Line trimmers make all the difference when gardening

Any self respected gardener needs to be armed with the right set of tools if the garden is going to be a pleasure to make and maintain. Gardening requires a lot of dedication and commitment. However it can be a much more enjoyable job if the right tools are used for the right jobs.

A line-trimmer works on the principle that a line that is turned fast enough is held out from its housing (the rotating reel) very stiffly by centrifugal force. The faster it turns the stiffer the line. Even round-section nylon line is able to cut grass and slight, woody, plants quite well. Some monofilament lines, designed for more powerful cutters, have an extruded shape—like a star—that helps the line slash the material being cut and thus it is able to cut quite large woody plants (small shrubs) or, at least, ring-bark them very effectively. These lines make disks less necessary for tough jobs.

The line is hand-wound onto a reel before the job is started, leaving both ends extending from the reel housing. The motor turns the reel and the line extends horizontally while the operator swings the trimmer about where the plants are to be trimmed. The operator controls the height at which cutting takes place and can trim down to ground level quite easily. As the line is worn, or breaks off, the operator knocks the reel on the ground so that a release mechanism allows some of the line in the reel to extend and replace the spent portion.

Take care when using trimmers as it can cause eye injuries to users and bystanders, but by wearing eye glasses this risk is eliminated. Always disconnect the power when replacing the line; this is another safety requirement when using line trimmers.