weed whackers..husqvarna or stihl?

[chrisjbell]

<font color="blue"> used the cultivator attachment. i saw that they made a attachment for them last night to convert them to a mini cultivator.
that sounds great to me cause i just built my wife a terraced garden area and was thinking about one of those mantas tillers. </font>

I have one of those little cultivators for my JD trimmer. It actually is a Ryobi attachment - but the Ryobi 4 stroke turned out not to be able to handle what I put them (went through two before giving up) through. It works pretty well, actually. I haven't tried the Mantis, but my guess is that they perform pretty similarly. The attachment might not be quite as good as a purpose built cultivator, but it spins small tines and they are great for maintaining smaller areas.

I also have several other attachments, which means that I didn't have to buy a bunch of purpose built tools. (Got the blower, trimmer, edger, cultivator, brush blade, line head, and hedge trimmer.) I would say that none of them really stand up to a single use unit, but they all work just fine.

 

[fishman]

Actually, I learned to be fairly proficient with a scythe when I was a young whippersnapper. It never did work too well as a trimmer though, kept chopping off the tree I was trimming around /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Did work well on the rye patches we sometimes grew to turn into flour. Not very efficient or cost effective, but a neat experience none-the-less.

 

[BigDave]

I purchased a Husky 326Lx for $330 from my local Husky dealer about a month ago. I like it a lot. It revs freely, and cuts well. It has a growl that when revved kind of sounds like a dirt bike: In fact my neighbor came up to me and asked if I saw the four-wheelers racing around here. I apologized and told him it was my weed-whacker. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I also have a Husky 245Rx brush-cutter that for all practical purposes is too powerful to be used with string. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif (Blade only from now on) Now this baby sounds like a chainsaw. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I've been happy with all of my Husky products (chainsaws, leaf blower too), but I am also happy with my dealer who offers much better service, a full tank of gas, and better prices than Lowes. Nothing against Stihl, it's just that my dealer doesn't sell their products.

Specs: Displacement - 24.5cc, Power - 1.2hp, Weight - 9.9lbs
Also the E-tech II engines produce earlier horsepower & torque peaks & as well as increase torque levels when compared to last year's (325) models.

 

[soarkrebel]

Hey bigdave do you know the difference between a 326 L and 326LX?
i really liked the 326L it was built very well IMO. my dealer has one for $299.
And yeah i have a little problem from buying a weed wacker from lowes. heck the dealer i have been bothering does the warranty work for lowes! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[BigDave]

So you want to know what you get for an extra $30? I'll tell you: A padded grip, a padded handle, an oversized wingnut for the adjustment of the handle, a steel skid plate to protect the gas tank when starting the machine on the ground, and a whopping 0.2lbs of extra weight. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[soarkrebel]

OK thanks bigdave, /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif i thought maybe a turbo charger or something. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

i still havent decided i have to soon i need some trimming. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[buzst]

I own all husky products and have always been very happy with them. But really, the only reason I chose husky was because the orange finish matched my tractor. Husky is owned by Electrolux of Sweden who produces and rebrands the majority of the lawn care equipt sold in the world today. (take a look at their web site- the number of brands they mfg is to extensive to list here). Anyway all of the electrolux products are designed in a central engineering center and produced in central mfg locations ie; lawnmower design and mfg, chainsaw design and mfg, trimmer.....etc. The only difference betwen the products is the color,logo,the box its shipped in and the store its sold in. Just thought you should know... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Alan L.]

I have a Stihl FS-85 brush cutter and a Husqvarna 141 chain saw. Both have been great. I use string and brush blade on the Stihl - it is a hoss. I don't use the handle bars with the brush blade on, and find it easy enough to operate. It starts and runs just fine every time.

The Husqvarna chain saw is a small one, but has really served me well.

Both of these tools beat the heck out of the home center crap I had before. They are both 4 years old.

 

[tc35dforme]

Just an update on my "dead" Stihl FS85. Operator error ??? I did indeed shear off the cast key on the magneto flywheel. Not sure why yet...maybe dry storage or more likely, flooded fuel into the case from the unit sitting without the jet or needle valve in it for a while ???

Dealer needs $ 70 for the new part. I did a temp fix with locktite....works well as a grass trimmer, but I suspect it won't hold up for brush work. New part is coming.

All in all, the Stihl is a good unit. I think most of the upper end consumer units ( $ 200 - $ 400 ) are good. As usual, it comes down to dealer support and option / accessories.

 

[5030]

I have a Stihl FS65 that I've had for at least 20 years. I also have a Stihl 028 WB Chainsaw that is at least that old too. I've never had any trouble with either unit and I trim 2 rental properties with the 65 every summer. I never drain the gas in fall, just hang them up on the wall and in the spring, put in fresh gas/oil mix and go.

When I retire them if they don't last until I die, I'll buy Stihl again. One note, I use Amsoil synthetic 2 stroke oil in both units. I buy it by the case for my snowmachines.