Weed Eater Use: How-To Guide for Easier Landscaping

You might be right in the lawnmower season. If that is the case, then you know the time has come to dust of your weed eater and crank it up for the season ahead of you. It will pay off big time to educate yourself regarding weed eater dos and don’ts.

Regardless of how much you argue that your push or riding mower can take care of everything, there will always be grassy areas that are out of reach of your lawnmower.

This would include the areas around foundation walls, flowerbeds and decks, around trees, and fence lines.

While these trimmers might be efficient and reliable to operate, it will do you no good if you do not use power tools like these properly as you can easily injure either yourself or someone else.

Ensure you adhere to recommended weed eater dos and don’ts at all times for your own safety and that of other people.

Weed Eater Dos: How to Properly Use a Weed Eater

Firstly, you need to ensure you start your trimming duties in the afternoon when there is no dew present.

Following are some of the "dos" you need to put into practice:

  • Get rid of any rocks, garbage, and sticks all along the edges where you will be performing your trimming tasks.
  • Ensure you safeguard your eyes from any flying debris by wearing tight-fitting safety glasses.
  • Put on work boots that feature non-slip soles.
  • Wear work gloves to help protect your hands.
  • Make a point of wearing long pants when performing trimming duties.
  • Remove the battery or unplug the weed eater power cord before making any adjustments or changes to the cutting line.
  • Keep pets and kids at least 30 to 60 feet away from the power trimmer when in operation.
  • Wear earmuffs as hearing protectors when you utilize gas-powered trimmers.
  • Ensure the trimmer guard is in position to avoid damaging fence posts, house siding, and any other wooden surfaces.
  • Hold the head of the weed in a straight position so you may cut evenly.
  • Check and clean the trimmer’s spark plug every now and again.
  • Keep an extra spool of cutting line handy, so you can easily replace the trimming line when needed.

Weed Eater Don’ts: What to Avoid

  • Do not use your trimmer when you are barefoot or wearing sandals.
  • Refrain from engaging in any trimming work at dusk.
  • Never force your weed eater to wade its way through thick patches of grass. Rather cut into the thicker patches a little bit at a time and work your way down.
  • Do not attempt to cut through thick vines, twigs, or stalks.
  • Never swing your trimmer in an uncontrolled manner. Instead engage in slow, yet deliberate passes to ensure cutting efficiency.
  • Do not add stale gasoline to your gas-powered weed eater.
  • Do not neglect to monitor the oil level of your gas-powered trimmer before every use.
  • Do not be reckless when trimming around a tree bark as you may permanently scar the tree.
  • Ensure you never trim too close to the base of the lawn as you are sure to scare the area, which will lead to a bald spot.
  • Never forget to replace or clean your air filter for a gas trimmer. Do this every year.
  • Do not store your cordless weed eater with the battery still in it.

How to Keep Your Edges In Pristine Condition with a weed eater

As you would have discovered by now, there are an array of weed eater dos and don’ts that will serve you well in caring for your trimmer in the best possible way.

This would involve, knowing the correct cutting techniques, when to perform much-needed maintenance, and whether or not you should trim around shrubs, trees, or when other people are around.

In fact, experts reckon that one of the best weed eaters would be an electric powered one.

In our opinion, battery-powered trimmers are just as good. Both gardeners and homeowners will find it a treat to walk past an area of their lawn where the edges are trimmed to perfection.

No doubt, it wasn’t by accident that the edges or side paths look so good. A lot of care and preparation in following tried and tested weed eater dos and don’ts were involved in getting their gardens to be a feast on the eye.

Resources— Urban Organic Yield, PowerTool Lab, Worx Toolshed

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