14
Scalping and edging
Both of these are done with the line head tilted at a steep angle.
Scalping is removing top growth, leaving the earth bare.
Edging is trimming the grass back where it has spread over a pavement or driveway.
During both edging and scalping, hold the unit at a steep angle in a position where the debris,
and any dislodged dirt and stone, will not come back towards you even if it ricochets off the
hard surface.
Although the pictures show how to edge and scalp, every operator must find for himself the
angles which suit his body size and cutting situation.
Nylon line head or disc rotates anticlockwise.
The knife will be on the left side of the shield.
1. Cut on this side.
2. Debris.
For nearly all cutting, it is good to tilt the nylon cutter so that contact is made on the part of line
circle where the line is moving away from you and the shield (See appropriate picture).
This results in the debris being thrown away from you.
Tilting the head to the wrong side will shoot the debris toward you.
If the nylon line cutter is held flat to the ground so that cutting occurs on the whole line circle,
debris will be thrown at you, drag will slow the engine, and you will use up a lot of line.
Do not trim near cars or pedestrians.
Always wear proper eye protection against thrown objects.
Objects can bounce up at you from the ground under the shield, or ricochet off any nearby hard
surface.
Do not trim at high speed near roadways when there is traffic, or in places where there are
pedestrians.
If you must trim where people are in the zone of risk use a much lower or reduced speed, by
using a partial trigger setting.
Do not use full throttle.
Line pushed into wire fencing will snap off.
Do not push the line into tough weeds, trees, or wire fences.
Pushing the line into chicken wire, chain link fencing or thick brush can result in snapped-off
line ends being hurled back at the operator.
The proper way is to cut right up to a barrier, such as any of those mentioned, but never run
the line into or through the obstruction.
Do not cut closely to obstruction or barrier.
Avoid wire.
Avoid nylon line contact with broken wire fencing.
Pieces of wire broken off by the trimmer can be hurled at high speeds.
