Raise your hand if you’ve ever lugged a heavy, noisy, vibrating string trimmer all over God’s green earth and then had a backache that evening.
And… all hands go up!
Chainsaws can wear your back out too, of course, but what if there was special kind of chainsaw that rested it’s weight on the ground so that you didn’t have to wear yourself out carrying its load?
Wheeled string trimmers are pretty rare pieces of equipment. They usually only sit out on the salesfloor at rural dealers or maybe a Farm And Fleet. They are not popular at all in the suburbs, and that’s for a reason.
They are really made for cutting acreage. And even then, depending on your terrain and what you’re trying to cut, they may not be suitable.
But they are perfect for long fence lines, or long ditches.
After mulling it over for years, I finally bought a wheeled string trimmer last summer. What did I get, and what is my honest opinion of it? Read on…
Toro 22″ 58620 Specs
Briggs & Stratton 163 cc engine
4-cycle
22″ cutting path
14″ large wheels
Foldable, tool-less handle height/angle adjustment
Steel deck
2/5 year warranty
0.26 gallon fuel tank
If you are looking for it, I have uploaded the owner’s manual and you can find it ->> HERE
My Review
This 22″ trimmer from Toro came in a medium-sized, heavy box. It was right at 80 lbs, so speaking of back pain, keep that in mind if you are going to load one in your truck/SUV at the store, or if you are ordering one.
Assembly was pretty easy, and only took a few minutes. The handle height can be set to your liking. It is tool-less, but that’s less of a benefit for adjusting on the fly and more about dropping the handle down to take up less space in your shed or your garage.
Toro includes a little discharge guard that mounts to the side. This seems to help keep some of the debris off your legs and shoes.
They also include engine oil. Like your pushmower, this thing is 4-stroke. That means you don’t mix oil in the fuel (which is handy), but you do put oil in the crankcase. My point in mentioning this… don’t forget the oil! If you do, your engine won’t last very long.
The healthy B&S engine starts right up with one pull of the cord. What black magic is this??
I wouldn’t call this thing quiet, but it is a big quieter than most gas powered push mowers.
I found that it had plenty of horsepower to cut through even the thickest and tallest weed patches. If you run it up against something that is just too thick for it to cut, the strings beat it up a little bit and just keep going. This thing is not prone to bogging down.
Yes, the 80 lb package weight surprised me, and made me a little apprehensive. After all, it was the weight of must handheld string trimmers that I was trying to avoid with this purchase.
But once you plop this thing on the ground on it’s giant 14″ wheels, it practically floats along, offering little in the way of resistance. Much easier on the back! In fact, about the only thing I felt like it was missing to be a true luxury is a beer holder and air conditioning (ha ha).
There were overgrown patches that were waist high, and this thing just rips right through them.
I did encounter some sections of blackberry brambles. Those vines are thick, and give it a bit more trouble. But it’s still way more powerful and effective than a handheld trimmer.
I found the strings to be quite durable. I cut along a fence line for probably 200 yards, and then I spent another hour cutting along a ditch that was probably 4′ wide by another 100 or 150 yards long.
I have noticed if you cut along a brick or concrete wall, that seems to be the hardest on the strings, and wears them out a little faster.
I didn’t time myself, but I am guessing there was maybe a 10% improvement in efficiency as compared to do it with my handheld trimmer. The 22″ diameter certainly helps, but then you offset that against slightly less maneuverability – pushing the thing on the ground rather than pivoting at your hip with a regular trimmer. And you also still have to take care not to bash into things, it’s not like I was in a race.
I have tried a Craftsman, and felt like it didn’t track straight. I have tried an off-brand, but it was hard to start. The Toro really impressed me, and I’m happy with the purchase.
I give the Toro 2 thumbs up!
