Tips on using the McLane 101 Lawn Edger

There is something special about looking at a lawn that has just been cut and edged. The smell of freshly cut/trimmed grass! A personal feeling of pride! Just a combination of things that, in that moment, pushes aside all your other thoughts, worries, and concerns. Truly a moment to “feel good about yourself” and a moment to savor! To help you enjoy that time a little more, here are some tips and reminders on using your McLane 101 Grass Trimmer/Edger.

1. Generally, you will want to set the cutting depth of your edger blade so that the blade cuts about 1″ deep into the ground. Setting the depth at this level should allow you to reach and cut the grass roots.

2. If possible, do not edge the lawn when it is wet. Wait until the grass is dry! Edging your lawn when it’s wet doesn’t make it look as neat and clean. Also, wet grass edging tends to clog the edger blade guard.

3. When edging along the outside (postless side) of a fence, adjust the angle of the edger’s cutting head so that the cutter blade slopes slightly toward and below the fence. Edge carefully so the cutter blade does not hit the guide.

4. For professional cutting along flower beds and gardens, set the cutter blade at a 15-20 degree angle so that the bottom of the blade is angled toward the flower bed/garden.

5. When edging driveways and sidewalks, push the McLane Edger at its normal walking speed. (Note: When first edging your yard at the beginning of the edging/mowing season, I have found that pushing my edger 2 steps forward, then 1 step back, then 2 steps forward and 1 step back, etc. produces best edging results.This 2 steps forward then 1 step back approach does a good job of clearing the edger blade cutting area along the driveway/sidewalk that has become filled with dirt in the winter.

6. Reminder: With your McLane 101 Edger, you do not need to mix oil with gasoline.

7. As with any piece of equipment, it will be worth reading the 15-page McLane Edger Operator’s Manual before you begin operating the edger for the first time. (There are actually only about 7 1/2 easy-to-read pages. The rest of the pages are covers, pictures, a parts list, maintenance note pages, etc.)

8. When going around curbs, you can try removing the space bar between the front wheels and then moving the right wheel up against the left wheel and then re-inserting the space bar to the right of the side to side wheels. This should give your edger better balance as you cut along the sidewalk. Important: Make sure the trimmer is completely off before you begin to remove the space bar or move the front wheels.

9. Use a 5W-30 or 10W-30 SAE viscosity grade synthetic motor oil in your McLane 101 edger. This will give you the best temperature range to operate your edger. Many people use SAE 30 grade motor oil; But if you operate your edger with SAE 30 grade oil when the outside temperature is below 40 degrees, the edger may be more difficult to start.

10. A good habit is to recheck the oil level on your edger every time you use it.

I hope these tips and reminders are helpful!