Hedge-mastering - Assorted hedge/shrub trim pics

[noworkgardener]

Wow look how straight those are. Very nice Hedgemaster. I find when I get tired my lines start getting wavy from holding up the trimmer. Good idea about having a position to hold the trimmer and just going over the top to straighten it. Also it pays to know what you are trimming. If you trim the forsythia too late in the season it will not bloom the next year. This is something you might want to warn customers of.

[Hedgemaster]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by Steve How do you keep those lines so straight for so long? Do you ever use a guide line? Or is it just eyeballed? Nah... I just eyeball it. I've been artistic all my life. "Straight lines" just come naturally and I have always had a good eye for leveling things. I guess you also need to understand how the trimmer cuts different vegetation as well. It's not a s simple as running the trimmer "up and down" along the side - you need to hold a slight angle for the teeth to cut properly. It's not exactly rocket science, but obviously it doesn't come naturally to everyone. My neighbor's hedges look like a roller coaster. It takes every fiber of my being to keep from going over and "fixing" them.

[Hedgemaster]

Originally Posted by noworkgardener

Wow look how straight those are. Very nice Hedgemaster. I find when I get tired my lines start getting wavy from holding up the trimmer. Good idea about having a position to hold the trimmer and just going over the top to straighten it.

Also it pays to know what you are trimming. If you trim the forsythia too late in the season it will not bloom the next year. This is something you might want to warn customers of.

Thanks for the compliment.

Yeah, it can be fatiguing to run the trimmers for long periods. My back starts hurting when using the extended trimmer on high stuff.
When I run along the top sometimes instead of just walking and cutting as I go, I find that I get a better cut if I walk slower and move the trimmer across the top in almost a circular, motion. Hard to explain.


Good tip on the forsythia. This particular client could care less. She'd like them "gone", but doesn't want to spend the money to have them removed, (And I don't know that I even want to do it - there's a LOT of forsythia there!) so I just shape them up a few times a season.
Last year a neighbor came over and said "Those haven't looked that good in 15 years!" I guess the previous homeowner just allowed them to grow without ever cutting them.

[Hedgemaster]

Not hedges, but here's more of the cleanup at the home I posted pics of before.

Trimming back the ivy that's growing out onto the driveway...

(Here's the best "before" pic I could find of the ivy)






This is the kind of stuff I like to use my crap tools on. I picked up this YardMan trimmer and hedge trimmer attachment on clearance at Wmart last year... it's perfect for "risky" stuff near the ground when you aren't sure what could be hidden in there. Why risk damaging my Stihl? Let the $40 trimmer get messed up instead!




All cleaned up!

[WeekendWarriorLawn]

oooonly to play the devils advocate here,

but i read a lot about "why should i damage my x_equipment?"



are the tools not under warranty? not necessarily pointed to you HM, and amazing work again by the way, but why should i not ask this here and now?

[Cashin H&P]

Originally Posted by WeekendWarriorLawn

oooonly to play the devils advocate here,

but i read a lot about "why should i damage my x_equipment?"



are the tools not under warranty? not necessarily pointed to you HM, and amazing work again by the way, but why should i not ask this here and now?

You dont want to damage your tools because if you do then you get behind in work or you cant work both of which are a pain in the ***. Because 1. your not making money 2 you have to buy new or repair what you broke and depending on the equipment that can be very expensive. Thats why hedge uses his $40 trimmer for the risky stuff.

[Hedgemaster]

Warranties don't cover "abuse". If there's a manufacturer's defect, sure, but "wear" and damage from use isn't going to get you a replacement.

I picked up two of those attachments last year. So I jam one up on a rock, or a metal post - it's a $40 loss. Better that than the several hundred I paid for the Stihl attachment.
They don't cut as well, but for some things they work just fine.

Also, note the tip... I can run these right along the concrete on the ground. If I did that with the Stihl trimmer, I'd be beating the tips of the blades to death.

[Hedgemaster]

I buzzed those "square" hedges again today.





I'm sexy and I know it...





I didn't use these trimmers for the whole thing - woulda' been overkill and not enough room to work with that car there.
I used my hand held trimmer for most of it.

Oohh!!! Video! I have video to follow...

[Hedgemaster]

Originally Posted by brian'slawncare

Hedge-

That looks fantastic! I bet the neighbors love you for that!

what is your method for getting that perfect "square" look?

Here, I'll show you...

(click image to view 2 min video)




It's a little easier now that they've been cut, but this is essentially how I cut them.
I just did the first few feet as a demo and the Stihl was really only in there to show someone how the forward handle helps, but like an idiot I didn't even get in the shot for that part!


Pardon the pause to flick the sweat off my nose, but it was 97 friggin' degrees today.

[Steve]

Your customers must be super pleased with you when you are done! WoW!