Walk behind string trimmer mower vs push mower

[pk1959]

Hi everyone, we just had one of our two push mowers die and are in the market for a new mower. We are thinking of getting one of those walk behind string trimmer mowers to replace it but they are pricey. (around $400) It would be used mainly for trimming around trees and edging against the driveway and retaining walls. We mow 2 acres so mainly use our riding mowers.

If anyone has one of these trimmers, what is your opinion of using it? Is a hand held string trimmer still necessary for the most part? We just hate to spend that kind of money and then are not happy with it. Wish we could somehow try one out before buying one or knew someone who had one to see what they thought of it.

 

[ideascubed]

We got a string mower from amazon, black and decker model. We don't have a large property and not much to mow. The trimmer is great for the hard to reach places, and the mower works great for the larger pieces. It works well for us. We went cordless because of the batteries, and I didn't want the electric cord to get run over. Hope this helps. It was 150 including batteries.

 

[pk1959]

Thanks ideascubed, but what we are looking at is totally different. It looks like a push mower but uses a heavy string like a weed wacker. Its runs on gas just like a push mower too. Don't know what makes the darn things so expensive!!

 

[HappyHappy]

We have a DR mower/trimmer which I love. I am a senior citizen with no upper body strength and I have no problem pushing it. We bought the electric start model but the battery died (hubby will get around to this soon I hope LOL) and the pull string to start is a MAJOR pain but doable. If we ever have to replace the DR, DH wants to look into one with an offset trimmer for increased manueverability. I don't think DR sells that type and I am not familiar with other brands. I saw one when I googled trimmer/mower but can't speak to the brand (which I can't remember). Let me know if you find something you like.

 

[Ranger111]

I own 25 acres and purchased the top-of-the-line model from DR about 2005.

It worked well and you can be pretty precise with where you cut. However it is heavy and a bit of a chore to move around small areas. So, for trimming around "objects" I actually think I would prefer to use a small hand-held "weedeater." But, if you don't mind a bit of jerking and jockeying, it would do that job well, and without the risk of a "slip" and a gash in the side of the tree, if you get my drift...

One thing I would recommend, is getting a self-propelled. The darn things are very heavy and I am 6'3" and 220 pounds with lots of strength (I can use a chainsaw all afternoon and not have much issue). But I found this thing to be a bear to push if there was any sort of slope to deal with. If your terrain is flat it might not be an issue.

Finally, I ended up selling mine, because while I loved the way it ran, the way it started and the way it cut (pretty precise height compared to hand-held "weedwhacker"), the "swath of cut" was, of course narrow -- meaning the width of what you cut was the diameter of the machine.

When I use my Stihl FS250 "brush-cutter," I get a tremendous width of cut as I swing the thing from side-to-side while cutting, "cutting" my time out on the slope cutting by about 2/3's....

 

[supergoofy]

Personally I would use a hand held weed eater over one of those string trimmers. You can get a really good Stihl for $400.

A great way to try before you buy is hit up the local rental yard it will cost you but not as much as the purchase.

 

[pk1959]

Thanks everyone who took the time to answer. I was afraid they might be a tab bit clumsy to maneuver, and we definitely have slopes that it would have to go up. I struggle a little getting a push mower up them in places.

I will let DH know what people who have them think of them, and then if he STILL thinks its something he wants to try, we will see if the rental places have one, which is something I never thought of.

 

[TrimmerExpert]

If you own a riding mower and are looking to do some trimming around trees and retaining wall you might be interested in a trimmer attachment option.

The Peco Z-Trimmer attachment attaches to your mower deck and allows you to drop it down when you need to trim!

You can check out the details and watch a video on it at stringtrimmersdirect.com and just do a search for peco zt3000

Let me know if you think this is a viable option!

 

[pk1959]

I have never heard of that attachment to a riding mower!! It looks interesting. I will show it to my husband and see what he thinks. Thanks!!