On the street, the weather, to say the least, does not correspond very well to the middle of the first month of spring. However, one should not forget that it can change just as quickly. Why am I asking you? And besides, dear reader, it is better to cook the sleighs from the summer, and the trimmer for the summer season since winter 🙂 How to choose a trimmer so that it serves faithfully for many years, I want to tell you in this article!
Types of trimmers:
Trimmers differ in many parameters, but highlighting the main ones, we have the following division: by power source, by power, by engine location, by drive type, by handle type and, importantly, by weight. Let us examine these main differences in more detail:
Cordless trimmers.
Quite an interesting, but ineffective kind of hand-mowers, due to low power. Suitable only for rare use in a small area with uncharted vegetation, or perfectly complement the more powerful four-wheel counterpart. Batteries are designed for 20-40 minutes of continuous operation, and the charging process can reach a fairly long period, up to a day. Of the advantages, of course, it is impossible not to note the low weight and independence from the electrical network, which makes this already compact type of trimmer even more mobile! Masterly and quick mowing of soft weed in hard to reach places, this is his strong point!
Electric trimmers.
The most popular type of mowers, often found on the balance of household equipment ordinary man in the street. Professional models of this type are very rare. Power trimmers with an electric motor reach 1.4 kW, which is quite enough for comfortable use in the summer cottage, even with thick grass. The dependence on electricity sets a specific framework for a trimmer. Limited cable length and extension cords, will bring much less benefit in large areas than battery or gasoline. Mowing grass after the rain will also be quite problematic. But do not forget the fact that electric trimmers are quite quiet and most of them have low weight, allowing even older people to cope with a scythe!
Petrol trimmers.
For the most part, used for professional purposes or on fairly large areas. The power of gasoline braids reaches 3 kW, which on some models allows the use of a drive or attachments in addition to the fishing line and knife. Petrol trimmers have considerable weight, which greatly limits the time of continuous operation. Gasoline trimmer engines are either two-stroke, working on a mixture of gasoline and oil, and four-stroke, in the latter case, gasoline and oil are poured separately. Four-stroke engines consume less fuel than two-stroke engines, and they have less emission of harmful substances into the environment. However, it is worth considering that the push-pull version of the engine is lighter than the four-stroke and in most cases cheaper. The spit gasoline engine produces quite a lot of noise, which can lead to some misunderstanding from the side, especially in the evening! This type of trimmer is limited only by the capacity of the fuel tank, which allows mowing in large areas, in all weather conditions!
Summarizing the types of engine mowers, we note that the battery and electric trimmers are lightweight and less noise than the gasoline. The gasoline engine, in turn, is more powerful and versatile.
Power is the main parameter that determines the scope and effectiveness of the trimmer. Touching the power of the engines, it is necessary to take into account the fact that for mowing the grass on flat areas, not overgrown with thick bushes, a trimmer with a power of up to 500 watts is enough. If at the site there is a variety of vegetation that is varied in terms of rigidity and height, overgrown and covered with small bushes, then a trimmer with a power of 500 to 1000 watts will be needed to more confidently and effectively bringing the site in order. In the most neglected areas, you can not do without a trimmer with a knife and a power much more significant than 1 kW.
The trimmer motor can have either an upper or lower motor arrangement.:
- The lower location of the engine, in most cases, characteristic of the battery trimmers, but is also found on electric models. Of the obvious advantages of such an arrangement of the engine, it is worth noting a more balanced design and less vibration, which allows you to use the trimmer continuously for a longer time. However, the trimmer with the engine located below cannot cut the wet grass.
- The top location of the engine is much more common and is used by manufacturers on electric and gasoline trimmers. This arrangement allows you to use a thicker fishing line or knife, in the case of gasoline trimmers. Promotes mowing even wet grass.
According to the type of drive, there are trimmers with both a flexible shaft, inherent for household models, and with a rigid shaft, more often found on more powerful and professional mowers. Hard gear shaft is considered more reliable, in contrast to the flexible gearless shaft. The transfer of rotation from the engine to the head in the latter case occurs through a steel cable, and in the hard version using a full-fledged shaft with a gearbox located inside the spit rod. Curved bar trimmers can use only fishing line and plastic knives as accessories, with a straight line, in turn, with metal knives or discs.
By type of pen it is worth distinguishing two most common types:
- D-shaped handle prevails in the battery, and electric types of trimmers do not reduce mobility and at the same time allows you to hold the tool with two hands.
- T-shaped or J-shaped, it’s also a bicycle handle, is more common on powerful electric and gasoline trimmers, and allows you to simulate the movement of an ordinary oblique.
The weight of the trimmer is an important factor that you should pay attention to when choosing. It is influenced by all other parameters, whether it is the type of handle, the type of the transmission shaft or the capacity of the gas tank. Choosing trimmers with a weight of more than 5 kilograms do not forget to pay attention to the presence of a belt, preferably a backpack type, this will make it easier to control the scythe and distribute its weight over the whole body.
Summing up, we will try to collect information together. The first thing worth noting for yourself before going to the choice of the trimmer is the area of mowing and the state of the grass cover of the site, as well as the presence of stones on the ground. If the mowing area is small and the grass in the area is quite soft, it is quite possible to do with low-power accumulator and electric trimmers, well, and if you are the owner of a huge area, it will be much more efficient to purchase and use powerful gasoline spit. The presence of stones at the site will limit your choice in the direction of the trimmer that can only use a fishing line because in this case, the use of knives will be ineffective and costly since sharpening the knife without disturbing the balance is problematic and will have to buy new ones. In the case of a catastrophically overgrown and shrub-rich state of the territory, the more powerful petrol trimmer with a knife, or even a disk, will become an indispensable assistant.
As you understand, the choice of trimmer requires an individual approach. Much depends on the specific tasks that need to be addressed with the help of this wonderful tool. I hope this information will make your search a little easier and will highlight critical points before how to choose a trimmer for yourself!
And how did you choose the trimmer? What parameters were oriented? Was he able to complete the tasks assigned to him?