[sandim]

What is everyone using for edgers and/or bed shapers? Last year we did it with edging shovels but this year we're wanting equipment. Not sure if we should invest in:
a) an edging attachment for the trimmers
b) a separate bed edger
c) a bed shaper

Any thoughts?

[GLAN]

This has been my approach.........


If we are creating new beds for a new planting.....I'll paint the outline....then go through with an edger......as in a Mclane, Little Wonder.....Sod cut the interior....I own a sod cutter.

If it is an existing planting but no formal beds.........I go through with the edger to establish the line......then spade cut under the vegetative material......cultivate the soil.....and in both instances when done.....spade the edge nice and clean.

To maintaine.........it is SOP for my area to do weekly bed maintenance while doing weekly service......pull weeds, cultivate and spade the edge.

I don't own a bed shapping machine......our method to first install a bed or bed line works well for us...........and I am not spending $ on a machine that is so selective in use

[Mac]

i really like my Turfco edging unit. However, if i ever needed a new one, I would look hard at a bed edger unit that goes on a front mount mower.

[4seasons]

I use a trenchmaster---8hp
bought it 3yrs old for 900.00
time saved on new and old edges-- priceless!
used to rent one for$65.00 a day
just lined a bunch up and edged them
or billed it on an install job.
I have a defining blade and a new bed edge blade
works for me.

[VoodooChile]

We went with the Bluebird Bed Edger 2 years ago. It has a solid Honda 5.5 hp engine, and good ergonomics, but we have had a ton of maintenance with the blade working loose. You're looking at 1 hour of maintenance for every 4-8 hours of operation (depending on how skilled the operator is at working around rocks). You have to pull off 2 shields and reset the blade on the shaft, as well as tighten up 6 set-screws to get back in business. A real pita.

Next time I would go with the Brown.

Bear in mind that these machines are both dangerous to operators, and anything else that gets in the way. Safety glasses, ear-protection and good training are a must. Hidden obstacles like irrigation lines and low-voltage lighting cables get eaten alive, and make sure Digger's Hotline has been called before you fire her up, or it could get ugly fast.

Here are two old threads on the same topic:
Best Bed Edger Vote
Mechanical Bed Edger

[johnkeegan]

I've got a 9 HP Brown Bed Edger. Great machine. Cuts the deep edge and pulverizes everything, including tree roots, stone and telephone wires (oops). No sod clumps to remove. With the swivel handle bar it can do fairly tight circles. Also, has a trenching attachment and stump grinder (actually works) for small nuisance stumps. Fairly problem free.

[PSUscaper]

I use the bucket of my dingo. I paint the line, pull up perpendicular to it, then jam the bucket (with no tooth bar) into the line, and flip it forward. With some practice, it work very well.

If we have a mini-x, we park inside the bed, paint the line, then use the bucket to pull the sod inwords. Because of the teeth, you just have to go back and clean up with a shovel, but not all that much.

I know some guys that have rigged up a flat piece of metal to go across the teeth of their mini-x buckets so they can use the bucket like a powerd flat shovel and create very nice bed lines.

[johnkeegan]

How much of a smooth curve can you get with straight 4 ft. bucket or an excavator? What if there is shale,hard pan clay or tree roots? And there has to some skuffing of any damp, tender spring-time lawn...and you still have to remove all the edging material.

With the Brown Bed edger, you could easily edge about 100 linear feet of new beds in 5 minutes. That includes any curves, no lawn damage and raking out the pulverised edging materials (essentially just dirt) into the bed.

[sandim]

What about the whole going backwards thing, that doesn't seem to bother anyone?

[johnkeegan]

Not at all. Just make sure you have yourself going in the right direction first.

[PSUscaper]

I'm not saying the dingo replaces the brown. I'm saying it saves me 3k or whatever that thing costs.

I've used the 'bedshaper'. Has like a 9hp honda on it, hydraulic drive, and cuts the turf. Works well in 'good' soil, but struggles in rock. 75% of the jobs here are rock, so to justify a machine that is 4k that may work 30% of the time is hard.

Most of our work is new bed installation, so the methods I describe work well. And fyi, the 4 ft bucket actually will cut some pretty steep curves. I was amazed myself.

[4seasons]

Theonly thing about the trenchmaster (brown bed edger) is how difficult hillsides are.
One of my guys slipped in some mud last spring and twisted his ankle when he tried to slow it down.

[johnkeegan]

The Brown will definately go through clay, rocky soil (eye protection a definate) etc. It won't go through an actual ledge of solid shale but either would my Bobcat A300.

With steep hillsides, we have one guy with a rope attached to the front of the machine uphill and the other pulling the edger. 95% of the scenarios the machine works great as designed.

Is it pricey, most good equipment is. For us it probably saves 50 hours of of labor per year. That's 50 more production hours I would not have had. With that increased production time it will pay for itself ($2,500) in close to a year. Since I've had it for about 6 years, it would seem like a good investiment. Most equipment I've purchased has taken alot longer to pay for itself.

[NCSULandscaper]

After i bought my Brown Bededger several years back, i have not picked up a hand spade since, hand spade takes up so much unneccesary time it should be illegal, i can machine edge a property faster than someone can hand edge one bed and produce a much nicer edge.......if this machine ever dies, it wouldnt hesitate to buy another one a minute later

[GLAN]

Let me ask you guys using these machines....

Are they mostly for new bed creation?.........a once or twice a year?

What about on a weekly basis?