Winston wrote:

Hi all,

I've a friend who is losing a battle with some 4' tall, fibrous
weeds on her 1/4 acre lot. I bought a gas powered brush cutter
and knocked them over once but they are back.

http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/ex...mmers/RY26000#
http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/ex...ments/RY15702#

My friend does not want to use any gas-powered tools because of
reliability and noise.

She has been attacking the weeds with a standard A.C. powered 'Weed wacker'.
(Black and Decker 'Grass Hog'). Clearly, the fibrous stalks are more
than a match for the weak 'fishing line'. She is well on her way to
trashing her second 'Grass Hog'.

I think that an A.C. powered mower / trimmer would work a lot better
for her but my Google-fu fails to locate anything like that.
Lots of gas powered units but nothing quieter and reliable.

A standard A.C. mower isn't going to work on these monster weeds
because they grow very high, astoundingly quickly.

Short of slicing the front wheels off an A.C. mower, what
can I do to help her be self-sufficient?

Thanks!

--Winston

The reliability problem with gas powered tools is the reliability of the
operator taking proper care of them. As for the noise issue, electrics
are somewhat quieter, though far from silent, and due to the lower power
than gas models you have to listen to them longer to get the same job
done.

Suggest the friend just hire some maintenance folks who will work
quickly with their loud, properly maintained gas powered tools and be
gone before she could even get the extension cords for the electric
powered tools untangled.