Need opinions on Commercial Line Trimmers...

[kenmac]

I appreciate all the responses. I've gathered that any of the 3 I mentioned will work for as long as I am able to pick up the machine.

I called my local "lawn mower/chainsaw/line trimmer" repairman yesterday afternoon. He repeated the jist of what you guys said, but added that the problem with Stihl, Husky and Echo's is that they last so long, by the time they usually start breaking, the manufacturer doesn't carry parts for it or they are hard to find. He said manufacturer's are only required to make parts for their machines (by law) for 7 years. My response was "I'd be happy to have one that will last for JUST 7 years, especially since I've burned up 2 in the last 9 months!"

The "tally" from all the feedback was:
Stihl - 4
Husky - 3
Echo - 2 (but lots of honorable mentions)
Honda - 1 (fourstroke, which I like the idea of, but I've always loved the powerband of a 2stroke, at the inconvenience of mixing)
Redmax - 1


Now to make a decision and purchase! Thanks to all!
Podunk

Hey !, You didn't mention the Maruyama trimmer It's been a very good trimmer ( for me )

 

[dmccarty]

I have either an FS80 or FS85 that is a good ten years old and works just fine. The only problem I have with it is the fuel tank leaks when full, it fell out of the FEL one day. Certainly not the fault of Stihl. Its a great tool as is the blower I have as well as the 046 chainsaw.

The "trimmer" has not trimed much. It was used mainly to cut down saplings which is hard work compared to triming grass. The FS just needs good fuel, sharp blades and a spark plug every once in awhile...

I cleared 1600 feet of road that had been taken over by saplings with the FS and the 046. As well as fields and property lines. The FS has been worked but it just keeps going. It certainly was worth every cent it cost.

Later,
Dan

 

[RobertN]

I still use my Husky 225R. It is at least 10 years old; I think even older than that but not sure without looking up the reciept at home. 95% of the time it has had sting on it, the other 5% either a wet weed blade or a saw blade.

Make sure you go to a saw/mower place to buy; while box stores may carry trimmers, most good saw/mower places will fire the units up and let you get a feel for them, even if there is no grass to trim. The two shops I go to here, even have logs in the side yard to try out chainsaws.

When I got my Honda, I looked at the Husky 4-stroke too; it was the 25cc Honda engine OEM'd by Husky. I looked at Stihl; they use a 2-stroke mix in thier 4-stroke for lubrication; not sure how they burn the oil off. They're available in Calif, and have to meet the same emission regs as the others, so they are burning clean.

Just to clarify, the Husky and Honda I mention are larger units with handlebars and full shoulder harnesses. I have spent 6-8 hours with these rigs on a lot of occassions(used to due some weedeating as a side job).

We also have a Stihl 2-stroke multi-tool head setup; we have a line trimmer, hedger, pole saw, hedger, and edger attachment for it. It works very well, but for weedeating large area's is not as nice to use as the other two with the handlebars.

Do you want to just trim around the yard, or be able to whack down large area's?

I appreciate all the responses. I've gathered that any of the 3 I mentioned will work for as long as I am able to pick up the machine.

I called my local "lawn mower/chainsaw/line trimmer" repairman yesterday afternoon. He repeated the jist of what you guys said, but added that the problem with Stihl, Husky and Echo's is that they last so long, by the time they usually start breaking, the manufacturer doesn't carry parts for it or they are hard to find. He said manufacturer's are only required to make parts for their machines (by law) for 7 years. My response was "I'd be happy to have one that will last for JUST 7 years, especially since I've burned up 2 in the last 9 months!"

The "tally" from all the feedback was:
Stihl - 4
Husky - 3
Echo - 2 (but lots of honorable mentions)
Honda - 1 (fourstroke, which I like the idea of, but I've always loved the powerband of a 2stroke, at the inconvenience of mixing)
Redmax - 1


Now to make a decision and purchase! Thanks to all!
Podunk

 

[Podunkadunk]

Hey !, You didn't mention the Maruyama trimmer It's been a very good trimmer ( for me )

Sorry about that. I don't doubt for a second it's a good whacker, I hadn't ever heard of it, and forgot to mention it, that's all.

Do you want to just trim around the yard, or be able to whack down large area's?

I've got 35 acres. Some of it is pasture with fence which I whack underneath. I also live in the boonies, with a couple hundred trees in my yard. I constantly have to whack around them. I keep the creek banks cleared too. (You can tell why I kept burning up those dept. store brands...)

Well, I considered all that was said and I went online to Consumer Reports. I looked at what they had to offer, but unfortunately, they didn't mention the ones we mentioned in our posts. I guess they were smaller units (cc wise) and not for "industrial" or "commercial" purposes. Still, Stihl/Husky/Echo were ranked so closely that they had a disclaimer stating if the numbers were within 6 points of each other, to disregard the difference! That was good enough for me.

So......................

Being that I had to take my Kubota in today for it's first (50 hr.) service, I saw that they sold Echo and Shindawa lawn tools. I bought the Echo SRM-261T, which is a newer addition to the Echo lineup. It's a commercial whacker with a 5yr warranty! Here's some specs and a couple pics

FEATURES:
> 25.4 cc Power Boost Tornado™ engine.
> 50% more cutting torque than the SRM-260/261
> Higher performance in thick grasses and brush.
> Commercial-grade felt air filtration.
> Extra heavy-duty engine vibration reduction mount, padded handles.
> ECHOmatic® II trimmer head reduces line breakage, save reloading time.
> 59", 4-layer flex cable drive.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Engine Displacement 25.4 cc
Carburetor Rotary w/Purge Pump
Arbor Size OPT/ 20mm
Fuel Capacity 19.6 fl. oz.
See-Thru Fuel Tank STD
Shaft Length 59 in.
Starting System Standard System
Shaft Type Straight
Ignition Type Pro-Fire® Electronic
Cutting Head Echomatic®
Cutting Swath 17 in.
Shield Std. SRM
Drive Shaft 4 Layer Cable
Nylon Line 0.095 Crossfire®
Dry Weight* 11.7 lbs.
Dry Wt. w/o Cut. Attach. 10.9 lbs.
Consumer Warranty 5 yrs.

 

[RobertN]

Based on this, I would seriously look in to a set of handlebars for the trimmer. That machine is similar size/power to my Husky and Honda. For working in large area's, I can not say enough good things about having that full shoulder support rig and the handle bars. It makes a HUGE difference when you are weedeating for hours.

Echo outdoor power equipment – Chain Saws, lawn care tools and more

I don't see the harness info for this though.

The attached pictures are from the Husky website; they are similar to my old Husky with Harness.

I've got 35 acres. Some of it is pasture with fence which I whack underneath. I also live in the boonies, with a couple hundred trees in my yard. I constantly have to whack around them. I keep the creek banks cleared too. (You can tell why I kept burning up those dept. store brands...)

 

[Podunkadunk]

Based on this, I would seriously look in to a set of handlebars for the trimmer. That machine is similar size/power to my Husky and Honda. For working in large area's, I can not say enough good things about having that full shoulder support rig and the handle bars. It makes a HUGE difference when you are weedeating for hours.

I don't see the harness info for this though.

The attached pictures are from the Husky website; they are similar to my old Husky with Harness.

I'm definitely going to check into a shoulder harness kit for it! I used it for about 3 hours this evening, it's HEAVY and I'm not a little guy, nor out of shape. I also found that it will take some getting used to as far as getting a clean cut. I think with practice, I'll be making clean lines in no time, but for now...IT'S DIFFICULT. I don't know if it's the angle, or the length, but I'm not used to it.

On a good note, I think if it had steel cables instead of line coming out of the head, it would chop an oak tree down! It's incredible how much power it has. Stuff that used to bog down the Troy-Bilt, this thing eats for lunch and doesn't even pause to burp! I really like it, but like I said previously, it'll take some practice to get used to it.

I know there's a harness for it, because I asked the salesman what the chain and loop-ring was for, he said it was for a harness setup. I'm definitely looking into it because it's a lot to handle with the amount I have to do and the length of time I use it per session (about 6 hours to do my yard and the creek below the house...this isn't counting the fence work).

Thanks again to all...
Podunk

 

[kenmac]

I'm definitely going to check into a shoulder harness kit for it! I used it for about 3 hours this evening, it's HEAVY and I'm not a little guy, nor out of shape. I also found that it will take some getting used to as far as getting a clean cut. I think with practice, I'll be making clean lines in no time, but for now...IT'S DIFFICULT. I don't know if it's the angle, or the length, but I'm not used to it.

On a good note, I think if it had steel cables instead of line coming out of the head, it would chop an oak tree down! It's incredible how much power it has. Stuff that used to bog down the Troy-Bilt, this thing eats for lunch and doesn't even pause to burp! I really like it, but like I said previously, it'll take some practice to get used to it.


The straight shaft will take a little while to get use to.

Isn't it nice to have/ own /use a good trimmer as opposed to one the cheep ones ( throw away brands) Same with a good commerical grade chainsaw they just work/ operate better

 

[NewToy]

I've got a Stihl FS110RX with a "4MIX" engine. I guess it's a four stroke but you still have to mix the oil at the same ratio as all the other 2 stroke stuff. No crankcase oil, just pre-mix. It has a whole different sound and powerband that the 2 strokers, lots of low end grunt and less ringy dingy.

John

 

[NewToy]

I had a Stihl FS85 for about ten years (still do but it is full throttle or off). It was a nice machine I recently replaced it with a Stihl FS130. Way more power and ability and not that much more weight.


steve

Have you tried cleaning the screen in the muffler? That thing will clog over time and cause the condition you are describing. I've had the same deal with a few chain saws. Clean it and it'll run like a new 'un.
John

 

[MarkV]

Podunk we have the same trimmer you just bought and have been very happy with it so far. The harness does help save the back when doing a lot of trimming.

MarkV