Topband: Edger for burying ground radials ?

[Joe O'Brien]

I used the Black & Decker Edge Hog (
http://blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=2483)
to bury radials in my backyard.  The soil here is clay with a few small
stones, and it worked very well, easily cutting trenches 1 - 2 inches in
depth.  I could not imagine burying radials without using such a tool.

>From experience, I can say that it's best to a.) cut the grass short before
starting, and b.) dig all the trenches you will need before starting to put
in the radials.  The short grass makes it much easier to see what you're
doing and decreases the chance you'll catch a larger stone or other object
with the blade.  Digging all the trenches you might ever need before laying
radials is important because if you decide to go back later and increase the
quality of the radial field (a real temptation with any kind of vertical
that lacks an "optimal" ground screen), it is very difficult to avoid
catching a buried radial on the blade at some point. It's a lousy feeling
when you hear a sputter and then watch as all your work burying a radial is
quickly undone as the wire gets pulled up and spools around the blade--even
if you're quick getting off the trigger.

Overall, if you have softer soil, the Edge Hog is likely an effective and
inexpensive tool for digging trenches for radials.

73,

Joe
WI2E