Trimming with a straight shaft trimmer

[joed]

I'd like to open a discussion on how best to trim with a straight shaft trimmer. These are the questions I'd like answered:
1. If you're right handed and hold the trigger in your right hand, is it better to walk forward (left to right) or backward (right to left)?
2. Should the trimmer be angled or level when trimming around beds, trees, etc?
3. How far off the ground should the head be held?

Thanks

[ProMo]

everyone ive ever seen went forward youd look funny walking backwards, im left handed so i walk the other way. I keep my trimmer mainly level just tilted enough to keep stuff directed away from my leg height depends on height of grass

[2tall]

I usually walk forwards but on occassion I do walk backwards. Doesn't bother me, I just have to make sure nobody is behind me or any objects I can fall and trip over.

[HarryD]

the only time i trim walking backwars is along some fences . i have a little better control it seems . when i go forwards along iron type fences it pulls string into the fence

[AielLandscaping]

when your using a trimmer, hold the unit so that your right pinky finger is controlling the throttle and your left hand supports the wieght. the trim head should be to the left hand side of your body, then walk backwards always in a counter clockwise direction and stand on the grass. that is the easiest way i've found to trim.. oh yeah trimmer line should be vertical for clean edges. once you get more control of the trimmer then walking in other directions will come more easily. the other way to do this if you just have got to walk forward would be to hold the trimmer the same way, but stand on the hardsurface or inside the flower bed, and walk forward. walking in the other directions will change which way the line strikes the ground and will cause the trimmer to move around and you will not get as clean of an edge. around obsticales such as trees or playground equipment, angle the head at about 15 degrees or so so that you don't have to get the mower quite as close. and the head should be held as far away from the cut as possible so your utilizing the most power.

[PaulJ]

Straight shaft trimmer with the head rotating counterclockwise (looking down from the top)
Trigger in the left hand with the right hand controlling the cutting head.
Walking and looking forward.
I know it sounds backwards, I know I thought so when my old boss showed me this. It took me a couple weeks to get the hang of it but now It's easy.
The clippings are thrown away from what your trimming along.(walls , mulchbeds ect...)

Go to www.edgit.com and they explain this system better.

[dr grass]

as your standing in the grass. trim from left to right. angel the trimmmer slightly so it is only trimming on the string when it passes behind (on the left side as your looking down at it) the trimmer head. angle the trimmer back behind you so that your not catching any rocks or sticks on your shins, especially on those hot days when shorts are required! around trees, poles, and such, you'll have to keep the head of the trimmer more even with the grass. keep practicing, and your trimming will look as smooth as silk!




Shep :)

[KDLAWN]

I am left handed and thisis how I trimm. the head on my trimmer rotates to the left. I hold the trimmer in my left hand, with the head on the left side of my body and walk to the left. since the head is spinning to the left and walking to the left you are accually gutting into the grass instead of away from the grass.

this may not make since but I have tried walking to the right and it does not do have the job walking to the left does.

[Turfdude]

Ariel Landscaping hit it on the head - he's hired!!

Go right to left - trimmer thows debris away from beds and into turf where its less noticeable. Also - always vertically trim around all mulch beds as it re-defines the bed edges w/ each cut - boy does it look clean!!

As far as height - you should trim at height of mower blades - barely let the ball of the spool glide across the turf.

Leave your blade guard w/ line limiter on always - and always wear your PPE (glasses and ear plugs)

Always be aware of the discharging debris as you waouldn't want to shoot something at a fellow co-worker, client, car (parked or passing) and/or pedestrian.


Bob

[joed]

Thanks for the great replies. I learned a lot from your responses. I watched a few pros today. Most seem to walking forward (going left to right) with their straight shafts. I tried going backwards (right to left). It felt uncomfortable and the unit didn't seem to be cutting as well. Am I doing something wrong?

[Scag48]

What these guys are saying is to NOT walk backwards unless you have to. It is difficult but sometimes I have to but I try not to do it because of saftey reasons (tripping, hitting someone, etc.). I don't angle the head at all, and I get great results. Just a nice clean cut. If you see that you are coming up on a large tuft of grass, like what I've been encountering on some of my lawns, make sure you give it more juice, other wise the head bounces all over and makes it look sloppy. You'll learn from your experiences with trimmers. Just practice on your own lawn and you'll be good at it in no time.

[Jimbo]

I am not sure what your doing wrong.

If I am trimming wide open (brush) I go straight into it and swing back and fourth to make as wide an arc as possible.

If I am trimming fences sidewalks etc. I do the following.

1. I am right handed, and I have the best control when I trim from right to left and I sort of "side" step backward. If I turn my trimmer vertical to define an edge around a flower bed or curb I will walk forward.
I have lots of time on a trimmer so I can pretty much do it anyway, and often I do switch how I cut.

2. Trim Level unless your holding the trimmer vertical to define an edge.

3. The object here is to blend the grass with the grass you cut with the mower. "Mower Height"

Jim

[1grnlwn]

AielLandscaping

Don't you mean you go clockwise? If the trimmer is on left side and you are on grass going backwards around an object you would be going clockwise. Wakling backward cuts the best and helps with debris, walking forward is faster and safer. I walk forward. I have started to practice left handed to take advantage of better cut and forward walking speed. (no control as of yet) Here is a perfect example of your equip suppliers making things the way they want to and you having to adapt. Left haded trimmers for a predominantly right hand world. Also if you have two man crew CCW allows mower to do perimiter and trimmer to follow right behind. which is more efficient.

Mark

[ProMo]

its about time they make something for those of us that are left handed

[Gordon]

Originally posted by Promo Lawn Services
its about time they make something for those of us that are left handed

Ditto that!!! Hate going out to eat with those backwards (righthanded) butter knives. But I'll take a correct stringtrimmer over a dumb old butter knife any day of the week. The knife costs me money at least the string trimmer helps make me some $$$.

Gordon

[Doc Pete]

Straight trimmers work "best" trimming right to left. Bent shaft trimmers work "Best" left to right. Regardless of how you hold the machine here's the reason and it's easy to check. Torque and rotation is why the trimmer's work best in one direction than the other. With a straight shaft machine, as you go into the work and load the head, the machine will want to rotate clockwise, which when going right to left, "lifts the head" up, and keeps it from digging down into the grass and scalping. By the same token, going from left to right with a straight shaft actually makes things worse. And the reason for that is, as you go into the work loading the head makes it rotate down and further into the work. This slows the machine and adds more torque the head making to twist (rotate) even more into the work. So, this happens very quickly and the head twists into the ground and scalps.
This is not a giant problem, however it puts more strain on the operators wrists to keep the machine from twisting and makes it much harder to weed whacker a large section like a 21' mower would do.
For what it's worth, since I like to go left to right, this is the main reason I use a bent shaft. And, for the cemetaries I do, going the correct directon lets me rest the head on the grass, and just drag it past a row of head stones, and as it hits heavier grass, it trys to "raise" its head instead rotate down into the ground. Done corectly, you can smoothly weed whacker as fast as you can walk, and the machine glides over the grass instead of divots.
Pete

OOP's as I said the easy way to test this is just blimp you trimmer while loosly holding it and you feel and see the straight shaft rotatle clockwise, and bent shaft rotate counter-clockwise.

[Jimbo]

Good explanation switchless!

Im pretty technical about things and I never really thought of why it worked better going from right to left, but now that you mention it I got to thinking. The trimmer head does try to dig into the ground going left to right.

I never used a curved shaft trimmer so I guess thats why I didnt give it much thought. I figured they were all the same. Do all curved shaft trimmers turn the opposite direction?

Jim

[Doc Pete]

Originally posted by Jimbo
Good explanation switchless!

Im pretty technical about things and I never really thought of why it worked better going from right to left, but now that you mention it I got to thinking. The trimmer head does try to dig into the ground going left to right.

I never used a curved shaft trimmer so I guess thats why I didnt give it much thought. I figured they were all the same. Do all curved shaft trimmers turn the opposite direction?

Jim

I thought it was just a mistake when I'd divot the grass. But actually it happens so fast you don't realize it. In other words, as soon as you start loading the motor, it starts to tilt into the grass more. That in turn, loads the motor more, and it tries to tilt more. So, the more it loads, the more it tilts, and like a fire feeding itself, instantly you're saying "OH S***" as you scalp that nice lawn.


Pete

[rvsuper]

How do you trim those retaining walls with the rough bricks without loosing the string all the time? I always have to put new string through tho holes becuase the bricks wear it out as fast as you can cut it with a knife. How do you get it so it doesn't wear out fast?

[darryl gesner]

I'm not sure if I follow all of this, because after a while you just do it without thinking about why. Here's what I think I do anyway, being right handed. I trim right to left with my straight shaft trimmer if the trimming is on my right side as I walk forward along the trim line. If the trimming would be on my left side were I to walk forward, I walk kind of side-backwards, otherwise I'd be trimming with the wrong side of the trimmer. The more I think about it, the more confused I get. :dizzy:

[Doc Pete]

Originally posted by RVLI
How do you trim those retaining walls with the rough bricks without loosing the string all the time? I always have to put new string through tho holes becuase the bricks wear it out as fast as you can cut it with a knife. How do you get it so it doesn't wear out fast?

It may be just part of weed whacking something that rough. However, I know what you mean. If it's the line you are trying to save and not worrying about the time it takes, you could try this. If I'm doing a wall, or around a building with bricks, I pretend I'm edging, and flip the head around and trim at about a 50 degree angle. So, rather than hit the side of the bricks or cement, I try to put the line right at where the ground meets the bricks and hit the ground instead.
Trying get a clean cut by cutting the grass even with the bricks actually may take more time than cutting at the angle, and it sure eats more line......
Pete

[bubble boy]

ok, i wanna give this explanation a try...

what i find is that no matter what type of trimmer, or what way you hold it, or walk, as long as you trim so that the debris are shooting towards you instead of away from you it works best. i believe in the scenerio switchless describes, this is whats happening.

if you think about it, does dust always fly into your face and legs or away? for me its always into my legs. if an area is real sandy and has rocks, i'll trim so the debris shoots away but it never looks as nice.

on an fs85 this means i trim with the left side of the string plane.

i'll try to draw it...try being the key word.

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[Doc Pete]

Originally posted by bubble boy
ok, i wanna give this explanation a try...

what i find is that no matter what type of trimmer, or what way you hold it, or walk, as long as you trim so that the debris are shooting towards you instead of away from you it works best. i believe in the scenerio switchless describes, this is whats happening.

Yeah, I can go for that;)
Pete