lawn specialist. remember an electric lawn edger?

[vash]

I remember this lawn edger my dad used when I was a tiny kid.

allow me to describe it. I just failed my google-fu and didn't find a picture.

okay. it had a long handle with two wheels in the back. it was nothing but a platform with an electric motor on it. same motor you would find in a swamp cooler. on/off, and that is it. that motor spun a rubber V-belt, that turned a wheel. the wheel had a hub on it you could push down to install 3 metal spike things. basically the spikes were thicker than say a 16d nail with the end pointy on one end, and twisted into a hoop on the other end to clip into the hub. you would have to change spikes periodically. they would bend damn near immediately. you plugged it in to an extension cord. here is the fun part. it had a toggle switch inline on the cord hanging off the handle. you turned it on and it stayed on unless you reach down to the cord and toggle the switch.

it would fling cutting out away from you..you know for safety. no safety cage around the spinning parts. none.

I remember my parents making me edge the yard when I was about 11. may as well make me work dynamite or a chainsaw.

you remember that edger? have a pic? I want to see if my younger brother remembers it.

[red-beard]

We had a motorized one. like this, but far more dangerous

[red-beard]

We had it in Texas and you positioned it at the concrete edge to cut the St. Augustine runners. Today, everyone just used string trimmers. But back in the 1970's, you used an edger. A dangerous edger. They would throw up sparks as you touched the concrete.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by red-beard

We had a motorized one. like this, but far more dangerous

Mine is much like that. 3.5 HP Brigs and Stratton engine that fires off on the first pull. I bought it in the late 1980s. It has grease zerks at all the wheels for lubrication.

I have right at 1/4 mile of edging to do. There is a sidewalk running though the front yard all the width, one sidewalk to the front porch from the curb. The curb itself, and a sidewalk against the house all the way around the house. I can walk all the way around my house and never step off of concrete. Almost all of it needs to be edged.

I still have to use the string trimmer for the trees, flowerbeds, and tight curves.

[red-beard]

Ours was a Briggs unit with 3 wheels, and the blade was where the 4th one should be. Sort of similar to the picture.

When my parents moved to northern NY State, it ended up in the basement and sat there for years.

My dad also had a motorized reel type mower. Also in the basement...

[911boost]

I have (well my ex has it at her house because she has a lot more sidewalk than I do) and old school Black and Decker one. It is electric and that blades spins and throws crap everywhere!

It does such a better job than turning my gas powered Stihl weedeater on its side to do the same thing.

[GH85Carrera]

The thing I like about it is I can lower the blade and just walk forward at almost normal pace, and zip, the sidewalk is edged. With all I have to edge it would take a long time and not be as even if I tried it with the string trimmer.

[pksystems]

Weed wacker turned sideways

[1990C4S]

This is very good...especially if you keep it sharp.

[gwmac]

Made the blades from wire clothes hangers, there was a bending jig on the blade guard, would send pieces of hanger out with great force

[vash]

Originally Posted by red-beard

We had it in Texas and you positioned it at the concrete edge to cut the St. Augustine runners. Today, everyone just used string trimmers. But back in the 1970's, you used an edger. A dangerous edger. They would throw up sparks as you touched the concrete.

that's the one!! we had it in Texas as well. total craziness.

[vash]

it looked VERY similar to this instrument of pain and eye injuries

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

This is very good...especially if you keep it sharp.

We had something like that too. The St. Augustine laughed at it!

[Scott Douglas]

We had an electric one that had the blade mounted directly to the motor. Real pain to use as it only had two wheels on a narrow wheel base so would tip easily on its side.
I use a gas edger, or did when I used to cut my lawn. I told the gardener I hired that I didn't want them using a string trimmer to edge with as the edges aren't as precise. My edger is out in the shed, just waiting for me to get it going again. It's an old McLane that's had a re-engine done to it as it used to be rental unit my brother pulled out of his local dump before giving it to me. Was good running/starting when used regularly. Now, I'm not looking forward to trying to get it going as it's been a year since it last ran. BUT, it did run when parked!

[sammyg2]

I had an electric edger but it was more modern than the one you describe, picked it up at a garage sale about 25 years ago.
I finally wore it out and put it in the dumpster.

Looked kinda like this but older.

[Scott Douglas]

Ours was a lot like that only about two generations cruder as the handle was just straight bent tube with a clamped on 'T' handle.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

BUT, it did run when parked!

They ALL say that!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

I had an electric edger but it was more modern than the one you describe, picked it up at a garage sale about 25 years ago.
I finally wore it out and put it in the dumpster.

Looked kinda like this but older.

I remember something like that. I don't think we ever had anything but electric. I think the first one that I remember was probably from around 1980-82.

I remember using one of these.

[red-beard]

This is exactly the manual edger we had as kids