Walk Behind String Trimmer

[IllMarty1]

The sloped edges around my 1.5 acre pond can get a little soft, especially in spring. I am thinking of getting a walk behind string trimmer to mow a couple passes next to the shoreline so as to not roll my MF 65 with brush hog into the pond on top of myself.

Anyone have any experience with any makes or models? DR looks nice but is more $. Northern has one that is less spendy. Any pros vs. cons?

Other option is a front mount finish mower for one of my atvs.

What say you?

Marty

 

[California]

For getting into tight spots in the garden I use one like this from Sears. It does the job well, but I wore it out in the two years I used it as my primary mower - maybe 40 hours total. The motor is fine but the front spindle bearing had to be replaced, and the 'clutch' (belt tensioner) is very flaky. Maybe a pro grade equivalent of this would be a good choice. It's light enough to drag up and down slopes easily.

 

[Bird]

I agree, Marty, that the DR is expensive. But when I was down in the country, I bought their biggest, most powerful model with electric start and never regretted it. It saw some heavy duty use and did a fine job. I sold it to a friend when we moved back to town.

 

[cherron]

You might want to try looking into both Swisher Max String Trimmer, from Swisher Mower or the Dr Power Trimmer - they're among the best. Husqvarna also makes a reasonable model. I posted a lengthy post, earlier this month, that depicts which manufacturer owns and manufacturers which brands. I believe the Sears model is made by a company called WHL. You'll find it under some of the earlier posting for String Trimmers on this Forum.

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String Trimmers

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Best Regards,


Chuck Herron

 

[wushaw]

I had a Troy built one I purchased from Lowes several years ago, I burned the spindle bearing up within a year..100.00 for a replacement head assy.
You need to be dressed in full face gear and any othe rprotective cloting, it will throw things far and fast.
I gave mine to a friend that needed it more than me.

The Swisher units look to be built better than the Troy Built I had.

 

[shvl73]

Other than the issues already stated, think about the effect constant work on a sloped area will have on a splash lubed engine. I don't know if any of the higher-end units have a pressure lube engine, but you might look.
I have an older hover mower with a 2 stroke JLO engine. It uses heavy line, rather than a blade and is made for such trimming. There is at least one company still making them but, they're a bit pricey.

 

[Shimon]

I just sold an old DR model (photo below) for $250. It ran and worked great but without powered wheels to help push it, I found it difficult to use on uneven terrain. The large wheels constantly get stuck in ruts and holes in the ground. If my terrain was flat and even...actually, flat doesn't matter so much as having even terrain without all sorts of "potholes"...then I would have kept it. The DR was well constructed and would recommend that brand as I've used other DR equipment before and found them to be very good. Get powered drive/wheels if you think you will need it!

 

[EastTexFrank]

I have a Craftsman model and it works just fine but I don't use it much. It doesn't have power drive wheels so if you use a lot it becomes a bit of a chore. Also, if you are going to be trimming along fence lines with it, get one where you can offset the trimming head to one side or the other. You'll find that to be a major advantage.

Northern Tool has one that you can tow behind an ATV where the head is offset and is on some kind of tensioning system where it can work around fence posts.

I've generally found Dr. equipment to be well made but they do tend to be pricey. Their service department used to be very knowledgable and helpful.

 

[IllMarty1]

Ok, I splurged. Ordered the DR Self propelled with extra string. Hopefully their 6 month return if not satisfied is as good as they advertise. I'll report my findings when I get to use it.

Thanaks for all your input!

Marty

 

[Ifixcars]

Has anybody seen or used the Husqvarna floating trimmer? I saw one in their catalog, and was wondering about it. It floats like a hydrofoil, no wheels.

 

[shvl73]

Has anybody seen or used the Husqvarna floating trimmer? I saw one in their catalog, and was wondering about it. It floats like a hydrofoil, no wheels.

It looks like they bought out Flymo. I have an older one.
These guys, Eastman Industries :: HoverMower :: Eastman Commerical, have one as well.

Works best on maintained areas. Golf courses use them around pond edges.

 

[BTDT]

I have a Troybuilt with sicklebar mower on it. Self propelled. Pretty nice but very noisy. I see you have already made your purchase, so good luck. Show some pics before and after, let us know how it worked.

 

[BTDT]

Here's a pic of my Troybuilt. It doesn't get used much, as you can tell from all the dust.

 

[Bird]

When we lived down in the west end of Navarro County, one of my wife's brothers and his wife lived about 4 miles from us, and he had one of those Troybuilt machines just like that.

 

[California]

For the string models - how many hours do you guys get before replacing strings?

The reason I needed a string mower before I bought a brushog-type tractor implement was to locate debris without breaking anything.

Dad used to fight gophers by putting a cinderblock down every gopher hole, plus he stored pipe etc along the fencelines. I averaged maybe 20 minutes between string replacements while I was hitting that stuff. Now with the obstacles located and in ordinary service, I may run an hour but the average is still probably less.

For you guys with the expensive models - does the string last longer than this?

 

[IllMarty1]

Ok. The DR string trimmer self propelled model finally arrived yesterday. Read the manual, filled gas and oil, remove and reinstall lines for practice. Today I put it thru its paces on an overgrown weeded area with Canadian Thistles that were waist high. I used the smallest gauge string and it did a great job. Rolls easily with out drive wheels engaged, so pulling it back up incline was no big deal. So far so good. It gets a big test in 1 1/2 weeks when it gets introduced to the pond borders.

 

[Bird]

how many hours do you guys get before replacing strings?

In my case, I found that it varied considerably with what I was doing; going too fast into big woody material would tear strings out in minutes, while in ordinary grass and weeds, the same string might go a couple of hours or more.

 

[IllMarty1]

This trimmer works great fellas. Was able to trim under all my trees, LP tank and next to pond.The growth of these areas were waste high. I replaced the light line that it came installed with to the heaviest line. Used it about 2 hours total and never changed the lines. Whacked some 1/4 in tree sprouts down to nothing in short order. Only drawback is that the self-propelled model doesn't have ability to offset the trimmer head, which would be a help next to the house and get me a bit closer to pond edges.

I have 5 months to decide whether to keep it. I did see the swisher model at Farm & Fleet for under $400 with the offset capability but did not look as sturdy as the DR. It was powered by 6HP BS vs. the DR 6.75H BS.

Marty

 

[Alan L.]

How is that DR string trimmer working out for you?

 

[saltcreek]

Mess for IllMarty1.

How do you like your new DR ?

I've been contemplating getting one also.

The DR folks have been real helpful . I'm concerned about the self propelled trimmer speed.

Is it too slow ??? Your comments are appreciated.

Thanks !!!