There is something special about looking at a lawn that has just been cut and edged. The smell of freshly cut/trimmed grass! A personal feeling of pride! Just a combination of things that, in that moment, pushes aside all your other thoughts, worries, and concerns. Truly a “feel good about yourself” time and a time to savor! To help you enjoy that moment a little more, here are some tips and reminders about using your McLane 101 grass trimmer/edger.
1. Typically, you will want to set the cutting depth of your edger blade so that the blade cuts about 1″ deep into the soil. Setting the depth at this level should allow you to reach and cut the roots of the grass.
2. If possible, do not edge the lawn when it is wet. Wait until the grass is dry! Edging the lawn when it is wet does not make it look as neat and clean. Also, edging wet grass tends to clog the edger blade guard.
3. When edging along the outside (non-post side) of a fence, adjust the angle of the trimmer head so that the cutter blade slopes slightly toward and under the fence. Edge carefully so the cutter blade does not hit the fence.
4. For a professional cut along flower beds and gardens, set the cutter blade at a 15-20 degree angle so the bottom of the blade slopes toward the flower bed/garden.
5. When skirting driveways and sidewalks, push the McLane edger at your normal walking speed. (Note: When first edging your yard at the start of edging/mowing season, I found that pushing my trimmer 2 steps forward, then 1 step back, then 2 steps forward, 1 step back, etc. produces best edging results This 2 step forward then 1 step back approach does a good job of clearing the cutting area of the edger blade along the driveway/sidewalk that has filled up with dirt in the winter.
6. Reminder: With your McLane 101 edger, you do not need to mix oil with gasoline.
7. As with any piece of equipment, it will be worth reading the 15 page McLane Edger Operator’s Manual before starting to operate the edger for the first time. (Actually, there are only about 7 1/2 easy-to-read pages. The rest of the pages are covers, pictures, a parts list, maintenance note pages, etc.)
8. When going around curbs, you can try removing the spacer bar between the front wheels and then moving the right wheel up against the left wheel and then re-inserting the spacer bar to the right of the side-to-side wheels. This should give your edger better balance as you cut along the sidewalk. Important: Make sure your trimmer is completely off before you begin to remove the spacer bar or move the front wheels.
9. Use a 5W-30 or 10W-30 SAE viscosity grade synthetic motor oil in your McLane 101 edger. This will give you the best temperature range for operating your edger. Many people use SAE 30 grade motor oil; but if you operate your edger with SAE 30 grade oil when the outside temperature is below 40 degrees, the edger may be more difficult to start.
10. A good habit is to recheck the oil level in your edger every time you use it.
I hope these tips and reminders are helpful!
