Steve Barker wrote:
Tony Hwang wrote:
Michael Dobony wrote:
My daughter's 4 cycle string trimmer seems to be locked up. You
can't pull
the cord at all. With the spark plug out it pulls okay. My thought is
valves stuck closed. Any other ideas for excessive compression? BTW,
its a
Troy-Bilt.

Mike D.
Hi,
4 cycle on a string trimmer? It must be pretty heavy one!

the stihl 4-mix units are about 13 ounces heavier than their smoker
counter parts in the same size. but well worth it. Either way, you're
going to be using a shoulder strap, so it doesn't really matter. You
have a unit that will last forever, is quiet, and doesn't smoke like a
dodge truck.

s

I got my first string trimmer in 1976. It was great for trimming 300
tombstones. In 1982 I got one to keep clear half a mile of electric
fence less than a foot off the grass. It wasn't easy.

So I got a 17-pound Hoffco from Troybuilt. I think Hoffco claimed to
have invented the string trimmer, in the 1940s. It had a shoulder strap
and handlebars nearly a yard wide. It made trimming almost as quick and
easy as walking past.

Nowadays I use it for three yards, which have about half a mile of
trimming. It's going strong after 25 years except the plastic spool.
If it fails, I'll need one to fit. I wish I knew where to find the
dimensions of modern spools.

Over the years I've tried several other trimmers. None has the wide
handlebars of the Hoffco. Those handlebars mean precise control against
the pull of the line. The Hoffco is also less fatiguing than anything
else I've tried.

How come they don't make 'em like that anymore?