Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?


I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not sure.

JW

jw wrote:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?


I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not
sure.

JW

I have had good service from Red Max. Bunch of 'don't give a ****' summer
parks workers couldn't wreck them.

Ken.
--
Volunteer your idle computer time for cancer research
http//www.grid.org/download/gold/download.htm
Return address courtesy of Spammotel http://www.spammotel.com/

jw wrote:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?


I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not sure.

JW

The recent Consumer Reports issue on trimmers rated Stihl & Echo as the best.

Stihl straight shank for the pros. Mine's a little heavy. I would use the
bent shank one with a smaller motor for average yard use.

Straight is good for ditches and hard to reach stuff. Not to good for fine
trimming as the head does not level out for close up work unless your short
in stature.

Pop Mech Mag had a comparison article in a recent
issue.

Art

"jw" wrote in message
oups.com...
Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?


I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not sure.

JW

On 21 May 2006 18:52:17 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm, "jw"
quickly quoth:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?

I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I've had excellent luck with the Husqvarna 323L series. They're twice
the effective horsepower of the throwaways, don't wind grass around
their own heads, and are much easier to start. I keep my 2 neighbors'
4-acre lots cleared for them. One's guy's 90 and the other late 70s,
so they can no longer get out and do the work. The younger one buys
Husky and I'm glad to be using them. I no longer have to fight my Toro
POS with the bad clutch. I've done weedeating for them for 4 years
now and the li'l orange Husky beasties are tough. I hope to try the
325 series 4-stroke models some day, too. Price for the 323L is around
$300, but you -won't- need to replace it every year or two.


I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not sure.

I've heard that Echo has been having quality problems lately (last
year), and I noted that their price was below the Huskys now.
Caveat emptor.


--
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
--Chinese Proverb
------
www.diversify.com -- Growing Websites For Over a Decade Now

Stihl FS-250 with the handlebar grips. It is heavy and fine trimming
is a challenge for a tall guy like me.

On Sun, 21 May 2006 22:06:45 -0500, "Mike"
wrote:

Stihl straight shank for the pros. Mine's a little heavy. I would use the
bent shank one with a smaller motor for average yard use.

Straight is good for ditches and hard to reach stuff. Not to good for fine
trimming as the head does not level out for close up work unless your short
in stature.

What about electrical string trimmers? Electrical motors are much more
durable and are not as quirky and troublesome. I have an electric
trimmer and I am happy with it, not that I trim much (all I care is
that city inspectors cannot fine me, not that my yard looks
imaculate). But sometimes I use it and it never gives me trouble.

i

On 21 May 2006 18:52:17 -0700, "jw" wrote:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?


I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not sure.

JW
IIRC the Echo was recommended to me by a service shop because it has
two main bearings, unlike most others which use an over sized model
aircraft engine with a recoil starter wrapped around the output shaft.
OTOH, my Homelite "Trimlite" or some such name, which cost me two
bucks because "it leaks oil" is giving good value for money.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

In article ,
Ignoramus24136 wrote:

What about electrical string trimmers? Electrical motors are much more
durable and are not as quirky and troublesome. I have an electric
trimmer and I am happy with it, not that I trim much (all I care is
that city inspectors cannot fine me, not that my yard looks
imaculate). But sometimes I use it and it never gives me trouble.

I use one for fine trimming close to my wife's flowers, but I have never
seen an electric with the power for tough stuff.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

I use the Echo GT2000 or PL2000 (not sure of letters) Its been in production
several years, and still made better than the newer ones. Get them on sale
at Home Depot etc. I buy several at a time.

We put a Xmas tree shear unit on them and run hard all day long. Real secret
is keep the fuel CLEAN!! wipe off around the cap before fill, watch and be
carefull not to introduce dirt. One grower I know makes the workers use a
paint funnel strainer to pour the gas in through.

The units are maintenace free, may be clean the air filter. Other than that,
toss as soon as it bitches. (I've got a whole pile of old ones, for sale
VERY cheap)

--
(©¿©) An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Two apples a day gets the doctor's OK.
Five a day makes you a fruit grower like me.

Karl Townsend

jw wrote:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?

I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not sure.

JW

Stihl, Shindaiwa and Husqavarna are about all I ever see the pros using.
I have a Shindaiwa T270 myself and it's downright scary in what it will
do.

Pete C.

Mike wrote:
Stihl straight shank for the pros. Mine's a little heavy. I would use the
bent shank one with a smaller motor for average yard use.

Straight is good for ditchs and hard to reach stuff. Not to good for fine
trimming as the head does not level out for close up work unless your short
in stature.

Looking for something to do some "heavy" trimming so that sounds fine.
The consumer "toys" can't handle a 6-8 hr day of real work. I don't do
it every day, 2-3x a summer I need to go around and do some cleanup
around the trees/culverts/fences around the yard.

I have killed more than one of the silly things.

Any opinions on 4cycle vs 2 cycle? I have(had) a Ryobi 725r 4cycle. I
like not having to mix fuel, it had decent power. Broke the drive
cable a couple of times however.

JW

Ignoramus24136 wrote:
What about electrical string trimmers? Electrical motors are much more
durable and are not as quirky and troublesome. I have an electric
trimmer and I am happy with it, not that I trim much (all I care is
that city inspectors cannot fine me, not that my yard looks
imaculate). But sometimes I use it and it never gives me trouble.

i

Not about to drag a cord around a few hundred acres, and cordless isn't
going to have enough power to do anything for all day.

Probably works ok on a town lot, but it's not really a viable option
for a rural setting.

JW

Don't know if they are made any mnore but I bought a Jonsered 40cc
back in 1984, and it hsa yet to miss a beat or cost me anything other
than occasional replacement trimmer heads. It gets used most time
hard and put up wet, and has spent days on end weekend after weekend
in this hot area with a 14" blade cutting saplings and such up to 3 or
4" diameter......then with string head it trims around the house etc,
doing over 2400 feet of fenceing on both sides plus 1,100 feet of
fence both sides and opther various edging trim jobs around the
property every weekend or so 10 months out of the year. I say thats a
good trimmer.
I bought a Stihl lightweight trimmer, and it lasted 4 years, as did a
Echo, which lasted 3...... These trimmers were for quick light use,
but they are no where in the same league as The Jonsered I normally
use 50:1 oil mainly Optimol synthetic in all my 2 strokes.


On Mon, 22 May 2006 14:26:48 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:
jw wrote:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?

I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not sure.

JW

Stihl, Shindaiwa and Husqavarna are about all I ever see the pros using.
I have a Shindaiwa T270 myself and it's downright scary in what it will
do.

Pete C.

Anyone know where I can get a fuel tank for a Mitsubishi T110 string
trimmer?

Its been the best trimmer Ive ever owned..picked it up at a swap meet
12 yrs ago for $20.

The gas tank sprung a leak.


Gunner


"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

On 21 May 2006 18:52:17 -0700, "jw" wrote:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?

Stihl.

Snarl

In article .com, jw
wrote:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?


I am getting tired of the consumer grade throwaways. What do the pros
use? I am willing to spend a little money and buy a good one.

I read a review recently, but damned if I can find it again. I think
there was an Echo model that was highly recommended, but I am not sure.

I've got a Stihl FS90 straight shaft model. As I live on 3+ acres of
land with lots of blackberries, bracken fern etc, this has a steel
blade on it as often as a string trimmer head. It's 6 years old and
still going strong. A tank of gas lasts about 3 hours. I use the big
handlebars for control & leverage, no probs cutting thru 2" tree
suckers and the like with steel blades.

Like chainsaws, I only buy Stihl or Husquvarna. Others might be as
good, but experience has shown that these 2 brands are consistently
good, at least in the 'pro' range. I've never owned a bent shaft line
trimmer, so got no idea. Those things simply - can't cut it.

PDW

On 21 May 2006 18:52:17 -0700, "jw" wrote:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?


Shindiawa or Red Max.

-Carl

Gunner wrote:

Anyone know where I can get a fuel tank for a Mitsubishi T110 string
trimmer?

Its been the best trimmer Ive ever owned..picked it up at a swap meet
12 yrs ago for $20.

The gas tank sprung a leak.

You've got a TIG welder right? Build yourself a nice tank. Better than
new...

Pete C.




Gunner

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

On Tue, 23 May 2006 01:36:28 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:

Gunner wrote:

Anyone know where I can get a fuel tank for a Mitsubishi T110 string
trimmer?

Its been the best trimmer Ive ever owned..picked it up at a swap meet
12 yrs ago for $20.

The gas tank sprung a leak.

You've got a TIG welder right? Build yourself a nice tank. Better than
new...

Pete C.

I can TIG polypropylene? COOL!

Gunner





Gunner

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

Gunner wrote:

On Tue, 23 May 2006 01:36:28 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:

Gunner wrote:

Anyone know where I can get a fuel tank for a Mitsubishi T110 string
trimmer?

Its been the best trimmer Ive ever owned..picked it up at a swap meet
12 yrs ago for $20.

The gas tank sprung a leak.

You've got a TIG welder right? Build yourself a nice tank. Better than
new...

Pete C.

I can TIG polypropylene? COOL!

Gunner

Why limit yourself to PP? TIG a nice replacement out of AL or perhaps
even SS. Give it a nice paint job ala American Chopper...

Pete C.









Gunner

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

On Tue, 23 May 2006 13:15:09 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:

Gunner wrote:

On Tue, 23 May 2006 01:36:28 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:

Gunner wrote:

Anyone know where I can get a fuel tank for a Mitsubishi T110 string
trimmer?

Its been the best trimmer Ive ever owned..picked it up at a swap meet
12 yrs ago for $20.

The gas tank sprung a leak.

You've got a TIG welder right? Build yourself a nice tank. Better than
new...

Pete C.

I can TIG polypropylene? COOL!

Gunner

Why limit yourself to PP? TIG a nice replacement out of AL or perhaps
even SS. Give it a nice paint job ala American Chopper...

Pete C.

Cause Im not that good? But its an intersting idea nontheless. Ill
consider it in depth.

Gunner










Gunner

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be
as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment
is to gull**** in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at
all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in
sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration,
knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure
but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

On Tue, 23 May 2006 13:15:09 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:
Gunner wrote:
On Tue, 23 May 2006 01:36:28 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:
Gunner wrote:

Anyone know where I can get a fuel tank for a Mitsubishi T110
string trimmer? Its been the best trimmer Ive ever owned..
picked it up at a swap meet 12 yrs ago for $20.
The gas tank sprung a leak.

You've got a TIG welder right? Build yourself a nice tank. Better than
new...

I can TIG polypropylene? COOL!

If you wanted to get fancy, you could make yourself a mold and
blow-mold a new Polypropylene tank, but that would be a whole lotta
effort for dubious reward.

Don't even bother with the old one - even if you can get a plastic
welder to seal up the first crack, the rest of the tank is going to be
rather brittle after all this time.

Why limit yourself to PP? TIG a nice replacement out of AL or perhaps
even SS. Give it a nice paint job ala American Chopper...

That would be my suggestion - and if you get lucky, you can find a
shape that's 'almost a fuel tank' and turn it into a fuel tank with a
quick bit of TIGging. Adapt, Modify, Overcome.

And it hit me - it would be super simple to go buy a Spun Aluminum
white gas fuel bottle for a camping stove at REI or Sport Chalet, TIG
on two 1/4" NPT tank fitting spuds for the fuel pickup line and the
vent, and a few mounting tabs to hold it to the trimmer - Bada Bing.

Tank spuds 44705K302 or 44705K303 (Pg 24) quantity two.

For the bulkhead through fitting, find out if the external threads
on a 5454K26 (Pg 209) are NPT, if they are you're golden - pick the
fitting above to fit. 10/32 hose barbs are Clippard, pick the sizes
to fit the old hoses. You can feed the weighted pickup dongle in
through the filler neck.

Buy a simple check valve for the tank vent, or a combo
pressure/vacuum relief if you can find a suitable one. Heck, a
thumbscrew and needle vent valve will work.

Then go find an anodizing or powder-coating shop that owes you a
small favor. Two or three days later you pick up the finished item...

Bolt it on, plumb it in, fill it up, and you're good to go. Right
up till the old engine swallows a valve... ;-)

-- Bruce --

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

On Tue, 23 May 2006 17:12:31 GMT, Bruce L. Bergman
wrote:


And it hit me - it would be super simple to go buy a Spun Aluminum
white gas fuel bottle for a camping stove at REI or Sport Chalet, TIG
on two 1/4" NPT tank fitting spuds for the fuel pickup line and the
vent, and a few mounting tabs to hold it to the trimmer - Bada Bing.

Addendum: On second thought, don't use rigid mounting tabs to mount
the tank to the trimmer, or something is going to fatigue fracture in
a hurry.

Two or three of the 'AN' style Rubber-Cushioned Steel Loop Straps
would be perfect. McM only lists them to 1.75" OD (3225Txx on Page
1276 #108) but I know they come larger. A LOT larger.

-- Bruce --

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

On Mon, 22 May 2006 21:35:53 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Martin H. Eastburn" quickly quoth:

I have the large Husqavarna - one just under the full backpack.
Martin

Are you possibly thinking of blowers or sprayers, Martin? I've never
seen a backpack string trimmer, and I've seen and used a LOT of
equipment.

---
In Christianity, neither morality nor religion comes into contact
with reality at any point. --FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
---------------------------------------------------------------
- http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development -

I guess you never lived with 200' tall weeds either!

Coastal Redwoods are called that. They grow anywhere and everywhere.

You might be right, but I thought the next one up had a back pack and a
curve around the body flex cable into a spinning saw blade.

Remember - this is from large and heavy tree service and lumber work.
In the same store they sell 20' double buck saws for special service.

It is where I got my 20" 50 rancher (before they called it that) so I could
cut up some scrap trunks left on my property. Made stepping stones out
of one log and then I found a man to haul in a bandsaw. Got a lot of nice
wood - a lot of it came here with me. The large wood crib built
All the wood was cut oversize and large - as the smaller thin stuff was
cheap - big stuff is expensive. So a full 3" thick and 6" was the basis
for the crib - I figure it will last 50 years or more. maybe some day
I'll go back and see!

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member
http://lufkinced.com/



Larry Jaques wrote:
On Mon, 22 May 2006 21:35:53 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Martin H. Eastburn" quickly quoth:


I have the large Husqavarna - one just under the full backpack.
Martin


Are you possibly thinking of blowers or sprayers, Martin? I've never
seen a backpack string trimmer, and I've seen and used a LOT of
equipment.

---
In Christianity, neither morality nor religion comes into contact
with reality at any point. --FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
---------------------------------------------------------------
- http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development -

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"Carl Byrns" wrote in message
news
On 21 May 2006 18:52:17 -0700, "jw" wrote:

Does anyone have a recommendation for a commercial grade weed whacker?


Shindiawa or Red Max.


No one has mentioned Tanaka. I bought one a couple of years ago and it was a
toss up between it and a comparable Shindaiwa. So far it has done a very
good job for me. Coincidentally, the other day I was at the shop that
carries them both locally. The guy there said the Tanaka is intended for
daily use by commercial landscaping businesses and should last ten years. He
also said that every part on the thing is replaceable so if anything breaks
it can be easily fixed and put quickly back in service. I hope mine lasts
that long because it sure wasn't cheap. New ones are going between 4 and 5
hundred bucks.

Hawke