I have a small yard and only a trimmer for cutting. However, I can’t seem to keep a consistent cut with the darn thing. Hard to in photo but it looks like waves with some low spots and some spots I probably missed. Any advice on making level cut. Would a strap for the trimmer help? Or just nut up and practice more.
by Sketti_Scramble
18 Comments
I’d suggest getting a small push reel mower
Either get a small reel mower, $100 or so. Or you can look for a trimmer trolley. I’ve only seen a couple of brands that sell them, Black and Decker is one…it basically turns a trimmer into a small string mower on wheels.
I have a small yard like yours, little reel mower is a lifesaver
In case it hasn’t been mentioned yet a reel mower would do the trick.
It’ll be next to impossible to get a perfect cut with a weed whacker. Just the wrong height or angle and it’ll be off. Even then, you are whacking the grass so it could also just flop out of the way and not be cut if it’s not hit perfectly. That being said, it looks like you did a decent job and doesn’t look bad. Wouldn’t hurt to look into a battery powered mower or manual reel mower though in your case if this is really all the grass you have. Battery maybe be worth looking into so you also have the option for bagging when you need that, like when the leaves come down.
Hire a neighbor kid to mow it with a push. Tell them to just mow, and you will weed eat and blow off the grass. I do this for my one acre. The guy pulls up mows, and I weedeat and blow off grass when I get home. Obviously it is easier to blow the grass when it has dried for a few hours.
In my youth I worked 40 hours a week using a string trimmer and I did lawns like yours all the time. Practice and a good quality trimmer. Keep the lines long.
Not an answer to your question, but I also have a small yard and have been super impressed with my little Ryobi 40v push mower. It’s going on 5 years old and still works great. No maintenance and folds to take up very little space. I get 3-4 mows on a single charge.
My grandpa had a nubby thumb because of a reel mower. Anyways, yeah a reel mower.
https://a.co/d/j4z1DYZ
there’s a wheels attachment you can get for a trimmer, works great. have one for my small yard myself
https://preview.redd.it/jjug8x2ynmve1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97ab993396691dd9e4e64626ff8586e2f6b95160
There’s probably a neighbor kid that would mow that for some extra cash & get on a scheduled mowing, like once every 2-4 weeks, depending.
If that black and decker trimmer cart isn’t available there are some very small plug in mowers like 13 inches. Also won’t have to support a new battery type for a small job just extension cord.
I use my trimmer to cut grass around the driveway where I can’t get close enough with a mower. To keep it straight I rest the shield on the driveway, and ‘drag’ the mower along it. Comes out pretty straight. I guess you could achieve a similar effect by using a 2×4 as an offset guide instead.
I’ve “mowed” places that weren’t big enough to justify a real push mower before with a weed eater. The only advice I have is do a sweeping motion while taking small steps. I worked for a 5 star resort and everyone loved how it looked after I was done. Takes some practice but a yard this small would take maybe 2-3 minutes. Everything came out even enough that it wasn’t noticeable and if there were uneven spots I’d blend it afterward
Waste 20 hours in Fusion designing a new cap for the weed eater that only allows the weeder eater to get 3″ from the ground with a 3″ extension on the end of the weed eater cap. Then spend $300 on a 3D printer and $25 on filament.
Or just buy the push mower like everyone else says. But I think mine is more fun!
Practice. You will scalp it the first few times, but it does not take long to get good with a trimmer. If that is the whole area, grab a battery trimmer with whatever platform you have (if you have a drill etc). They are lighter and easier to handle due to speeds you can control.
Reel mower but first have to level out the yard using sand.