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Little OT: Gas String Trimmers??

R

RandyB(MI)

Well-known Member
Time to buy one. Homeowner grade. $200 - $250. Which to stay away from and why. Weak points? Brands? Tell me your experiences , good or bad. I live in woods , have ditch bank on black top rd to do , ferns and grasses along 100 yd drive way , ferns wild flowers , violets (thick carpet of them) that I level down after they all are done flowering 100' X 50' area. May have to do it 4 times a yr. No lawn as such and no lawn mower. Just need to groom up the woods a little and around all "ma,s" flower beds with rocks all around them.Thanks in advance for your input. Randy. ( have had excellent luck with Stihl chain saw so kind of leaning that way???? )
 
Maybe the Stihl 70. Straight shaft, steady pull start. The first one available in the commercial line. I was quoted $270, but that dealer is usually a little high on price.
 
Stihl FS130 is what I have and like it real well. Think the price may be out of what you want to spend though. When I got mine, I was looking for an FS90 but the guy didn't have one and gave me a real good deal on the FS130.
Before I got the Stihl, I had (and still have) a 70 buck weedeater curved shaft that just won't quit.

Dave
 
Stay away from the Cub Cadet 4 Cycle 29 CC

Heard the wife tell someone it was a 29 Hp 4 cyl.


I laughed till I used it Too heavy. and if you use shoulder strap it seemingly confines you as you are stuck holding it one side after a half tank of gas you found mussels you forgot you had.

If it wasn't a surprise present for my B Day I would have tried an Echo. In fact I was telling her prior to her purchase I was going to rent one to see how I liked one.
 
I second that. The new Stihls with the "4 -Mix" ( They use 2 stroke fuel but they have valves like a 4 stroke ). Engines are really nice. Very easy to start and plenty of power.
 
I have had good luck with my 32CC Craftsman straight shaft. 25 years and still doing its job( hope I havn't jinxed it!)
That said I have bought a second(and third) trimmer since.(Still use the Craftsman for my main weed trimmer) One is a Riobi gas with interchangable heads. It is more of a hedge and limb trimmer than for weeds as those are the extra heads I us on it almost exclusively. Very handy and quite durable.
the third is for my wife to use. Rechargable cordless electric as she cannot quite pull start a gas trimmer. Also a much more durable unit than I expected. Good life on a charge. I am ready for a break before it is!
 
third the Stihl. Mine's a curved shaft FS-61 but its easy to start & is the only one we have on the farm.
 
For ferns and heavier stuff, you probably won't be satisfied with the homeowner grade trimmers you find at Home Depot or Lowes. Bite the bullet and buy a commercial-grade trimmer. Yes, it will cost twice as much up front, but it's a one-time purchase.

Look at what the commercial landscapers use: Stihl, RedMax, Shindaiwa. I have a Stihl FS-85 that I've abused for about 14 years. I don't think that model is available any more, if you want a solid shaft you now have to go to an FS-130 (I think).

For trimming brush, I replace the string head with a three-pointed brush blade. It does a great job on ferns, cattails and saplings.
 
I have both 2 cycle and 4 cycle string trimmers. Some that you can add a blower to the end. Went to a 4 cycle because the smoke of a 2 cycle makes me sick and they are sometimes hard to start. Love my huskavarna 4 stroke(most likely misspelled), little on the heavy side, very easy to add string, most powerful ever used under 29 hp, very easy to start and cost close to $500. I have a string trimmers that you manually add string, don't like them. Purchased the 4 cycle locally so if anything happened, I could take back and they can service it too. Service to me is important.
 
I got a Stihl combi- has a bunch of interchangeable heads. I wanted a tiller head as well as a weedeater, and am well satisfied with both. Its a 4 cycle, but you mix oil and gas like a 2 cycle. I'm much happier with the 4 cycle than previous 2 cycle models- starts easier, less smoke and noise.
 
I bought my first 4 cycle weed eater 3 years ago at Lowe's. It is Ryobi. I liked it so much I bought another a year later for the farm.
Easy start, lower sound levels, and do not have to keep up with two different gas cans.
I do not have the model number in front of me, but this one takes attachments. I have a bar saw attachment that is very nice for trimming tree limbs.
 
The best thing to do with a string trimmer is to throw it in the junk and buy you a good knife trimmer.The ones with three knives work great and you don't have all the string problems.The knives will cut bigger stuff and are easily replacable.I have a gas model huskvarna that is 20 years old and still works great.
 
Have a commercial mower dealer nearby that sells RedMax? That"s all I buy now, they cost less than $300 and will last a lonnnng time for a homeowner. I have ones that have thousands of hours on them, get used in a heavy commercial/industrial environment and never been apart. We always had shindiawa and echo also, both very good.
 
I have 2 Stihls, one a straight shaft and the other a curved. Not sure the models as I am at work right now.The straight shaft one is probably 20 years old and the other about 7 or 8. I use a brush blade on the straight shaft and plain string on the other. What I really like about them is that even though they are different models, they both use the same carb kit. I usually buy 'em two at a time and that way I always have parts on hand. I generally rebuild the carbs every 2-3 years and do cleanings in between. So far neither one has needed anything other than that and they have been used pretty hard.
 
Our son just bought a Jonsered that he likes real well, came with a saw blade for smaller trees. We have a 25 year old Stihl that has preformed well, also has a saw blade attachment. My wife bought a $69 weed eater that also works well, but only with a string. Depends what you are going to use it for. I prefer 2- cycle because the smoke keeps the mosquitoes away somewhat, and I always have mixed gas for chain saws available.
 
I've got an two Echo trimmers. One is a mid grade string trimmer and the other is their biggest brush cutter. They both have done everything i've ever asked from them and given no problems at all. I have several Stihl dealers in my area and can't get along with any of them. I finnaly found a dealer thats nice to deal with and actually knows what he's talking about. He sells Echo so thats what I went with.
 
I"ve got a Shindawa(SP?) that I"ve had for over 10 years and have used it pretty hard. It"s never been in the shop. I think that Ecco bought Shindawa but Stihl or Husquvarna would be a good choice. A couple of years ago I bought an attachment that uses a chainsaw chain on a wheel in place of the string. For anything less than 3" in diameter it works great, I"ve used it to clean fence rows and underbrush in the woods. As others have said the straight shaft models seem to last longer.
 
had a "green machine" commercial trimmer for 25 years.. finally wore the dang thing out and found out they dont make em any more. Used the saw blade for cutting brush to help clear 25 acres, used around the house (5acres). wore out a couple of string feeders and rebuilt carb twice.


bought an echo and replaced it two years later with another one. its ok i guess, lighter but not the same quality.
 
I too need a new trimmer. The trimmer I have is a Echo and was a good one but when you ask about the quality of a trimmer and people say I have one of a brand that is 5 or 10 or 15 years old is they don't make that any more. You have to punt so to speak, what was is not anymore. They are like all new things and I like to say they are all junk, just some are closer to the pile!
 
About 4 years ago i converted all my "lawn equipment" (mower, string trimmer, backpack blower) to Husquvarna- have not regretted it since, its all been turn-key.
 
Jonsered and husky are same company very good units. Go with something that has a dealer in your area. Stay away from the hardware store or mail order units. Do not buy the cheap entry level even in name brand!!! you get what you pay for. Ask the dealer and he can match the machine to the job. Some offer 3 blades/trimmers attachments as a complete set for one price.
 
Just went through this exercise this weekend. I have historically treated string trimmers as disposable and bought the cheapest I could find. Moved out to the country and like to keep the fences clear a few times a summer and the cheap trimmers barely last a summer and generally do not have a straight shaft which is preferable for reaching under the fence farther. After spending ~$200 just 2 years ago on a Husqvarna (Lowes version)and having the shaft head go out, decided to try another step up. Bought a RedMax this weekend and probably ran it 4 hours Saturday going up and down about 1/3 of the fences. So far so good.

I think the lower priced units are not designed for continuous use so running them longer than an hour or so results in damage/reduced service. This RedMax has a grease zerk at the head so hoping that means something (assuming I remember to grease it up sometimes).
 
Used a $80 Roybi for many years. The cheap plastic shield over the cutter head finally failed and with the string cutter now gone, I eventually ran the oversized string (ran .095 vs the standard .080 for better durability and cutting) at lengths that were too long and burned up the clutch mechanism. Engine still runs great, but the shaft doesn't turn. Looked at several and bought a $200 Husqvarna and the engine is severely lacking in power compared to the Roybi. Perhaps this will keep it from failing the shaft head. Next time it will be another cheap machine with a more powerful engine or if I can't find one I'm going to get the more expensive a Stihl.
 
Brought a curved shaft stihl about 6 years ago and have not done a thing to it. I keep stablex in the gas mix and never have had a problem with starting it. I changed the head to the three little plastic blades as I always hated dealing with the string on one. My son, the landscaper, says thr red-max are really good but he uses alot of stihl equipment too.
 
Good choice on the RedMax. We use their back pack blowers and hand blowers also. Good machines. You won't have to grease that zerk too much, but that tells you that this might actually be a machine to keep and service and not a throw away! I'm kind of partial to an Echo style head, and you can always change heads if you want.
 
Not good, not bad, cheap though. $80 Weed eater. Little weak until you fiddle with the governer and stringy weeds wrap around above the spool until it dies. Did I mention cheap? I love it.
 

Under your price point (can be bought for $160 CDN) but I have a Stihl FS-38 for around the house/lawn, going on 7 seasons now and I've done nothing to it but put fuel and line in it, starts 2 or 3 pull even after sitting all winter in the shed.
 
Dont know if they even make em anymore,but I bought a John Deere 12 seasons ago.Real nice machine,light weight,powerful,no problems.
 
Thanks so much for all your replies. Must admit there were more than I had anticipated. Just exactly what I wanted to hear though. I do have a lot of 1/8 " vollunteer seedlings that need whacked abt every two yrs but was originally thinking of a sickle bar unit for that but might be wiser to just get a commercial grade trimmer with heads for doing that too do all with one good unit and be done with it. Thanks again everyone.Randy Will let you all know what i end up with.
 
I sure hate these things ! Those little 2 cylces give me fits like no other engine. How something so simple can cause so many problems is beyond me ? Dad has a 4 cycle Ryobi and my boy is using it now. I am still having trouble starting it when cold. Runs fine after that.

I like to use weed killer spray more and more and forget these trimmers.
 
Maybe luck but purchased a 4 stroke Troy-Built 4 years ago for the farm and it has been realy servicable...so bought another one for the city hous this spring.. Have saw attachment for the farm one and it has the power to do a good job.
 
Hello Mike M,
Take out the spark plug and gap it at.030.
You will find it gapped at .020 at best.
I run my 4cycle B&S at .035.
If your 4cycle has a primer make sure you prime it 5 to 10 S L O W pumps.
Guido.
 
Those are good videos. Got me so pumped up I pulled one of my cheapos apart. It wasn't running up to full speed. Now it's leaking gas and not running full speed! Those videos always get me into trouble.
 
Good brands would be Stihl, Toro, John Deere (Echo). Avoid all of the department store brands, Ryobi, Poulan, Weedeater. When the dept store units stop working, they nearly always cost more to fix than what they cost new.
 
Anything you buy now will be junk compared to ones from 5-8 years ago. Now they are all smog modles. Restricted exhaust, no HI LOW adjustment screws on the carb, and worst of all no top end, they dont rev up like older ones. My best gas trimmer is a Shindaiwa T27 from 1995, with a slide carburator. #2 is Stihl FS 80R,S All soild, straight shaft trimmers.
 
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