Trimmer String

[Scrounger]

Anybody know a lot about trimmer string? Seems I remember Carpetman expostulating on it. I bought one of those big wheel weed cutters to fight the big weeds I got here. It uses plastic trimmer string, size 0.165" or thereabouts. Whatever. It still gets chewed up and must be replaced far too often. Anybody have any great ideas for using something other than plastic, like piano wire or cat gut? Bet Carpetman could furnish that in the correct size. And cheap.

[carpetman]

Scrounger---.065 weed trimmer string is the smallest that I know of that they make. .130 is the largest I have ever seen. So if your machine is using .065 that would indicate a rather light machine or you are using too light a string for it. What size does the manufactuer recommend? If it is .065,going to larger might overload it. Any size does go through a lot of it,especially around sidewalks and foundations. .065 ofcourse is will use more--it gets eat up fast. My current machine is a John Deere and it uses .095. It is fairly high powered,but the one before it was a Jacobsen and I put a head on it that you thread about a 20" strip of .130 in it and use it up and thread another piece in. That one I could usually do my whole yard with one change. It had the power and was a good machine. It started blowing the gas line off and the gas line is a one piece unit that I cant find a replacement for. The .065 makes a great patch puller. Double a piece of it and stick through your bore and insert a patch in the loop and drag it out. You can drag a tighter patch than you can push with a rod. Yes cat gut would work even better.

[Scrounger]

Scrounger---.065 weed trimmer string is the smallest that I know of that they make. .130 is the largest I have ever seen. So if your machine is using .065 that would indicate a rather light machine or you are using too light a string for it. What size does the manufactuer recommend? If it is .065,going to larger might overload it. Any size does go through a lot of it,especially around sidewalks and foundations. .065 ofcourse is will use more--it gets eat up fast. My current machine is a John Deere and it uses .095. It is fairly high powered,but the one before it was a Jacobsen and I put a head on it that you thread about a 20" strip of .130 in it and use it up and thread another piece in. That one I could usually do my whole yard with one change. It had the power and was a good machine. It started blowing the gas line off and the gas line is a one piece unit that I cant find a replacement for. The .065 makes a great patch puller. Double a piece of it and stick through your bore and insert a patch in the loop and drag it out. You can drag a tighter patch than you can push with a rod. Yes cat gut would work even better.

Where are those sharp eyes that can spot a kitten in a flower bed 200 feet away? Read my post again. The string size is one six five; 0.165 inches. From what you said I guess I just have to give credit to these weeds. They must be John Wayne plants....

[carpetman]

Scrounger--I did catch it that you said .165 or THEREABOUTS. WHATEVER.
Based on the thereabouts and whatever,I figured perhaps you wrote it down wrong. I have never seen larger than .130---which sure doesn't mean they don't make such. .165 would be some big stuff. They do make .065 so I figured that was what you have? Is it actually .165?

[Scrounger]

Scrounger--I did catch it that you said .165 or THEREABOUTS. WHATEVER.
Based on the thereabouts and whatever,I figured perhaps you wrote it down wrong. I have never seen larger than .130---which sure doesn't mean they don't make such. .165 would be some big stuff. They do make .065 so I figured that was what you have? Is it actually .165????


That's a big 10-4. That's the biggest they have in the hardware store. Maybe had would be more correct. They have it on order, it costs $14 for 100 feet. I bought 150 feet of the 0.130" for $8, Went through half of it cutting my weeds. Thinking maybe I should have bought a tractor instead. If I were 10 years younger, no question about it, I would have. The only good thing about getting old is when you have a problem like this, you remind yourself you may not have to deal with it next year....

[StarMetal]

Art

Whatever you find to use on that weed wacker make sure it's approved for such use. You'd be amazed at the horror stories of even the approved plastic string breaking pieces off and embedding themselves into folk's faces. So if you go to some kind of metal make sure it's not brittle and can break off easily. I know how you feel about that plastic stuff. I even went to that square string because it's suppose to be tougher and cut better. Well it cuts fine, but it's not any longer lasting. I've been concidering something else myself. The machine you have, is it like a lawn mower and self propelled, except it has a string instead of a mower blade and used for heavy weed wacking?

Joe
P.S. I'm surprised Carpetman didn't steer you to ACME :lol:

[Scrounger]

Well, it's not self propelled. Let's just say it's motivational force is Shank's Mare. I don't claim to know a lot about things like this but what came to my mind was leather strips. Worse than the plastic? How about that plastic covered hardened cable?

[carpetman]

Scrounger---I did some looking and saw a listing for some trimmer line that was only .050. That's pretty small. Wonder if it's for trimming bikini lines? That's some high dollar stuff you are using,I'd think there is a better alternative????? I did buy a gadget called "The Brain" once that eliminated knocking the head on the ground to extend line. During the brief period it worked it was a pleasure to use. Then it came apart. I returned it and I think most other buyers were doing same. That store no longer carries it as I think the return rate was high.

[wills]

There is this on E bay and i think i have seen something like it in stores

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4357774695&category=71 278

and you might look through here



http://www.asseenontv.com/

http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/WeedTerminator.html

[Maxthompson]

I don't know about the Dr trimmers but I use a gator almost exclusively on my small trimmer. It has three steel and plastic blades that pivot as they spin. I've taken down brush up to almost two inches in diameter. It works a lot better than my idea to but an eight inch circular sam blade on the trimmer. It cut pretty well but since it wssn't balanced your hands would go to sleep after about thirty seconds and you had to put it down.

Mike

[Bret4207]

I have a giant size Husquarna trimmer, M-165, aka- "Agent Orange with a Motor" that I got from our dealership years ago. I made a trimmer head thats actually 2 pieces of bicycle chain on a small skil saw blade. I don't recommend this approach. Ask my legs why.

There are plastic blade heads availbe at Lowes, etc that you can try.

[StarMetal]

I have a Stihl weed wacker. It also come with the "saw blade look alike attachment" which in my opinion doesn't work so great.

Art I imagine that there is very small bicycle like chain you could buy say like from hardware store or something. Not that furnce chain, you know the brass or steel type. I don't think that would hold together. That plastic coated stranded cable you mention...I don't think the plastic would stay on there long, but the cable should be pretty tough. I'd be concerned about individual strands of cable breaking off and imbedding in you legs. Even a small piece of stuff like that propelled at great speed is a safety concern. I'm more worried about you pardner, wouldn't want to see you put an eye out or something. Just be careful whatever you do.

Joe

[KCSO]

Until someone in OSHA thought it was too dangerous you could get a trimmer attachment that used a chunk of chain saw blade. I have one and the blade has lasted for years. The downside is don't whack yourself!!! A handy man could adapt a blade conversion unit for a chain saw blade pretty easy.

[waksupi]

Just a thought. Go to the sport shop, and look at the Spider Wire fishing line. If you can find something large enough in diameter, I'll bet that stuff will outlast any of the plastic line. It is TOUGH. Maybe even layer it up to big enough diameter, with a few knots to hold things in place.