How did Brushcutters came into existence?

String cutters or trimmers were invented in the 1970s by George Ballas of Texas, and the idea came to him when he saw the cleaning brushes in a car wash in action.  His idea took birth and the first string cutter made up of a popcorn can, edger and heavy duty fishing line was born. The assembly was called a “Weed Eater” as it ate up grass and weeds.  

A fast rotating line in a Grass Strimmer comes out from its housing and becomes stiffer through the use of centrifugal force. A taut and fast rotating line can easily cut through grass, woody plants and weeds very well and some of the more powerful cutters have cutting heads shaped like a star to enable the Strimmer to cut through even the toughest grass. The line is wound by hand before the work is started and the reel is started by the motor extending horizontally to trim plants, grass and brambles. The operator swings the Strimmer across the grass to be cut and the cutting height is controlled by him. Strimmers can be tilted to acute angles to cut the toughest grass, and some trimmers allow the heads to be adjusted to different angles as well. Cutting vertically on sidewalks and concrete pavement edges is not advocated because water collected in the grooves can potentially damage the Strimmers.

The power for the brushcutters comes from a combustion engine integrated into the Strimmer, and it is usually located at the opposite end of the cutting head. In electrically operated Strimmers the electric motor is located right on the cutting head. A brush cutter also has a protective shield at the user end along with a hub or a spool. A gasoline powered brush cutter may be at a disadvantage due to its heavy weight and the amount of vibration it could generate during operation. This hugely interferes in the maneuverability of the machine and also increases the muscle fatigue of the user.

These machines use two stroke engines which also require frequent oil changes. The only huge advantage of the petrol powered brushcutter is its mobility as it can be wheeled to any part of a landscape without being restricted by power cables. The brush cutters are usually large in size and harnesses are fitted to enable the user’s torso to bear some of its weight. Brush cutters can also be fitted with metal blades in place of the monofilaments as metal blades are more capable of decimating a thicker woody brush.