h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How many of you use Electric, Battery or Petrol Strimmers in your garden? I have an electric 'B***k and D***er' type, the third one in the last 4 years (different make each time).

It is my job to strim the edges of the lawn, borders and around the chimney pots, clothes line posts etc... I do the job every couple of weeks during the summer time and once a month this time of year .

The problem I have is the strimmer line breaking, this one is supposed to be automatic feed, but it usually does not work or it sends out too much at once, causing horrible grinding noises .

The first strimmer I had just died, the second one burnt out........I thought I was doing right to squirt some WD40 in the vent holes thinking it would lubricate the motor . It lubricated it that much, the motor burnt out!.

This third one I have is okay apart from the line breakage, and that I have to manually pull the line out sometimes, which is a pain as it is a double one.

I have test driven a petrol one when I first had my allotment and they are good. I was that enthusiastic I strimmed the whole of the over-grown plot in a day, the vibrations causing my arm and hand shake for a few days after, I couldn't even pick up a cup without spilling it everywhere .

Does anyone wear goggles when strimming? I used to, but now I wear glasses I don't tend to bother. Goggles always steam up on me to the point where I am wondering whether I am strimming the grass or my shoes .

Nigel

I did ry a battery operated strimmer (no electric near my garden) It was a pain in more ways than one. Firstly the battery had to be changed half way through strimming, the line did'nt feed when it should The worst problem was i had to push the button and hold it down to make it go. This is not easy for an arthritic old dear like me I now use hedge shears to trim the edges, it takes a couple of hours to do, but it's far easier than that strimmer!

Hi Venus ,

I have heard that the battery does not last long, our garden is quite long and so I would probably have to charge it up about 3 times . I am fortunate that there is electric in the greenhouse, but I still have to use a long extension lead which can be a pain sometimes. Our mower is electric to and I have quite often got into a tangle with the wire, resulting in me going flat on my face .

I sometimes use edging shears to do the top of the garden if the washing is out, I do struggle though to cut the bottom fibres of the grass, where it has grown over the path. I use a strimmer so it goes deep, I cannot help it, just the perfectionist I am .

I agree, keeping that button pressed is tiresome, the mower is the same but that is not my department now (moms) .

Nigel

some friends of mine in the next street, once had a miniature goat, about as big as a Yorkshire Terrier, they had to get shut of it,as someone shopped them to the council,it was classed as a farm animal(or similar)and not allowed in a council house etc - (redtape)

Now there is an idea, a 'Goat' .

A lady up the road from me once had a goat, and kept it in a big shed down the bottom of her garden . She used to take it for a walk up the road on a lead, tying it up outside the shops while she did her shopping!.

She eventually gave it to a farm because of eating everything in sight, and the neighbours were complaining of the noise it was making first thing in the morning .

Nigel

hi
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if a lecy one, dont get the auto feed, they are prone to go haywire.
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there is one, that if the end breaks, you just turn upside down,and press and pull the wire,
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the only prob with this, is dont hit bricks or the fence, or it tends to go inside.
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i got a twin set, mower and strimmer, from argos, power devil
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had them both for three years now, and still going strong jim

My nan had a couple of goats. They got out of their pen once, and ate holes in the sheets drying on the line.

Holey Goat

Nigel

Thanks for the advice Jim .

I am glad I'm not the only one that thinks the auto-feed models go haywire .

Avoiding the slabs and bricks is a challenge, that is what breaks the cable on mine . I try to avoid the slabs but find it difficult when strimming the edges of the lawn.

I have heard that Power Devil is a good make, will consider that if mine plays up much more .

Nigel

hi
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its the part that controls the feed, that cant take the hammer its to take, and if the little plastic toggle thing breaks, the cord just flies out on you.
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mine as two options, i can use a single feed, or a double, there is no advantage as such, but the odds are that one will break and the other give you more time to strim.
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i use the thick plastic cord, the green breaks easy and the yellow is to thin, the blue it the one i always use, , jim

Hi, Jimcracker,

I use the blue one too. It is much stronger, but it still tangles toward the end of the spool, and I get a long useless piece left. Can't be buying another one till this one packs up though, it's against my principles It's built in obsolescence again. The sale of cord must be enormous.

I am glad to know that men have problems with the strimmers as my other half is convinced it is this useless that is the problem .

Websailor

hi websailor
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a tip, when you get to the curl, as its plastic, all you need to do is warm it up, to take the kinks out,you can use the heat from a gas stove or cooker, but be carefull how close you get it,
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by pullig it out and heting it, should make it last nearer the end, jim

nothing to do with gardens, but I want to walk in to a shop, with a Leopard/Cheetah on a lead and say the sign only says "no dogs allowed"

youngsuper_nigel, or anyone with an old lecy strimmer, that wont allow the wire to feed or use.
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if you get a piece of thin, strong, metal flexable wire, and wrap it round the main center drum a few times, and make a hole across, from side to side, and feed the wire out of the two holes, only so they are long enough to miss the cutter, and are coming out the same lenght each side, this will balance the spin. you can have a humdinger of a strimmer, just dont let anyone near the spinning wire.
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it works, i had to do it one time, i could get a new one.
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the wire must be "very" flexable, or it will kink, if it hits a rock or something.
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i used mine that way for over 6 months, one a week, with no problem. jim
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as they say" wait not, want not" or "beggars cant be choosers" lol

opps should be waste not, lol, my k/board needs to be stripped down, ive ove 45 keys to take off first. will do it sometime lol jim

Never thought of that one Jim. I might invest in some new line as the packet is about 3 years old, and seems to be going thiner as I get to the end .

Websailer, you do well strimming your garden with little breaks of the line. Perhaps you can come and give me a lesson sometime . I am a slow learner and so you will have to strim my garden a few times before it sinks in, the proper way to strim .

Prof, a leopard . Perhaps I should get a few sheep to graze on the grass .

Nigel

Why haven't we got a smiley. Pull the other Young Super Nigel

Websailor

I'm so glad it's not just me that has problems with strimmers

must find battery pack.

problem with putting wire instead of plastic, is that you can overload the motor very easily and burn it out as you think it will cut the grass better, but it strains the motor

Thanks Prof. I wasn't happy at the thought of using wire either, and if it hits stones or twigs it could be even more dangerous that plastic.



Websailor