How to choose a trimmer Trimmers (brush cutters)are deservedly popular among gardeners. These compact devices are distinguished by their versatility. Most often, they are used to clear the garden of weeds and grass along paths, under benches and low bushes, on steep slopes of ravines and ponds, where you can’t get to with a lawn mower. Brushcutters are often used to trim bushes and thick tree branches. After all, unlike lawn mowers, they are able to cut vegetation at a significant (2-3 m) distance from the ground. To remove branches, special milling cutter attachments are used. There are real garden combines with various attachments based on brush cutters. These attachments allow you to transform a cord mower into scissors for even trimming of the edge of a hedge, a soil milling cutter (a machine for loosening the soil) and even a sweeping brush. Devices can be found on sale costing from 1,5 to 15,200 rubles. Household models with an electric motor are cheaper than others (1,200 rubles). Petrol trimmers are more expensive than 5,000 rubles. Among the most famous brands we will name Bosch, Elmos, Stihl (all Germany), Husqvarna, Partner, Flymo, Stiga (all Sweden), Black & Decker, MTD (both USA), Honda (Japan).
How to cut the greens?
When purchasing a trimmer (brush cutter), first of allFirst, evaluate the size of your garden - this determines the productivity. Also think about whether you will use additional attachments. When purchasing a trimmer (brush cutter), be sure to pay attention to how the handles are located, how balanced the design is, whether it is too heavy. When choosing a trimmer, gardeners first of all pay attention to the type of engine. As in lawn mowers, it can be either electric or internal combustion. Moreover, the engine is located either in the upper part of the pole (such a design is often called a brush cutter), or in the lower one (classic trimmer). In order to transmit torque to the working element, the engine in the upper part requires a transmission. This leads to an increase in the weight of the device and an increase in the cost of equipment. But a pole with an engine located on top is much more convenient for working over a long period of time. Trimmers with a lower engine are intended mainly for short-term mowing of grass residues that for some reason were not removed earlier (for example, with a lawn mower). You can conduct an experiment in which the role of a trimmer will be played by a kilogram weight (engine), tied to a two-meter pole. First, fix it to the upper end of the stick, which can be placed on your shoulder. Then try tying the weight to the lower end and casually wave the resulting structure. The second option will require more effort. That is why professionals prefer equipment with an upper engine location. The lower engine location has another disadvantage: the engine is ventilated worse during operation. Grass clippings get into the air ducts, and the engine overheats faster. At the same time, compact trimmers with a lower engine location are generally less massive and can be more convenient for precision work, for example, precise mowing of individual sections of a lawn or bush. By the way, the noise produced by mowers and trimmers during operation is quite a serious problem, fraught with headaches and even (in case of prolonged exposure) partial hearing loss for the owner of the tool and unwitting listeners. After all, lawn mowers and brush cutters "chatter" very loudly - up to 95-97 dBa. Even the quietest of these power tools is several times louder than a household vacuum cleaner. So, for safety, it is better to get protective headphones in advance (they can be found on sale for between 700,900 and 1000 rubles). A mask to protect your eyes would also be useful.
Unlike lawn mowers, gas trimmers usuallyare equipped with two-stroke engines running on an oil-gasoline mixture. The owners have to prepare this mixture themselves. But a two-stroke engine, unlike a four-stroke engine, can be laid on its side during operation and even turned upside down, nothing will happen to it. This trick won’t work with a regular four-stroke engine. This is primarily due to the design of the lubrication system. Lawn mowers are equipped with a two-stroke engine as an exception, only those models that are supposed to be used on slopes of significant steepness (30° or more). There is also the opposite option: brush cutters equipped with four-stroke engines. An example of this are the 2013 Honda models. They are equipped with a compact and lightweight Honda GX 25 engine with a forced lubrication system for moving parts using the so-called oil cloud method. As a result, the brushcutter can be moved along an arbitrary trajectory without any damage to the equipment. Many trimmers have the ability to extend the working part using a telescopic rod. It allows you to choose the optimal length for each owner. In addition, trimmers can be equipped with a device for smooth processing of the edge of the lawn or flower bed. The cutting tool in cord lawn mowers is a line. It is placed in the working head of the trimmer so that the ends of 5-7-cm in length stick out. The working head rotates at high speed (about 10-000 rpm), and the end of the line cuts the grass. Trimmers are distinguished by the width of the cut (usually 25-30 cm) and the thickness of the line. The thicker it is, the tougher the grass it can cut. Some models of cord lawn mowers use particularly thick (up to 3 mm) line, but in household devices its thickness usually does not exceed 12 mm. Most trimmers are equipped with working heads with a semi-automatic line feed, which extends when the head hits a hard surface. This is convenient, since it relieves the owners of the device from the need to adjust the length of the line themselves, and the hands remain clean. Scythe line
The line for the mowing head can have not onlytraditional round cross-section. Some manufacturers also offer strings with square and pentagonal cross-sections, as well as with a cross-section shape that changes along the length. It is difficult to say how justified these experiments are. In any case, there is no consensus among professionals regarding the effectiveness of mowing with a line of different cross-sections. As practice shows, in the process of intensive contact with the grass, the cross-section of any line acquires a smoothed shape. When choosing a line, you should consider not only its price, but also its strength and other nuances. For example, the surface of the Stihl strings (round section) is equipped with a spiral groove, due to which the noise level during trimmer operation is reduced. Brushcutters can be equipped with additional knife attachments for mowing tough grass, reeds, cane, knotty bushes and even thin trees. There are a great many of these attachments. For example, the range of the Italian manufacturer Arnetoli Motor includes several dozen mowing heads, saw blades and chopping knives. If you are going to use the trimmer in different conditions, find out in advance what attachments are included in the kit. Also check the shape of the brushcutter handle. It is known that bicycle-shaped (U-shaped) handles are very comfortable for long, continuous work. But it will be inconvenient to use a brush cutter with such a handle with a cultivator attachment. Among the relatives of the trimmer, one can note knapsack brush cutters, when using which the engine is hung on straps behind the back (like a knapsack, hence the name). The torque is transmitted to the rod with the help of a flexible connection. Knapsack brush cutters are extremely convenient to use, but are noticeably more expensive than household trimmers (15-20 thousand rubles versus 2-5 thousand rubles). Another disadvantage of these devices is long preparation of equipment for work. The owner of a small garden will spend longer "putting on the harness" than actually mowing.
Photo 1. Model Bolens BL 2838 C (MTD), 3500 rub.Petrol trimmer with a curved shaft. Photo 2. Model EET102 (Elmos), 4100 rubles. Powerful (1000 W) electric trimmer. Photo 3. Model EPT45 (Elmos), 9200 rubles. Petrol trimmer with a straight shaft and a U-shaped handle. Photo 4. Model MTD 790 (MTD), 6200 rubles. The petrol trimmer is equipped with a connector for quickly changing multifunctional attachments. Photo 5. Model ART 23 Combitrim (Bosch), 1500 rubles. Compact and lightweight household electric trimmer. Photo 6. Model GL 652 (Black & Decker), 1700 rubles. Equipped with an aluminum telescopic rod with length adjustment up to 100 mm.
Additional attachments and knives:motor cultivator for loosening the soil (photo 1); edge cutter for trimming the edge of the lawn (photo 2); trimmers with a protective cover (photo 3); knife for cutting tough grass and bushes (photo 4); brush cutter for neatly leveling the hedge (photo 5); pole saw-pruner (photo 6). Comparative characteristics of trimmersBrandModelEngineLocation Engine Power, WMowing width, mmLine feedLine diameter, mmWeight, kgPrice, RUBAl-KoGT 340 DuoElectricLower34023Automatic1.41.31300Al-KoFRS 410Petrol two-strokeUpper90041Automatic2.06.46200Black & DeckerGLC 2500Electric batteryLower18 V/1.5 A∙h25Automatic1.5No data 3500Black & DeckerGL 652ElectricLower40025AutomaticSquare section 1.0 mm2No data1700BoschART 23 Easytrim AccuElectric batteryLower14.4 V / 1.5 A∙h23Plastic knifePlastic knife23600BoschART 26 combitrimElectricLower45026Semi-automatic2.6 + 1.632250ElmosEPT24Petrol two-strokeUpper75042Manual2–45.87500ElmosEET101ElectricUpper100040Semi-automatic1.2–25.53400HondaHONDA UMK 435 EUEETPetrol four-stroke Honda GX 35 OHCTop1200No dataSemi-automatic2.46.617 760HondaUMK425 EUEETPetrol four-stroke Honda GX 25 OHCTop810No dataSemi-automatic2.45.414 920Husqvarna323LPetrol two-strokeTop900No dataSemi-automaticNo data4.110 990Husqvarna125CPetrol two-strokeTop800No dataSemi-automatic1.5–24.46790MTDRCTB 1000ElectricTop100040Semi-automatic25.52330MTDMTD 990Petrol four-strokeTopNo data45Semi-automatic2.46.49100Stihl FS 38Two-stroke gasolineTop700No dataSemi-automatic2.04.74700StihlFS 130Four-stroke gasolineTop1400No dataNo data2.05.611 400VikingTE 410ElectricLower41028Automatic1.42.22300VikingTE 1000ElectricTop100035Semi-automatic2.04.63800The editors would like to thank the international association "Home and Garden", the company "Russian Lawns", representative offices of the companies "Robert Bosch", Elmos, Black & Decker, Honda, Husqvarna, Stihl and Viking for their assistance in preparing the material.
