Cutting grass around pond

[Thomabear]

Late to the party but I think you made a good choice. I use a similiar Stihl unit to do my pond and it works great. Took a 2 hour weed wacker job down to a 30 minute job. You are also correct that it is nice to have the grass lay down in place instead of the week wacker throwing it into the pond.

Glad to hear that!
I'll give the trimmer a try in the next week or so. The trimmer I purchased is a little heavier than a weed wacker but the speed at which it cuts should make up for the additional weight. I got to test it on some weeds today and that thing flies through some tough stuff. Definitely much faster than a weed wacker.

 

[lostcreekranch]

We bought a Swisher string trimmer on wheels, from TSC about 7 or 8 years ago and use that, long handled grass shears, and our old-style DR Brush mower to keep the grass and weeds down, but in 2012, we ended up regrading our bank to allow a more gentle slope than the just sub-90 degrees we inherited when we bought the place, and that makes the trimmer even more useable. This is a similar, though much more expensive model: CountyLine® Briggs & Stratton 190cc, 4-Cycle Wheeled String Trimmer, CARB Compliant - Tractor Supply Co. We have used an electric hedge clipper mounted on a pvc pipe using a hinge (to get some ability to angle it ) to reach out and cut weeds in the water near the bank, but for obvious reasons, you need to be careful about the cord- my wife has shortened one of our outdoor cords a few feet at a time over the past few years. Also not submerging it is helpfyl, though you can (carefully) cut a little below the surface if you are really careful. Thomas

PA;

Think the one at TSC is made by Swisher?

Thanks

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[PhysAssist]

PA;

Think the one at TSC is made by Swisher?

Thanks

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

The one WE bought from there was, the one I linked to is apparently the one they carry now.

De nada,
Thomas

 

[Thomabear]

Well I finally got to test the hedge trimmer around the pond. Boy am I ever glad I went this route. The speed at which this machine flies through weeds is amazing. I would say the cutting time is about 20% to that of a weed eater. Maybe even less... The unit is a little heavier but you won't get near as tired due to the speed at which the job will be finished. As reported by others and expected the grass stays out of the pond and lays right where it's cut. This is a big plus for me due to pond health and protecting the bank from erosion. The job was done in about 15-20 minutes and I was drinking beer in 30. Definitely would go this route again. Cheers! Tom

 

[Coyote machine]

Can you post some pics of before/after or vid in action?
BTW, I have an Echo articulating hedge trimmer attachment for one of their multi attachment models. Haven't used it for my pond edge cleanup yet, but plan on trying it now. Have used my Scag Wildcat 61" deck at times, very risky and hard to control. Have used weed eaters, Dr. Trimmer/Mower, and all throw grass/weeds into pond- not ideal.
Don't want to use chemicals either if I can avoid doing so. :thumbsup:

Thanks for your post, it helped me conclude what you did would work best.:cool2:

 

[boggen]

some folks are talking push mowers, and push weed eaters. i have been through some of them. some i just *scratch my head* in what in the world was these folks thinking? when they placed engine on these. more so with how the oil is dealt with inside the engine. get them on to much of an angle. and ya blowing smoke and fire out of the muffler. and hoping ya don't have to much of dried up vegetation ya just been cutting around.

for lake side doing clear around it. prefer a self propelled push weed eater type. but with a better blade vs string on it.

though now seeing some folks using the "hedge clippers" on 2 cycle hand held weed eater.... i might see how much one of them attachments are!

partial reason for buying a straight shaft weed eater, was for blade attachments vs string head. that and longer use out of straight shaft vs bent / curved shaft weed eater.

 

[Coyote machine]

My Echo is straight shaft with mid shaft attachment point for power broom, articulating hedge shears, weed eater heads, blade type weed head, chainsaw pruning head, etc. The hedge trimmer was a couple hundred, but well worth it. The big up front cost is the machine with split shaft capability; again worth it as one great tool for many jobs.

 

[Thomabear]

Can you post some pics of before/after or vid in action?
BTW, I have an Echo articulating hedge trimmer attachment for one of their multi attachment models. Haven't used it for my pond edge cleanup yet, but plan on trying it now. Have used my Scag Wildcat 61" deck at times, very risky and hard to control. Have used weed eaters, Dr. Trimmer/Mower, and all throw grass/weeds into pond- not ideal.
Don't want to use chemicals either if I can avoid doing so. :thumbsup:

Thanks for your post, it helped me conclude what you did would work best.:cool2:

I'll try to get a pic or vid when I go back up there. Probably after the weekend. I won't be able to get an original before pic because the weeds were tall and that was my 1st and most aggressive cut. The pond should be ready for at least a haircut now so if the wife comes with me I'll shoot a vid, if not I'll at least get some pics.

 

[djw250]

I use my stihl trimmer with the adjustable hedge head (just like the one in your first picture) also and it works great. Since you can adjust the angle, I can set it so I can stand up straight. Between that and the speed at which it cuts, it's MUCH better than a string trimmer for this task. Just be careful not to hit gravel, wire, or other hard objects with the blades as they chip and bend pretty easy. It's not too hard to sharpen them with a file. Wish I had done this years ago.