In our town if you don't keep the grass mowed often in your front yard and along the curb they hire someone else to do it and then you get fined. My problem was my lawn mower won't start it is in need of my brothers expert touch, but he has not had time to work on it. And so I was stuck watching the grass grow higher and no way to mow it down unless I got out there on my knees with my trusty grass clippers. What a chore that would be. So a light bulb flashed in my brain, as my granny used to say, and I went to the hardware store and bought a electric weed-eater. Home I came and put it together all except for the front handle as I could not figure out how to slide something on to something much bigger then space allowed. Always a catch when I a mere woman tries to put a machine together. I did not let that stop me, out the door I went and plugged in two long extension cords and plugged it in. I had to hold on to the main bar since the front handle was not attached but it worked great. Got the grass mowed down and the weeds cut in record time. Without the front handle I did have to stop often because the vibration made my hand go numb. The backyard has to wait for the lawn mower, but I am satisfied with my bright idea and the nice look of my front lawn. Have you ever had a light bulb moment that saved you time or solved a problem that needed done as soon as possible, then share it here.
I have a terrible time trying to put together any kind of a tool or other mechanical device; so I do know exactly what you are saying, @Sandy Wood ! When you show your brother, he will probably just laugh, turn the handle the opposite way that you have been trying to make it fit, and it will slide right together. At least that is how it works with me. Somehow, the handle of the vacuum cleaner fell off when I was vacuuming one day. I tried for what seemed like a half hour to get it back together again........ I mean, it just FELL apart, how hard could it be ? I wanted to have the vacuuming all done before Bobby got back home, but (naturally) there I was with the parts all over the floor when he walked back in the door a little bit later. He just shook his head, picked up the pieces, and they all went back together in a few seconds. He showed me how to do it; but I am sure that if it falls apart again, I still won't be able to geet it back together again this time either. Anyway...... About the weedeater...... Great idea ! I have several weedeaters and they are not as handy as a lawnmower for doing the whole lawn, but I am sure that you will be using it all around the property for places the lawnmower won't work. PS check craigslist for a used electric lawnmower. They are often very cheap, and much simpler to start.
Sandy, don't sell yourself short! I'm sure if the pressure was off to cut the grass,you would have figured it out. Good job!
I am not particularly mechanically inclined, although the highest paying job I've ever had was as a bag machine adjuster, but lawn mowers are fairly easy. Apart from the lawn mower here at home, I have another one that lives under a tarp in the woods all winter. When my lawn mower doesn't start, I dump the gas out and put new gas in. Then I clean the fuel filters and, so far, that has always done the trick. If it didn't, I'd just buy a new one since you can find them new for under $100 these days. I find weed eaters to be complicated, particularly when it comes to replacing the plastic string. A weed eater will work fine for me until I use up the string that came with it, and then I may as well just throw it away. But I don't throw them away. I put them in the shed and then buy another one.
The weedeaters I can usually figure out how to refill the trimmer string. If Bobby and I ever take a vacation to Maine, we can re-string all of your weedeaters for you, @Ken Anderson , and then you will be good to go for another long time, until you use up all of the string again. Or....... You could ask the next kid that comes by wanting to earn some money to go and do it. That is an even better plan. Put him on retainer, and you won't have to ever buy weedeaters again. (Be sure to tell him you are just way too BUSY to take care of that right now, and he will never guess the truth, although he might wonder why you need so many weedeaters.)
Ha, I couldn't afford a lawn mower, so I bought a trimmer last year and have been doing this ever since. I occasionally borrow a mower from the neighbors, and use that to trim up the front and also mow the back. I'm working to minimize the impact of the weeds, but haven't found anything that's been very successful, although I've tried natural and also chemical methods. Amazingly enough, I was actually able to put the trimmer together myself. I'm not great with mechanical things, so I was surprised. You could try looking for an online video showing how to put it together, either from the company, or on YouTube. I do that when I am unable to figure things like that out, and am usually successful.
I sold all my gas weedeaters and got one of these. It's great and so easy to replace the string too. https://www.ryobitools.com/outdoor/products/details/578
I have a Black and Decker re-chargeable weedeater, and that is actually the one that i use the most often anymore. The gas weedeater is a Featherlite; but if it dies when I am using it, then it is hard to restart, and I usually end up waiting for it to cool down and then it will start up just fine again. The little electric one is fine if I am using it close to the house where we can plug in the extension cord; but when I get further away, then I have to try and miss all of the plants in between so I don't drag the cord over them. The battery-operated one does run down in about 15-20 minutes; but by then I am ready for a break anyway and put it back up on the charger.
That looks like a nice one @Sheldon Scott. I used to use a gas one, but it was heavy, cumbersome, and difficult to start and restart, and ultimately, just didn't work for me. I got this electric one last year, but I overbought on the cord, so it's always catching up on the fence, the tree, and whatever else it can get caught on. It's lighter than the gas one, but if I ever get the money, I'm definitely going to consider a cordless one, if I can find one that's lightweight enough for me.
I switch from a gas trimmer to an electric one. I thought about a battery operated trimmer like having the continuous power feed. I have been seeing commercials of another battery operated trimmer made by Greenworks. There are interchangeable parts to it that all work with the same battery. Frankly, I'm more comfortable with using just one tool for its purpose.
When you have a lot of weeds to whack, cords and batteries can be a hassle. I have found a gas trimmer works best for my needs. I just replaced mine yesterday, and my old one worked good for six years, with no problems. Every tool requires upkeep and maintenance. There are no shortcuts.
I have a rechargeable trimmer. It is pretty powerful and once it is charged, the charge stays good for a fairly long period of time. It is more of a weedwacker than a trimmer, but it can technically be used for both I think. Some of my bushes are getting so call that I will probably have to climb up on something to reach the top of them though. I don;t like to pay for gas so I think the rechargeable one is the best for my needs.
@Yvonne Smith, remember how you said this "I have a terrible time trying to put together any kind of a tool or other mechanical device; so I do know exactly what you are saying, @Sandy Wood ! When you show your brother, he will probably just laugh, turn the handle the opposite way that you have been trying to make it fit, and it will slide right together. Well my brother came in unscrewed the handle slid it right on quicker than you could blink an eye and tightened it down. I just stood there in awe wondering how he did that when for the life of me it seemed impossible. So now my weed eater is ready to go. I told him the filter in the lawnmower was dirty and maybe I should get a new one. He says don't buy one wash it out. So I will be trying that soon. I do that same thing on my vacuum cleaners, but never thought about the lawn mower. Learn something new every day. lol