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Gas Lawn Edger

12 years ago

I am looking to purchase a good gas powered lawn edger to edge side walks, driveway and patio area. I have a large area and am wondering is anyone has advice on which model to look at or not to look at. Any advice would be helpful.

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Comments (6)

loger_gw
12 years ago
Are you speaking of a three-wheel gas edger from the 70s? OR! A straight shaft hard blade trimmer on one wheel? I thought I was the only one with gas powered equipment from the 80s. I have had a straight shaft trimmer since the late 80s and never thought it could be so versatile, easy to use and store. It was given to me with a problem. It solved my problem after I solved the problem of it needing a carb kit and fuel maintenance. I have not been able to master the gas vs electric string trimmers w/o breaking the lines 8-10 on my small yard. The powerful Green Machine with the straight shaft and hard blade saved me. loger
strelnikov
12 years ago
I have a Mantis with the edger attachment and it has worked fine for me.
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i say if you are going to use it alot get the gas model. my drive is 150' long, plus i have a turn around area and the front sidewalk is ~75' and the back is another 60'. i tried using an electric weedeater with the head turned to edge, and honestly got tired of fighting with the cords. then i got a gas weedeater and love it. now i weedeat only about 1 time a month, with round up! between having over 600 linear ft of concrete to edge and close to 60 trees spread over 4 acres, i just don't have the time nor energy to do it any other way! i use the gas weedeater around the flower beds(still that is roughly 200 lf) to prevent overspray( i killed my wife's flowers and never heard the end of it!), but other than that it is pure chemical weed control.
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The gravel wont damage the edger or the blade, but you will tend to throw rocks. On the one hand a reverse rotation blade like Craftsman and a few others make has the advantage of throwing any debris or rocks away from the operator. On the other hand, nothing slows or knocks down the rocks, which can be dangerous to others within about 50 feet (and to cars and windows). I would recommend a rear throw edger with a large blade guard and an addition rubber flap to control throwing rocks. I currently use a Little Wonder 6032 in Jersey, and before that in Southern California had a succession of McLane's and Power Trims. It think Little Wonder and Power Trim are among the best, but both are pricey (starting $500 and running to about $900 for commercial model with Honda GX engine). McLane is probably better value for the money (for home use) and can be had for about $350 to $400. Make sure you get the 801 or 101 models. The 137 is only slightly less expensive, but has been "dumbed down" considerably, and I cannot recommend. Lastly, I would avoid either the edgers with vertical shaft engines and twisted drive belts. IMHO they are junk. Also, the little 2 cycle edgers with the tiny 1hp engines are little more than toys. Stay away.
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Your settings should be OK: 1/2 to full throttle, full choke, and gasoline petcock "on". Your problem is probably that the gas you left in the tank (and the carburetor) gummed up over the winter. You may have to take it to a service dealer to clean the deposits out of carburetor. In the future, once you get it running, you should follow this procedure: 1) After each weekly use, shut the gas off, restart the engine and then run until dies from lack of fuel. This will burn off most of the gas in the carburetor and reduce the formation of gums and varnishes. 2) At the end of the season (when you know you won't be using for several months) drain the gas out of the tank, close the fuel valve, and then start the engine and run until it quits. Best way to get the gas out of the tank is to not put much in the last time you use, even if you have to add more. When done, use a 99 cent turkey baster to lift the remaining gas out of the tank, and then do the "start and run until quits" procedure. I'd also recommend you add a little stabilizer to your gas (Stabil) to help retard breakdown and gumming. Also running a little Sea-Foam in your gas will help to clean up any new deposits. I'd do the Sea-Foam (2 ounces to a full tank) maybe once a month.
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Looking For Top Rated Lawn Edger for Homeowner
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First, let me say that I am a "wheeled, walk behind edger" kind of guy. If you're looking for a "stick edger", look at some other posts. The two best professional quality edgers are the Power Trim and Little Wonder. Both start around $500 for a basic model with Briggs & Stratton engine, and go to nearly $900 for the top-of-the-line with Honda GX engine. Both entry level machines (Power Trim 150 or 200, and Little Wonder 6001) are excellent homeowner machines, even if a little expensive. Both are sold by dealers, which also handle the warranty. Little Wonder is also sold on the internet for less, but then you've got to go to a dealer for warranty. While a dealer won't refuse to do warranty work if purchased elsewhere, during busy season you will go to the back of the line, in preference to his regular customers. McLane, as previous poster mentions, is an excellent "home-owner" machine. List pricing starts about $425 for the entry level with Briggs engine to $650 for their best with Honda GX engine. I don't recommend the low-end model 137. For a few $$ more, I'd get the 101 or the 801, which have four wheels and a few other features. The Briggs powered machines are widely available on the internet as low as $300, but then you have to go to an independent shop for warranty work. In all cases, the engine is warrantied separately by the manufacturer, although the same shop that handles any of the three edger lines can usually handle Briggs or Honda. Even the low end machines with a Briggs should be good for 10 years homeowner if you maintain it properly. This means regular oil changes, filter changes, greasing fittings, and oiling wheel bearings, etc. Also important to either drain gas for the off-season or use a fuel stabilizer such as Sta-Bil. With the same type of care, the Power Trim or Little Wonder machines with the Honda GX140 should last 20 years or more.
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strelnikov
12 years ago
BTW I also have the crevice cleaner attachment that I use on my patio
Greg Goyeneche
12 years ago
I'm partial to a wheeled edger. Grew up in California with a series of Power Trim, McLane, and King O'Lawn machines. Never heard of Little Wonder until I moved to Jersey.

The two best in my opinion are the Power Trim and the Little Wonder. They range from pro-sumer quality in the $500 range to models for professional gardeners up $800 or more. For your use a Little Wonder 6002 or a Power Trim 200 or 200-4 are probably best. Both retail for about $500 to $550 and if you shop can be had for $450 to $475. Both are fitted with Briggs 3.5hp engines, and if serviced regularly the engine will last a lifetime. Edger service is much easier on an engine that mower usage. Edger engine also sees much fewer hours than a mower. Key is regular oil and filer changes.

A step down, but still a credible machine is the McLane. I recommend the 101 or the 801. Both have four wheels and come with Briggs 3.5hp. List price is about $425 although they are often flogged on the internet for about $300 - $325. Pretty good machine for home use, and again Briggs is good in this application. Downsides are plastic wheels and generally less robust construction.

Whatever you do avoid the McLane 137. It only has three wheels, and the front wheel is fixed. For less than $10 less at list price, it is not a good value proposition.

I currently use a Little Wonder 6232 Commerical with the Honda. I got a good deal second hand (paid less than $350) and love the edger. However, I could not justify the expense of the Honda if I were buying new ($850 - $900).

If you need to go cheaper than $300, a stick edger or string trimmer may be what you need. I don't think they edge as well, and are more tiring, but that's the trade-off.
weed_cutter
12 years ago
For edging along concrete I like the stick edgers. For me they're faster than the larger wheeled units. If the edges are done on a routine basis the sticks have plenty of power but getting the edge established on a neglected lawn will be a chore. I have a Tanaka but I don't think there is a whale of a lot of difference between the better manufacturers (Echo, Stihl, Shindaiwa, Kawasaki and others). Check which dealers are around you as they will most likely be your source for repairs.
User
Original Author
12 years ago
I've also looked at the stick edgers and Stihl have a few nice ones and I like Stihl products. Seeing my edging i done and I keep up with it a stick edger may be the way to go. Any other brands I should look at? I have a Echo line trimer that has always been there when I needed it. Also with a stick edger I can easily do the landscaped beds as they are filled in with bark and I usually do that edging by hand with a flat blade shovel but a stick would be faster and easier on my aging body. Any ideas would be helpful.

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