Another summer has come and gone with all the furious lawnmowing and hedge trimming that entails. There must be a better way. Tom McKinlay reports on the options.
> Get the right tools
"Listening to advice never hurt anyone," says Rod McKenzie of the Stihl Shop. Which is probably good advice.
He further advises that people read the instructions for their tools. Apparently, folks do that overseas, Germans are known for it but Americans do it, too.
"The reason for that is they have no-one there to give them advice, in the same way we do here," Mr McKenzie says. That's Walmart for you.
Among Mr McKenzie's advice is to buy quality.
"The first rule of thumb is to buy the best quality you can afford," he says. Buying cheap is never a good idea long-term.
It is also a good idea to buy it from someone who can then look after the servicing.
So far, so much common sense.
But, of course, the experts in the field also have a few tips for the average urban section owner. For example, if a section has a lot of slopes over 30degrees, you'll need a two-stroke to mow it. On that sort of lean, a four-stroke won't lubricate.
Here's another. Mulching mowers are designed to cut only the top third of the grass, mulching that into the two-thirds that remains.
Here's another, for chainsaws this time: When buying a chainsaw, first choose the size of bar you need, then attach the biggest power plant you can afford.
Then there are considerations such as the octane rating of the fuel and using the right sort of oil for a particular make.
It's a lot to keep in mind. Some advice sounds like a good idea.
> Get someone else to do it
Neil Turner will mow your lawn. He'll trim your hedge and lots more besides.
That's not just because he's a good bloke - he's also the Otago regional franchisor of Jim's Mowing, a contracting outfit with people in Dunedin and Oamaru.
The elderly are well-represented among Mr Turner's regular customers.
"They basically rely on us, as well as their carers, to keep them in their homes."
Then there are the time-poor, double-income-no-kids households for whom the timesaving is a good investment.
The cost of buying or maintaining equipment is not the main reason for people opting to buy in the service, Mr Turner says.
"A lot of people I work for have a lawnmower sitting in the shed.
"It is actually getting out there and doing it. It is a time factor for a lot of people.
"A few years ago it was quite a luxury, having someone coming in, doing your garden and cutting the lawn, but now in many cases it is a necessity and people budget for it."
If there is disability, a small Work and Income subsidy may be available.
Hedges, in particular, are beyond the ability of many.
"It is not just the cutting part, but getting rid of the trimmings," Mr Turner says.
"For some people, cutting a hedge might take a whole weekend."
Jim's Mowing has the right equipment, which could speed up the process considerably, Mr Turner says.
Another job he'll take off your hands is cleaning out the house roof guttering. That has to be worth paying for.
• Costs: Average lawn $27 a time, usually cut about 19 times a year (not quite fortnightly). Average hedge $150, including the cost of taking away the cuttings.
> Do it with someone else's gear
Having decided to do the work yourself, one option is to hire the equipment.
Hirequip's lawnmowers are popular but the piece of machinery making a big noise just now is their lawn aerator or de-thatcher. It's a piece of equipment they have made themselves which sends a blade down into matted lawn to free things up.
"It looks a bit of a mess for a week or two but comes away real good," Hirequip mechanic Deane Crabbe says.
Such exotic pieces of equipment, which you are unlikely to find in your own tool shed, are reason alone to visit the hire centre from time to time.
But Mr Crabbe says Hirequip has its regulars who pop in each month for a lawnmower.
And of course, because it is hire equipment, people hiring the gear know it will do almost anything.
"They definitely don't spare the horses," Mr Crabbe says.
Hedgetrimmers are a popular item, with people looking for a bit more grunt than the electric shears sitting in the shed at home.
Mulchers are probably the single hottest item, as the cost of dumping green waste creeps up. At $170 a hire, people do the sums and if they have a big enough pile of clippings they will mulch it themselves.
Other popular tools include rotary hoes and plate compacters - again items less likely to be out in the shed.
• Costs: Lawn mower hire $22 for four hours. Hedgetrimmer $59 for a full day or over the weekend.
