ok, let me try putting what im thinking into words. when u weedwack, do u use the end of the string to hit the target, or the center? example: im trying to teach a new guy how i want it done. if i am wacking a fence, and the strings on my wacker are 7 inches long, the head of the wacker should be about 7 inches from the fence. correct? this is the way i do it. the very tip of the string wacks the target, i can weedwack all day long with bumping the head maybe 2 times. if u use the center of the string, it keeps breaking. anyone get what im saying? how do u do it?
wack with the tip
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This was a very important issue to the person who taught me proper weedeating technique. Trim with the tip. I imagine the line as a fixed cutter, and I am "feeding" into whatever I'm trying to cut. If it's dense, I just feed slower. Otherwise, you rag out 7 inches of cord at once, and have to take the head apart to retrieve the end. When I first conciously started using the "feed the tip" technique I was amazed at how much longer the cord lasted. If someone is skilled at "feeding the tip", they can confidently trim around glass, pets, desirable plants, whatever, because they know where the line is at all times.
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What JD said 
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Hey JD, do you often have to trim around pets??
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Not much, but I used to use a mental trick to increase my skills and imagine that I was trimming around an infant.
Use the tip and line will last for hours of use. My manuals say to trim from the top down insead of level with the grass but I don't. Trimmed for about an hour straight today using the tip against objects but the whole line in open areas and the trimmer bogged so I started using the tip and feed it slowly like J D said and I never had to respool after an hour of use.
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Ya know,...........you can cut those pills in half.
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Great thread! I try to instruct my staff that only the end of the line does the cutting. I can make a spool of line last 2-3 days (up to 60 homes) if I'm doing the trimming. The spools last longer, the eyelets don't wear out as fast and the part that locks the spool to the head never wears. Unfortunately, many employees don't always learn so fast. This is more important for those who edge w/ trimmers, or cut the bed edges vertically like we do.
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Use the tip. I am glad someone brought up this subject, I need to take a look at how my help is doing it....just insurance.
MATT
MATT
Bobby and JD, good info.
When trimming around beds with draping foliage or low-growing groundcover I like to use a string length of 3-4". This allows you to use the shield to physically move the plants and get an extra close trim without chopping the leaves. Quality trim work is what most surprises our new accounts. We hear it a lot.
When trimming around beds with draping foliage or low-growing groundcover I like to use a string length of 3-4". This allows you to use the shield to physically move the plants and get an extra close trim without chopping the leaves. Quality trim work is what most surprises our new accounts. We hear it a lot.
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It took me a long time to get good at using trimmers. Got lots of useful info here at lawnsite. Probably the best tip I got was to trim with the tip of the line and to keep the line at full length. I used to break the string constantly and have to stop and open the spool. Never happens now.....
Always know where the edge of the blade is cutting. Since I use different lengths of string at different times, it varies for me. I like to use a bit longer string for lighter grass, as I get more cutting power out of it with more tip-speed (up to a certain degree - obviously TOO long of string slows down too much and power is compromised) and wind it in a notch or so for more actual engine power when I come to heavier stuff like taking out a ditch, or something.
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when i whack7 inches. I just make a mess
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Think about what you said Narly lol
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How funny is that?
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