How to mow with a gasoline trimmer

How to mow with a trimmer with a knife

Have you ever wondered? How to correctly mow grass with a trimmer. No? That’s an interesting question. Let’s get to the bottom of this.

Lawn trimmer is the most universal tool you’ve ever had at your disposal. Powerful grass trimmers, popularly called brushcutters, can do more than just even out the edges of your lawn. They can be equipped with metal blades for removing weeds, reeds, bushes and even small trees.

As powerful grass trimmers cut larger and tougher plants than conventional electric grass trimmers or grass trimmers with a curved shaft. Their handling and safety precautions are also very important.

So, how to properly and safely mow with a trimmer:

Protective equipment when working with a brushcutter (trimmer)

Tip: This article does not supersede the instructions in the use and safety manual. Always read the product manual before use and follow safety procedures.

To work safely with a brushcutter (trimmer) you will need

  • Helmet;
  • Earmuffs;
  • Eye protection (mesh guard or goggles, or better use both);
  • Long, sturdy pants (your shins are in close proximity to the knife or fishing line, so they must be protected);
  • Safety boots with non-slip soles (preferably with a steel toe);
  • Soft gloves (for protection and vibration absorption);

Getting to know your tools

The question of how to correctly mow with a gasoline grass trimmer is mostly posed by beginners who have recently acquired these tools. Before starting work, it is advisable to know the design and construction of the lawnmower. The main structural elements of the tools in question include:

  • Gasoline 2-stroke engine. There are tools with 4-stroke engines, the disadvantage of which is their high weight
  • Fuel tank. a container for storing diluted gasoline and oil
  • Reducer. the transmission mechanism through which the torque is transmitted from the engine shaft to the working body
  • Starter. a device for starting the gasoline engine
  • Boom. a rigid base that connects the engine with the working body

In addition to gasoline trimmers, manufacturers also produce electric and battery-powered analogues. The main disadvantage of gasoline machines in comparison with electric and battery-powered ones is their heavy weight. Weight of gasoline-type trimmers reaches 8-10 kg (4-stroke), which depends primarily on the power. To simplify the operation of the tool, manufacturers supplement their units with special straps, also called unloading straps.

Know the design of the tool in order to learn how to operate it correctly. Unlike electric and battery-powered counterparts, gasoline grass trimmers not only need to know how to mow, but also how to start the engine.

This is interesting!To start the electric lawnmower you only need to press the start button, while the petrol unit is started by using the starter.

Care of the machine

For the lawnmower to serve you well and for a long time, you need to carry out a number of measures to care for it.

  • The grass trimmer should be stored in a dry room.
  • After each use, the device should be cleaned of grass and debris.
  • The air filter and cooling grille on the gasoline grass trimmer motor should be periodically cleaned in the manner described in the instruction manual for the technique.
  • Keep an eye on the lubrication in the gearbox.

If the gasoline grass trimmer is not needed for a long time, you should empty its tank, let it idle to burn off residual fuel, lubricate the engine. The composite rod should be disassembled and the joints should be treated with preservative grease to prevent rusting. All the nuances of storage and maintenance are explained in detail in the user manual, which can be downloaded in case of loss.

Care of the grass trimmer

After finishing work, a special care of the hand trimmer is required: the technique should be cleaned of the remains of grass, and then neatly folded until the next time.

A trimmer line is wound onto the bobbin to cut the grass. Its edges are always visible on the outside. In order not to damage the line for the trimmer, you do not need to bring the grass trimmer head close to curbs, fences and other solid objects. Do not touch the ground and the bobbin itself, which is attached to the line for the trimmer.

The grass should be mowed with the tips of the line. this achieves a greater effect. If you mow with a full length of line, the motor will overheat. If the grass is tall, there’s no need to try to cut it all in one go. At least you need to go twice. Otherwise the grass will wind up on the spool. If this happens, the motor starts to overload. Stop work occasionally and clean the grass trimmer head. Meanwhile the engine can cool down.

Assembling the grass trimmer by Steps

Fix the handle of the tool

Unscrew the thumbscrew 2. Remove the upper cover fasteners

To adjust the handle you need to loosen the knob and move it. After that you should fix the screw.

FUBAG electric trimmers are equipped with rubberized handles, which increases comfort and safety. They allow to hold the tool securely even in wet hands.

Putting on the safety cover

Align the holes in the protective cover and the attachment plate.

Fasten the hood on the bar with screws and washers with the included wrench.

In this model, the cover is attached with metal plates on both sides. This ensures additional reliability and durability of the grass trimmer.

The shell itself is made of firm but elastic plastic. The material is sure to keep from chipping when hitting small obstacles. We advise to pay attention to this, if you are just going to choose an electric trimmer for grass or gasoline trimmer.

Putting on the shoulder strap

One of the easiest operations at assembling the electric trimmer. Many people will intuitively understand how to attach the shoulder strap. For those who are not sure, we decided to add some important points to the instructions:

Attach the carabiner to the belt loop 2. Adjusting the position of the mounting ring on the rod 3. Fix the ring with the fixing screw

Install the spool of fishing line

To begin with we align the hole on the washer with the hole in the gear cup and lock with a special rod.

Unscrew fixing nut from hub clockwise. 3. Remove the cup from the shaft and the pressure washer

Screw the spool with the fishing line counterclockwise to the stop, holding the rod.

When selecting a grass trimmer you must take into account the quality of the bobbin from the kit. Often it is the spool that becomes the subject of savings to reduce the overall price of the product. How to spot a flaw? A good spool is a quality plastic, easy to open and allows you to refill the line for the trimmer without much difficulty.

How to attach a disc or fishing line to your trimmer

The cutting mill is attached to the drive. The mounting location is called the gearbox. It is not difficult to cope with the task of installing the disk or spool. The principle of attaching the cutting blades to the trimmer is as follows:

  • The washer is fastened first with the hexagon wrench.
  • Putting the disc on the shaft
  • Then install the top washer, and then tighten it with the retaining nut
  • You need to turn the nut with a special socket wrench, which is usually equipped with each tool
  • The nut rotates counterclockwise
  • During rotation, it is necessary to jam the shaft with an Allen wrench

In the opposite order the disc is removed and replaced with a trimmer. For more information on how to install the line spool on the brushcutter, see. This article.

How to mow tall grass with a trimmer

Ideally, tall grass can be mowed with a powerful trimmer with a thick line. But, agree, the land where weeds grow is not always smooth, landowners often have bushes and all kinds of debris, stones on their plots. To avoid ruining your expensive equipment, it’s best to mow in two steps. That is, first of all we cut the tops of the stalks, look through the area, analyzing the “complicated areas”, and then we make the whole procedure of mowing with a gasoline mower.

If you have to make hay, and you are more or less familiar with the condition of the ground, it is easier to forecast your work. Any grass mowing technique can also cope with high bushes. The main thing is not to hurry up and to approach the process, that’s what we demonstrate in the practical video.

  • do not overload the mechanism;
  • if the grass gets tangled, turn the machine off immediately
  • Do not mow wet grass, even with a gasoline trimmer.

Buy a grass trimmer reel, knives and discs. you can always at us, in the store KosiKosa.

Filling up the brushcutter

not pure gasoline, but a working mixture, which must be prepared in certain proportions.

The combustible mixture consists of gasoline with an octane number of 95 and quality oil designed for two-stroke engines with air cooling.

The ratio should be 25 parts gasoline to 1 part oil.

It is better to mix the components in a separate container, from which with the help of a funnel then pour the mixture into the fuel tank.

After filling up the grass trimmer you need to wipe the whole surface dry in places with traces of spilled liquid.

Technical specifications

When choosing a quality line for the grass trimmer, you need to pay attention to the technical parameters of the product. For productive work of your garden tool you need to take into account the thickness of the line, its strength and the shape of the cross-section of the string

Classification by diameter

For lawnmowers, lines with a diameter of 1.2 to 4 mm are commercially available. Dense filaments are used infrequently. Generally, the grass trimmer is filled with a cord not more than 3.2 mm thick.

The range of lines for grass trimmer is very wide

Each type of grass mowing equipment has its own line thickness. If you use a thinner string than is appropriate for a particular model, the shaft speed will increase, which can lead to reduced functionality of the mechanism. Too much string in the grass trimmer slows down the rotation and often causes the engine to malfunction.

There is therefore a specific line diameter for each class of grass trimmer:

  • Thin line. 1,2 to 1,6 mm. This line is designed for regular lawn care. It is usually used in electric trimmers with low power. 500W. Mows young grass well.
  • Medium-diameter trimmer line. 2.2.4 mm. Use cord, both for gasoline trimmers, and for devices operating on electricity. This line allows you to mow not only succulent grass, but also dry, tough lawns.
  • Thick cord. 3. 3,2 mm. The line is attached to powerful devices for trimming plants with thick stems and dead wood.

2mm diameter yarn is used for gasoline trimmers with a bent shaft. For models with a straight construction of the mower’s moving mechanism, thicker cords are usually suitable. 2.4. 3 mm.

gasoline, trimmer

4 mm trimmer lines can be installed in lawnmowers with very powerful engines. It is most often used to remove overgrown weeds with thick and stiff stems.

Choose a thread to the trimmer required thickness can be according to the operating instructions attached to the machine.

Classification by sectional shape

Trimmer lines are available in different cross sections. The round shape is considered the most important. They are versatile and inexpensive.

Each form of cross section of the line has its own purpose, as well as the advantages and disadvantages:

  • Round thread. The line for trimmers comes in different thicknesses and is therefore used for cutting any kind of grass vegetation. At a low flow rate, it can withstand considerable loads. The disadvantages of twisted cord are its high noise level and its inability to cut tree-trunk bushes.
  • Twisted cord. With this shape you can mow hard grass, including rough dead grass. Trimmer line is very strong and silent. But can only be used with certain lawnmowers. Also the twisted cord is relatively inexpensive.
  • Multifaceted line for trimmer. The line can have from three to six facets. Used for powerful devices. Easily cuts through overgrown dead wood and shrubs with sturdy, tough branches. The only disadvantage is the high consumption of the product.
  • Curved cord. String withstands considerable loads. Cuts grass in any density and density, including brushwood.This line requires a special spool. Used infrequently because of the high cost.

For regular lawn care, round threads are mainly used. All other products with different cross-sectional shapes are used only on thickened areas, where you need to make more effort to clean it.

For regular lawn care, round yarns are mainly used

Classification by structure

An important criterion for selecting a grass trimmer line is its structure. The qualities and type of material determine the service life of the product. There are three types of trimmer fishing line produced:

  • Nylon. The most common type of thread for lawn mowers. It is elastic and lightweight. the material is highly wear-resistant and does not deteriorate due to temperature changes. Profitability of line use is justified by its low cost and productivity.
  • Coaxial. Elastic yarn with a strong core inside. This line for trimmer has high wear resistance and withstands the heaviest loads. It is considered the most expensive and the most robust.
  • With aluminum inlay. With such a line you can mow rough thickets of weeds, it contains small fragments of aluminum, which give it high strength.

Nylon thread is the most popular among users. Aluminum and coaxial lines for trimmers are mainly used for trimming sturdy branches and dense thickets with a high-power grass trimmer

Which is better: a grass trimmer or a lawnmower

Each grass trimmer has advantages and disadvantages. Based on your needs, you should choose the one whose advantages will be great in this situation.

Advantages and disadvantages of lawn trimmer for grass:

  • Compact. Compared to a lawnmower, the grass trimmer is much smaller.
  • Mobility. The grass trimmer is easy to use and can be used on small lawns.
  • Indispensable in hard-to-reach places.
  • Can be used on uneven ground.
  • Requires no special maintenance after work. Simply clean grass clippings and check the trimmer line.
  • Easy to transport.
  • Price appeal. Grass trimmer costs less than lawnmower.
  • The device has a small power.
  • Mowing grass spreads on the lawn. After work it is necessary to collect the mowed grass.
  • Can pull poorly rooted grass with roots.
  • Mowing in wet grass is forbidden.
  • Mowing is noisy.

Advantages and disadvantages of using a lawn mower

  • Mowing quality is even and neat, with a width of 30-40 cm.
  • Does not pull grass up by the root.
  • Mowing is nearly silent.
  • Equipped with a grass catcher box, there is no need to collect the cuttings after use.
  • Using the device does not require special skills and great physical exertion.
  • Only suitable for medium to large lawns.
  • Used on young lawns with not very tall grass.
  • Productive on flat areas and on slopes not exceeding 10 degrees.

To care for the lawn on the cottage site it is better to buy a gasoline trimmer for grass. It allows you to cut vegetation with different stem thickness. If the lawn at the cottage is uniform, it will be sufficient to buy an electric grass trimmer with a capacity of 1 kW. Before buying, it’s a good idea to think about storage and transportation.

Did you know? The first garden trimmer invented was for removing weeds around trees. Its uniqueness was that as a result of the work, the bark of the trees was not damaged.

For areas with wild vegetation it is better to use a metal blade as a cutting tool. Select the device should be based on the work that it will regularly perform. Excessive power greatly increases grass trimmer weight and fuel consumption. The disadvantage. leads to poor quality work and even breakage of the tool.

Also the ignition coil may be broken in the electrical system. In this case, the lawnmower does not start or starts and works intermittently, and then shuts down, or on the “hot” does not start at all.

Check the health of the coil can be the same as in checking the spark: unscrew the spark plug, lean it against the body of the grass trimmer. If there is no spark when the starter jerk, or it appears intermittently, then the coil must be changed.

If all is well with electrics, check carburetor.

There are vacuum carburetors on grass trimmers. When disassembling, cleaning or washing it, you must be extremely careful. in no case disassemble the lower part of the carburetor, where the primer is. The air filter (it is visible if you remove the protective cover from the carburetor) should be washed with detergents. Best for washing dishes. Put it back in its place after drying. We wash the carburetor with clean gasoline and blow out all the holes with a pump. We also rinse the filter of the gas pipe, then we dry and assemble everything. Usually after all the manipulation grass trimmer begins to work.

Thin rope instead of a fishing line, is it worth putting it on a brushcutter??

This thought occurs to almost everyone who had to mow 10 acres overgrown with tall grass. At first glance, this seems like a good idea. Cord is stronger than a fishing line, it doesn’t wear out as much. But it’s not that simple.

Description of the grass trimmer for mowing the lawn

The grass trimmer is essentially an electric scythe. It looks like a long pole, one end of which is a mechanism for cutting, and the other is a handle to hold the tool. The engine can be at the top or bottom of the pole. it depends on whether it is a gasoline grass trimmer or electric.

These grass-cutting tools come in:

Did you know? Grass trimmer invented by a businessman from Texas. He was far from being technically adept and had spent his whole life in show business.

The efficiency of the described device depends on:

The working principle of the grass trimmer is simple. the drive, gasoline or electric, spins a reel, in which are installed a line for trimmer and spool. The ends of the line, peeking out, straighten out and act like blades when rotated. The thickness of the line can vary. from 1 mm for constant weekly mowing to 4 mm for particularly overgrown areas.

Electric tool has a number of advantages and disadvantages.

  • Its advantages can be called:
  • almost noiseless operation;
  • the lightness of the tool;
  • ease of operation;
  • the consumable material is only a line for the trimmer.
  • Minuses of such tools are considered:
  • dependence on the length of the cord and the electrical outlet;
  • Low power;
  • Wet grass operation forbidden.

Also during mowing you have to watch the cable, which can get under the cutting part of the tool. If the area is very overgrown, do not cut the grass in one go. You should cover the area several times, removing 10-15 cm of the ground surface.

Important! For particularly overgrown areas with a high grass cover choose trimmer models equipped with sharp-toothed discs.

Cordless grass trimmers are relatives of electric grass trimmers. They are different in that they don’t need to be plugged in. you just need to charge the battery. However, such a tool can work for 25-30 min.

In this time you can mow an area of 100 m². Then the device has to be charged, and this takes 5 to 10 hours. You can buy a few spare batteries and you can extend the mowing time by 1 to 2 hours.

Gasoline grass trimmers use expensive fuel. If the owner of the site has no problems with the purchase of gasoline, then you can opt for this option. It’s more powerful than an electric one and isn’t limited by battery power.

With this type of tool, you can mow until the fuel runs out or the line for the trimmer runs out. In addition, these trimmers for grass, working on a mixture of gasoline and oil, is much more powerful electric. You can mow up to 1,000 m² of grass with a machine like this.

The two disadvantages of the gasoline lawnmower are noise and exhaust fumes. In addition, if you do not observe the correct composition of the mixture, the device can start with problems. Gasoline lawn trimmers are almost like lawnmowers. It has two large wheels, which improve handling and cross-country ability on particularly difficult terrains.

Rules for mowing

Mowing the lawn with this machine is easy. It must be held by the handle and made a circular motion. There are grass trimmers equipped with shoulder straps and curved handles that make work easier.

gasoline, trimmer

Did you know? The first grass trimmer consisted of an empty can with holes, a drill and a thick fishing line. It was devised in the 1970s.

When mowing, a number of mandatory rules should be followed:

  • Do not mow after it has rained or in high temperatures. The first method cuts the lawn unevenly because the soil is saturated, the second method cuts the lawn unevenly.
  • You should first mow the area around the edges, and then remove the excess grass in the center of the area. This helps to ensure the grass is the same length when cutting.
  • After trimming, the plants should be watered and nourished, since cutting is stressful for them. These measures will help keep your lawn looking its best.
  • Always collect the removed grass tops and remove them from the area.

The first mowing of a new lawn is done after 7-10 days. Subsequently this work should be carried out from April to October. The frequency of cutting depends on the variety of plants and the weather, but in any case it should be done once a week, and in early summer once every 3-4 days. The height of the cover must not exceed 6 cm.