There are some spots in your yard a mower can’t reach, and others where the grass and weeds have gotten too tall for mowers to tackle. For these places, a trimmer or brushcutter makes short work of overgrown vegetation.
Trimmer or Brushcutter?
This choice depends on what kind of cutting you plan on doing, and the size of yard you maintain. For homeowners with a smaller yard, a battery or electric powered trimmer might be all you need. Homeowners with a larger yard or tough weeds would do better with a gasoline-powered trimmer or a brushcutter. Professional lawn workers, who will be working for longer stretches of time, often opt for a brushcutter with harness and handlebars that distribute the weight and make the trimmer easier to use.
Several styles of trimmers offer an option to used a brushcutter blade, and brushcutters often have the option to exchange the cutting blade for a trimmer head. If you choose one of these styles, it makes the trimmer or brushcutter more versatile.
Homeowner Models
Homeowner trimmers and brushcutters have a straight or curved shaft and loop-style handle. They may be powered by a battery or electric cord, or a gasoline-powered engine. In general, the battery and electric models are lighter-weight. Stihl’s FSA 65 Lithium Ion Battery Powered Trimmer weighs only 9.5 pounds.
Both Stihl and Echo offer multi-tool systems that have interchangeable trimmer and brushcutter attachments. Powerheads and tool attachments are available separately or as part of a bundle. The Echo PAS bundles include a powerhead, string-line trimmer, and either an edger or blower attachment. A saw-tooth brushcutter attachment is also available. The Stihl offers four different KombiMotors, and the string-line trimmer and four-tooth brushcutter attachments will work with all these powerheads.
Richardson Saw also offers homeowner trimmers by Honda, RedMax, Echo and Stihl with a range of sizes and power options. The smaller, more economically priced, models include the curved-shaft Echo GT-225 trimmer and Stihl FS 40 C-E trimmer.
Professional Models
Professional, commercial-grade trimmers and brushcutters typically have a straight-shaft design and feature either loop or bicycle-style handlebars. Some models come with shoulder harnesses, or you can often add them. Stihl, for example, offers several harness styles.
Some professionals might opt for a battery-powered model like the Stihl FSA 85 Lithium Ion Battery Powered Trimmer, but many situations call for more powerful gasoline-powered models. Richardson Saw carries these types of trimmers from brands like Echo, Honda, RedMax, Shindaiwa and Stihl.
Several professional brushcutters also work as trimmers. Honda’s HHT35SUKA comes standard with a 10-inch brush-clearing saw blade and a 17-inch string-line trimmer head. For Stihl brushcutters and trimmers, you can check which models use which styles of blades or trimmer heads by checking their Cutting Head and Blade Selection Chart. If you have any other questions about which trimmer or brushcutter will work best for you, don’t hesitate to ask! We here at Richardson Saw & Lawnmower are more than happy to help you find just the right tool for your yard or business.
