weed whackers

[farmbif]

today, I'm thinking weed whackers. through the years ive had many, lots of different brands and good and bad experiences with them. at least 15 years ago maybe more I bit the bullet and spent a half bunch of money buying the latest and greatest stihl km130. this thing has been awesome, until yesterday.
I liked it so much about 8 or so years ago when I had a pocket full of money I got another one this one was the newest km131, and it's also been great, until yesterday. this local kid that helps me out sometimes came over to help cut down the blue ribbon candidate weeds that I got growing. the 131 would not start. It flooded real bad and so I pulled the plug. cleaned it real good, checked the spark, and finally got it to run. hit smoked excessively and would not keep running properly. so we moved on to the 130. got it going but it won't idle, even after adjusting carburetor. went to the trusty YouTube search and found a whole bunch of videos about how these little 4 stroke engines that burn 2 stroke oil have a plastic cam gear that is problematic. ii'll probably do surgery on the 131 and order a carb kit for the 130 and see how it goes. then I might, maybe, sell them if I get them running properly again and get a new fangled rechargeable battery machine.
I started thinking about how easy it would be to run one of them new battery powered machines. are the days of gas powered small engine stuff numbered?
anyway, I'm just ranting. whats your experience taming the spring and summer weed growth.

[MUSTANG]

:coffee: :popcorn:

[sigep1764]

I weedeat about 3 acres or so down at Grandmas lake property, too rocky to mow. Takes a full day once a month. We have had a Stihl FS90 for over 20 years for this. It is a 4 stroke that burns 2 stroke mix. I’ve changed the spark plug twice and the fuel lines once. Nothing else. Liked it so much that when I bought my own house I bought the newer FS 91. Grandma had her shoulders replaced and wanted a more powerful battery weedeater to replace her Worx brand one. Got her a new Stihl. It’s pretty good but the batteries last about 40 minutes and is not as powerful as the gas one. We didn’t buy the smallest or the biggest, but the mid range. For small stuff that she’s doing it works fine. But there’s no way I could use it for what I do down there. Besides the 90 has been so reliable even through its abuse. It comes to how much you need it to do.

[pworley1]

We have had a 131 for years with no trouble yet except to replace the priming bulb. I usually trim the areas that I can't mow once then give it a good dose of roundup and forget it until next year.

[MaryB]

I have a 40 volt Ryobi trimmer, thing is a beast and can do my acre yard on one charge. It is heavy! Lot of battery! And I need to add a heat shield between motor/battery and my arm...

[tja6435]

The best ones I’ve ever had are old Homelites and Husqvarna, Stihl are out of my weed wacker price range.

The best chainsaw I’ve ever had is a 88cc Jonsered (Husqvarna in red plastic), it’s heavy but it’ll do anything I’ll ever need it to.

[45_Colt]

I think the biggest item with gas powered equipment is to run ethanol free fuel. I've been able to do that for years now by using Sunoco ultra 93. I test every batch and it has be E0 every time.

Even more important today as the E content can be as high as 15%. Which is occurring, from last year to this year have seen 3% drop is mileage on the wife's Honda.

For a string trimmer, got an Echo straight shaft (15 years ago?) and haven't looked back.

The battery powered stuff is getting better, but it isn't all there yet compared to gas powered equipment. Just got a Ryobi 40V chain saw pole saw. 10" bar. It does OK for what I got it for, that is to trim the lower smaller branches without having to go up a ladder.

But the little Mikta gas saw I bought years ago for general trimming duty out powers it big time.

45_Colt

[Bmi48219]

Nearly 30 years ago I picked up what would now be a FS 246. It was a two-cycle engine, well used when I bought it. Trimmed our 5 acres including a 3/4 acre pond, every other week until we sold the home. It was a vegetation eating beast. We had a Ryobi cordless weed whacker too but it was only good for a half hour of light trimming.
Except for a generator I’ve pretty much got away from internal combustion powered equipment the past ten years.
I’m sure the electric equipment has come a long ways since. I’m just thankful I can get by without it.

[jimlj]

I have a DeWalt 20 volt trimmer that works great. I've had it for years now. Not sure the model. I used to trim my whole yard on one battery, but my 15 year old batteries are starting to get weak and I have to change batteries about 3/4 the way through. For my use (about 400' of fence line and around the house and shed) I'd never get another gas powered trimmer. If you are doing a large area or multiple yards I think gas is the way to go.

[Winger Ed.]

I've got a Stihl FS70R that I have had since the 90s. I think its about the smallest of their commercial ones.
I took it in about 10 years ago for a carb. job and it's still on the job.

[Lloyd Smale]

I have a DeWalt 20 volt trimmer that works great. I've had it for years now. Not sure the model. I used to trim my whole yard on one battery, but my 15 year old batteries are starting to get weak and I have to change batteries about 3/4 the way through. For my use (about 400' of fence line and around the house and shed) I'd never get another gas powered trimmer. If you are doing a large area or multiple yards I think gas is the way to go.

same here. a 20v dewalt and it gets it done and without a cantankerous 2 stroke motor thats usually such a pain to get start that it would be faster to pull it out by hand. used it once and gave my neighbor my gas Johnseret. he tried my dewalt once and bought one and gave my gas one to his son

[Finster101]

I have a good running Echo power head that I can switch attachments on. I will keep it as long as I can, but if forced to buy a new one it will be electric. Dewalt also has a line of 60 volt stuff that is just awesome.

[SeabeeMan]

We have about an acre of lawn with a few dozen trees, the house, outdoor kitchen/bar, garden fencing, deck, and landscaping to trim around. I sold my Stihl years back and went with the Dewalt 60V Flexvolt model, along with the 60V blower, 60V chainsaw, and 20V pole saw from the same line. I've never looked back, other than to wonder if the 20V would meet my needs. With the large 9Ah battery, I can do all my trimming with charge to spare and it is balanced enough that my wife can use it. I already was pretty heavily invested into Dewalt 20V tools, so the decision of which color was easy.

My brother made a similar move about the same time but went with Milwaukee as he was already into that line. He's never had a complaint other than they don't make things as large as the 60V stuff.

[Mk42gunner]

I couldn't afford a Stihl of Husky when I wanted a weedeater, so I bought the Murray one from Walmart. It lasted three or four years, even occasionally running a pole saw attachment. Then one day I was doing my Mom's yard and it flat out died in mid trim.

Replaced it with the same model, it lasted maybe two years. After that I set my yard up so I can get close enough with my rider and don't worry about weedeating. In town at Mom's, I use a push mower and get close enough.

I am not a yard work fan. Maybe it is my farming heritage coming out, but it makes no sense to me to fertilize grass just to mow it. A hayfield I can see it but not a yard.

Lately though I have been thinking about getting another, just for the pole saw usage. The battery type make a lot of sense for that, it should work whenever you need it, and can sit the rest of the time with no worries about a carb gumming up.

Robert

[Scrounge]

I have a 40 volt Ryobi trimmer, thing is a beast and can do my acre yard on one charge. It is heavy! Lot of battery! And I need to add a heat shield between motor/battery and my arm...

Try not to have a heart attack when you need to replace the battery. I've stepped back a ways, to the 18v weedeater and lawnmower, though my yard is a postage stamp city lot. YMMV, as they say! ;)

[Texas by God]

I’ve had a Stihl for years.
My friend bought me an Echo with a longer reach(for my back).
Both are excellent machines.
I hate using them, though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Froogal]

Cordless electric string trimmers are great if not for the SHORT runtime which requires a long walk back to the house for a fresh battery which may deliver even shorter run time if the battery is over 2 years old, and then you run into the problem of OEM batteries being no longer available.

[deces]

Ridgid just got into offering outdoor power equipment. Their tools are made by the same company as Ryobi, Heart & Milwaukee. If you register the tools with them within 90 days, they will be covered with a Lifetime Service Agreement. You will never have to worry about buying a replacement battery again.

[higgins]

Echo SRM200BE straight shaft bought in the mid-80s and never been back in the shop since. I don't put as many hours on it as some do, but during its life my son used it to trim up a couple of yards he mowed for neighbors so that made up for my lower hours. I have very seldom mixed ethanol-free gas for it, but I have religiously used either Seafoam or Stabil in all my small engines except my mowers during regular mowing season. I have always used only Stihl oil. My small engines and the fuel cans have always been stored indoors. I just don't think ethanol is the problem it's made out to be, at least in my experience with outboards, mowers, chain saws, and trimmers. If I were getting a gas-powered trimmer I'd probably get another near top of the line Echo.

[Kestrel4k]

Another 40V Roybi trimmer here, plus the brush cutter attachment (great for small sections of blackberries etc).
Pretty happy with it, the battery lasts just about as long as I do. :-/
After a year, I've been thinking to add more 40V tools to the set.

[TD1886]

same here. a 20v dewalt and it gets it done and without a cantankerous 2 stroke motor thats usually such a pain to get start that it would be faster to pull it out by hand. used it once and gave my neighbor my gas Johnseret. he tried my dewalt once and bought one and gave my gas one to his son

Aw hell, come Lloyd, an old motor head like you? Geesh, those two stroke engines on those weed whackers are the simplest engined in the world. Heck only moving parts are the piston, piston rod, and the crankshaft. The carbs on them are a little aluminum block not much bigger then little babies letter block. I have a Stihl I bought in 1990. Used the hell out of it. Just did a major tune up on it earlier this year. Starts easy and runs like a top and probably idles better then your car Lloyd. I had to put a new fuel bulb in it and 20 years ago I made the accelerator rod from .030 mig wire. Still working. Waste of money getting a carb kit unless your gasket is shot. Like I said not much to them. Cleaned it and reset the setting and runs like a top. BTW there are no more factory parts for my Stihl. The fuel bulbs I got off Amazon.

Same deal with my stihl chainsaw. No problems and it's 20 years old. I burn firewood so I use it a lot too. Far as I'm concerned there are only two chainsaws...the Stihls and the Huskys.

I would never cave in to Greta and get a damn green weedwacker. Only battery power tools I have are drills. BTW again did y'all know that Makita makes a battery microwave? Yeah, but only 500 watts.

[Finster101]

Cordless electric string trimmers are great if not for the SHORT runtime which requires a long walk back to the house for a fresh battery which may deliver even shorter run time if the battery is over 2 years old, and then you run into the problem of OEM batteries being no longer available.

Don't know what brand you have, but I have some 15-18 year old Ryobi 18 volt tools that are still going stong and use the same style battery just upgraded lithium. Both the Ryobi and the Dewalt stuff give me no problems on run time.

[dverna]

I have a Shindawa that is 20 years old. Hoping it will die so I can go electric. Never serviced the darn thing. But I use ethanol free fuel with stabilizer.

[MaryB]

Try not to have a heart attack when you need to replace the battery. I've stepped back a ways, to the 18v weedeater and lawnmower, though my yard is a postage stamp city lot. YMMV, as they say! ;)

$129 for the stock 4 amp hour pack, I have 4 of them... chainsaw uses it too.

[MaryB]

Cordless electric string trimmers are great if not for the SHORT runtime which requires a long walk back to the house for a fresh battery which may deliver even shorter run time if the battery is over 2 years old, and then you run into the problem of OEM batteries being no longer available.

I do my entire 1 acre yard with 1 battery... takes close to an hour... Battery outlasts me!

[abunaitoo]

Have two Shindaiwa 2 stroke, that I have no idea how old they are.
One was my Fathers, so over 20 years old, at least
Both work every time I need them.
Only thing I've had to do was change the primer bulb, and the fuel lines.

[MrWolf]

I have an EGO Power+ 15" String Trimmer with Powerload™ w/ Carbon Fiber Split Shaft with 2.5Ah battery and standard charger. Yea copy and paste from invoice. It works pretty good for a battery. Usually takes 2 charges to do my yard, depending on thickness of grass. It really depends on how much are you asking from it. I got tired of the constant fighting to get the gas ones running, especially with the damn ethanol. Good luck.
Ron

[firefly1957]

The single biggest problem I have encountered with gas trimmers is blocked exhaust, It is often a wasp nest from between uses that does it . I run my trimmer at 32-1 oil gas and it calls for 40-1 but this keeps me from having several gas cans for 2 cycle every couple years I need to burn the carbon buildup from the sealed muffler / spark arrester . The unit is almost 20 years old now the only other running problem I have had is the carburetor came loose once a few years ago .

It is a straight shaft I did have part of the shaft break off that holds on the trimmer head I was able to turn a longer 5/16" -18 left hand thread bolt so I was able to do a long lasting fix.

Recently I talked to a couple people who needed to replace batteries after about 5 years on their trimmers they said it is MUCH CHEAPER to run gasoline in the long run if proper care is given.

[georgerkahn]

With my bum leg I needed retire my Stihl FS petrol whacker. I took a chance on an el cheapo 18V Ryobi purveyed at nearby Home Depot. Wowsers! It is light enough that I can use it, and, bion, my wife has 99.9% taken over weed-whacking with it. 315142 The unit, again, was very inexpensive, and it uses same batteries as other 18volt tools. We have more than 600 feet of perimeter; four buildings; and many trees/bushes to do -- and only once or twice did the battery deplete before finishing. IF the unit died, I'd purchase another -- same brand/model -- in a heartbeat!

[Lloyd Smale]

Aw hell, come Lloyd, an old motor head like you? Geesh, those two stroke engines on those weed whackers are the simplest engined in the world. Heck only moving parts are the piston, piston rod, and the crankshaft. The carbs on them are a little aluminum block not much bigger then little babies letter block. I have a Stihl I bought in 1990. Used the hell out of it. Just did a major tune up on it earlier this year. Starts easy and runs like a top and probably idles better then your car Lloyd. I had to put a new fuel bulb in it and 20 years ago I made the accelerator rod from .030 mig wire. Still working. Waste of money getting a carb kit unless your gasket is shot. Like I said not much to them. Cleaned it and reset the setting and runs like a top. BTW there are no more factory parts for my Stihl. The fuel bulbs I got off Amazon.

Same deal with my stihl chainsaw. No problems and it's 20 years old. I burn firewood so I use it a lot too. Far as I'm concerned there are only two chainsaws...the Stihls and the Huskys.

I would never cave in to Greta and get a damn green weedwacker. Only battery power tools I have are drills. BTW again did y'all know that Makita makes a battery microwave? Yeah, but only 500 watts.

problem with them is i use one maybe twice a year and when you dont run the regularly they get cantankerous. as to 2 strokes ive had MANY. weed wackers, 3 wheelers,, chain saws dirt bikes and snowmobiles. i have rebuilt them even modded them. that said i hope to never have another. all my atvs are 4 strokes, my snowmobiles are 4 strokes, my dirt bike is a 4 stroke, my outboard is a 4 stroke. i dont burn wood anymore so i bought a couple battery saws and gave the gas ones to mt son in law along with the weed wacker. i just cant see farting with them or corded tools because battery ones have gotten so good they dont make sense anymore. im as far away from a greenie as you can get but im practical too. im not going to buy a crank start car with whale oil lanterns for headlights and bottom line today is 4 strokes have come so far theres no advantage to 2 strokes. i agree with you on the stihls. i had 4 of them i gave the son in law when my wife bought me the battery stihl. recently bought a dewalt chain saw. it works ok but the stihl works much better. but my dewalt trimmer works every bit as well as my gas one did and it could sit for 5 years unused and i can slap a battery in it and pull the trigger and trim. same with the saws. nope theres not a single 2 stroke on the property and wont be

[MaryB]

I switched mainly due to medical reasons. The vibration of a 2 stroke kills my rotator cuffs and carpal tunnel. I would get done trimming and my hands would be useless for 4 hours... battery trimmer is way smoother running!

[metricmonkeywrench]

Had a battery powered one once a while ago, the two batteries that came with it couldn’t make it thru my 2+ acre property. Except for the echo I bought new my craftsman flex shaft and populan flex shaft are second hand from my dad, both cases were the same, plugged carbs from the fuel mix he used. The two responded well to a carb rebuild/cleanout and my ethanol free diet I feed them. I have the same situation with my three leaf blowers.

The 2 most important things I do is run them completely out of fuel after each use and add a treatment of Stabil Marine to each gallon jug of pre-mix. All three are on a rotation throughout the mowing season and so far they have held up well with no issues.

For some of the engines, like my craftsman(Poulan) chainsaw there is a an additional line from the crankcase to the carb that provided the crankcase impulse pressure to the fuel pump. It was hardened and badly cracked so the engine would barely start but nor run well at all.

Though battery power stuff has improved I’m just not ready to make the leap just yet. Though if Brandon and his groupies get their way we may have no choice.

[Finster101]

The battery powered tools are like anything else, you get what you pay for. Spend the money to buy quality stuff and you will get a quality experience.

[Lloyd Smale]

The battery powered tools are like anything else, you get what you pay for. Spend the money to buy quality stuff and you will get a quality experience.

that the trick. open your wallet and buy the good stuff. i know with my dewalt if i slap in a 6ah battery my body gives up before the trimmer and if not i can change a battery much faster then refilling a gas one

[Shawlerbrook]

Agree with much of the above. Use ethanol free and StaBil. As far as battery, the good ones are heavy and expensive. My wife has a Makita that uses 2 batteries and came with 2 extra. With fully charged batteries, she never has to stop as the extra 2 are fully charged when the 2 on the machine are done. I still have a professional grade Stihl with the big bicycle handles and it is a beast for big jobs around the farm.

[TD1886]

problem with them is i use one maybe twice a year and when you dont run the regularly they get cantankerous. as to 2 strokes ive had MANY. weed wackers, 3 wheelers,, chain saws dirt bikes and snowmobiles. i have rebuilt them even modded them. that said i hope to never have another. all my atvs are 4 strokes, my snowmobiles are 4 strokes, my dirt bike is a 4 stroke, my outboard is a 4 stroke. i dont burn wood anymore so i bought a couple battery saws and gave the gas ones to mt son in law along with the weed wacker. i just cant see farting with them or corded tools because battery ones have gotten so good they dont make sense anymore. im as far away from a greenie as you can get but im practical too. im not going to buy a crank start car with whale oil lanterns for headlights and bottom line today is 4 strokes have come so far theres no advantage to 2 strokes. i agree with you on the stihls. i had 4 of them i gave the son in law when my wife bought me the battery stihl. recently bought a dewalt chain saw. it works ok but the stihl works much better. but my dewalt trimmer works every bit as well as my gas one did and it could sit for 5 years unused and i can slap a battery in it and pull the trigger and trim. same with the saws. nope theres not a single 2 stroke on the property and wont be

I hear ya Lloyd, you make good sense. My ATV is a 1990 Suzuki 250 Quadrunner. I beat the hell out of it and it's still going. Being it has winch gears even in top gear, top speed off a cliff is about 40, I probably have the equivalent of 100,000 miles on it. Doesn't burn even a drop of oil and still has it's original zip. I hat to replace the voltage regulator, the carb, and the computer. That it, oh yeah, new tires.

[firefly1957]

I did not mention this thread to anyone here, however my sister in law that has some serious mobility issues mentioned that she has gone to all Ryobi battery powered stuff for yard work. She mentioned string trimmer , chain saw and hedge trimmer saying they work well and are about the only thing she can manage.

[Dancing Bear]

I have a 40 volt Ryobi trimmer, thing is a beast and can do my acre yard on one charge. It is heavy! Lot of battery! And I need to add a heat shield between motor/battery and my arm...
I have the Ryobi "attachment capable" 40v and agree. It's not lacking in power at all. The 4ah battery lasts a long time.

[Idaho45guy]

I have a cheap Walmart Murray gas model that has been great the past six years or so. Then I went out to my dad's place to trim weeds for him and he had a battery-powered Stihl trimmer.

I tried it out and was super impressed. I asked him how much it cost and he said $125 at the local Stihl dealer. I've been meaning to buy one since it is so much lighter than my gas one and the string feeder actually works well.

[upr45]

I bought a high wheel weed trimmer from a sears store before they closed. Takes 2 pieces of string that i buy and cut to18.75". The same or similar model is sold by husqvarna, cub cadet, and a few more. It has a 4 cycle motor like a lawnmower.
can't cut too close to trees else can ring the bark and it will kill the tree. i also use it to cut the tall grass and weeds in my shooting lanes. It pushes easy and is ok if the terrain don't have fallen limbs. I use non alcohol gas in all my small engines and rarely have issues.

[Finster101]

I bought a high wheel weed trimmer from a sears store before they closed. Takes 2 pieces of string that i buy and cut to18.75". The same or similar model is sold by husqvarna, cub cadet, and a few more. It has a 4 cycle motor like a lawnmower.
can't cut too close to trees else can ring the bark and it will kill the tree. i also use it to cut the tall grass and weeds in my shooting lanes. It pushes easy and is ok if the terrain don't have fallen limbs. I use non alcohol gas in all my small engines and rarely have issues.



Those are wicked. I have an Echo Bearcat that is a similar tool. Mine has a steel blade I can put on it. 3 to 4 inch trees are no match for it. I would not exactly call it a weed whacker though. Way overkill for most folks, but damn it sure will clear a path.

[jonp]

Used a Ryobi 2 stroke for years before it finally gave up. Now have 2 Ryobi 4 stroke, one at home and one at my camp. They both work fine and not mixing the gas is nice but they don't seem to have the power of the 2 stroke. I don't use straight gas much but do add something in for the ethanol. So far no problems.

[BRobertson]

Last year I got a Honda 4 cycle trimmer and brusher.
It is quiet and does an amazing job on weeds and brush, and will take down saplings up to 4”.
Has both the string attachments and several different saw blades.

Bob

[lksmith]

Been using a walk behind trimmer. A lot easier to maintain than the handheld versions. when the 5hp engine crapped the bed I replaced it with a 17hp vertical v-twin mower engine i had laying around. Doesn't bog down anymore for some reason

[fg-machine]

I have a echo two stroke . I don't mess around with driving 25 miles and then paying $7.00 a gallon for ethonal free gas . Every three or four years I spend $11 for new gas line and diaphragm for the carb .
It's not exactly rocket science keeping these things going .

The four strokers seem to be hit or miss , for every person who says they have had good luck with them you can find three people who haven't . and I understand that it's more common for those with bad experience to speak up then the good .

I'd buy battery before 4 stroke .

[GONRA]

GONRA's walking's too screwed up to operate lawn equipment anymore and was
never much good at pull starting my Rarely Used Stihl 2 cycle chain saw and blower.

Near end of Lifes "Lawn Equipment Journey"
The Voices told me to switch to
Stihl's "Girly Start" (wind-spring-let it go) versions
AND USE CANNED 2 CYCLE GAS ONLY!

Verked like charm Winter & Summer! !!