Big wheel string trimmers

[TresCrows]

Hi Phil, I went and bought a Swisher 6 horse big wheel trimmer. It has a Briggs engine. It has a swiveling head which I am not sure that is good or not yet! Well, I wanted to trim a pond bank also and inside my lagoon where I cannot get with my other power tools except for the string trimmers. I may get a new Husky trimmer. The Ryobi is ***** me off. The other one I got is going to the great trimmer heaven in the sky if the string breaks off in the head again.
Yeah, the "Garden Web", well, I was kicked out to my knowledge but I got so much hate mail and spam and **** sent to me that I decided to no longer post there. That site is extremely anti Kubota, anti import and anti tractor. I occasionally go there for amusement but I never even try to answer a post. Right now there is a thread on the BX which I have almost attempted to respond to but Dana has told him and a couple of others to come here. Yep, the Garden Web is a sorry site indeed. Wish it were not so but it is. A couple of Garden Webbers have come here and frequent this particular forum. I am sure you will recognize them.
Anyway, thanks for the advice though it is too late I fear you are correct about the wheel trimmer---but heck--it adds to my TBN SPI so that is a good thing.
J

 

[TresCrows]

Correction, I should proof my posts before hitting the button, I was NOT kicked out to my knowlege. As far as I know I am still registered there.
One thing, one of the Garden guys that comes here from time to time tried to send me a virus attached to a **** attachment disguised as a tractor picture /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif . Being very smart /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif it is diffucult to fool me with such things, so, anyway just be careful about opening or responding to e-mails from those guys. They are not all bad guys, just a few of them. Most are just guys like us that like small engine equipment and fooling with it.
J

 

[Alan L.]

TresCrows - can you give a report on the Swisher trimmer mower? I too would like to have one that has a pivoting head to get at stuff to the side.

 

[TresCrows]

Alan, I have used mine now several times. I am happy with the Briggs engine so far. Over all it looks like Swisher tried to build a quality unit but at the same time come up hard agianst the price point/cost barrier. Ok, well, it has a somewhat chintsy though clever clamp which tightens the rotor support shaft which allows you to rotate the whole shaft from vertical to sideways. Real nice but unless you tighten the Hades out of it the shaft it will slowly or even quickly jump to the side--rotate---due to torque when the cutting head is cutting heavy weeds. It has not been a big problem and I think I can fix it with some clever thought one day when I am feeling clever. The wheels are OK but I think I am going to find me some pneumatic wheels eventually--of the same 16 inch size. I think I only paid like 250 dollars or so at Atwoods--it was on sale--regualr 299. I knew from looking at the rotateing support shaft and the amount of "arm" the cutting shaft has to it that it might want to slip or jump and it does but like I said it has not really been a big problem. I used it for an hour today and it never slipped one single time. The head also swivels from side to side as well as rotaing from vertical to sideways--also very handy--that has jumped on me once when I chopped up a tomatoe cage lost in the weeds that I had chopped up with the BX last Fall /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif . It is a pretty decent unit, I guess I give it a qualified thumbs up. There ain't a whole lot out there that is even as good much less better for this price. Supposedly it has permently sealed and lubricated ball bearings in the cutting head, I would rather have a grease zerk, maybe I can fix that too. In this pic you can see it to the left. J

 

[Alan L.]

Thanks, Trescrows. I went to Tractor Supply to look at the Swisher, because I mainly like the pivoting head. Not so much the edging position, but the side to side movement. TSC only had one, I think the one that does not have the edging feature. It had a tag with a regular price of $329, but on sale for $279 AS IS - NO RETURN.

The unit appeared new - I couldn't tell that it had been used. However I think the handle was mounted upside down and the result was it stuck up too straight and was not comfortable. It also appeared something was wrong in the way the linkage was assembled. Probably assembly problems, but not being able to return it I didn't want to chance it.

I went to Sears and looked at theirs - good prices and the 6HP is a B & S Quantum. But the head is fixed and straight up front.

I then went to Lowes to look at the Troybilt. They had the 6HP B & S Quantum with electic start. The head assembly doesn't move, but is offset to the left. Other than DR, the Swisher and Ariens are the only other two that I know of where the head pivots. The Ariens has a Tecumseh engine which I will never purchase again, as does the smallest DR machine. I went ahead and bought the Troybilt for $428. Even though it is apparently made by MTD, it seems like a pretty substantially built machine.

The electric start, which is powered by a small rechargeable battery up near the handle, is really not necessary, as it was very easy to start with the regular recoil starter. The unit came fully assembled - in fact a Lowes employee took it out of the box and put the oil in at the store. Seems they have problems with people getting their machines home and running them without oil. It held 20 ounces.

I barely got to try out the unit, as it started raining, but hopefully it will be a useful machine. I'm somewhat disappointed in it power, as it pretty much bogs down in the big weeds that I mainly need it for. I had thought that with 6 horses it should be stronger than my Stihl FS85 trimmer, but it really seems to bog down MORE than the Stihl. The grass was a little wet, but we'll see.

Hopefully I will have a chance to try it out some more next weekend.

I bought a roll of 155 line for about $20. The line is real easy to put on there. I got the big line because this machine is for really tall grass and weeds where I can't get the brushhog.

As I was checking out a guy came up and asked me what I was paying. I told him and he said he has a DR trimmer that is a lot better - has had it a year, and he was pretty much a walking DR commercial. But he did pay $1,000 for his, and I can't see paying that for a home machine when you can get the bottom field and brush mower for a few hundred more.

 

[TresCrows]

Allan, I too was somewhat surprised that a 6 horse engine bogs down in the weeds. I thought it would just rip right through, but live and learn. I hogged out my lagoon and pond sides and other stuff today--about 2 hours worth on the Swisher--no problems. Here are some pics. Oh, hope you like your new cutter.
J

 

[TresCrows]

Another view after hogging. J

 

[TresCrows]

Here is another view showing the tilt and offset mechanism. J

 

[Alan L.]

TresCrows - That is definitely a nice feature - being able to pivot both ways. The first thing I notice about your trimmer compared to my Troybilt is that shield in front of the engine. Mine doesn't have it, and it looks like getting grass and debris in the cooling intake and fins could be a real problem. The stuff you're cutting goes everywhere. Of course yours didn't look real clean in the "after" picture either.

Mine has a height adjustment that is easy, but I'm not sure how useful it is since you can vary the height simply by the position of the machine.

I guess I will just have to get used to the fact that you can't just power into the weeds, that it will be a somewhat slow process similar to tackling them with a push mower, less the risk of hitting a rock or log.

 

[TresCrows]

Alan, I think your description of a lawnmower without having to worry about rocks is about right.
Oh, it was filthy after use /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif , the photo did not do justice but it cleans up nice. The metal shield does work, the model below the one I got from Swisher has a Lexan shield and a foam air filter that fits over the engine cooling air intake. Yeah--it does! I imagine you could rig up a shield pretty easy from Lexan (not plexi--Lexan!) You can bend the stuff easy in a break or even by hand if you clamp it between two boards etc. Lexan is more like a clear rubber than a plastic--very tuff stuff. The 1/8 inch would be fine. It also, the shield that is, deflects rocks and stuff from the operator as does the rubber skirt below the Swisher wheels. Make sure and wear some eye shields, I have been pelted severely with both my hand trimmers and this Swisher unit. J