Thanks for the response. It's a higher end consumer gas-powered trimmer from Lowes. I paid around $200 for it last year. Toro, I think. It's out in the shed now. Since you mention time, I'm reading between the lines here and assuming the attachment route is going to be noticeably slower. I may just rent a tiller for a day if I can get it for around $50-$75 for the day. Any tips, etc, for tilling? I'm going to just nuke the lawn with weed & feed, then seed. It wasn't cared for by the previous owners, and I didn't have the time to devote to it last year. I'll also do some ant/bug poison at some point. Should I weed & feed & seed before I till to mix it all up in the soil? Also, I didn't rake this year- it's tough with the amount of trees I had. I figured I could just till the dead leaves in. Will that have any kind of benefit or harm to the soil? Thanks again.
I misunderstood and thought that you were seeking advice on preparing 1/2 acre for a garden (tomatoes, squash, green beans, cucumbers etc). My mother's vegetable garden area was prepared last weekend, but it is only about 300 - 350 square feet. For that, we used a regular tiller and went extremely slow. We were in the regular garden spot breaking the soil and it still took some time. Your goal appears to be breaking the ground - turf for aeration. I have no experience with that, but I am guessing that if you want to get beneath the topsoil, it might take more horsepower than your gas trimmer provides. If you just want to lightly puncture the topsoil, then the attachment route might work. There might be different tines used for aeration purposes versus gardening purposes, so you might need to specify your needs if you decide to rent.
I just bought this one at Home depot with my 10% off coupon. No complaints so far. http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-O...logId=10053&Nu=P_PARENT_ID&omni=c_Push Mowers
I would suggest the same one that middleman got. I have no experience with the brand except for the trimmer head which is the best in the industry. If you don't care that much about the head and just want the cheapest, just get this one. http://www.echo-usa.com/product.asp?Model=SRM-225&Category=TRIMMER You would also have the option of getting the SpeedFeed later and using it on the Echo.
Can you post pictures of your lawn? What grass is dominating? Tilling is a major major undertaking. I would try to fertilize properly, mow properly and see how it looks next year. I bet it can come back on it's own given time. I doubt tilling will give you the results you desire.
Whats the difference between these two echo trimmers? Why does the straight shaft cost more than the curve shaft? http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-O...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-O...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
The difference is reach. you will be bending over more with the curved. The basic design difference is the curved shaft has no gearbox like the straight shaft has. Staight shaft is more durable, can accept the SpeedFeed head,
