
06-10-2002, 04:38 AM
I used to take them all off. With my Stihl, I put it back on. It's the only guard I've ever found to be worth having.
Dave
JasperStorm
06-10-2002, 07:26 AM
Those clunky guards are there only because of the product liability lawers. For 11 years, I have taken them off all of our Redmax then Echo trimmers. I like the improved visablilty, lighter weight, and the fact that you can carry the trimmer around without "snagging" it on shrubs or other obstacles.
If one does the hand pruner string-cut-to-correct-length
trick (as we do), they should learn to very closely approximate the length that the guard knive would have given. The machines are calibrated to work most effectively at a certain length of string: too short= more rpms, hotter engine; too long= as previously stated, bogged down engine.
One string heads? The only people I see using those are Saturday afternoon lawn mowing soccer moms. Usually there is a long, orange extention cord attached to the handle of the trimmer. Very odd.
bubble boy
06-10-2002, 09:28 AM
tap heads, one string line, please. i wouldn't even consider. i'm sure these setups are adequate, but so are four cylinder cars. I just wouldn't waste time with adequate.
Originally posted by KenH
How can you trim around a tree from 1 spot, with or without a guard.....and without hitting the tree.??
If the line gets too long for you in the middle of a yard, you have to walk all the way to a sidewalk or street to cut it off?? Sounds like a waste of time to me.
.
a tree, or tree circle for that matter, can be done from one spot (no guard). but not by everyone, and thats not necessarily a knock. I know lots of guys that are good trimmers, been doing it years, but couldn't do this. they trim with only one head angle. by adjusting the angle of the plane your string makes, it can be done. just not easily. you can even inside cut a tree circle from one spot, if you really wanted too.
as for using the street to cut line, i still don't see how your string is getting significantly uneven, as said by sackedbysapp. Never happened to me. load it, snip it even forget about it.
as for sharpening string, never even tought of it. and never had grass brown. maybe your trimmers are underpowered ones from the depot? what brands are we talking about?
FS85's have no prob. with "dull" string.
only legitimate reason for guards is what jasper said. liability.
i suppose the engine would run ideal at the length the cutter is set at. but i always found with no guard one more twist past that to be ideal.
You gotta love the soccer mom-swinging the trimmer like a pendulem on a grandfather clock:D
Jimbo
06-10-2002, 10:32 AM
trimmers.. now theres a topic I can talk about forever.
I run all Stihl products, and my trimmers have plenty of power to handle a little extra line. I would never run the unit without the guard (tried and was pelted with debris).
My solution to this problem was very simple. I took a piece of steel about 1/8 thick X 2.5" wide X 6" long, and drilled 4 holes in each end that match the factory guard holes. I mounted the plate onto this extension, and it has worked great for years. The extra 6" extension provides an additional 1' cutting area, and the line cutter still does it's job. I actually thought about making more of these and selling them on the side.
(Dimension of steel is not exact... I can take an exact measurement if anyone is interested).
This setup really speeds up cutting time in the large areas I cut.
-Jimbo-;)
no matter what u do use safety glasses . a given,dont think so . i see it every day.
that is just not a thing to do. no glasses i mean.
mowerparts
06-10-2002, 08:58 PM
Let one of your workers get hurt on the job without the guard on and see what OSHA will do to you.
It's on there for a reason and its called liability.
Have an accident and watch your insurance go up.
Have an accident and OHSA watch yourself go out of bussines.
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