String Trimmer Tricks?

[two_bit_score]

4 years - bought it for 90$ on eBay as new condition but had noted there was a mechanical issue - took it apart and only problem was the one of shoulder bolts holding the clutch mechanism was loose.

Tanaka has the solid sst drive shaft and I put a grease fitting on the head where there was a fitting /screw it seemed made fit a grease zerk.

Got the brush blade and shoulder strap too - it’s rarely used now tho as bought a harbor freight 40v cordless pole saw last year.

WOW, that was a great buy! They are long lasting. I’ve had one over 30 years. It’s getting a little tired.

 

[jjp8182]

Maybe I just haven't used a string trimmer enough, but the only time I've ever had problems was when the line didn't have the speed/strength to tear through the vegetation. Even that is usually only been an issue with heavy vines & small saplings (>1/4 or 3/8 inch diameter), or woody weeds (over ~3/4in diameter) ....and fence-wires or copper piping.

Otherwise, as long as I keep the revs up, the line near max length (and really only use the last few inches of line to cut) and swing the trimmer head side-to-side like I was using a scythe I don't have problems ...unless I hit one of the previously mentioned items as even small vines (under ~1/4 in diameter) will cut relatively easily if they are firmly clinging to something ....though they may not fall even if the stem has been cut in that case.

Part of the reason I've never bought an edger is that by keeping the revs up and the string long, it's easy enough to use the string trimmer as a pseudo-edger on sod, by holding the trimmer head at 30ｰ to 45ｰ above horizontal the string ends can whip/tear sod pretty well even with relatively light to mid-weight trimmer line as long as you move the trimmer head such that the cutting plane is going across the direction of movement rather than parallel to the direction of movement.

Just my :2cents: ...which may not be worth that much since I'm not entirely sure I understand the problem....

 

[Industrial Toys]

Have it in my mind today to put some electrical loom around the base of young pine saplings to make trimming easier. I do like my 48 Volt Oregon for being somewhat more gentle. Took me over a year to realize, the trigger is a speed control, not just on/off. So you can be even more gentle.

 

[dfkrug]

I just sold a 17" Bolens BL100 31cc curved shaft trimmer, which I had purchased new from Lowes years ago. Very light and powerful with tons of power, but no clutch and kinda loud. I do not do a lot of trimming since I live in the forest and have no grasses to deal with.

I know that pro-grade trimmers are straight-shaft, but often only 25cc. They weigh a lot more than the Bolens, but the straight shaft allows me to cut further away from my body. That's a big plus when hitting the occasional nettle or poison oak. I do use coveralls, gloves, and a face shield.

Since I get free DOA trimmers given to me, I am now using a hybrid straight-shaft pro unit with Shindaiwa T260 gearbox and Makita 25cc power head. I love it. I once refurbed and sold a Shindaiwa T271, and I understand why the pros around here covet them.

For heavy users: is 25cc enough, or do you prefer 31 or more ccs?

 

[ArlyA]

We have Echo power-heads with the 25.4 engines and the only thing they are short on HP is when running large strings. By that I mean .170 and larger string and if its running slow, just cut your strings shorter. The cutting radius with these strings is quite large.

 

[kenmbz]

I love my Sears Brushcutter 32 cc with metal circular blade. It is heavy,but I have a lot of saplings and it eats right through them. I have a Stihl 110 which I use for light blade work and as my main trimmer. 600 feet of driveway and around 600 feet on the road and lost of open areas and trench edges. use square string, I think it's .095 and it lasts a while. The sears brush cutter has got to be over 25 years old and have replaced fuel lines, wiring, cleaned out the carb multiple times, but it is a workhorse. I use a harness type strap to take the weight.

 

[JimRB]

My favorite weed wacker is a Stihl FS66 with handlebars. I wear a harness that clips into the FS66 so I am not carrying the weight. OK, the FS 66 is old and down on power, but I am too cheap to buy a Stihl FS91, FS111, FS131, FS240, or a FS311. I did not know they had 5 models with handlebars.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I may be asking too much of my Husqvarna 128LD. I 'think' I've found a solution for preventing wire grass, bull grass, or whatever that stuff is called that wraps around the head so much. I found a shield that fairly well covers the gap between the edger head and the string housing, pretty much like the Tanaka. We'll see.

Curved shaft edgers kill my back. They're too short, so I have to bend over all the time, thus straight shaft only fits my needs. I am using .095 square string, so I'll try going up to .108. Keeping the revs up is a small improvement, but so far nothing is a match for wisteria vines other than the metal bade.

Thanks for some of the very good suggestions so far.

 

[kenmbz]

My FS110 has handlebars and I use an over the shoulder strap.

 

[ArlyA]

Curved shaft edgers kill my back. They're too short, so I have to bend over all the time, thus straight shaft only fits my needs. I am using .095 square string, so I'll try going up to .108. Keeping the revs up is a small improvement, but so far nothing is a match for wisteria vines other than the metal bade. Thanks for some of the very good suggestions so far.

I can't comment on those wisteria vines but will say we gave up on those small diameter strings. Get a different cam-lock head that will hold the large dia strings sections like .155. You'll never go back to the little stuff again. Only down side is you shouldn't run it against your favorite yard ornaments or fences. Or any tree you don't what to scar up.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Based on the above suggestions, I did attempt to ease into the larger string group. I ordered the smallest size package of Grass Gater 0.105 twisted string. Sadly, the 0.105 I received actually measure 0.097 max; nominally 0.093. Totally misleading stats.

I'll skip the 0.105 next time and go straight to some 0.130 MAJOR brand string. If that doesn't work, I'll try the 0.155, although I'm pretty sure that'll bog the little Husqvarna 128LD down. I'm determined to beat this nagging problem.

I did mount my 32T x 8" carbide tipped blade last week to chop out some small 3/4" Sweetgum trees. It was tough, but I did knock 'em out. Chainsaw would have been faster and easier.

 

[ArlyA]

Maybe you know this but the larger string is not reel loaded. Its to stiff for that and requires a cam-lock head that holds onto individual pieces of string. There are other heads that aren't cam-lock but we found them to be worthless.

Based on the above suggestions, I did attempt to ease into the larger string group. I ordered the smallest size package of Grass Gater 0.105 twisted string. Sadly, the 0.105 I received actually measure 0.097 max; nominally 0.093. Totally misleading stats.
I'll skip the 0.105 next time and go straight to some 0.130 MAJOR brand string. If that doesn't work, I'll try the 0.155, although I'm pretty sure that'll bog the little Husqvarna 128LD down. I'm determined to beat this nagging problem..

 

[5030]

I find string trimmers to be tedious at best. I much prefer the Stihl Polycut head on my Stihl brush cutter. I can trim tall grass and weeds for hours and never fiddle with string at all. Not for woody stemmed junk. For that I install the metal saw blade.

Have a 105 string head for it, I've never used.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Maybe you know this but the larger string is not reel loaded. Its to stiff for that and requires a cam-lock head that holds onto individual pieces of string. There are other heads that aren't cam-lock but we found them to be worthless.

Ooopps! I sure didn't know that a cam-lock head was required. I doubt that'll be available for the little Husqvarna 128LD, but I'll check. If not available, it's probably for a good reason. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[ArlyA]

Ooopps! I sure didn't know that a cam-lock head was required. I doubt that'll be available for the little Husqvarna 128LD, but I'll check. If not available, it's probably for a good reason. Thanks for the heads-up.

The cam-lock heads used to be made by Oregon and came with universal parts to supposedly fit anything. They might still make them today. The good thing about these heads is you cut your string as long as you like. But the longer they are, they'll slow down your head speed and not cut worth a hoot. There used to be 2 string versions but I'm not sure if they are available more.

Today Stihl and Echo make a version of cam-lock heads but I'd guess that other manufacturers are offering them.

 

[JasperFrank]

First thing I do when ever i get a new trimmer, is swap out the bump feed head for a fixed line head. Much more versatile. For light duty, you can put in long thin line. For thick areas you can put in shorter thick line or even line with a wire center. The tall grass wrapping issue, as other's have mentioned, is really a matter of technique. Start at the top and work down. For the grass to wrap, it needs to be at least 7 inches. So make each sweep 6 inches from the top so that no strand is long enough to wrap. For truly difficult patches, such as Blackberry, I have found no commercially available blades or heads that work, so I created my own design, which I will not share here, since its somewhat unsafe unless you're wearing heavy duty protective gear and can guarantee no other people are around. As to the fixed line heads, I'm liking this design.

 

[two_bit_score]

I plan to try this out real soon.





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[5030]

I plan to try this out real soon.


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Got one with my Stihl new and it wasn't made in China either. German manufacture. I used it a couple times to remove saplings. Thats it. Just remember, they don't work with anything but a straight, solid drive shaft trimmer. One of those trimmers with the wire driveshaft will unwind inside. Cannot take the torque load.

 

[two_bit_score]

Got one with my Stihl new and it wasn't made in China either. German manufacture. I used it a couple times to remove saplings. Thats it. Just remember, they don't work with anything but a straight, solid drive shaft trimmer. One of those trimmers with the wire driveshaft will unwind inside. Cannot take the torque load.

Thanks for the reminder. I’ve got a Stihl that will run it. I’m interested in the blade you have and what brand it is.

Very first trimmer I bought over 30 years ago was a straight shaft. Wasn’t long until I had a saw tooth blade on it cutting saplings on a lot i was reworking for rental mobile home spaces. My brother chided me into getting this blade but I’m always looking.

 

[dfkrug]

One of those trimmers with the wire driveshaft will unwind inside. Cannot take the torque load.

Did you learn that the hard way? I imagine that a blade like that would impart significant shock-loads to the cable as well. Makes sense
that the cable can not take it. The ring/pinion gears on a straight-shaft trimmer may not last, either.