My beloved weed whacker did me dirty (not for the squeamish )

[rayinpenn]

Recipe for a old fools error
1. Wear low rise socks- I have a hard time with any other when it gets hot out. Still it was a dumb___ move.
2. Have your mind preoccupied with upcoming dental implants. There done, some ibuprofen has it under control but I was concerned.
3. An old machine that likes to occasionally get hard to pull when starting

I pulled to hard and the machine came around and reminded me I am not the brightest bulb. It only took an instant...

And yes it did hurt at first.
So much for my career as a stocky leg model - given the demand it’s upsetting.


Have you ever pulled a bone head move?

 

[Dawg52]

One night when going to the bathroom in the dark I walked into the corner of the br door. Got a big cut over my left eye. I looked like a boxer that had just lost from a TKO. Fortunately I had some liquid bandaid.

 

[Gumby]

I have indeed weed-whacked my foot and ankle. Several times. My issue is that I prefer to use it without the guard, as it is easier to maneuver that way.

 

[Fermion]

Get a EGO 56V weed wacker and never have to mess with gas, oil or pull starting again.

 

[audreyh1]

Ouch!

We are so happy to let others do the lawn maintenance.

 

[MRG]

Glad you weren't cutting firewood. [emoji56]

 

[RonBoyd]

(With apologies to Minnie Pearl)

You should have said, "It doesn't take me long to test a weed whacker" and let it go at that.

 

[mountainsoft]

Ouch!

I did weed wack my shoe a couple days ago. It didn't hurt me any but it ripped the seam open on my old worn out sneakers.

I am currently healing up from a blister when I was cutting out some roots with a reciprocating saw last week.

There there are those times when I accidentally sand my knuckles when sanding a woodworking project.

One of the worst accidents was getting a piece of metal in my eye when cutting some sheet metal, despite wearing safety goggles to prevent that.

Or when I had the bright idea to push a sheet of plywood up on a platform and it came back down slamming into my knee.

Yep, I have more than my fair share of dumb accidents. Thankfully I've never had a life altering accident. I still have all my fingers and toes, and a healthy respect for power tools.

Get a EGO 56V weed wacker and never have to mess with gas, oil or pull starting again.

Agreed! It's so nice just to pop in a battery and go. My EGO trimmer is at least as powerful as my old gas trimmer, probably better. I've got the trimmer, the early leaf blower, and recently got the 18 inch chainsaw and self propelled mower. All excellent tools. If they would come out with a good tiller and two stage snow blower I could finally ditch all the gas engines.

 

[Red Badger]

Get a EGO 56V weed wacker and never have to mess with gas, oil or pull starting again.

I have been cordless since 2015. But this year, I took it up another level.

Ouch!

We are so happy to let others do the lawn maintenance.

I outsourced lawn care this year. Our new home has a large steep hill. I cut it twice. Happy to blow that dough!

Thought about a lawn tractor, but then, I'd need a shed. Also, I'd be back in the gas/oil stuff that I've been out of for 5 years. So, instead of a sizable capital expenditure, I opted to put this in the expense department.

 

[pacergal]

Ouch!
I've had a few boneheaded moves with sharp knives, luckily, still have all my fingers! You'd think one time would be enough of a learning experience, but not for me :-/.
I've never needed stitches yet.

 

[neihn]

About to buy a weed whacker and see this

 

[RobbieB]

Never whacked up my leg. I have bounced high speed pebbles off it though and that taught me to wear jeans when doing that chore, not shorts. Also sturdy shoes and eye protection.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

I have a Ryobi blower, weed trimmer, hedge trimmer and drain auger. One battery for all tools. Just charge the battery and your good. I still do the yard work on 2 houses for exercise, and these Ryobi tools make it much easier.

No having to deal with gas, difficult to start motors, etc.

 

[street]

WOW! Did you have some words with the whacker? Lol

 

[Ronstar]

I power washed my leg once and it looked similar to Ray’s

 

[jazz4cash]

Glad you are OK and can share/look back and smile.
I see folks very often wearing shorts (even with high-rise socks) when doing this kind of work. Even cutting the grass I wear long pants and work shoes/boots, not sneakers. I still have a gas trimmer with awesome power but my goto is a measly 20V Black and Decker. My 1st cordless electric was a ryobi 12V which was OK, but weak. I dream of 40V or more but the 20 gets the job done and it's easier to control. My edging never looked better.

 

[socca]

I was using an EGO hedge trimmer quite some time ago, got careless, and put a 2" gash in my thigh. Bled some, but didn't need stitches. This episode was a good reminder to never use a hedge trimmer while naked .

 

[MrBig1]

I once was a beekeeper. I made a point to use a complete suit, boots and protective gloves always except this once. I decided one day to do without the boots and go with shoes and thick socks. I ended up having to be aggressive during a routine inspection because the girls had really stuck things together. Anyway, I got about 80 or so stings to the ankles. Lesson learned. As my Dad always told me "If you're gonna be stupid, you gotta be tough".

 

[Dtail]

No lawn maintenance for me. Taking care of the garden, most of the cooking, pool and finances is enough.

 

[NateW]

I have indeed weed-whacked my foot and ankle. Several times. My issue is that I prefer to use it without the guard, as it is easier to maneuver that way.

I use my weed whacker without it's guard too. Please wear eye protection/ goggles. It even more important since the guard is gone.

 

[Red Badger]

I once was a beekeeper. I made a point to use a complete suit, boots and protective gloves always except this once. I decided one day to do without the boots and go with shoes and thick socks. I ended up having to be aggressive during a routine inspection because the girls had really stuck things together. Anyway, I got about 80 or so stings to the ankles. Lesson learned. As my Dad always told me "If you're gonna be stupid, you gotta be tough".

I posted here a while back about a day where I had a situation that involved a large pine tree, a ladder in the bed of my truck, and a chain saw. "nuff said.

 

[latexman]

Us graduates of Larry Wilson's SafeStart program know better than the title suggests.

 

[MRG]

I once was a beekeeper. I made a point to use a complete suit, boots and protective gloves always except this once. I decided one day to do without the boots and go with shoes and thick socks. I ended up having to be aggressive during a routine inspection because the girls had really stuck things together. Anyway, I got about 80 or so stings to the ankles. Lesson learned. As my Dad always told me "If you're gonna be stupid, you gotta be tough".

At age 17 I was logging the cutter accidentally cut down a bee tree and removed the honey with a bandanna covering his face. No bee gear and he used his chain saw to provide the smoke. Great honey and I didn't do any work.

I actually thought he had a catastrophic injury. I'd heard his saw idling for a half hour and no other noise. I headed to him fully expecting to find a horrible accident; instead he's smoking bees.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

Here's a trick I learned from an eccentric relative: I have a cheap electric (plug-in) Black & Decker Grass Hog lawn trimmer. I left the guard in place but I replaced the string with two cut-down bicycle spokes. Leave the J-hook end on the spokes and insert the spoke through the string holes in the hub, locking them in with the cap.
I'm sure I'll get flak for posting this about how this is unsafe but I inspect the two spokes before each use (especially at the j-hook) and so far there's no noticeable wear. I only use it for cutting tall grass or occasionally a thin vine close to the house once or twice each summer. Not only do I keep the guard in place, but I also make sure the little 'spacer' is down so I don't hit the house or the deck supports/lattice with the spokes. I've used mine this way for a few years now. I wear heavy crew socks, long jeans, long sleeves and safety glasses while trimming. Although last year I got hit in the lip by a small piece of rock that must have bounced off the foundation of the house so this year I'm planning on using a face shield along with the safety glasses.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Here's a trick I learned from an eccentric relative: I have a cheap electric (plug-in) Black & Decker Grass Hog lawn trimmer. I left the guard in place but I replaced the string with two cut-down bicycle spokes. Leave the J-hook end on the spokes and insert the spoke through the string holes in the hub, locking them in with the cap.
I'm sure I'll get flak for posting this about how this is unsafe but I inspect the two spokes before each use (especially at the j-hook) and so far there's no noticeable wear.