String trimmers

[DieselBound]

It's really hard to beat the energy density of a can of gasoline.

Aaron Z

A can of diesel! Where do I claim my prize? :laughing:

I have nothing against electrical motors (they're far more efficient), but the saying "right tool for the job" should always be considered.

I curse my Stihl 130's spool, but the thing is otherwise unstoppable. I HIGHLY recommend Husqvarna Platinum trimmer line: I've been through all kinds of line and this is by far away the best stuff; refer to the previous sentence on why it's a big deal to me. I already have to have mixed fuel around for my saws, so a gas trimmer fits in. My wife has an Echo battery unit that's great (love the spool mechanism), but it can't run for hours on end for the work that I need to do (over 4k feet of fence line).

 

[Doofy]

I would be getting some goats with that much fence line to deal with.

 

[DieselBound]

Keeping goats inside a fence (and not getting tangled up and kill themselves) and keeping them safe from predators is a tough task, one that I'm not up to (would take more energy than just running a trimmer). My fencing is around the homestead, where we free-range a bunch of fowl. That's one side of the fence, so only 1/2 my work could be handled by goats. I don't think I want to have to also worry about goats on visitors' cars!

My trimmer line will chew through a good 1" of blackberry canes. Doing a lot of it tends to eat the line up, but mostly it's grass and smaller stuff. Having too much power and line strength presents a threat to fencing and other stuff you don't really want to tear up: all a trade-off.

 

[bmg88201]

I have a commercial grade Echo that is 12 years old and still going strong, starts on second or third pull when cold and one pull when warmed up, won't buy any other brand of trimmer. Stihl Echo Stihl Echo, it's like Ford vs Chevy I guess both are good. I bought a $500 Husky chainsaw that is garbage so I'm off anything Husky makes. All the landscapers I see are using either Echo or Stihl trimmers and blowers.

 

[def38]

I have had a few brands. I also have the B&D 20VDC blower, string trimmer, hedge trimmer and chain saw. They work well for light work and the batteries have plenty of life. I recently bought a Craftsman 30CC 4 stroke weedeater with the electric start capability. The rear recoil starter broke off the stud and fan and the fix is replace the engine for $100.00. Sears refunded my money so, not having learned my lesson, I bought a Craftsman 26.5CC weedeater. It is hard to cold start and had very lean carburetor settings. So, I tore into the cheap Chicomm carburetor and found the hidden, top secret EPA jet needles. I slotted them so they can be turned with a screwdriver and ran them out to enrich the mixture and now, all is well...plenty of power and.easy starts. I think I'll put an Isky cam in it.

 

[ericm979]

I have had a few pieces of OPE that came tuned so lean that they would not run properly on a hot day. Shame on the manufacturers for meeting the emissions regs the dumb way. Many carbs now use tamper resistant adjustment screws. You can buy a set of the special screwdrivers on ebay.

I have no problem running a high powered string trimmer with heavy line around fences. You can get pretty close by keeping the guard between the line and the fence. To get the last few inches, throttle back when the line is going to hit the fence.

 

[California]

Interesting, we have a Kobalt 80 volt power head that came with a weed eater attachment and I picked up a couple other Ryobi branded attachments for $7-10 each at a yard sale which fit perfectly on the Kobalt powerhead.

Aaron Z

Which series Ryobi attachments?

 

[aczlan]

Which series Ryobi attachments?

Good question, I will snap a picture next time I am over by them.

Aaron Z

 

[soniabell8mg]

I would be getting some goats with that much fence line to deal with.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I have a commercial grade Echo that is 12 years old and still going strong, starts on second or third pull when cold and one pull when warmed up, won't buy any other brand of trimmer. Stihl Echo Stihl Echo, it's like Ford vs Chevy I guess both are good. I bought a $500 Husky chainsaw that is garbage so I'm off anything Husky makes. All the landscapers I see are using either Echo or Stihl trimmers and blowers.

I recently bought the biggest Echo homeowners model they had, along with the blade. I don't use it as much as I thought but, the improvements they have made to reloading the string is a bonus!