SOUTHLAND SWLE0799 79cc Walk Behind Gas Lawn Edger

This is my 2nd one. The first one worked 7 years for me but I ran it hard at the end. Might’ve lasted longer. Had to manipulate the throttle to get it to run smooth in its latter years although service could've probably corrected it. Tired of messing with carburetors if that was the issue.Don't fill the gas tank very full perhaps. It seemed to get hot after shutting it off and wanted to spew some gas out of the closed cap at times after its first uses. That didn't happen with a full tank the first time with the replacement.I like it. It has good power and makes a good cut right out of the box. I've never had any startup issues. I have a lot of sidewalk and curb and the earth is 2 to 3 inches above the concrete in some stretches. Blade housings on some other edgers didn't work for me. This housing design is great, open ended and moves past my turf pretty well without getting hung up. It edged well once again for the first edge of the season.You'll see there are some pricy ones out there that don't have better specs. If it all holds together for you and you don't get a bad one I think it's a good buy; a capable machine. Keep it a secret :)

The edger arrived in good condition even though the box had a number of dents and more than a few scrapes. At first glance, the instructions have all the usual boiler plate stuff so if you run over your foot, that is not what this machine is intended to do. The parts diagram was complete but the assembly instructions lack details. The wheels attach three different ways for instance.The four stroke motor started within the first five pulls but required playing with the choke to keep running until the motor warmed up for about 20 seconds, I let the motor run unloaded for about 5 minutes before lowering the blade to check the power. One of the walk behind edgers I had is almost 50 years old and is very much like this Southland. The old one is a little more adjustable and also has a throttle control cable so I am very familiar with the feel of this type edger. Once I lowered the blade, the blade head started vibrating. With the three lobed blade I thought the business end would have been more stable. I lowered the blade to almost the maximum depth and the vibration decreased to near nothing. I ram the edger along the driveway and sidewalks and the motor ran well with the load. I had a concern that the smallish 79cc motor would not have enough torque to do the job. I will admit that the ground was soft from all the rain we have had. Once the grass comes in thick and the ground dries to dust we will see. After I finished, I ran the motor for a few minutes so the total run time was close to twenty minutes and shut down. I waited two minutes and tried to restart. No dice. I used the choke and it seemed to want to start but couldn't quite catch. I was more than a little perturbed at that point and went into the house for some iced tea. I gave it a few more minutes and still could not get a start so I decide to pull off the blade to see if a bent blade was the cause of the vibration. While not flat, the factory supplied blade didn't seem too bad so I reinstalled and tried to start again. Using the choke and holding the adjustment lever at the half choke position, I was able to restart the motor. I shut down and cleaned the machine off and put it away. The next time I tried to start the machine was a few days later and it again took about five pulls to get it running. Went to the neighbors and edged his walks and the vibration when the machine was in use was still there. I again lowered the blade to use the greater depth the help dampen the vibration and it worked again. Restarts again required feathering the choke.My impression of the Southland SWLE0799 Edger is that it works the way it was designed. I think that the tighter engine emissions standards have the adjusting and building the carburetors so that they run lean and the slightest dirt or grass that gets into the fuel and makes it to the carb will throw off the balance. For straight or gradual curves this machine will do a good job. Tighter radius turns do not work with this machine.

Item came in a Badly Shipped box, However the items internally were fine, Screws for the wheels were askew tho, Thought they might have fallen out of the box, luckily they were still in it, beneath the flap. So For those that know how to start a Cold Motor, This is super easy to start and use. Choke it all the way down, Pull the cord, wait, for idol, may have to pull more than once, Once it idols, slowly turn up the Flow to increase speed. Super simple.The bad part of this item is the Center wheel. Tho It is adjustable, it is always in the wrong place and slides to easily, a Snap Click system would be a great upgrade for this. Using it on a slanted curb, was interesting, Took a few min to get it right. As the center wheel kept sliding around. Once The wheel was securely attached with duck tape The problem ended.Now when I stored it, The center wheel continues to move, and the equipment becomes unstable, from the weight on the Disc end. Constantly tipping when not on. However as I used it, It worked pretty well, minus the sliding wheel I would say flawless. And that wheel only gave me fits, when doing the curb side of the street.Because i enjoy new toys, I did the whole blocks curb and sidewalk. Where we live they are separated by 5 feet of grass. Ran it for around 11 homes. It ran great worked great, Put Stabila into the gas to store for the rest of the year, The thing about edging is it should only be done, 1-2 times a year. unless you are doing in yard edging for Flower beds or Rock access. The more the blade runs along Cement, the faster the blade will Wither and break. But using it in an all dirt area, is ideal for extended multi monthly use. This item will not dig a hole for a sprinkling system, to place a ground line, so if you need one of those, This is not what you need.IF you are unfamiliar with, How to start a New Engine, or How to start a cold engine, Please find the person, in your neighborhood that knows what they are doing, Trust me, they wont be bothered by your asking. We are always more than helpful.Keep in mind, The Choke, Check the gas, Make sure you hear the engine attempt to turn over, If you do not hear that, Change the spark plug. If you cannot get it to work. Leave it in the sun for 10 - 20 min, Needs to be over 35 degrees to work. Make sure you have oil in it, than Choke it back. Pull it off, and fire it up. No worries. This is a great engine and one that is close to perfectly made. the Outer design is the only flawed part of this equipment. Mainly the Sliding wheel. If it have a Click system for the wheel, and not a Bolt that had to be loose enough to go. Than 5 stars, it would have earned.

Love it always used my weed whacker hurt my back, wasted cord and took forever… this edger is such a time saver love the adjustable setting to edged curbs would recommend 10 out of 10