Weedeater Trimmer

[countryguy]

A couple of summers ago I purchased a Weedeater straight shaft trimmer. I previously had a Weedeater curved shaft trimmer with automatic feed and had no problems with it other than it was getting very difficult to start. I decided to get the straight shaft trimmer because I thought it would give me a little more reach. Unfortunately I've had problems with it from day one and I really should have returned it. What happens is that sometimes while using the trimmer the spool will stop spinning. I have to shut the trimmer off, turn the spool by hand until I feel some resistance and then start up the trimmer. Sometimes this fixes the problem but most times I have to repeat this procedure several times before the spool will spin again. The cutting line is not auto feed so when it wears out I have to shut off the trimmer, change the line and start it up again which usually results in the line not spinning so I have to go through the shut off, spin the head by hand until resistance is felt, process all over. Any ideas as to what the problem could be?

Thanks,
Gary

 

[DigAPony]

I'd take it back to where it was purchased and ask for an exchange. Explain how its been a problem since new, be persistent, they may give you new one, but don't take no for an answer until you've talked to a manager.

It helps if you saved some of the packaging or paperwork and purchased from a big box store such as Home Depot. Receipt won't help much at this point, too much time has passed.

I had a problem with Homelite trimmer from Home Depot a few years ago, I brought it in and they gladly exchanged it for new one.

My philosophy these days: If retailers are going to sell me low quality, foreign made junk they'd better have a generous return policy.

 

[kb0nes]

Gary,

Sounds like the gears in the head may not be meshing properly.

Properly made a straight shaft trimmer is the better choice as they are generally more durable. The curved ones just have a big flexy cable transferring the torque down to the head.

I'd wager that anything you buy from a big box store isn't in the "properly made" category. If possible I'd return that unit and buy a model that comes from a servicing dealer. It could be a Husqvarna or Johnsrud or a Stihl. All these names are high quality and generally only sold by a servicing dealer. Big Box stuff is throwaway and you only save 20% or so on the price. A Stihl will give you a decade of good service and be a joy to use every time. If you can't get a return it may be fixable. Remove the head and see if you can isolate the problem to the gear head. You may be able to order a replacement gear head and just swap it out.

Oh yea and if you can get it where you live (or perhaps it all is in Canada) be sure to seek out gasoline without Ethanol for infrequently run engines, it reduces lots of troubles!

Best of luck!

 

[DADoES]

 
Don't buy a Stihl.  They can be a b!tch to start.  My 2nd one in 9 years (I was stupid enough to try again) last Sat wouldn't run faster than idle then wouldn't start after multiple attempts.

 

[dnastrau]

Hard to start lawn equipment

I think this is a potential problem for all brands now because of lean carburetor settings for emissions as well as the ethanol content in most gasoline.  Your best bet with any 2 cycle engine these days is to mix up small quantities of gas (gas with no ethanol in it if possible) and use it up quickly.  I use "Marine Sta-Bil" (the blue color - not the red) in all of my lawn equipment (2 cycle and 4 cycle) with great results since all of our gas here has 10% ethanol content and goes bad quickly unless treated.  "Marine Sta-Bil" is supposed to extend the life of fuel up to 12 months and from what I have seen it really works.  Fuel that has gone bad will turn an orange/brown color and smell like paint thinner.

 

One option in some areas is to buy your fuel at a marina since many sell ethanol-free fuel.  "ValvTect" marine fuel already has a stabilizer in it and is ethanol free.

 

Andrew S.

[this post was last edited: 5/28/2014-07:37]

 

[countryguy]

Thanks for the info. I will have to take the head apart and see what I find. Like I said, this has been a problem from the first summer that I bought it. I've had it 3-4 years so I doubt the store would replace it. I have the curved shaft trimmer and never had any problems with it other than it was very difficult to start. I thought the straight shaft would be more reliable. I started to have troubles starting it too but I mixed up a fresh batch of gasoline, cleaned the spark plug and it started right away.

Gary

 

[DigAPony]

had it 3-4 years so I doubt the store would replace

It's worth a try, all they do is slap a defective decal on and back it goes to the manufacturer.

You'd be surprised at what disgruntled customers can accomplish standing at the return counter with said defective item in their hands.

Also, I wouldn't be so quick to tell them exactly when it was purchased. Anyway, you said it was a problem since new, I would strongly emphasize that point . Moreover, it is seasonal tool under mild homeowner use.

There is an implied warranty to a reasonable, trouble free service life.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Hard to start

Dadoes
I learned this after I spent the money on a new weed eater a few years ago.

Two cycle engines will carbon up the exhaust port, due to the fact they carberate through the crankcase they have air-flow problems as they cylinder is not as sealed as a four cycle engine.

In any case before you buy again, remove the muffler and see if the port is carboned up. If so just take a popcicle stick or something that wont scratch the cylinder or piston and clear out the port. This may help with the hard starting, and poor acceleration as well. It would have saved me $149, if I had known the trick before. This is actually in the Mantis Tiller instruction book for the 2-cycle engine.

Another thing, check the tightness of the screws and bolts. Small air leak into the crankcase can cause fuel starvation. [this post was last edited: 5/29/2014-15:55]

 

[sudsmaster]

Various and sundry garden power tools...

I've had relatively good luck with a Ryobi four stroke trimmer I got back around 2002. It's a straight shaft, and besides the four stroke feature, what sold me on it is the availability of a variety of different tools that can be attached to the power head. I actually don't use it much for string trimming... mostly it gets used for edging (with the edge attachment). I've also found it indispensable for tree pruning, with either a sawzall attachment (reciprocating saw) or a 10" chain saw attachment. I don't know what I'd do with it. I'm able to use it to fell tall trees in tight spaces, but pruning away the upper branches and then gradually taking down the trunk in non-destructive sections.

It has required some occasional repairs. The power head socket that the attachments plug into got worn. I fixed that by hand filing a square hole in a bolt, and then tapping the socket to accept the bolt. It's been working pretty well at that. But I did eventually get a new rod segment to replace the original one, in case my repair ever fails. Other things it's required has been a new pull cord (found some on the internet), and most recently the recoil spring on the pull started slipped out of its anchorage because the hook on the end straightened out. I was able to cut off the soft part and bend a new hook. The tricky part is reassembling the spring... gotta keep it wound up and very carefully insert it into the casing. The other recent repair has been for the primer bulb. The original one sprung a pinhole leak. I was surprised but I was able to find an exact replacement at Home Depot.

Valve check/adjustment and oil changes are also regular maintenance chores, although the valves after the first year don't seem to change much. It doesn't seem to burn any oil, which is good.

I'm not opposed to 2-strokes - I have a 2 stroke Echo single sided long blade hedge trimmer (another indispensable garden tool) and a 2-stroke Poulan 18" chain saw. They do tend to stink more than a four stroke, but the advantage is that the 2-stroke motor is simpler and usually lighter. The Poulan chain saw was initially a disappointment. I had a hard time keeping it running at idle. Then I found a idle mixture adjustment tool on-line and that pretty much fixed that. Typical... the carb idle mix CAN be adjusted but to meet emissions requirements the mfg had it leaned out waaay too much, and then made the necessary adjustment tool (the idle mix screw is knurled with no slot, and is deeply recessed) unavailable locally. Which is why I had to go online to find the tool to fix it. (I keep the special tool on my desk so it won't get lost in the garage/workshop Anyway, the chain saw is another indispensable tool for tree work around here.

With regard to gas... I buy it in five gallons and immediately add Sta-bil to it. Recently I found that most all my garden power tools work better with higher octane gas, such as the 91 octane we get here. For 2-strokes I use a good quality synthetic oil, such as Echo, for all tools. It's cheap insurance.

 

[kb0nes]

Stihl being hard to start & various musings

I have heard other people say that Stihl products have starting problems. I own 3 Stihl chainsaws, a straight shaft trimmer/clearing saw and a handheld and backpack blower. The trimmer and backpack blower are both the new 4-Mix four stroke premix engines. They burn the same fuel and have a dry sump (no oil to change!). They have more low RPM torque but they trade off horsepower.

None of these have ever failed to start easily, even after the winter layup. Things I may do different from some folks are:

1. I ONLY use non-oxygenated gasoline and only buy in quantities that I use in a month or two. Fuel stabilizers don't prevent phase separation in gas with Ethanol or do anything about acid formation.
3. I use Stihl HP Ultra synthetic oil at 50:1
4. I store then dry over the winter with an oiled cylinder.

My experience has always been that a couple pulls and they are running. I have yet to change a spark plug after a few seasons now. I don't see how they could be hard to start based on what I have seen, something must be different. With the exception of the handheld blower all of these machines are higher end though, the chainsaws are all magnesium case engines.

I have an old 2-stroke Ryobi trimmer. It kinda worked but it was a bear to start. If you don't follow their priming/choking/tugging instructions to the _letter_ it will not start. I still have it and its pretty much free to a good home. The thing that would make me shy from Ryobi is we have no idea who makes them, they are outsourced. Parts in a couple years are unobtanium. I looked for some head parts for mine with no luck, I bought an aftermarket Oregon head for it.

 

[sudsmaster]

The Ryobi is still sold at Home Depot, and nearly identical versions at other places under the Toro name (I saw them at Lowe's the other day). Ryobi and Yard Machines are all owned by MTD, which in turn I think is owned by Electrolux. I can't speak for the 2 stroke Ryobi, but yes, the four stroke has been a bit temperamental to start cold. A lot depends on the ambient temp. If it's warm out, it will start with little or no choke after some priming. If it's cold, then it will take longer. After it's warmed up, it will re-start with no choke or priming.

I also have a set of Ryobi 18 volt battery operated tools. They were so-so with the old Ni-Cd batteries, but with the new Li-Ion battery packs they are mostly awesome. I use the drill and sawzall a lot, and have used the chain saw although its chain speed is way too low to be very effective. The 5" circular saws are handy for tight spaces. I notice that Ryobi has a new line of 40 volt batter operated stuff like string trimmers, but I'll stick with gas for the high powered stuff for now.

The worst starting motor in my "collection" is a Patriot chipper shredder with a 6 HP Tecumseh motor. After some years I finally figured out the key to cold starts is to slightly enrich the idle circuit with the mixture screw at the bottom of the carb bowl (it's old enough to still have that), set the choke, pump the accelerator a few times, and then pull pull pull pull pull. At times I've gotten frustrated enough to pull the spark plug and pour some gas in... but the mixture screw seems to work better. Too much mix, it won't start either, so one needs a delicate touch with that. Maybe an extra quarter to half turn out is all it can handle. I'd love to have a primer bulb on that carb, but no such luck. It's just a hard starting beast. But the Patriot is another garden power tool I couldn't do without. Made a lot of mulch/compost with it.

[this post was last edited: 5/29/2014-22:37]

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