BED EDGERS

[DELTA]

DOES ANYONE OWN AND USE ONE OF THESE? I'VE BEEN TEMPTED TO RENT ONE JUST FOR MYSELF AND MY CHURCH BUT THEN BEGAN TO WONDER WHAT KIND OF $$ IT COULD BRING IN. THE SHOVEL-A-TRENCH METHOD IS OUT IF I CAN USE ONE OF THESE BABIES. HOW DO YOU BILL THIS SRVICE? ANY DIFFERNET DUE TO THE RENTAL OT IS IT JUST MY LOSS CUZ I DON'T BUY ONE?

[Scott]

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I believe they cost is in the neighbor hood of $1500 and up

[Scott]

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Delta I'm sorry that we as a group don't have much info on this subject. IMHO bed edgers are nice but the same work can be accomplished with a stick edger and finished off with a squared off shovel. Billing can vary. I've never done bed edging alone. I've always been tasked with bed clean-up in conjunction with the bed edging, or complete reconstruction of the bed.
I think the active members of this forum are mainly grasscutters. Haven't seen too much on landscaping, irrigation, landscape lighting etc... So questions other than about lawnmowers and cutting grass will not be reviewed or commented on as much, yet. This forum is less than a year old and I feel people are still feeling the waters prior to making any comments. By the end of next year I think this forum will cover and offer most of anybodys needs that evolve from this career.

[DELTA]

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I see your point and I too wish to maily do grass but have been asked to do other projects and although I have always done the shovel work, this machine looks like a whis. I may rent it to do my house and a friends just to see. On the other hand I am looking at a Great Dane (52) stand on for $5300. It's a demo with 25 hours on it. I know some don't go near demos but it lightly used and I need the price break where I can get it. What do yo think? I won't demo it till next week.

[Scaper-S2k]

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I'd say skip the bed edger, unless the spade work is just really bringing you down. I have demoed them but they don't give you a perfect smooth edge like a spade will. They get the job done, and quicker, but not prettier.

As for the Great Dane? I have demoed one of those for about a week. Didn't care for it too much. I liked what it 'Could Have Been' if some changes were made to it prior to production. You can get a Toro 100 ZTR series brand new for about $5995.

[lawrence stone]

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On 9/18/02 I attended the Lehigh Valley (PA) Grounds Managers field day and a "dealer" had a GD stand on there for display. This machine was completely ergonomically unsuitable for a man of my substantial size.

The foot platform did not even come close to accommodating my size 13 footwear. I found the back of the machine to close for comfort for my robust girth and the controls to be to too low AND forward.

You might want to do some research in some of the other forums. Most folks think these machines are a bad copy manufactured under the license of Wright Mfg.


BTW I am a big fan of stand on mowers. I have Toro gear drives with stand on hydro type sulkies. By standing all day I have very muscular legs and azz that the ladies just love to admire and touch.

[Jeff N]

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I'm a fan of bed edgers. Many people like the trenchmaster (brown mfg.). I like the Bed Shaper. Hydro driven. Will lay waste to any dude w/ shovel. Quality is great. We don't use them on tree rings or planting intensive beds because you get a better "feel" for roots. These machines will slice right through them. The bigger the job the better. If you're doing small residential or commercial, hand-dug is the way to go. Luck...

Jeff

[Scaper-S2k]

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What I really hated about the Great Dane..or Stander was the how un-natural it felt. Backing down a hill, or ramp gate, you need to lean forward, hold on, while using the hydros and pulling backwards. Or, going up a hill, you have to hold yourself up against the machine while trying to allow the controls to move you forward. It jsut felt screwy. Nice idea, and with a little work would be great. But I just dind't like it. Delta, we have a decent amount of hills around both of us, it may not be the best route. But, it may seem better than the 36" you are using now....possibly. But I think there are better things out there.