First gas weed trimmer, what a piece of junk!

[TheTanSedan]

Use one weekly over 7-months of year. Over one hundred yards of "edging" on current house (held vertically; old 4-stroke edger given to me died).

Agree with above that pro grade is worth it, either STIHL or ECHO. Go to a lawn implements dealer long in business, with commercial customers, and wrenches who've worked there a long time. Ask them.

And be aware that there are more than two grades of engines. What you buy at the discounter is, literally, a 30-hour engine. You have to step up in price on a two-stroke. (See CONSUMER REPORTS Buying Guide).

I just wait for sales. Just bought an ECHO leaf blower/shredder-bagger from lower end of line at local dealer. Not expensive, but far better than the HD/Lowes junker I had before. Starts more easily, has better balance, and is simply made a bit better.

On all my 2-strokes, fuel first, lay on level ground, take a knee, pump primer s-l-o-w-l-y, about 5-times (the touch is in the release, the suction). Throttle held at WOT, choke on, pull through once or twice. Choke reduced or off, start and idle to a 12-count, then go to work(and/or turn off choke).

Use constant throttle settings too. I know the amateurs are around when I hear a 2-stroke constantly cycle rpms up & down.

When they won't start easily, time to replace sparkplug and clean/replace air filter. I figure that more than 5-pulls -- given new tune, fuel no more than 6-weeks old with synthetic oil -- and plug is too wet to fire off.

 

[paulo57509]

quote:

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Originally posted by cos:
I've had the same experience as paulo57509 -
My inexpensive Craftsman 2 stroke trimmer starts on the 2nd pull and runs great at all rpms. I use the Craftsman brand syn 2 stroke oil. It does vibrate quite a bit so I ziptied foam motorcycle handlebar grips on it - problem solved!

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I did the same thing for the vibration. Only I used a piece of foam pipe insulation.

 

[dmproske]

My dad and I both have Stihl FS85 trimmers. They are awsome. His is a few years old. I bought mine last year. It says "extreme" on it. Not sure what that means. These have way more power than necessary for normal trimming but that makes it fun. I use .105 size Stihl line.

 

[drive it forever]

The Troybilt 4-stroke weed wacker I bought at lowes is still amazing to me. Like it matters, Im amazed at how little gas it uses. This thing runs excellent and has more then enough power. I have Mobil 1 MX4T 10W40 motorcycle oil in it.

 

[wavinwayne]

FWIW,

I used a Weedeater brand weed trimmer for approx. 10 years. The only thing it ever needed was a tune-up about 8 years into it's service life. It still ran like a charm when I gave it to my uncle.

 

[JavaMan]

Wanted a reliable one (or so I thought) so I got an ECHO. After about 3 years of very light use it quit running. Pretty sure it's the ignition. The cost to replace this part drove me to buying another instead. Not an Echo.

 

[2004 F150 4x4]

blano said"
I agree. They do sell the same brands as full service dealers. The differance is HD or Lowes do not sell pro grade equipment. For instance Husky sells chainsaws through HD and Lowes. IN reality these saws are just rebadged, orange poulans that suck quality wise. Same thing with Echo, saws and trimmers sold at HD.
BTW just because a piece of equipment has a certain brand name on it doesnt means its a quality piece. Stihls cheaper trimmers are made by Ryan/ and ryobi and are not up to the same levels of performance as say a fs 80, or 110. Buyer beware.."

This might be true in Canada but IS NOT true in the USA The same trimmer that the pro-shop sales is the same trimmer and same price at Home Depot !

 

[Missouri Tim]

Here's another thread that has me a little stumped. I've been having good luck with my Weed Eater/Poulan products.

I have an elderly GTI 19T straight shaft trimmer that starts and runs fine. It was getting used quite a bit - a full tankful every week. But the property next door is now occupied, and we have discovered the joy of mulch around trees so it isn't being run nearly as much.

Having said that, I've always used the Poulan/Weed Eater brand oil mixed strictly in accordance with the instructions. I use the same can of fuel/oil to run the chain saw (a 16" Poulan used mostly to trim trees), and a Weed Eater edge-cutter; new this season.

The chain saw has been around for a long time. I've worn out a couple of bars, many chains, and clutch/sprocket assy. It still starts right up, and will idle for long periods without trouble. That's the reason I bought the Poulan - the one at the lumber mill would idle nicely. When I went looking for a trimmer I purposely purchased a Weed Eater (Poulan) so that one mix of fuel/oil would work in both machines. Same logic for the sidewalk edger.

 

[TxGreaseMonkey]

I bought a Weedeater Model HP 28P, 30cc engine, from Home Depot 10 years ago for $78. It still runs like a top. I used some old Ultron synthetic 100:1 until this season. Now, I'm using Amsoil two-cycle, mixed also at 100:1. It loves the stuff and I have never worn a trimmer out, even though I have lived in Florida and Texas with their long growing seasons. The only problem I had was with the gas lines. 2-cycle oil and gas causes them to get brittle and break into a many pieces, if you disturb them. This happened to me last year and I went to a hobby shop and purchased yellow tygon tubing, rated for oil and gas, and replaced the lines. The clear replacement vinyl tubing sold at Home Depot is a waste of money. It sets up and loses its flexibility in several months.

If you use synthetic 2-cycle oil, make sure it is API TC-rated (for air-cooled engines). TC-W3 is for water-cooled engines, which are not as hard on an oil.

 

[blano]

"This might be true in Canada but IS NOT true in the USA The same trimmer that the pro-shop sales is the same trimmer and same price at Home Depot ! "
First of all I only live in the CA during the summer.
HD or Lowes DOES NOT SELL PRO GRADE EQUIPMENT! While it is true a regular dealer may sell the consumer grade crap that Home Depot does, Home Depot does not sell and can not sell pro grade Stihl, Echo or Husky equipment. Just because a piece carrys a known brand name doesnt make it worth a darn.

 

[Jim 5]

I have a cheap homelite trimmer. It takes 2 pulls on full choke full throttle, then 1 pull on 1/2 choke full throttle to start. I run it on 1/2 choke for about a minute and switch over to no choke.

I've had this one for five years using it once every two weeks in the summer. I'm pretty pleased with it!

 

[ATS-V]

quote:

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Wanted a reliable one (or so I thought) so I got an ECHO. After about 3 years of very light use it quit running. Pretty sure it's the ignition. The cost to replace this part drove me to buying another instead. Not an Echo.

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The problem I have with high end units are the cost. I'll explain.

About 5 years ago I bought a $90 Ryobi at Home Depot. It has run fine, had to adjust jets after a 2-3 years and change plug after 4 years. With the high cost of repairs these days if my $90 trimmer breaks after a few years, in the garbage it goes as it's not worth my time to repair vs the cost. If a $250 trimmer breaks you have to fix it.

BTW: All my 2-stroke stuff has always run Lawn Boy 2-stroke oil at 32:1. Once my supply runs out I'll switch to Mobil 1 Racing 2T.

 

[blano]

I have Stihls and Shindaiwas that are over ten years old that still run great. Most problems people have with two cycle equipment is related to leaving old gas in them

 

[Alan Smithee]

I got a Ryobi 725R free from my dad 5 years ago. It has been a very good unit! It starts consistently, is good enough for my residential use...and the Quick-Link reciprocating tree limb attachment is impressive. The Sawzall style blades that come with it are of a very good long-lasting alloy, and the thin-ness of the blade (compared to a chainsaw) creates little sawdust.

Do I think a Ryobi is best? Nope, but lots of people who crab about stuff are abusers, or buy something that is used/abused by someone else (like a dad who doesn't see his kid doing mad/crazy stuff when he isn't looking). I work for a major repair center, and I have seen purchase dates on some of this stuff sent in for repair. Some stuff looks "ridden hard and put away wet" after 4 thrashed months. Other equipment is 8 years old +, and looks amazingly clean.

Old gas in two and four stroke equipment keeps many people across the Nation employed! This is abuse by neglect. I am guilty of neglect...I was using the wrong oil in my Ryobi for 5 years, and ran it with the wrong mix ratio for a year or two. Owners manuals are valuable for forgetful people like me.

edit: I do believe that the people here are far more enlightened/interested about all things mechanical than the general public. There are some flaky things that some manufacturers never seem to get right. Thanks for posting your gripes/props.

[ July 29, 2005, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: Alan Smithee ]

 

[Alan Smithee]

quote:

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Originally posted by drive it forever:
Bought my first gas weed trimmer, a weed-eater 2stroke featherlite model. Even after reading the instructions, it took 20 pulls for the 1st start. I let it warm up, and it died as soon as I gave it more gas. It only runs 1/2 way decent on the 1/2 choke setting. I lowered the idle, but it dident change how bad it runs. Is this a junk brand? Is there anything I can adjust to make it run better? I bought it at wal-mart, it just might be a cheap wally only model thats crap?I did mix the included oil with a gallon of fresh gas. It came with synthetic 2stroke oil, and says to use a synthetic 2stroke oil in it. I might end up taking it back and spend the bucks and get a 4stroke trimmer elsewhere.

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Yup, my trusy Ryobi string trimmer has been the only piece of 2 stroke gear that ran like top right out of the box.

My Craftsman blower (Poulan re-badge) needed both of the screws turned out all the way (actually i/8 turn richer as limited by the plastic lmiting caps) before it would run. I was able to do this at home.

I got great deal on a used/very clean 18" Craftsman chainsaw. It was sooo clean, because I bet it NEVER ran. I could not adjust it because it takes a special screwdriver handled tool to reach the screws deep inside the the plastic housings. rant/on: 300 pulls later, it had to be adjusted by a tech/friend later that week, but it was huge p*ss off that the foundation of my entire weekend was based on getting some trees cleared so I could get 25 tons of rock delivered into my backyard. rant/off

I live in California, and supposedly these engines are adjusted to be sold in the locale they are purchased. My county is populated elevation runs from the high hundreds to well over 5000'. This is insane.

I guess the only thing you can do is save your receipt, box, and packaging materials and take that piece of junk back.

 

[thedawk]

A couple of years ago I had a cheapo Ryobi 2 stroke from HD. That thing ran great for about 5 years. Then all the fuel lines started breaking and leaking. The last straw for me was trying to get a new primer bubble that would fit and not leak. So I broke down and bought a new Troy Bilt 4 stroke. It's too heavy, not nearly the same power (after being convinced of the better torque of the 4stroke by the saleman

) and vibrates like crazy. But, it starts every time and runs great for two season now. And as a bonus, since Ryobi and Troy Bilt were both baught out by MTD, all my old Ryobi attachments work on my new Troy Bilt.

 

[Hokiefyd]

quote:

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Originally posted by Alan Smithee:
I live in California, and supposedly these engines are adjusted to be sold in the locale they are purchased. My county is populated elevation runs from the high hundreds to well over 5000'. This is insane.

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Well, there ya go. With the simplicity of these engines and fuel systems, it's impossible to come up with one magical adjustment that runs optimum at both sea level and a mile high. Their only option is to try to set it at a medium setting somewhere and hope folks can get it adjusted right at home. The medium setting didn't happen to work for you right out of the box. I don't consider that the fault of the manufacturer -- especially if it's a piece of USED equipment (like it sounds like that chainsaw was)...who knows who was monkeying with that thing (or where they bought it) before you got hold of it.

 

[marco246]

Blano's advice about getting high-quality equipment in the first place is worth following. I use a Shindaiwa 260 weedwhacker and a Stihl 290 chainsaw to keep the rainforest at bay. When buying power equipment of any kind, I use "marco's rule of thumb": Figure out how much power you need and then buy two sizes bigger. And even then sometimes you need More Power. . . .

Aloha, Mark

 

[2004 F150 4x4]

The ryobi line trimmer I bought back in 94' finally gave up the ghost today. Oh well it had a good run. My son using it the last year in his lawn business did not help it any. Just for kicks I pulled the engine down and checked the piston and cylinder wall. ALL cross-hatch are gone, smooth as glass. Guess that is why it smoked badly the last couple of years. Guess it's time to hit up Home Depot for another. I have had real good luck lately with Echo. Will probably buy another from them.
You guys take care,
Dave

 

[mtgrs737]

Buy High end machines from established small engine shops and the advice and service you get will be worth the extra price. Around here (Kansas) small shops owned by father/sons have reasonable pricing and service that is second to none! BTW I've had many shop owners and a few professional grounds keepers tell me to add a little extra oil to the mix, they say 50 to 1 is too lean for the long run. I have always used 32 to 1 in all my 50 to 1 equiptment and don't forget the stabil if you don't use it up in 30 days or less. I think Blano is dead on about the old gas, I have always run my engines dry and never had a problem with storage.