Have I been using my weed trimmer wrong?

[ning]

On a different note, my friend drives like this. He constantly pushes and releases the gas pedal. If he wants to drive let's say 70mph he constantly moves 65-75 without ever staying at 70. It's been like that for over 40 years since I know him

Apparently the engine runs cooler this way. Better lubrication or something, idk so I've heard


(jk)

 

[WinterDeere]

I operated my trimmer without the guard mounted, in order to have maximum control and manouverability. I also always wore the face screen/earmuff protection, several times something big enough to notice bounced off the face protector screen. Eyeglasses cought the smaller stuff.
I didn't mow near people, and used extreme caution around windows, etc.

I should probably wear a face shield. I've been hit in the face all around my safety glasses, a few that have hurt like the Dickens, but so far safety glasses alone have protected me from any serious damage.

I did shatter the window on my back door once, though. I honestly don't know how it happened, in fact it was probably done with my edger, I just found it shattered one day after working in the yard with the edger and trimmer.

 

[ultrarunner]

I wear respirator and logger helmet…

Was cutting and all was fine and the string threw a rock that ricocheted off a retaining wall and hit me hard in the face…

Lesson learned.

 

[CalG]

Guilty

Guilty? There is no "wrong way" to run a whacker!

 

[CalG]

I don't like WOT , It sprays green crap far and wide, and really scrubs off string around the many rock at my place. If it were not for rocks, I wouldn't even have a string trimmer. But because of the rocks, I have TWO of them.

 

[mrmikey]

I run the conditions call for. Trimming around the house, lots of Hal throttle and idle. Cutting hundreds of feet of ditch with 3’ high weeds-wide open.

Same way I run mine. I took the muffler off my Echo PAS266 last year figuring to clean the carbon out of the exhaust ports. Not a bit of carbon , not a score or even a scratch on the piston or bore and it's....7 years old at least and I'll go thru a minimum 15L of mixed fuel every season.

 

[alexinPA]

This guy regularly trims next door.
Is this how you do it? Rev-rev-rev non-stop? Have I been doing it wrong this whole time?

Maybe his carb not adjusted and engine will die if he lets throttle go?

 

[WinterDeere]

Maybe his carb not adjusted and engine will die if he lets throttle go?

Seems likely, but less excusable in these days of YouTube University. Learning to properly tune a carburetor years ago required getting someone to teach you, or finding a book that described it reasonably well enough to learn on your own. But these days, you have hundreds of excellent short videos on the subject at your fingertips! It's hard to understand the mentality of someone who still throws up their hands and pretends it's some impossible obstacle, in today's world.

 

[Runner]

Seems likely, but less excusable in these days of YouTube University. Learning to properly tune a carburetor years ago required getting someone to teach you, or finding a book that described it reasonably well enough to learn on your own. But these days, you have hundreds of excellent short videos on the subject at your fingertips! It's hard to understand the mentality of someone who still throws up their hands and pretends it's some impossible obstacle, in today's world.

Problem is, my Chinese replacement carb won't stay tuned. I can get it just right, then go trim the evaporation pond and by the time I'm done, it won't idle again.

I guess I just need to carry a screwdriver around with me all the time like Buckin' Billy Ray.

 

[not2old]

On a different note, my friend drives like this. He constantly pushes and releases the gas pedal. If he wants to drive let's say 70mph he constantly moves 65-75 without ever staying at 70. It's been like that for over 40 years since I know him

I know someone that does something similar to that. He drives with both feet, frequently using the brake and throttle at the same time. I'm not comfortable riding with him.

 

[JeepHead]

When I am running the trimmer, it's full throttle while it's actually cutting something. I have 14 year old twins and one runs like I do, and the other one just gives it enough gas to cut whatever he's cutting at the time. I find it amusing.

 

[Runner]

I know someone that does something similar to that. He drives with both feet, frequently using the brake and throttle at the same time. I'm not comfortable riding with him.

I had a work associate that drove like that. One day he, myself and our boss were in a company car and he was driving. The boss asked him why he was driving like that and the guy just gave hm a blank stare. Had no idea he was doing it.

 

[WinterDeere]

Problem is, my Chinese replacement carb won't stay tuned. I can get it just right, then go trim the evaporation pond and by the time I'm done, it won't idle again.

I guess I just need to carry a screwdriver around with me all the time like Buckin' Billy Ray.

lol... I have the same issue with my Stihl BG56 blowers. The OEM carb's tend to fail by hydrolocking the machine with fuel, so I end up replacing them with aftermarket carb's when they innevitably fail. But the aftermarket ones never stay in tune quite as well, at least in some weather conditions. So yes... I often carry the little orange Stihl carburetor screwdriver with me when blowing leaves in the fall.

 

[Richard001]

lol... I have the same issue with my Stihl BG56 blowers. The OEM carb's tend to fail by hydrolocking the machine with fuel, so I end up replacing them with aftermarket carb's when they innevitably fail. But the aftermarket ones never stay in tune quite as well, at least in some weather conditions. So yes... I often carry the little orange Stihl carburetor screwdriver with me when blowing leaves in the fall.

Two cycle engines are very susceptible to atmospheric pressure, humidly, and outside air temperature changes.

So it is not unreasonable to expect that some adjustment of the carb may be necessary when there are large changes in the above.

Richard

 

[WinterDeere]

Two cycle engines are very susceptible to atmospheric pressure, humidly, and outside air temperature changes.

So it is not unreasonable to expect that some adjustment of the carb may be necessary when there are large changes in the above.

Richard

True. But to be honest, it's usually possible to find a spot on a leafblower that's good enough for it to run through the season, without constant fiddling. It's not like I'm blowing leaves in January.

I find that with the OEM carb, once you find a happy medium, they can be pretty much left alone until they flat-out fail. But the aftermarket carb's seem to require re-fiddling after each hour or three of operation.

 

[John0829]

Seems likely, but less excusable in these days of YouTube University

That's the problem so many SO CALLED experts passing along information that many times is in correct

I had a work associate that drove like that. One day he, myself and our boss were in a company car and he was driving. The boss asked him why he was driving like that and the guy just gave hm a blank stare. Had no idea he was doing it.

I had a boss (actually two em') that drove like that, I would do ANYTHING to prevent having to go any place with either of them.

 

[WinterDeere]

That's the problem so many SO CALLED experts passing along information that many times is in correct

That's always been a problem, since the beginning of time, the Internet didn't create that.

The biggest differences between today and decades ago, is that with sources like YouTube, 1) bad information usually gets de-prioritized due to poor ratings pushing the better sources to the front, and 2) you actually have easy access to more than one source of information.

 

[Spanky100]

We use only enough engine RPM to cut the grass/weeds. No need to throw the cutting debris on you or any nearby landscaping. With 4 cycle trimmer engines and electric that have a variable trigger control running slower RPM is no issue.

The problem is with two cycle engines that will load up and foul the spark plug after a period of slow speed/load operation. When loaded up you must usually clear the plug every so often. We have a 24 year old 2 cycle trimer I run each mowing week during 26 week season over an hour continuous. Each 10 minuted I lift the trimming head from cut (usually when walking to next area) and go wide open throttle for 15 seconds to clear plug. It good for another 10 minutes of slow speed/load operation.

We much prefer the 4 cycle trimmers we have that never load up the plug with low speed operation. Trouble is we have 4 different locations and one location still has the 24 year old 2 cycle trimmer that works great like the day we bought it so no need to replace it. The 4 cycle trimmers have been an improvement for the way we use the trimmers.

 

[DRE97]

2 Strokes are made to run full throttle.
Running them slow can cause the arrestor screen to clog.

 

[Mudfarmer]

When I'm balanced on a hillside cutting brush between fir seedlings with an Oregon blade on my Stihl FS91 I let the brush and gravity decide.

MF