Best Wheeled, String Trimmer to Buy?

[My Hoe]

Hi all,

Due to back/foot problems, I have to limit both my time on small, riding mowers (rough ride quality) and time holding up heavier string trimmers.

Plus, our new (to us) property has lots of gently-sloping hills/apron areas (think, around the entrances to the barn/outbuildings, etc...) that would be perfect for a powered, walk behind mower, but too steep for a B-sized Kubota (which I want for other purposes).

And the walk behind mower won't solve the large amount of string trimming required.

So...never having seen one in action, does the DR String Trimmer actually let you do the type of "fine trimming" needed, around the bases of buildings?

Can it also serve as a small lawnmower, on these apron areas, eliminating the need for the use of a weed-whacker AND a walk-behind mower?

Due to the hills, I would want power-on-the-wheels.

Can anyone recommend a specific DR model?

Is there a brand OTHER THAN DR, which anyone can recommend?

My neighbor's Sears trimmer came with an (optional--$23.?) wheel kit, which allows you, in theory, to NOT hold up the weight of the trimmer-end of the whacker--it's running on wheels, and you just hold up the powerhead end.

The problem is: these wheels were the size of roller skate wheels--IMO, too small. They had too much rolling resistance, over a normal (bumpy) lawn.

I picked up a used (wheel-driven) seed broadcaster, with very lightweight, pneumatic (8"?) tires on plastic wheels, with the idea of converting it to a "wheel kit" for a conventional weed whacker. Why? Because those big, light, air-filled tires simply BOUND over a bumpy lawn, near-effortlessly, whereas my neighbor's 2" tall wheel kit made his trimmer push hard and get stuck a lot.

Has anyone seen a wheel kit for a weed whacker that uses the big (8"?), pneumatic tires I'm describing?

Thanks all, for entertaining my barrage of questions.

My Hoe

 

[MoKelly]

I don't have a DR but do have a Swisher model that is very similar.

Just a couple thoughts:

--- It is a brute of a machine. It uses 10.5 line (or something like that) vs. the 6.5 or 8.0 line typical in hand held trimmers.

--- It is meant for clearing areas that are over grown and long. I have never used it for grooming type trimming. I think it could be a little hard to get a good trim look. However, I guess it could be done.

--- The difficulty of a trimmer look may be because there is no wheel on the front --- just the two wheels on back. The wheels are solid rubber but large. It is not a light machine.

Perhaps, for the money, you might want to look at the new battery powered trimmers. They are very light and supposedly go a long time on one battery and are strong enough to do most grooming type trimming.

Good luck.

MoKelly

 

[Bird]

Fifteen years ago, I bought the top of the line electric start DR trimmer/mower and even got the beaver blade for it. They were not self propelled back then, nor would I see a need for self propulsion, but it was great. I loved it and even my wife used it. But a couple of years later we had to move back to town, so I sold it. I have no idea whether the new ones are as good or not.

 

[flusher]

I bought one of those Swisher wheeled string mowers in 2005 to clear tall weeds and brush around the 10 acre place I had just bought. Worked OK for that except it was awkward for mowing the 1/4 mile of road ditches on my place.

After a few months, I parked that mower and bought a commercial grade string mower with shoulder strap and did all my mowing with it for the 10 years I owned that property. Much easier than muscling that Swisher around.

 

[Avondale]

I bought the Mrs a DR Strimmer, ( Suburu engine). It has two wheels and electric start but is a push model. The seller did not recommend the self-powered version based on other customer feed back. Our's does a good job, can get pretty close to edges and uses various size strings depending of growth to be cut.

 

[k0ua]

I can't imagine how a self propelled one would work. You need to dwell too much in weed whacking. And Dr. Trimmers require a "horse" to push them up hill and is all you want and then some going down hill. I have mine still at Branson which is very hilly and it about useless to me. I used it a lot when I was a "flatlander" and thought it was great. I will sell it for a hundred bucks. I use an electric weed whacker now with lithium battery. Just too steep for the Dr.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I have been in the commercial mowing business for 13 years, and in my opinion, those type trimmers are useless. One of my employees begged me to buy one and I refused. So, he bought one himself, and he used it a few times then parked it in the shop where it stayed for a few years until I fired him and he took it.

They are really hard to handle compared to a hand held model. Especially for the work we do. They can not be tilted for finer trimming, and are not easy to maneuver around trees and other obstacles.

However, with your back and foot issues, they may have a fit for you. As others here have recommended, I suggest you spend a few bucks on a battery powered unit to see if that works for you, before you buy a walk behind.

 

[OneOffGarage]

We have had a Dr when they first came out and te motor finally gave up but was a excellent machine. I bought a swisher from a friend used that needed some cash but still have not used it. We have had a Husqvarna 190-cc 22-in String Trimmer Mower from Lowes for a few years now and it runs great and cuts like a beast. We have lots of areas you cant use a mower at on the property and I get tired of my big weedeater with carpal tunnel in my arm.

 

[762MM]

Maybe a Stihl Yard Boss with wheel kit and trimmer attachment....

 

[bcp]

If you buy a wheeled, push trimmer, be sure the cutter spindle can be moved from side to side, or has a cutting diameter wider than the tread. Otherwise you can only cut beside something like a fence by going in one direction, which might be uphill.

For example, this one can edge trim along the left side but not on the right.



Bruce