Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

On Sat, 06 Aug 2016 06:18:41 -0700, Adam Aglionby wrote:

Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw
attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor maintenance
after so not looking for daily use quality but putting chainsaw and
cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

I've had a Mitox brushcutter/strimmer for about 10 years now and it gets
a regular workout. No problems with it. I've now got a Mitox multi as I
needed a pole hedgecutter and chainsaw but the cost of those separately
was more than the multi kit which came with a brushcutter/strimmer
attachment. Hedgecutter and pole chainsaw both work fine. Strimmer part
will no doubt prove useful when I get halfway through a job only to find
that the reel has emptied and will allow me to rewind at my leisure.

https://mitox.co.uk/index.php/products/multi-tools.html

Hmm - gone up by £50 since I bought.

Advantage for me in Mitox is that the local ag merchant has them and he
is very good at getting any bits that may be required (nothing for the
Mitoxes so far)

On Sat, 06 Aug 2016 14:46:27 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2016-08-06, Mark Allread wrote:

I've had a Mitox brushcutter/strimmer for about 10 years now and it
gets a regular workout. No problems with it.

That's funny, given I've just posted that Mitox stuff is pretty poor.

Each to their own - you've had problems, I haven't.

On Saturday, 6 August 2016 14:18:43 UTC+1, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

Hire one. Get a big one with the body harness.
And plenty of the plastic blades.

When the stuff regrows, zap it with weedkiller.

On Sat, 06 Aug 2016 09:49:35 -0700, harry wrote:

On Saturday, 6 August 2016 14:18:43 UTC+1, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown area.

And plenty of the plastic blades.

Mitox has metal blade for brushcutting.

On 06/08/2016 14:18, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown
area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw
attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor
maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting
chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

I bought a Titan Multi-tool from Screwfix.

It lasted 20 minutes before the shaft seemed to seize up. At full power
the engine sounded it was producing power but no turning shaft, even
without an attachment connected. When turned by hand the shaft was very
stiff.

It seems you get what you pay for.

On 06/08/2016 15:43, Huge wrote:
On 2016-08-06, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

Mitox stuff is made of cheese.

But its one of the few makes you seem to be able to get spares for. So
if the cheese breaks you can get more.

On 06-Aug-16 2:18 PM, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?




I've used a Kawasaki one for several years now, and given it some pretty
tough jobs to do. It has a metal blade for the tougher jobs. Excellent
piece of kit.

On 06/08/16 19:27, Fredxxx wrote:
On 06/08/2016 15:43, Huge wrote:
On 2016-08-06, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw
attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor
maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting
chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

Mitox stuff is made of cheese.

But its one of the few makes you seem to be able to get spares for. So
if the cheese breaks you can get more.

Found a ryobi OK.


--
"Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They
always run out of other people's money. It's quite a characteristic of them"

Margaret Thatcher

On 06/08/2016 19:23, Fredxxx wrote:
On 06/08/2016 14:18, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown
area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw
attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor
maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting
chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

I bought a Titan Multi-tool from Screwfix.

It lasted 20 minutes before the shaft seemed to seize up. At full power
the engine sounded it was producing power but no turning shaft, even
without an attachment connected. When turned by hand the shaft was very
stiff.

It seems you get what you pay for.

My Stihl FS 100 has been OK. I use it as often as I cut the grass.
Likely it cost more!


--
Michael Chare

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

On Sat, 6 Aug 2016 21:09:56 +0100, Michael Chare
wrote:

On 06/08/2016 19:23, Fredxxx wrote:
snip

It seems you get what you pay for.

My Stihl FS 100 has been OK.

And why most of the professionals use them.

I use it as often as I cut the grass.
Likely it cost more!

But what do they say, 'buy cheap buy twice' and not all of the cr&p
stuff is that cheap?

One good thing about Stihl is that you can get spares (and pattern
versions) easily, should you need them, meaning you can protect your
investment even longer.

Cheers, T i m

On 06/08/2016 14:18, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown
area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw
attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor
maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting
chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

Don't know about advice, but take what you want from my experience.

The first one I had was a Ryobi two stroke. It was ok and had enough
power to drive the various tools I had for it (line head, hedge trimmer,
chainsaw pruner). It did not last that long before it appeared to ingest
a part of its own carb, and the results were not pretty:

http://internode.co.uk/ryobi/

I replaced it (on a spur of a moment) with a 4 stroke ryobi that was on
sale at a cash and carry (paid about £75 for it!). That was far less
satisfactory. Heavier, less powerful, slower revving. It also had a
habit of stalling when you held it at the wrong angle, or the fuel tank
was less than half full. Over time it got progressively harder to keep
running at all. Even after attempting to set the tuning up better, it
was getting close to impossible to get useful periods of work out of it.
Turns out that major engine components (like the cam shaft and the push
rods) are made out of plastic, and as it gets warm they wear
increasingly quickly. So before long the timing is all to pot and you
are shagged.

So at that point I decided I was done with toy tools, and discovered
that the ryobi attachments can be persuaded to work on Stihl power
heads. Ordered a Stihl KM 94RC-E engine from FR Jones & Son (about £245)
and have not looked back. Its in a completely different class. Lighter,
smaller, more powerful, freer revving, can run properly at part throttle
as well. Easier to start. Never stalls or cuts out, lovely machine to
use. I would have been much cheaper and easier if I had bought one in
the first place!


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Sun, 7 Aug 2016 01:11:03 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

snip

The first one I had was a Ryobi two stroke. It was ok and had enough
power to drive the various tools I had for it (line head, hedge trimmer,
chainsaw pruner). It did not last that long before it appeared to ingest
a part of its own carb, and the results were not pretty:

http://internode.co.uk/ryobi/

Nice pictures John and a nice overview of what can happen with these
things. I predicted a dead Stihl blower as suffering something similar
(low compression, wouldn't even fire on Easy-start) and to prove the
point to someone who suggested it was just a carb fault, replaced the
piston ring and it ran again. Not well of course as the bore was badly
scored and the big end was f*d.

snip

So at that point I decided I was done with toy tools, and discovered
that the ryobi attachments can be persuaded to work on Stihl power
heads. Ordered a Stihl KM 94RC-E engine from FR Jones & Son (about £245)
and have not looked back.

I can also recommend FR Jones (as a customer).

Its in a completely different class. Lighter,
smaller, more powerful, freer revving, can run properly at part throttle
as well. Easier to start. Never stalls or cuts out, lovely machine to
use.

And why all ('most' ? ... some are into their 'Husky stuff') pros use
Stihl gear. I was waiting at some roadworks the other day and watched
a team cutting a concrete lamppost off just above the access door with
a Stihl Cutoff saw. One guy on the saw, one guy on a water dispenser
and another in the crane ready to catch it. ;-)

I would have been much cheaper and easier if I had bought one in
the first place!

'Buy cheap, buy twice'.

Except, *sometimes* you can find a cheaper tool that does just happen
to work and last but it's often too much of a lottery, compared with
investing in a 'known quantity'.

And as you say, ideally it's not just about 'will it start' and 'can
it keep running' but when it's working, does it work well and make the
job easy?

Cheers, T i m

John Rumm wrote:

I replaced it (on a spur of a moment) with a 4 stroke ryobi that was on
sale at a cash and carry (paid about £75 for it!). That was far less
satisfactory. Heavier, less powerful, slower revving. It also had a
habit of stalling when you held it at the wrong angle, or the fuel tank
was less than half full. Over time it got progressively harder to keep
running at all. Even after attempting to set the tuning up better, it
was getting close to impossible to get useful periods of work out of it.
Turns out that major engine components (like the cam shaft and the push
rods) are made out of plastic, and as it gets warm they wear
increasingly quickly. So before long the timing is all to pot and you
are shagged.

So at that point I decided I was done with toy tools, and discovered
that the ryobi attachments can be persuaded to work on Stihl power
heads. Ordered a Stihl KM 94RC-E engine from FR Jones & Son (about £245)
and have not looked back. Its in a completely different class. Lighter,
smaller, more powerful, freer revving, can run properly at part throttle
as well. Easier to start. Never stalls or cuts out, lovely machine to
use. I would have been much cheaper and easier if I had bought one in
the first place!

I have a Ryobi 4-stroke with many Expand-it attachments. After some
adjustments I find it very reliable. If you search the internet for
'problems with Ryobi 4-stroke' you will find lots of people with the
same problem. The mixture adjustment often drifts too weak and you
get the symptoms you describe. Once you've twigged this and have the
required 'pac-man' adjustment tool then the Ryobi can be made to run
very well. Mine gets heavy use as we have 9 acres of paddocks to
maintain.


--
Chris Green
·

On 07/08/2016 10:02, Chris Green wrote:
John Rumm wrote:

I replaced it (on a spur of a moment) with a 4 stroke ryobi that was on
sale at a cash and carry (paid about £75 for it!). That was far less
satisfactory. Heavier, less powerful, slower revving. It also had a
habit of stalling when you held it at the wrong angle, or the fuel tank
was less than half full. Over time it got progressively harder to keep
running at all. Even after attempting to set the tuning up better, it
was getting close to impossible to get useful periods of work out of it.
Turns out that major engine components (like the cam shaft and the push
rods) are made out of plastic, and as it gets warm they wear
increasingly quickly. So before long the timing is all to pot and you
are shagged.

So at that point I decided I was done with toy tools, and discovered
that the ryobi attachments can be persuaded to work on Stihl power
heads. Ordered a Stihl KM 94RC-E engine from FR Jones & Son (about £245)
and have not looked back. Its in a completely different class. Lighter,
smaller, more powerful, freer revving, can run properly at part throttle
as well. Easier to start. Never stalls or cuts out, lovely machine to
use. I would have been much cheaper and easier if I had bought one in
the first place!

I have a Ryobi 4-stroke with many Expand-it attachments. After some
adjustments I find it very reliable. If you search the internet for
'problems with Ryobi 4-stroke' you will find lots of people with the
same problem. The mixture adjustment often drifts too weak and you
get the symptoms you describe. Once you've twigged this and have the
required 'pac-man' adjustment tool then the Ryobi can be made to run
very well. Mine gets heavy use as we have 9 acres of paddocks to
maintain.

Yup I have the pac man tool, and spent many hours reading / watching
lots of the info out there. Alas no amount of re-tuning would make up
for a knackered cam profile.

It may be later models have starting using metal in critical places and
they have improved, I have not paid much attention to it since. However
the key point remains, that its performance even when new did not match
the two stroke version, and neither come close to the Stihl.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
On 07/08/2016 10:02, Chris Green wrote:
John Rumm wrote:

I replaced it (on a spur of a moment) with a 4 stroke ryobi that was on
sale at a cash and carry (paid about £75 for it!). That was far less
satisfactory. Heavier, less powerful, slower revving. It also had a
habit of stalling when you held it at the wrong angle, or the fuel tank
was less than half full. Over time it got progressively harder to keep
running at all. Even after attempting to set the tuning up better, it
was getting close to impossible to get useful periods of work out of it.
Turns out that major engine components (like the cam shaft and the push
rods) are made out of plastic, and as it gets warm they wear
increasingly quickly. So before long the timing is all to pot and you
are shagged.

So at that point I decided I was done with toy tools, and discovered
that the ryobi attachments can be persuaded to work on Stihl power
heads. Ordered a Stihl KM 94RC-E engine from FR Jones & Son (about £245)
and have not looked back. Its in a completely different class. Lighter,
smaller, more powerful, freer revving, can run properly at part throttle
as well. Easier to start. Never stalls or cuts out, lovely machine to
use. I would have been much cheaper and easier if I had bought one in
the first place!

I have a Ryobi 4-stroke with many Expand-it attachments. After some
adjustments I find it very reliable. If you search the internet for
'problems with Ryobi 4-stroke' you will find lots of people with the
same problem. The mixture adjustment often drifts too weak and you
get the symptoms you describe. Once you've twigged this and have the
required 'pac-man' adjustment tool then the Ryobi can be made to run
very well. Mine gets heavy use as we have 9 acres of paddocks to
maintain.

Yup I have the pac man tool, and spent many hours reading / watching
lots of the info out there. Alas no amount of re-tuning would make up
for a knackered cam profile.

It may be later models have starting using metal in critical places and
they have improved, I have not paid much attention to it since. However
the key point remains, that its performance even when new did not match
the two stroke version, and neither come close to the Stihl.

I had a 2-stroke before the 4-stroke, I never got on well with it. I
don't find the 4-stroke underpowered.

I did have one other fault which stopped it running well, an air leak
(I assume) in the petrol feed system, just dirt I think because taking
it apart and putting it back together (just the plastic pump thing on
top of the carb) fixed it.

--
Chris Green
·

On 07/08/2016 11:45, Chris Green wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
On 07/08/2016 10:02, Chris Green wrote:
John Rumm wrote:

I replaced it (on a spur of a moment) with a 4 stroke ryobi that was on
sale at a cash and carry (paid about £75 for it!). That was far less
satisfactory. Heavier, less powerful, slower revving. It also had a
habit of stalling when you held it at the wrong angle, or the fuel tank
was less than half full. Over time it got progressively harder to keep
running at all. Even after attempting to set the tuning up better, it
was getting close to impossible to get useful periods of work out of it.
Turns out that major engine components (like the cam shaft and the push
rods) are made out of plastic, and as it gets warm they wear
increasingly quickly. So before long the timing is all to pot and you
are shagged.

So at that point I decided I was done with toy tools, and discovered
that the ryobi attachments can be persuaded to work on Stihl power
heads. Ordered a Stihl KM 94RC-E engine from FR Jones & Son (about £245)
and have not looked back. Its in a completely different class. Lighter,
smaller, more powerful, freer revving, can run properly at part throttle
as well. Easier to start. Never stalls or cuts out, lovely machine to
use. I would have been much cheaper and easier if I had bought one in
the first place!

I have a Ryobi 4-stroke with many Expand-it attachments. After some
adjustments I find it very reliable. If you search the internet for
'problems with Ryobi 4-stroke' you will find lots of people with the
same problem. The mixture adjustment often drifts too weak and you
get the symptoms you describe. Once you've twigged this and have the
required 'pac-man' adjustment tool then the Ryobi can be made to run
very well. Mine gets heavy use as we have 9 acres of paddocks to
maintain.

Yup I have the pac man tool, and spent many hours reading / watching
lots of the info out there. Alas no amount of re-tuning would make up
for a knackered cam profile.

It may be later models have starting using metal in critical places and
they have improved, I have not paid much attention to it since. However
the key point remains, that its performance even when new did not match
the two stroke version, and neither come close to the Stihl.

I had a 2-stroke before the 4-stroke, I never got on well with it. I
don't find the 4-stroke underpowered.

As I said at the top of my post, this was just my experience with the
particular models I bought. The situation is likely to be different with
different examples of the same models, different models, and different
applications; so don't read too much into my experience, its anecdotal
evidence from a sample size of one.

With respect to "power" (in quotes because some of the criticism was
down to lower revs rather than out and out power), I found the 4 stroke
was ok on trimming although could not get the same line speed which
meant it would not cut as quickly or cleanly in some circumstances.
Chainsaw work was fine, just a bit slower. Hedge trimmers were ok. The
blower attachment was a non starter. All of those would have been
tolerable if I could have got it to run reliably.

(If anyone wants the 4 stroke ryobi power head, I still have it. I was
planning to skip it shortly - but perhaps someone with better small
engine skills could get it working. Email me if interested)

I did have one other fault which stopped it running well, an air leak
(I assume) in the petrol feed system, just dirt I think because taking
it apart and putting it back together (just the plastic pump thing on
top of the carb) fixed it.



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
Yup I have the pac man tool, and spent many hours reading / watching
lots of the info out there. Alas no amount of re-tuning would make up
for a knackered cam profile.

It may be later models have starting using metal in critical places and
they have improved, I have not paid much attention to it since. However
the key point remains, that its performance even when new did not match
the two stroke version, and neither come close to the Stihl.

I had a 2-stroke before the 4-stroke, I never got on well with it. I
don't find the 4-stroke underpowered.

As I said at the top of my post, this was just my experience with the
particular models I bought. The situation is likely to be different with
different examples of the same models, different models, and different
applications; so don't read too much into my experience, its anecdotal
evidence from a sample size of one.

As is mine of course! :-)


With respect to "power" (in quotes because some of the criticism was
down to lower revs rather than out and out power), I found the 4 stroke
was ok on trimming although could not get the same line speed which
meant it would not cut as quickly or cleanly in some circumstances.
Chainsaw work was fine, just a bit slower. Hedge trimmers were ok. The
blower attachment was a non starter. All of those would have been
tolerable if I could have got it to run reliably.

I use mine as a strimmer (good), rotavator (surprisingly good),
chainsaw on a stick (good). I have a 'hover mower' attachment which
is not very good and a hedge trimmer which I rarely use.

--
Chris Green
·

On 06/08/2016 22:50, T i m wrote:
On Sat, 6 Aug 2016 21:09:56 +0100, Michael Chare
wrote:

On 06/08/2016 19:23, Fredxxx wrote:
snip

It seems you get what you pay for.

My Stihl FS 100 has been OK.

And why most of the professionals use them.

I use it as often as I cut the grass.
Likely it cost more!

But what do they say, 'buy cheap buy twice' and not all of the cr&p
stuff is that cheap?

One good thing about Stihl is that you can get spares (and pattern
versions) easily, should you need them, meaning you can protect your
investment even longer.


I went to a chain saw museum in Prince Rupert where I learnt that Stihl
used to be the leading brand of chain saws in North America before WW2.


--
Michael Chare

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

On 8/6/2016 8:40 PM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 06/08/16 19:27, Fredxxx wrote:
On 06/08/2016 15:43, Huge wrote:
On 2016-08-06, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Looking at strimmer/brush cutter for clearing largish overgrown area.

Seeems to be a number of X in 1 devices with hedge trimmer/ chainsaw
attachments around.

It`s likely to be a one time major clearance and then minor
maintenance after so not looking for daily use quality but putting
chainsaw and cheap in same sentence worries me...

Any advice or experience?

Mitox stuff is made of cheese.

But its one of the few makes you seem to be able to get spares for. So
if the cheese breaks you can get more.

Found a ryobi OK.


+1 for ryobi, bought mine originally for the strimmer but also have the
mini rotavator attachment.

If you don't actually need petrol, the modern 800 watt or so B&D corded
have plenty of poke although I don't think they support brush cutters.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Chris Green wrote:

John Rumm wrote:
Yup I have the pac man tool, and spent many hours reading / watching
lots of the info out there. Alas no amount of re-tuning would make up
for a knackered cam profile.

It may be later models have starting using metal in critical places and
they have improved, I have not paid much attention to it since. However
the key point remains, that its performance even when new did not match
the two stroke version, and neither come close to the Stihl.

I had a 2-stroke before the 4-stroke, I never got on well with it. I
don't find the 4-stroke underpowered.

As I said at the top of my post, this was just my experience with the
particular models I bought. The situation is likely to be different with
different examples of the same models, different models, and different
applications; so don't read too much into my experience, its anecdotal
evidence from a sample size of one.

As is mine of course! :-)


With respect to "power" (in quotes because some of the criticism was
down to lower revs rather than out and out power), I found the 4 stroke
was ok on trimming although could not get the same line speed which
meant it would not cut as quickly or cleanly in some circumstances.
Chainsaw work was fine, just a bit slower. Hedge trimmers were ok. The
blower attachment was a non starter. All of those would have been
tolerable if I could have got it to run reliably.

I use mine as a strimmer (good), rotavator (surprisingly good),
chainsaw on a stick (good). I have a 'hover mower' attachment which
is not very good and a hedge trimmer which I rarely use.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Honda. Mine's survived 10 plus years
of fairly moderate use, and still starts first time every time. Never
had any problem with it, apart from having to redo the cord when I
forget to extend it, but I've only used it as a strimmer.

--

Roger Hayter

Mr Honda started out by making lawmower piston rings , no doubt Honda is an excellent engine brand for the frequent user, ok, it will also probably start with infrequent use ;-)

Petrol is only realistic option, site size and distance from power.

Generic term for petrol engine with changeable accessories appears to be `spilt-shaft` Honda have Versatool , 300 quid for engine , same again per accessory.

`expand-it` seems like it may have been some sort of standarsd used by Ryobi and others including Qualcast from

"http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Expand-It-Grass-Trimmer-Strimmer-Attachment-For-Handy-Ryobi-More-/262481955480"

`This attachment has a 25mm shaft, a square drive and a connection button on the side of the shaft end`

Not sure if this matches Stihl drive as well?

Thern there are numereous 52cc 2 stroke multi head cutters at about same cost as 3 days hire of real one.

Already realisewd that hiring chipper in is realistic option from other threads, prehaps just hiring the real deal brush cutter would be less effort in end.

Thanks!

On 11/08/2016 02:53, Adam Aglionby wrote:
Mr Honda started out by making lawmower piston rings , no doubt
Honda is an excellent engine brand for the frequent user, ok, it will
also probably start with infrequent use ;-)

Petrol is only realistic option, site size and distance from power.

Generic term for petrol engine with changeable accessories appears
to be `spilt-shaft` Honda have Versatool , 300 quid for engine ,
same again per accessory.

`expand-it` seems like it may have been some sort of standarsd used
by Ryobi and others including Qualcast from

"http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Expand-It-Grass-Trimmer-Strimmer-Attachment-For-Handy-Ryobi-More-/262481955480"



`This attachment has a 25mm shaft, a square drive and a connection
button on the side of the shaft end`

Not sure if this matches Stihl drive as well?

In theory it does... the practice is a little more complicated.

I find its easier if you remove the metal spring clip from the end of
the expandit shafts which serve no purpose on the Stihl.

Also getting the central square drive to actually engage in the socket
on the power head can be a bit hit and miss (the Expandit tools allow
the central drive to flop about at the end of the shaft, and rely on a
concave conical section on the other side to get it to register. The
Stihl has a smaller female connection with a couple of guide bars on it,
that to work well, looks like it would need the male end of the shaft to
be held concentrically in the end of the shaft by a bearing or similar -
so without that support you find the
end of the shaft will frequently miss the socket.

You can help things along by filing the end of the shaft to a slight point.

Thern there are numereous 52cc 2 stroke multi head cutters at about
same cost as 3 days hire of real one.

Already realisewd that hiring chipper in is realistic option from
other threads, prehaps just hiring the real deal brush cutter would
be less effort in end.

Thanks!




--
Cheers,

John.

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On Sun, 7 Aug 2016 21:01:52 +0100, Michael Chare
wrote:

snip

One good thing about Stihl is that you can get spares (and pattern
versions) easily, should you need them, meaning you can protect your
investment even longer.


I went to a chain saw museum

Sounds like an arboriculturalists idea of fun. ;-)

in Prince Rupert where I learnt that Stihl
used to be the leading brand of chain saws in North America before WW2.

Oh, who are now if not Stihl do you know? Husky?

Cheers, T i m