Weed eaters have long been one of those essential tools that I hate.
Most of the time you can't get them started and if you finally succeed
at that you have to stop them to fix the broken string on the head.

After years of struggling with these machines I bit the bullet and
bought a highly recommended Stihl straight shaft trimmer. From the
moment I started using it I had trouble with the string feeder. I took
it back to the local Taylor's store and they messed with it, but told
me they don't take back Stihl equipment, I would have to send it off
for warranty work which would take six weeks or something like that.
Considering the unit started every time and it was the middle of
summer, I declined. Taylor's offered to sell me a new string feeder
for half price that they said was easier to use and replace the string
on. Having no better option I accepted the compromise.

I continued to have problems with the string breaking inside the head,
but the summer ended and I forgot about it. Well I fired up the thing
yesterday for the first time this year and the string broke inside the
head so many times that I quit using it. Not sure where to go from
here. I have used the string heads with nylon blades but wasn't really
fond of them. I also used the kind that you use precut string and
those wear down pretty quickly.

Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket string head replacement
that works well. Maybe you have suggestions on how to make the one I
have work properly. You're supposed to be able to push two ends of
string into properly aligned holes on the side of the rotating head
where it is grabbed onto by an inner hole. Then you turn the bump
mechanism by hand and it coils the string inside the head. I think the
string is coiling in a way that prevents it from feeding freely through
the hole when you bump the head.

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 17:31:51 +0000 (UTC), "badgolferman"
wrote:

Maybe you have suggestions on how to make the one I
have work properly.

I presume you are using the correct size line? Should be stated in the
manual. _Choosing the Best Trimmer Line for You_

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/diy/choosing-the-best-trimmer-line-for-you/

On 2016-03-25, badgolferman wrote:

Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket string head replacement
that works well.

I agree with yer premise that most weed eaters are junk.

I used a new Craftsman electric weed eater. The "string head", which
I think you mean the device that feeds the string out. This Craftsman
hadda bump-on-ground kinda feeder. It worked flawlessly, delivering
about 8"-10" of nylon string every time you bumped it on the ground.

The optimal string length was about 6". To obtain this length, the
trimmer had a little razor blade in a plastic holder, permenently
mounted about six inches from the head. As the new string was fed
out, the cutter blade would chop off the extra inch or two of string.
Problem was! .... the cut-off blade, which cut the new string to
length was mounted in a cheap plastic mount and the new string would
spin around and completely break off the entire blade/blade mount.

Craftsman reluctantly replaced it, but the brand new one did the exact
same thing in about 5 mins after I started using it.

All the gas engined weed eaters I've seen (Ryobi, etc) are also junk.
The primer bulb, gas line (tubing), other plastic/soft parts, etc, all
turn brittle and break. I see a lotta you ppl blaming ethanol gas.
Nonsense. Ethanol gasoline ran in my vehicles fer yrs, with no probs.

nb

On 25 Mar 2016 18:49:35 GMT, notbob wrote:

On 2016-03-25, badgolferman wrote:

Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket string head replacement
that works well.

I agree with yer premise that most weed eaters are junk.

I used a new Craftsman electric weed eater. The "string head", which
I think you mean the device that feeds the string out. This Craftsman
hadda bump-on-ground kinda feeder. It worked flawlessly, delivering
about 8"-10" of nylon string every time you bumped it on the ground.

The optimal string length was about 6". To obtain this length, the
trimmer had a little razor blade in a plastic holder, permenently
mounted about six inches from the head. As the new string was fed
out, the cutter blade would chop off the extra inch or two of string.
Problem was! .... the cut-off blade, which cut the new string to
length was mounted in a cheap plastic mount and the new string would
spin around and completely break off the entire blade/blade mount.

Craftsman reluctantly replaced it, but the brand new one did the exact
same thing in about 5 mins after I started using it.

All the gas engined weed eaters I've seen (Ryobi, etc) are also junk.
The primer bulb, gas line (tubing), other plastic/soft parts, etc, all
turn brittle and break. I see a lotta you ppl blaming ethanol gas.
Nonsense. Ethanol gasoline ran in my vehicles fer yrs, with no probs.

nb

I found a guy on Ebay that sells the primer ball with a couple of
hoses for $5 or so and I just consider them an expendable like the
string. I just toss them every spring. I am not sure why hoses are
such a problem but even the ones I got from a professional lawn care
repair shop are junk. No it isn't E10. I tried Rec90 for a year and
the same deal. I am getting pretty good with those Walbro carburetors.
Get the "D" head tool.

"notbob" wrote in message
...
On 2016-03-25, badgolferman wrote:

All the gas engined weed eaters I've seen (Ryobi, etc) are also junk.
The primer bulb, gas line (tubing), other plastic/soft parts, etc, all
turn brittle and break. I see a lotta you ppl blaming ethanol gas.
Nonsense. Ethanol gasoline ran in my vehicles fer yrs, with no probs.


I don't recall the brand, but a friend bought a brand name chain saw and not
too long after he get a recall to replace the gas cap as the ethanol gas
would eat part of it so it would leak.

I can say that about 4 years ago I switched to running the 'pure' gas and
have not had the problems I did in the past.
Some of the instructions now say to use the preamium gas instead of the
lower grades that the samll engines used to run.


It might be that in vehicles the gas does not stay in it for a few months at
a time.

On 2016-03-25, Ralph Mowery wrote:

It might be that in vehicles the gas does not stay in it for a few months at
a time.

It might also be that mfrs are jes too damn cheap to buy better
components and they jes wanna put the onus on you.

If gas cans can be made of plastic and can store gasoline fer long
periods, why can't they make ethanol-resistant tubing/parts. Well, they
can, but it cost more and vendors wanna snag you with that low initial
price, so they use the cheap non-resistant parts. Duh

nb

On 3/25/2016 4:31 PM, notbob wrote:
On 2016-03-25, Ralph Mowery wrote:

It might be that in vehicles the gas does not stay in it for a few months at
a time.

It might also be that mfrs are jes too damn cheap to buy better
components and they jes wanna put the onus on you.


Most new equipment is ok with ethanol. They did not have to use
anything different when it was pure gas. It was not a consideration.

No different than when unleaded gas came into play. Older cars had
problems with unleaded.

On 3/25/2016 1:31 PM, badgolferman wrote:
Weed eaters have long been one of those essential tools that I hate.
Most of the time you can't get them started and if you finally succeed
at that you have to stop them to fix the broken string on the head.

After years of struggling with these machines I bit the bullet and
bought a highly recommended Stihl straight shaft trimmer. From the
moment I started using it I had trouble with the string feeder. I took
it back to the local Taylor's store and they messed with it, but told
me they don't take back Stihl equipment, I would have to send it off
for warranty work which would take six weeks or something like that.
Considering the unit started every time and it was the middle of
summer, I declined. Taylor's offered to sell me a new string feeder
for half price that they said was easier to use and replace the string
on. Having no better option I accepted the compromise.

I continued to have problems with the string breaking inside the head,
but the summer ended and I forgot about it. Well I fired up the thing
yesterday for the first time this year and the string broke inside the
head so many times that I quit using it. Not sure where to go from
here. I have used the string heads with nylon blades but wasn't really
fond of them. I also used the kind that you use precut string and
those wear down pretty quickly.

Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket string head replacement
that works well. Maybe you have suggestions on how to make the one I
have work properly. You're supposed to be able to push two ends of
string into properly aligned holes on the side of the rotating head
where it is grabbed onto by an inner hole. Then you turn the bump
mechanism by hand and it coils the string inside the head. I think the
string is coiling in a way that prevents it from feeding freely through
the hole when you bump the head.


3-4 years ago Ace Hardware was selling a head like the one below.
Basically you feed a length of line (8' or so) from outside the head
through opposing holes in the head then wind it like a watch.

I ended up getting an Echo on sale at Home Depot on the same search trip
when I saw the above head. I was looking for an Echo because it was
rated the best at the time. It starts easy, loading new line is a snap
and more than enough of power to do edging or brush work. The bump head
can handle double .110 line (a brush blade attachment is available)
although I use .095 because its what I had on hand when I bought it and
am still using the same roll.

Looks like this one:

http://www.echo-usa.com/Products/Trimmers/SRM-230

Without going out to the shed to look I can't swear its exactly the same
model.

The straight shaft is a little harder to edge walks and driveways with
than a curved shaft but comes in handy if you have a *lot* of mature
bushes and pine trees to trim under as I do.

John

On 3/25/2016 3:08 PM, wrote:
On 25 Mar 2016 18:49:35 GMT, notbob wrote:

On 2016-03-25, badgolferman wrote:

Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket string head replacement
that works well.

I agree with yer premise that most weed eaters are junk.

I used a new Craftsman electric weed eater. The "string head", which
I think you mean the device that feeds the string out. This Craftsman
hadda bump-on-ground kinda feeder. It worked flawlessly, delivering
about 8"-10" of nylon string every time you bumped it on the ground.

The optimal string length was about 6". To obtain this length, the
trimmer had a little razor blade in a plastic holder, permenently
mounted about six inches from the head. As the new string was fed
out, the cutter blade would chop off the extra inch or two of string.
Problem was! .... the cut-off blade, which cut the new string to
length was mounted in a cheap plastic mount and the new string would
spin around and completely break off the entire blade/blade mount.

Craftsman reluctantly replaced it, but the brand new one did the exact
same thing in about 5 mins after I started using it.

All the gas engined weed eaters I've seen (Ryobi, etc) are also junk.
The primer bulb, gas line (tubing), other plastic/soft parts, etc, all
turn brittle and break. I see a lotta you ppl blaming ethanol gas.
Nonsense. Ethanol gasoline ran in my vehicles fer yrs, with no probs.

nb

I found a guy on Ebay that sells the primer ball with a couple of
hoses for $5 or so and I just consider them an expendable like the
string. I just toss them every spring. I am not sure why hoses are
such a problem but even the ones I got from a professional lawn care
repair shop are junk. No it isn't E10. I tried Rec90 for a year and
the same deal. I am getting pretty good with those Walbro carburetors.
Get the "D" head tool.

How do you get the "D" tool? I have an Echo leaf blower that started
and ran like crap. I even brought it back to the seller, now out of
business, and he said that the gas was old ... 3 weeks, give me a break!
So I cobbled a "D" tool, because I couldn't buy one. It worked once
and allowed me to make the necessary adjustments. Now it at least
starts and runs pretty good. Don't call the EPA Police on me. But I
would like to tweak it a little better, however, the home made tool bit
the dust. So I'd like to buy the real thing. The problem is the Walbro
carbs have the "D" shaft recessed into the aluminum housing and you need
a very thin wall tool. I looked and looked for one and have found
nothing. Any ideas?

On Friday, March 25, 2016 at 1:31:55 PM UTC-4, badgolferman wrote:
Weed eaters have long been one of those essential tools that I hate.
Most of the time you can't get them started and if you finally succeed
at that you have to stop them to fix the broken string on the head.

After years of struggling with these machines I bit the bullet and
bought a highly recommended Stihl straight shaft trimmer. From the
moment I started using it I had trouble with the string feeder. I took
it back to the local Taylor's store and they messed with it, but told
me they don't take back Stihl equipment, I would have to send it off
for warranty work which would take six weeks or something like that.
Considering the unit started every time and it was the middle of
summer, I declined. Taylor's offered to sell me a new string feeder
for half price that they said was easier to use and replace the string
on. Having no better option I accepted the compromise.

I continued to have problems with the string breaking inside the head,
but the summer ended and I forgot about it. Well I fired up the thing
yesterday for the first time this year and the string broke inside the
head so many times that I quit using it. Not sure where to go from
here. I have used the string heads with nylon blades but wasn't really
fond of them. I also used the kind that you use precut string and
those wear down pretty quickly.

Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket string head replacement
that works well. Maybe you have suggestions on how to make the one I
have work properly. You're supposed to be able to push two ends of
string into properly aligned holes on the side of the rotating head
where it is grabbed onto by an inner hole. Then you turn the bump
mechanism by hand and it coils the string inside the head. I think the
string is coiling in a way that prevents it from feeding freely through
the hole when you bump the head.

After going through several makes of weed eaters and having the string problem with all of them, I got a three-plastic-blade attachment instead of the string head and put it on my Stihl trimmer, the only one which started regularly. It works great, no tangles or breaking string to fuss with. Cuts grass and weeds with thicker stems. I just have to replace the three blades every so often, not a big job.

Google "weed trimmer blade attachment" for images and descriptions.

Paul

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 17:31:51 +0000 (UTC), "badgolferman"
wrote in


From the
moment I started using it I had trouble with the string feeder.

The first weed eater I bought 30 years ago had a string "feeder". I
replaced it after about a month with something like this

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rino-Tuff...0266/100671860

and have never, ever bought a "feeder" since.

BTW, we live on a 5 acre lot in a rural southern area. During the
spring and summer we use the weed eater about 10 hours a month.
Of course, the strings still need to be replaced every couple of
hours, but it's easy to do.
--
Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 08:17:30 -0400, Art Todesco
wrote:

How do you get the "D" tool?
Amazon Be sure you get the right one. There is a D and a "Double D"
with 2 flats. Walbro uses the D

wrote in message
...
On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 08:17:30 -0400, Art Todesco
wrote:

How do you get the "D" tool?
Amazon Be sure you get the right one. There is a D and a "Double D"
with 2 flats. Walbro uses the D

I had one weedeater that I could not buy the carb adjustment tool. Forgot
the brand and type , but think it had an offset pin hole in the screw head.
Finallly go the screws out and used my dremmel tool to cut a screw slot in
it so I could adjust it.

There are about 6 ot 10 different types of heads on those adjustment screws.
Too bad they could not use just one or two types.

CRNG wrote:
On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 17:31:51 +0000 (UTC), "badgolferman"
wrote in


From the
moment I started using it I had trouble with the string feeder.

The first weed eater I bought 30 years ago had a string "feeder". I
replaced it after about a month with something like this

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rino-Tuff...0266/100671860

and have never, ever bought a "feeder" since.

BTW, we live on a 5 acre lot in a rural southern area. During the
spring and summer we use the weed eater about 10 hours a month.
Of course, the strings still need to be replaced every couple of
hours, but it's easy to do.

Since I'm getting on in years I hire my yard work done but I used to do it.
When we first built, our ten acre place was over run with BIG weeds...some
places so thick you couldn't walk through them and up to 12' tall.

Those weeds laughed at string so I bought a chain flail head. That worked.
When the chains gave up the ghost I replaced them with two 6" Sawzall
blades. They worked better

On 2016-03-25, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

They did not have to use anything different when it was pure gas.

I doubt it's ever been "pure". Every company injects their own
additives. Heck, Shell gasoline brags on it.

No different than when unleaded gas came into play. Older cars had
problems with unleaded.

.....and mfrs made necessary adjustments.

The problem was, w/o added lead, the valve seats lost any cushioning
effect provdied by the soft lead additive, so the seats took a brutal
pounding and the seats wore out, prematurely. Leaded gasoline had
unintended benefits, like long valve/valve-seat life.

Still, mfrs hadda re-formulate their metallurgy to adapt to unleaded.
They had no choice. Who's gonna buy a car that had leaking valves
within the warranty period? What mfr is gonna continue with outdated
metallurgy if they're gonna hafta service it, later, under warranty?
Older cars owners (outta warranty) hadda have the older valve seats
bored out and replaced with pressed-in inserts ....or jes let the
car's engine die.

nb

Pavel314 wrote:
On Friday, March 25, 2016 at 1:31:55 PM UTC-4, badgolferman wrote:
Weed eaters have long been one of those essential tools that I hate.
Most of the time you can't get them started and if you finally succeed
at that you have to stop them to fix the broken string on the head.

After years of struggling with these machines I bit the bullet and
bought a highly recommended Stihl straight shaft trimmer. From the
moment I started using it I had trouble with the string feeder. I took
it back to the local Taylor's store and they messed with it, but told
me they don't take back Stihl equipment, I would have to send it off
for warranty work which would take six weeks or something like that.
Considering the unit started every time and it was the middle of
summer, I declined. Taylor's offered to sell me a new string feeder
for half price that they said was easier to use and replace the string
on. Having no better option I accepted the compromise.

I continued to have problems with the string breaking inside the head,
but the summer ended and I forgot about it. Well I fired up the thing
yesterday for the first time this year and the string broke inside the
head so many times that I quit using it. Not sure where to go from
here. I have used the string heads with nylon blades but wasn't really
fond of them. I also used the kind that you use precut string and
those wear down pretty quickly.

Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket string head replacement
that works well. Maybe you have suggestions on how to make the one I
have work properly. You're supposed to be able to push two ends of
string into properly aligned holes on the side of the rotating head
where it is grabbed onto by an inner hole. Then you turn the bump
mechanism by hand and it coils the string inside the head. I think the
string is coiling in a way that prevents it from feeding freely through
the hole when you bump the head.

After going through several makes of weed eaters and having the string
problem with all of them, I got a three-plastic-blade attachment instead
of the string head and put it on my Stihl trimmer, the only one which
started regularly. It works great, no tangles or breaking string to fuss
with. Cuts grass and weeds with thicker stems. I just have to replace the
three blades every so often, not a big job.

Google "weed trimmer blade attachment" for images and descriptions.

Paul


Do you edge with it too? The ones at the store say not to use vertically.

CRNG wrote:
On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 17:31:51 +0000 (UTC), "badgolferman"
wrote in


From the
moment I started using it I had trouble with the string feeder.

The first weed eater I bought 30 years ago had a string "feeder". I
replaced it after about a month with something like this

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rino-Tuff...0266/100671860

and have never, ever bought a "feeder" since.

BTW, we live on a 5 acre lot in a rural southern area. During the
spring and summer we use the weed eater about 10 hours a month.
Of course, the strings still need to be replaced every couple of
hours, but it's easy to do.

I've had that kind before. The strings seem to break quickly though.

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 11:06:29 -0400, "dadiOH"
wrote:

CRNG wrote:
On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 17:31:51 +0000 (UTC), "badgolferman"
wrote in


From the
moment I started using it I had trouble with the string feeder.

The first weed eater I bought 30 years ago had a string "feeder". I
replaced it after about a month with something like this

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rino-Tuff...0266/100671860

and have never, ever bought a "feeder" since.

BTW, we live on a 5 acre lot in a rural southern area. During the
spring and summer we use the weed eater about 10 hours a month.
Of course, the strings still need to be replaced every couple of
hours, but it's easy to do.

Since I'm getting on in years I hire my yard work done but I used to do it.
When we first built, our ten acre place was over run with BIG weeds...some
places so thick you couldn't walk through them and up to 12' tall.

Those weeds laughed at string so I bought a chain flail head. That worked.
When the chains gave up the ghost I replaced them with two 6" Sawzall
blades. They worked better


I have a cheapo Ryobi 725 and when the weeds get too big for the weed
eater I stick the hedge trimmer attachment on it. That will eat stiff
up to 1/2" or so.

In article , says...

On 3/25/2016 3:08 PM, wrote:
On 25 Mar 2016 18:49:35 GMT, notbob wrote:

On 2016-03-25, badgolferman wrote:

Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket string head replacement
that works well.

I agree with yer premise that most weed eaters are junk.

I used a new Craftsman electric weed eater. The "string head", which
I think you mean the device that feeds the string out. This Craftsman
hadda bump-on-ground kinda feeder. It worked flawlessly, delivering
about 8"-10" of nylon string every time you bumped it on the ground.

The optimal string length was about 6". To obtain this length, the
trimmer had a little razor blade in a plastic holder, permenently
mounted about six inches from the head. As the new string was fed
out, the cutter blade would chop off the extra inch or two of string.
Problem was! .... the cut-off blade, which cut the new string to
length was mounted in a cheap plastic mount and the new string would
spin around and completely break off the entire blade/blade mount.

Craftsman reluctantly replaced it, but the brand new one did the exact
same thing in about 5 mins after I started using it.

All the gas engined weed eaters I've seen (Ryobi, etc) are also junk.
The primer bulb, gas line (tubing), other plastic/soft parts, etc, all
turn brittle and break. I see a lotta you ppl blaming ethanol gas.
Nonsense. Ethanol gasoline ran in my vehicles fer yrs, with no probs.

nb

I found a guy on Ebay that sells the primer ball with a couple of
hoses for $5 or so and I just consider them an expendable like the
string. I just toss them every spring. I am not sure why hoses are
such a problem but even the ones I got from a professional lawn care
repair shop are junk. No it isn't E10. I tried Rec90 for a year and
the same deal. I am getting pretty good with those Walbro carburetors.
Get the "D" head tool.

How do you get the "D" tool? I have an Echo leaf blower that started
and ran like crap. I even brought it back to the seller, now out of
business, and he said that the gas was old ... 3 weeks, give me a break!
So I cobbled a "D" tool, because I couldn't buy one. It worked once
and allowed me to make the necessary adjustments. Now it at least
starts and runs pretty good. Don't call the EPA Police on me. But I
would like to tweak it a little better, however, the home made tool bit
the dust. So I'd like to buy the real thing. The problem is the Walbro
carbs have the "D" shaft recessed into the aluminum housing and you need
a very thin wall tool. I looked and looked for one and have found
nothing. Any ideas?

Check out this video, it may be just the answer you're looking for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9zGGrCP_C0

--
RonNNN