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My preference for edging a lawn is a gas edger. I am not proficient enough with the weed eater to make it my go to approach. The edge I put on my yards is 100 times as clean with the gas edger as well as being easier on me to do. Now having said that, I have run into a decision. Most, if not all the yards I am cutting have irrigation systems in place and the daggone sprinkler heads are predominantly placed right on the sidewalk/driveway edges. I don't know if it's a standard or what, but these guys (irrigation contractors) put those things up against the shoulder of the concrete. NOW, here I come right down through there with Mr. gas edger with steel blade. I have yet to get into one of the heads, but it looks damn possible to do. IMO, a direct hit, with my edger just a tad off of the concrete edge, to one of these heads would probably destroy one of the things. Has anybody here who uses a gas edger had this happen? Am I concerned for no reason? Before I get too deep into offering this procedure to my customers (as I have advertised it as a "plus" as it results in an extremely clean edge) should I reconsider? What do you guys think is the possibility of me having to repair or change out sprinkler heads if I stay with the steel blade gas edger?

send2den said:

My preference for edging a lawn is a gas edger. I am not proficient enough with the weed eater to make it my go to approach. The edge I put on my yards is 100 times as clean with the gas edger as well as being easier on me to do. Now having said that, I have run into a decision. Most, if not all the yards I am cutting have irrigation systems in place and the daggone sprinkler heads are predominantly placed right on the sidewalk/driveway edges. I don't know if it's a standard or what, but these guys (irrigation contractors) put those things up against the shoulder of the concrete. NOW, here I come right down through there with Mr. gas edger with steel blade. I have yet to get into one of the heads, but it looks damn possible to do. IMO, a direct hit, with my edger just a tad off of the concrete edge, to one of these heads would probably destroy one of the things. Has anybody here who uses a gas edger had this happen? Am I concerned for no reason? Before I get too deep into offering this procedure to my customers (as I have advertised it as a "plus" as it results in an extremely clean edge) should I reconsider? What do you guys think is the possibility of me having to repair or change out sprinkler heads if I stay with the steel blade gas edger?

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I assume your using a gas stick edger and if so just cut around the sprinkler head. They should be wrapped with a doughnut to begin with. It also happens will not be the only one that will destroy a few in time but there easily replaced. I always carry about a half dozen on the trailer for replacements.

Ric said:

I assume your using a gas stick edger and if so just cut around the sprinkler head. They should be wrapped with a doughnut to begin with. It also happens will not be the only one that will destroy a few in time but there easily replaced. I always carry about a half dozen on the trailer for replacements.

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Actually it's an MTD unit with a 3.5 HP engine. Has 4 wheels and can be adjusted to every angle imaginable. Not a "stick" per se, but a bigger unit than that. Leaves a beautiful line. The thing about it is that the contractors have put these heads dead on the edge of the concrete, so you can't even run a piece of paper between the head and the concrete. This edger unit has a Tri Star shaped steel blade, pretty manly. I have yet to hit one of the sprinkler units square, but I'm fearing this blade would pretty much destroy one of those plastic heads. I tried marking the damn things with flags, but even doing that, they are hard to see sometimes to even mark. Takes too much damn time. I try and "hug" the concrete with the blade, but at times it gets off track a tad, and could IMO nail the piss outta one of the heads. Saw some posts on here about changing out sprinkler heads and all and it seems pretty cut and dry, but not sure if I wanna keep changing the things out. cuts into my profit. As of right now, I 've decided to just hit it with a weed wacker and try to keep it clean. My wife just informed me that ALL the houses in the neighborhood we presently live in have irrigation systems, kinda like STANDARD. I wasn't aware of that. And this is where all my clients are now. Upscale homes with many postage stamp yards which I try and do a A+ job on. That's why I was set on using that edger. Think I'm gonna have a little sit down with my customers and explain the situation and give them the reason I would prefer not to use the gas edger. Somebody the other day told me that the string trimmers would bust em as well, but I aint buying that. Anyway, thanks for the input.