Weed Wacker maintenance on a Weed Eater?

[Mr_Accord]

I have a 10 yr old WeedEater Featherlight 17CC weed wacker that I have been using during the summer months for my landscaping business. I am still amazed to this day that this machine continues to perform just as well as the day I bought it at Wally World for $99. I have probably used this machine to trim well over 1500 lawns and I have done no maintenance on it what so ever. It still has the original champion spark plug, the carb has never been touched, same with the air filter. The fuel lines are still intact and the pull cord/recoil system works fine. The only part that was changed was the spool at around year 5. I knew a bunch of people who also owned similar models that were used once every 2 weeks for private use and they no longer have them. Maybe its the oil mixture I used. For about half of its life it got the same thing that my Lawnboy got a 32:1 mixture, now it gets a 40:1 and I usually always buy the Poulan brand of oil.

Getting to the point is there any annual maintenance that should be done like the mowers get? Does the shaft or gears ever need to be greased?

Thanks

 

[Oil Changer]

At this point, why would you do anything? You got your money's worth. See how far it will go with zero maintenance.

 

[Tdbo]

They are virtually indestructible (at least the older ones.) I have the exact weed eater (paid $56 for mine about 12 years ago.) Have done nothing to it except add line and oil/fuel mix.
I use it more or less as a trim mower on a double city lot (wherever my tractor can't get to.) It ran most of its life on 40:1 whatever was laying around. When I bought my Toro Snow blower last year, I started using 50:1 Echo oil on all my 2 cycle OPE. It runs better now then it did new with much less smoke. I'd like to get a straight shaft trimmer but I want to see how much longer this one will go.

 

[JTK]

I've got a ~12yr/old Featherlight as well. Bought it new for $59 IRIC. Short curved shaft, direct drive, single line bump-feed. Not well taken care of. Various degrees of pre-mix run in it. The thing has a plastic crankcase cover even!

Some years ago I needed something with a longer reach to trim a long section of ditch, so I replaced it with a Husqvarna 125L.

My 73yr/old Mom needed something to trim with a year or three ago so I pulled the old Featherlight out of the shed, fueled it up and it started on the first yank! She still uses it today, that's how easy it is to start/run.

Joel

 

[73 BGT]

Mine started a little hard this spring. Then again it hadn't been started for 2 years. That said, it's 10 years old and hasn't been touched either. Need to put line on it this year. I always mix Sta-Bil in with my gas. Once started ran like a champ. RP

 

[440Magnum]

The only thing I've ever done to my Echo in ~15 years is to clean (and then finally just throw away) the spark arrestor screen in the muffler.

Not really much PM to do on a 2-stroke, so long as you don't let the gas go too stale (Sta-Bil is your friend).

 

[Mr_Accord]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
The only thing I've ever done to my Echo in ~15 years is to clean (and then finally just throw away) the spark arrestor screen in the muffler.

Not really much PM to do on a 2-stroke, so long as you don't let the gas go too stale (Sta-Bil is your friend).


Yeah I always put sta-bil or Seafoam in my gas.

 

[123Saab]

speaking of weeders...

I have an older model Toro straight shaft with the Expand-it system for different attachments.

Had it for about 7 years I think.

Used hard as a Weeder, Brush cutter, Tiller, Pruner and Polesaw.

Never done anything to it....Stored with an empty tank in the winter and used regular gas with Husqvarna 2 stroke oil.

I must say it probably has been my best outdoor tool ever.

 

[Errtt]

I bought new a Echo a few years ago. It is the bigger one with long straight shaft. So far no problems and I just dump gas/oil in the tank (Echo oil) and renew the string when needed (not often - it's thick too). No maintenance & I hope it last a few more years.
One of those types of OPE I don't care to do maintenance - I'll just buy another new one when it comes time.
On the plus - a good thick line last compare to the thin line whackers I had in the past. Good engine power.
On the minus - the long straight shaft seems a bit too long making it somewhat cumbersome in some situations.

 

[clarklawnscape]

Originally Posted By: Mr_Accord


Getting to the point is there any annual maintenance that should be done like the mowers get? Does the shaft or gears ever need to be greased?

Thanks

I assume a featherlite is a curved shaft, if so i would take the shaft apart and put a layer of grease on the inner (flex) shaft. If its a straight shaft model with a gearbox, then the doing the above would be a good idea and to grase the gear box as well. But with this type of luck with virtually no maintence, i cant say id do anything to it.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Errtt
I bought new a Echo a few years ago. It is the bigger one with long straight shaft. So far no problems and I just dump gas/oil in the tank (Echo oil) and renew the string when needed (not often - it's thick too). No maintenance & I hope it last a few more years.
One of those types of OPE I don't care to do maintenance - I'll just buy another new one when it comes time.
On the plus - a good thick line last compare to the thin line whackers I had in the past. Good engine power.
On the minus - the long straight shaft seems a bit too long making it somewhat cumbersome in some situations.


An Echo or Stihl is worth doing the little maintenance items on (plug, greasing shaft, replacing the primer bulb for $5 when it gets old and brittle, fuel lines, clean spark arrestor, etc.) They're made so that the engine and other big parts will last a very long time.

If you really want to buy, use, throw away, repeat, then buy Homelite, Ryobi, or similar. Significantly lower initial cost, and truly not worth fixing.

 

[clarklawnscape]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
[/quote

i agree 110% in theory, (i wont get brand specific unless intruiged) but then you see a few freak stories of a poulan/weedeater making it so long, i cant explain it, luck i guess. i know if i bought a poulan and actually used it, it would only make it a few weeks, my bad luck i guess

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: clarklawnscape
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
[/quote

i agree 110% in theory, (i wont get brand specific unless intruiged) but then you see a few freak stories of a poulan/weedeater making it so long, i cant explain it, luck i guess. i know if i bought a poulan and actually used it, it would only make it a few weeks, my bad luck i guess


Yeah, actual brand is much less important than the class of equipment. The higher-end brands have crankshaft main bearings on both sides of the connecting rod throw, for example. The cheapies have the connecting rod attached to a pin that sticks off the back of the crank, no bearing on the other side at all- a completely over-hanging design. In light duty you'd be surprised how long a cheapie can last, but they do also sometimes fly apart very soon- its a bit of a gamble when you go that route. But I couldn't see spending the coin for one of the high-end brands and then throwing it away just for a clogged carb, fouled plug, or carboned spark arrestor, either.

 

[ATS-V]

I have a 12 year old Ryobi that has served me well. A few years ago the shaft cable broke and this year I rebuilt the carb and changed the fuel lines. Runs good. I hate to throw stuff away when I know it can be fixed.