A Tiny Triumph!

Feb
26

I bought a weedeater! It’s a Black & Decker 18 volt cordless trimmer. It’s a girl weedeater.
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I’ve been thinking about tackling my own mowing and trimming since I moved here, but there was so much to tackle all at once. I’ve had the neighbor teenage girls helping me out, with Weston’s help when he’s home in the summers, but I’m determined to take over this year myself. It takes a total of 20 hours (!) to mow and trim this property. I know because the girls keep a time sheet when they mow and trim for me. This is no little suburban yard where it’s a job that takes a couple of hours and you’re done. They don’t do it all at once–they usually come over for a couple of hours here and there, and over the course of about two or three weeks, they get the whole property done. Then they start over. I’ll have to do it the same way, in bits and pieces.

I’ve never used a weedeater before, so I started with that. I had to put it together.
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That was a triumph in and of itself. I was tempted to call in Morgan to help, but I decided if I was going to weedeat myself, I better start with putting it together myself.

This didn’t involve much more than putting on the handle and guard, inserting a screw, and installing the battery. But it took me at least half an hour. (I’m not very mechanically inclined.) But I did it! And it works!
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I can’t wait to trim something! Holy independence, Batman, I have a weedeater!
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But I guess I’ll have to wait to try it out….

P.S. Next I need a self-propelled button-start mower and I’ll be set. You know, for when the snow goes away and the grass starts growing. IF THAT EVER HAPPENS.





Comments

  1. Ramona says:

    A small zero turn is the way to go on big yards or small acreage. The hubby went from 8 hours plus to an hour after we got our zero turn. I see lots of women using them.

    If you were playing 2 girls for 20 hours last year, you could have one paid for in no time. And save a heck of a lot of work by getting one.

    I refuse to cut the yard. I do any and all housework that get’s done.

    Congrats on the weed eater.

  2. Chester says:

    I bought one of these exact trimmers last summer to replace my gas-powered trimmer! I was super-upset at my gas powered trimmer and vowed to never get another gas powered trimmer again! So I tried trimming around the farmstead by hand. That didn’t last long – took an hour just to trim around one of my three garden patches, and it wasn’t even the biggest patch! I don’t have a 20 hour mowing job, only takes me about 4-5 hours for the “base mowing” (on the riding mower). The trimming takes another 2-5 hours (depending on the time of year and how well I trim).

    Anyway, I had some reservations about this tiny trimmer cutting through some of the big weeds I get around the farm fences, but, to my delight,it handles them fairly well! I do suggest getting more power packs and the quick battery charger! I have 8 power packs (the same battery pack fits in my drill/driver too!) that I keep charged for trimming – I have two batteries being charged all the the time. It lasted last season, with minor repairs needed. The good news, the repair was easy and I could do it myself. The bad news is that the design problem will probably require a yearly “fix”. If you run into the problem of the motor running but the string not moving (or not moving under full power), I can tell you how to repair it!

    Good luck! I’m looking forward to some green soon!

  3. buglady77 says:

    Congrats! That is one task I’ve never tried, I’m a big fan of landscaping that removes the need for weedeating. Someday I should probably learn.

  4. Charlene says:

    Suzanne, I don’t know if you were serious about a self-propelled mower or not, but if so, do some research first. We have lots of hills/banks to mow and thought a self-propelled was just what we needed. It did not work well on the inclines. In fact, I had to push it uphill and it was 3 times as hard to push as the regular push mower. It worked great on flat land! We ended up giving it to our son and I think he no longer has it, so I’m sorry I can’t tell you the name and model. Our experience may be the exception, but there you go.

  5. shirley T says:

    Buy yourself some good goggles and don’t forget to wear them, also some high top boots, don’t want to loose any toes. You might get Morgan and her boyfriend to give you a helping hand. :help:

  6. daria says:

    I second the extra battery pack(s) – we have only 2, and our yard is only 1/3 acre (with lots of little garden patches, so there is a lot of trim. Two charged packs gets my husband like 3/4 of the way through the yard. I suppose I should by another…

  7. Susan Lindsey says:

    I’ve used the same one for years. I love it, no oil and gas to mix, no cord to fight with and best of all no pull cord. Push button is the way to go. 2 batteries was smart thinking, ours only came with one and we didn’t buy an extra. One will do ours, but just barely.

  8. GA_in_GA says:

    Definitely buy the second battery. I bought the same one (or older model that looks exactly the same) a few years ago. My husband loves it – too much! He has over trimmed! But hey, I won’t complain. It gets done.

  9. brookdale says:

    Good for you! I love my weed wacker, everything looks so neat and trim after I use it. Mine is corded electric, I haven’t managed to cut into the elec. cord yet, when I do will have to get a battery one.
    I think what others have said, to get a few extra batteries, is a great idea. Then you can keep them charged up and not run out of power half way through the job.
    Spring will surely come now! You are ready!

  10. nanaK says:

    The weed-wacker you purchased may not stand up to all the trimming – you have a lot of property!!…Also, by “girly” I take it you mean light and easy to handle? I understand the logic, it’s just that I’ve been down that path and found out the hard way that more powerful usually is better.
    Also, self-propelled is the best way to go with a hand driven mower … but in your case, if it’s more than just a “front & back yard” like average home owners, …More= like: open land … maybe you’d be better off with a small riding mower? …. just saying ~~ Perhaps consult with someone before the monetary investment. Good Luck.

  11. emit says:

    I think nanak hit the nail on the head the weed eater may not hold up very long. You need to go out to the store in Walton an get a gas one. I think if you lived in the city on a flat lot the one you got would work. sorry to bust your bubble but it will stay plugged in to try to keep up with what you have to do.
    😆

  12. Kristi says:

    Good luck! I think the weed whacker is devil spawn. When I use it, I spend WAY more time rethreading the cord thing than I do whacking weeds. The gas-powered version that we have now is only slightly more tolerable than the electric one that we used to have. It’s frankly easier for me to just use shears–or let some areas be messy. Will be eager to hear how it works for you! 🙂

  13. tractor57 says:

    I bought one of those for my mom a few years ago. Now at 82 and with some medical issues she can’t do her own trimming but for at least a decade she did that. It will not tackle the real heavy stuff but for trimming around the lawn (or yard) it works just fine.

  14. Ann W says:

    I have a weed whacker (gas) I bought three years ago and haven’t used yet because I’ve been kind of scared to! I also have a electric start, self-propelled lawn mower and snow blower. (I’ve used those.) Electric start is great, especially for a snow blower. I don’t recall any problems mowing on the slopey side lawn. The snow blower’s been great for cutting through the waist-high drifts the snow plow leaves at the end of my driveway.

  15. Window On The Prairie says:

    Don’t mean to be a party pooper, but the mower head is on upside down. Look at the pic on the box and compare. 8)

  16. Imperious Fig says:

    I had my husband buy me the exact same thing for Mother’s Day last year so I could help out with the trim work around the farm. It isn’t great with really long grass but at least I can help out with the smaller stuff around the house. The kids keep getting older and going off to college and I can’t lug around the gasoline trimmer.

  17. Joell says:

    :happyflower:
    I do a lot of trimming myself during the season, I am not sure how much you will be able to trim with a battery operated trimmer, they are great for smaller properties or city lots,once you get the hang of trimming, you might want to look at a gas operated trimmer, if you are doing just around you house,a battery trimmer may work for you, relardless, I can wait to get out and trim again as well.

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