"Robert11" wrote in message
...
Hello:

Have recently bought a Homelite Weed-wacker.
Works just fine, but that "Bump-Feed" mechanism they have is just driving
me crazy. It's an inexpensive weed-wacker, and by now I figure I should
bave spent another $ 30 or so and gotten a Sears with the individual
strings. This bump-feed is a real horror.

Anyway, I would like to aske the following, please:

a. I saw some replacement "heads" that take individual pieces of already
cut string, that presumably would fit my Homelite. But they all seems to
be around $35 or so. Since the complete unit only cost me $ 65, this
doesn't make much sense. Can't imagine why they are so expensive; it's a
relatively simple part. They probably make all their profit in selling the
individual cut line string.

Never used one but I think you can cut your own.

Are there any available heads that would be in the
$ 10- 15 range ? Do these replacement heads work, ginerally, well, and is
replacing the head a good idea, or... ?

b. When replacing the string on the bump feed, it says to wind in a ccw
direction. Is this ccw direction while looking down the shaft from the
engine to the spool direction, or upwards at the spool from the cutting
edge ?

I would think it would be as you are looking at the spool. Look carefully at
the head and/or spool, they probably has arrows showing which way to wind.


They aren't too clear on this.

c. any "tricks" in getting this thing to feed fairly reliably, that
perhaps others have learned ?

Bump at full throttle -Very important!
Don't bump in high grass.
Make sure you are using the proper diameter string.
Try different brand string. The string that came on my Troy Bilt trimmer was
horrible. I used some bulk Echo string and it was much better.
Don't try to put too much string on the spool. Maybe a foot or 2 less than
specified.
Don't try to lubricate the string/spool with anything.
Kevin


Much thanks,
Bob