There is just something special about looking at a lawn that you have just mowed and edged. The smell of the freshly cut/trimmed grass! A personal feeling of pride! Just a combination of things that for that moment pushes all your other thoughts, worries, and concerns aside. Truly, a "feel good about yourself" time and a moment to savor! To help you enjoy that moment a little more, here are a few tips and reminders on using your McLane 101 Lawn Edger/Trimmer.
1. You will usually want to set the cutting depth of your edger blade so that the blade is cutting about 1" deep into the soil. Setting the depth at this level should allow you to reach and cut the roots of the grass.
Mclane Mowers
2. If possible, do not edge your grass when it is wet. Wait until the grass is dry! Edging your grass when it is wet does not give you as neat and clean looking a cut. Additionally, edging wet grass has a tendency to clog up the edger's blade guard.
3. When edging along the outside (non-pole side) of a fence, set the edger's cutterhead angle so the cutter blade angles slightly toward and underneath the fence. Edge carefully so the cutter blade does not hit the fence itself.
4. For a professional looking cut along flower beds and gardens, set the cutter blade at a 15-20 degree angle so the lower part of the blade is angled toward the flower bed/garden.
5. When edging along driveways and sidewalks, push your McLane edger at your normal walking speed. (Note: When you edge your yard for the first time at the start of the edging/mowing season, I have found that pushing my edger in a forward 2 steps then back 1 step, then forward 2 steps and back 1 step, etc approach produces the best edging results. This 2 steps forward and then 1 step back approach does a good job of cleaning out the edger blade's cutting area along the driveway/sidewalk which has become filled with soil over the winter.
6. Reminder: With your McLane 101 edger, you do not need to mix oil with the gasoline.
7. As it is with any piece of equipment, it will be worth your time to read the 15 page McLane edger's operator's manual before you begin operating your edger the first time. (Actually, there are only about 7 1/2 pages of easy reading. The rest of the pages are cover page, pictures, a parts list, maintenance note pages, etc.)
8. When edging along curbs, you might want to try removing the spacer bar between the front wheels and then moving the right wheel up against the left wheel and then reinserting the spacer bar to the right of the side by side wheels. This should provide your edger with better balance as you cut along the curb. Important: Be sure you have your edger turned completely off before you ever begin to remove the spacer bar/move the front wheels.
9. Use a synthetic 5W-30 or 10W-30 SAE viscosity grade motor oil in your McLane 101 edger. This will provide you with the best temperature range for operating your edger. Many people use SAE 30 grade motor oil; but if you operate your edger using SAE 30 grade oil when the outdoor temperature is below 40 degrees, the edger may be harder to start.
10. A good habit to get into is to double check your edger's oil level each time before you use your edger.
I hope these tips and reminders will be helpful!