Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: never_retreat on April 21, 2013, 05:47:16 PM
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I need to buy a weed wacker, any suggestions?
Nothing industrial grade but better that HD junk. Home use not a lawn service.
What brand etc..
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some call that a kaiser blade.
Chris
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Well, if fisty's bad idea doesn't work for you..
I've become a surprisingly big fan of Black and Decker's lawn stuff. I'm still afraid of their cordless gear, but all of their plug-in electric stuff that I have (mower, blower, hedge trimmer) has been good stuff. Not good enough to run a lawn service, but plenty of power for home use and no breakdowns at all over a number of years.
For gas, watch the timber games on ESPN The Ocho, and buy those brands. Stihl, Husqvarna, etc. I am consistently underwhelmed by Poulan. I think they must have been sold or something because their equipment was pretty good when I bought a mower about ten years ago, but I don't see the same quality today.
I have a Craftsman Weed Whacker that is going on 20. It's pretty beat up, but it hasn't quit yet. It does have a tendency to recoil inside the casing for some reason. It seems to be a common problem with electrics. The motor will twist inside the case and pull the wiring loose. It's not difficult to fix, but it is damned annoying when you're trying to get the lawn done on a weeknight before the sun goes down.
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sadly a lot of weed whackers are designed for real low run time numbers. like one seasons worth.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/may/home-garden/string-trimmers/overview/index.htm
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Ah I should have mentioned no electric. I'm not dragging around 400' of cord.
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Ah I should have mentioned no electric. I'm not dragging around 400' of cord.
Either get some kind of a sickle (like Fistful mentioned) or a gas-powered Echo -- the ones at HD are just fine. I have a Echo SRM-2200 that's about 25 years old and it still works great. That's one of the smaller straight-shaft models that actually has a solid driveshaft and can use metal blades. I did have to replace the carb a couple of years ago (stupid E10 gasoline.)
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I have a Honda string trimmer and it is solid. It is also a 4 stroke, so no gas/oil mixture.
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Sthil.
They run forever.
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Those actually work pretty good if you don't have to get close to fences or buildings.
Sthil.
They run forever.
+1 I've got one that I bought for a brush saw. It was the commercial model with the handlebars. It's a little much for string trimming, which I only do about once a year.
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I have a black and decker cordless one, had it for several years. I am going to half to buy new batteries this spring. When the batteries were good I could trim my yard with both batteries. I probably trimmed 600 linear feet.
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I just bought a Troy built HD 4 stroke from Lowe's, and its been running real well.
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Sthil.
They run forever.
what he said. we bought the smallest stihl over 12 years ago, and it is still running like new. my advice would be to get the one with the larger size string, as it does go through it more than i would like.
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No sickle, I need to do around the house and stuff. Somewhere I actually have a sickle somewhere.
I was leaning towards the stihl and they are not that badly priced. If they run anything like the chain saws I should be happy with it.
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No sickle, I need to do around the house and stuff. Somewhere I actually have a sickle somewhere.
I was leaning towards the stihl and they are not that badly priced. If they run anything like the chain saws I should be happy with it.
Years from now, it will stihl be running =)
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No sickle, I need to do around the house and stuff. Somewhere I actually have a sickle somewhere.
I was leaning towards the stihl and they are not that badly priced. If they run anything like the chain saws I should be happy with it.
I'm to Sthil what some fanboys are to Glocks. They're just hard to beat. we've got 3 weedwhackers and 4 chainsaws ( family farm pieces) from the past 30 ish years, and they've all earned their keep.
Spend the bit more and buy quality once.
Years from now, it will stihl be running =)
Persactly!
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I run a Stihl at home
Echos and Huskys at work...and we weedeat a LOT at work, easily equal to a commercial lawncare service
All good.
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I run a Stihl at home
Echos and Huskys at work...and we weedeat a LOT at work, easily equal to a commercial lawncare service
All good.
I have only a little experience with Echo and it was not too good.
Went to work as a contractor for an LA/AR logging outfit in Colorado one time. They had a bunch of Echos and when I got into camp not a one was running. I got them all going for them and basically ran the cutting operation the short time that I was there. The bastards ran out and didn't even pay me for a couple weeks work. :mad:
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Skil brand are just about the best for a gasoline weedeater.
I went the gasoline powered route for a while and got tired of messing with the engine as I really didn't use it that much. I use a battery powered weedeater now and can pretty much do my light trimming with one battery. It just depends on how much you have to do whether it is practical. You aren't going to clear brush with a battery powered one.
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I have a black and decker cordless one, had it for several years. I am going to half to buy new batteries this spring. When the batteries were good I could trim my yard with both batteries. I probably trimmed 600 linear feet.
I have the Black & Decker 18V cordless. It does surprisingly well. I have a lot of weed eating to do against the house, around the fence, and around the base of the rocks lining my wife's flower beds. I've bought two more batteries for it since I bought it in 2010 (I mark the batteries so I know what year they were acquired) and I've been impressed with how well it does. It's nowhere near the power of even the least powerful gas powered trimmers, but it's zero maintenance, and it's very easy for my wife to use. She HATES gas powered trimmers.
I see they now make 24V and 36V models that use lithium battery packs. Based on my experience with the 18V model I'd be fine with buying one.
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got a big bull handled stihl 18 inch cut won't die
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I picked up a Weed Eater brand gas trimmer about 10 years ago at one of those traveling tool sales for $20. It hasn't missed a beat since.
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got a big bull handled stihl 18 inch cut won't die
Probably the same one I have. I got three cutters for it: the standard string head, a circular blade that cuts trees up to about 2.5", and a three bladed plastic cutter for whacking big patches of weeds.
I don't do much string trimming anymore. Since last summer, I take a flat shovel and dig down to dirt about six to twelve inches out from all the buildings. I don't want anything flamable up against the siding.
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yea its a beat i need the harness with it but i swing it back and forth cut about an 8 foot swath. got a reel of that square sharp cornered string.
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Sthil.
They run forever.
Maybe the old ones. The new ones, pr at least my FS-250 weed whacker amd my leaf blower, do not tolerate the crappy gas (i.e. polluted with EtOH) anywhere near as well as my chainsaw (Husq) or other weedwhacker (Echo). My ancient Honda 21" mower and 4 year old Craftsman rider (Kohler engine) also tolerate that gas better.
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yea gotta go ethanol free
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^^^ Not possible anymore around here.
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i just spent 90 bucks for 20 gallons of ethanol free from a marina. plus i hada drive 35 miles roundtrip to get it. its worth it. my 399 1999 y2k generator started on second pull yesterday. i thought my neighbor was gonna cry
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I just bought a Troy built HD 4 stroke from Lowe's, and its been running real well.
I've got one of these with the edger attachment and it has worked well for 3 or 4 years with little maintenance. Same for my Troy Built push mower, but add a couple years.
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41% glyphosate concentrate mixed 3 oz to the gallon of water and a 3 gallon pump sprayer. One of my favorite yard and garden tool.
I rarely use a weed whacker.
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41% glyphosate concentrate mixed 3 oz to the gallon of water and a 3 gallon pump sprayer. One of my favorite yard and garden tool.
I rarely use a weed whacker.
I was at Tractor Supply this weekend and noticed they had 2.5 gallon jugs of 41% glyphosate for $50. I can remember when a quart of 41% was almost $50.
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Mine is a Stihl FS-85. I can recommend it, 'though it seems it is no longer cataloged due to EPA restrictions. Whatever you buy, go for power. I prefer the straight, solid, shaft to the curved cable drive.
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I've got a mid-grade Toro electric. Don't need gas.
It works well.
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I have boughten two "Red Max" power products in the last few years, 3 if you count the one I gave my son-in-law. I'm cursed with bad luck on small engine stuff, especially 2-stroke. I've been amazed and delighted with the Backpack blower and weed eater. Even I can't get one to quit.
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I was at Tractor Supply this weekend and noticed they had 2.5 gallon jugs of 41% glyphosate for $50. I can remember when a quart of 41% was almost $50.
Isn't it great when patents expire. :)
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some call that a kaiser blade.
Chris
I'm pickin' up what you're throwin' down. =D
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We call those sling blade weed cutters mexican golf clubs around here. Been using one since the 50s. They do work pretty good. My powered weed wacker is a Sears with 4 stroke motor. It is a bit heavier than the 2 stroke machines but is trouble free and uses the same gas as my lawn mower.....chris3
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We call those sling blade weed cutters mexican golf clubs around here. Been using one since the 50s. They do work pretty good. My powered weed wacker is a Sears with 4 stroke motor. It is a bit heavier than the 2 stroke machines but is trouble free and uses the same gas as my lawn mower.....chris3
We always called it a "whim-wham" :lol:
Must be a Texas term =|
I leave mine over at the barn and use it in spare moments to knock down the lambs quarters and mullan, etc.
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Oh I use plenty of glyphosate around the property.
But I doubt the other half would appreciate large dead circles under all the shrubs in the yard the tractor won't fit under.
We used to have a lawn service (no tractor came with the house), but last fall I scored a free cub cadet lawn tractor from one of my bosses that was moving to Florida and downscaling the lawn size.
I figured if its free its for me. We have almost 2 acres of grass, the lawn guy was 55 bucks. At the time I could not see spending a large amount of cash on a big mower. This was the first time doing the lawn with it. It took about an hour 20, but I had to go pretty slow in some spots because it was thick. So I figured since I don't make 55 bucks and hour its worth my time.
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41% glyphosate concentrate mixed 3 oz to the gallon of water and a 3 gallon pump sprayer. One of my favorite yard and garden tool.
I rarely use a weed whacker.
I've used grass killer before as well. Works great for keeping grass off the fence and off the house. If the grass gets above the the concrete to the siding, it encourages ants who think my walls are better than the dirt.
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I'm pickin' up what you're throwin' down. =D
I like them French fried potaters
Chris
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http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-40-Volt-Lithium-ion-Cordless-String-Trimmer-Edger-RY40210/203161566?N=bx8iZ1aw#.UXb93EqaWvB
I bought one of these a while back, and boy am I pleased with it. It advertises that you can trim a half acre on one charge, and it handles my 6000 sq. ft. lot with power to spare. Lightweight, well-balanced and it charges in 90 minutes.
This is replacing a B&D 18 volt cordless. I would get maybe 10 minutes per battery pack and I had three of them. Each battery pack takes nine hours to charge. Trimming and edging would be a two-day affair when the grass was thick.
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Might either get a stihl fs55 or and fs70.
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Stihl. At home we have an FS-130 that runs like a champ. For gas, buy premium and mix it one gallon at a time. After 60 days, if you haven't used it all, put it in your car and go mix another gallon. Gas with ethanol sucks, but as long as it isn't sitting for a long period of time you'll be fine. We've ran a lot (5 gallons a week) of low grade crap gas through our saws at work with no ill effects.
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Stihl. At home we have an FS-130 that runs like a champ. For gas, buy premium and mix it one gallon at a time. After 60 days, if you haven't used it all, put it in your car and go mix another gallon. Gas with ethanol sucks, but as long as it isn't sitting for a long period of time you'll be fine. We've ran a lot (5 gallons a week) of low grade crap gas through our saws at work with no ill effects.
Are you saying to dump a gas mixture with 2 cycle oil into your car's gas tank?
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IMO, electrics work okay, but I have never seen one that had the power of a gas engine week cutter. Also, I always run into grass runners or other stuff that is a bit thick and gas powered units just cut right through them. If electric/battery models work for you, great. I prefer the engine powered units.
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Are you saying to dump a gas mixture with 2 cycle oil into your car's gas tank?
It works just fine. I've used it when I was running low on gas in the truck. =)
In fact, I have always wondered about dumping a can of 2 cycle mix in every tankful for upper cylinder lube. =|
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It works just fine. I've used it when I was running low on gas in the truck. =)
In fact, I have always wondered about dumping a can of 2 cycle mix in every tankful for upper cylinder lube. =|
Never heard of doing that. =|
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Never heard of doing that. =|
Which...? Using some saw gas in a truck in a pinch, or putting in the mix deliberately?
Years ago they used to sell stuff to put in your gas for extra cylinder lubrication. I wonder how different it was?
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i've run 100's of gallons of premix through my truck. that way saw gas is always fresh
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Which...? Using some saw gas in a truck in a pinch, or putting in the mix deliberately?
Years ago they used to sell stuff to put in your gas for extra cylinder lubrication. I wonder how different it was?
Either.
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Are you saying to dump a gas mixture with 2 cycle oil into your car's gas tank?
Yep I dump all my old 2 cycle fuel in my truck every spring. Sometimes up to 5 gallons depending how much fuel is in the boat tanks.
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Either.
Well, if you were in a truck out of gas, and had a gallon of chainsaw mix along, would you walk instead ???
It didn't help that my old 2-ton only had a 20 gallon behind the seat tank. =(
Actually, the time that I remember for sure using saw mix in a truck, I think it was somebody else's truck. I had this deal with an old man that ran a landscaping business to finish a timber sale that he had bought for some reason. This was before I bought my truck by few months, so I was going to use his old GMC with a huge straight six and a five and three transmission. I seriously underestimated the gas consumption, and it wouldn't even make it from town and up to the woods and back on one tankful. I got down on the highway at least before it quit, and there was a gas station down the road about a mile. The saw mix got me to the top of the hill and I coasted down to the station. This was on US 24 between Woodland Park and CS.
The GMC V6 that I had later got about 10 mpg loaded and empty, except under long pulls on steep grades. So it wasn't too bad for range except for the time we hauled a mobile home in a headwind. We could hardly get from one gas station to the next and then finding one that you could get into with a 10x50 was interesting.
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Yep I dump all my old 2 cycle fuel in my truck every spring. Sometimes up to 5 gallons depending how much fuel is in the boat tanks.
+1 to that. my truck will eat that stuff up, while the 2cycle tools get a little finicky.
back to the op, have you thought about the multi-tool heads? i just remembered a friend of mine has the larger stihl powerhead and a number of attachments (limbsaw, powersythe, tiller, string trimmer). he loves it. it is a bit more for the original purchase, but the tools get cheaper from there out.
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+1 to that. my truck will eat that stuff up, while the 2cycle tools get a little finicky.
back to the op, have you thought about the multi-tool heads? i just remembered a friend of mine has the larger stihl powerhead and a number of attachments (limbsaw, powersythe, tiller, string trimmer). he loves it. it is a bit more for the original purchase, but the tools get cheaper from there out.
I have one of those and love it. Chainsaw on a stick! The edger and weedwhacker attachments work well too but are less fun.
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We've got this one:
http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/expand_it
Currently have the straight shaft string trimmer and edger... It's a little underpowered at times, but gets the job done around our little 1/4 acre....
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Well, reading up on reviews of the ryobi powerhead, wishing we hadn't bought it and had saved up for a stihl...
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Are you saying to dump a gas mixture with 2 cycle oil into your car's gas tank?
Figured everyone knew this. That's what I get for figuring.
We replaced our old Ryobi with the Stihl. It ran alright, but the Stihl beats it out anytime. The pole chainsaw thing is kind of cool, but it is too short to get a lot of reach. A good pole saw with a sharp blade can really reach up there, and if that won't get it, the tree should probably be climbed.
Edited to add a few forgotten thoughts:
Ethanol in gas has been mentioned quite a bit. If you buy a gas weedeater and only plan to use it once every few months, run it completely dry before you put it up. Ethanol will wreak havoc on fuel lines and carburetors when left sitting too long. Avoiding those issues is a lot easier than having to fix them after the fact. Replacing lines and having to rebuild a carburetor is a pain. Speaking of carburetors, if you don't know how, take the time to learn how to tune them. Temperature, humidity, age of gas can all affect it. Lean a two-stroke out too much and the piston will find really awesome ways to weld itself to the cylinder.