4 cycle string trimmer

[D45]

My 21 year old Toro trimmer needs replacing

It's a 2 cycle gas oil mix, curved shaft

I'm highly contemplating moving to a 4cycle trimmer

What's GJ say.....worth the extra money?

Straight or curved? Which and why?

 

[yatg]

Honda.

choke, prime, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull
****, turn on switch
pull, start trimming.

Straight because its a solid driveshaft and delivers more power to the head.

They also have models where you can change the trimmer head to a different tool. Sounds like a great idea but I bet in practice it would be awkward to use or underpowered compared to a purpose designed tool.

Honda VersAttach® System | 6 in 1 Multi-Tool | Lawn & Garden

Honda's VersAttach® system is a user-friendly multi-task power tool with 6 different attachments, including trimmer, edger, pruner, hedge trimmer, cultivator, and blower.

powerequipment.honda.com

 

[58Yeoman]

I went with the Ego 54V electric, and like it alot. Straight shaft.

 

[u2slow]

Agreed on straight. Also bike handle configuration with at least a shoulder strap. Waaay easier on your back.

I have a Stihl FS90. 4 stroke that uses mix gas. Weird, i know, but i mix gas for the chainsaw anyway.

 

[vavet]

I had a 4 cycles Troy bilt unit several years ago. It always felt gutless And didn’t wind up fast enough. Maybe a better brand would be better.
im very happy with my echo 2 cycle trimmer, but would probably buy battery electric if I was replacing it today,

 

[dchawk81]

I have a 4 stroke Cub Cadet trimmer. I like it.

The only thing I have left to mix for is the chain saw wish I didn't even have to do that.

 

[Feralghoul88]

I had a 4cycle Husqvarna, was a good trimmer, but ultimately ended up selling it to a friend and using the money to buy a Stihl FS 131R. Lighter and more powerful. Also, get a straight shaft, curved shafts are junk.

 

[mike93lx]

I went with the Ego 54V electric, and like it alot. Straight shaft.

Same here.

The noise reduction is fantastic, but the shaft is a little short for me, especially when trimming down slope. Adding a Darwin grip handle helped a ton. I am 6'5", so the length may not be a problem for you

 

[CraigStu]

I know that outboard boat motors are significantly heavier in 4 stroke vs 2 stroke for a given HP. How does a trimmer compare?

 

[jollygreengiant]

I just threw out a 4 stroke troy bilt after fighting with it for years. That thing was a gutless wonder that was usually good to break at least once a season. Last year I had the carb rebuilt, the year before that it was the rope pull start and clutch. Each time it was at least $100 and it took weeks for the parts to get here. Guess what broke this spring? The pull start.

So I said the heck with that and bought a new Stihl KM 56 with the straight shaft trimmer head. Straight shaft is the only way to go IMO. And the 2 stroke has lots of power to get through tall and thick grass. I don't trim everything everytime I mow the lawn, some spots get done every 4-6 weeks. I tried an electric trimmer and it had nowhere near the power to get through those spots, though it was fine for doing the light trimming around trees and such that gets done more frequently.

This new Stihl is only about 10lbs so it's not too bad to lug around. And the vibration is a lot less than the old troy bilt 4 stroke. And for me the fuel thing isn't a big deal. If anything it actually helps; I keep premixed fuel around for my chainsaw so this should help with keeping fuel fresh.

 

[D45]

Agreed on straight. Also bike handle configuration with at least a shoulder strap. Waaay easier on your back.

I have a Stihl FS90. 4 stroke that uses mix gas. Weird, i know, but i mix gas for the chainsaw anyway.

4 stroke or 4 cycle

4 stroke isn't weird that it uses a fuel mix

 

[toyotadriver]

I have a Stihl 2 cycle that just won't die. When it does, I'll be replacing it with a Milwaukee M18 trimmer. Battery powered trimmers aren't for every situation. Some people still need a gas powered trimmer. However, for me, batteries have gotten really good, I have bought into the Milwaukee M18 system and have plenty of batteries, and I don't have a ton of trimming to do. I can do all my trimming on a 1/4 tank of 2 cycle mix. A single M18 9ah battery will easily do all the trimming I need to.

 

[u2slow]

4 stroke or 4 cycle

4 stroke isn't weird that it uses a fuel mix

4 stroke cycle. Spark plug fires every 2nd time the piston is at TDC. No crankcase oil to change.

Stihl calls it 4-mix.

 

[george4]

Honda.

choke, prime, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull
****, turn on switch
pull, start trimming.

Straight because its a solid driveshaft and delivers more power to the head.

They also have models where you can change the trimmer head to a different tool. Sounds like a great idea but I bet in practice it would be awkward to use or underpowered compared to a purpose designed tool.

Honda VersAttach® System | 6 in 1 Multi-Tool | Lawn & Garden

Honda's VersAttach® system is a user-friendly multi-task power tool with 6 different attachments, including trimmer, edger, pruner, hedge trimmer, cultivator, and blower.

powerequipment.honda.com

Yes, got the Honda several months ago, many hours, spins 095 line hard, bicycle grip, quieter than 2 stroke, harness is mandatory, tap head is a nice upgrade.

 

[sleek98]

I recently sold my fs70r straight trimmer and replaced it with an m18 fuel trimmer. For normal trimming it has just as much power. For heavy brush it I would run .105 line in the stihl and the m18 only uses .090.

I have done some heavier brush and the fuel has the power but chewed through the line.

 

[73project]

One more vote on the EGO straight shaft string trimmer. It's so nice to go out and just start trimming without sloshing gas around. The auto wind feature of the trimmer is the best execution of a winding spool I've ever seen. The bump unwind just works - no bumping over and over trying to get the effing line out! My model is the carbon fiber shaft with the 2.5Ah battery. It's the ****!

 

[yatg]

Yes, got the Honda several months ago, many hours, spins 095 line hard, bicycle grip, quieter than 2 stroke, harness is mandatory, tap head is a nice upgrade.

Mine has the strip loader head, where you cut 8" pieces of line and stick them in. I spent a lot of time changing line and half of it is wasted. Need to get me a feeder head. Or maybe some 130 line for that head.

Chainsaw blade is awesome for heavy stuff.

 

[kbs2244]

if you were happy for 20+ years with what you had
I would stick with it

 

[428PI]

A single M18 9ah battery will easily do all the trimming I need to.

I use a 12AH battery (came from my chain saw) on my M18 trimmer. I did our church's cemetery and went around every tombstone and the fence by the road and still had 2 bars left on battery. Now I'm going to soon replace my string (.080 to the .092) and see what happens. The thinner string breaks way too often.

 

[isb cornbinder]

Honda.

choke, prime, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull
****, turn on switch
pull, start trimming.

Straight because its a solid driveshaft and delivers more power to the head.

They also have models where you can change the trimmer head to a different tool. Sounds like a great idea but I bet in practice it would be awkward to use or underpowered compared to a purpose designed tool.

Honda VersAttach® System | 6 in 1 Multi-Tool | Lawn & Garden

Honda's VersAttach® system is a user-friendly multi-task power tool with 6 different attachments, including trimmer, edger, pruner, hedge trimmer, cultivator, and blower.

powerequipment.honda.com

I bought a HONDA 4 stroke trimmer nearly 15 years ago. It starts on the first pull every time. I would recommend a Honda without hesitation. The power is fantastic.

 

[Slednut]

I want a UMS425 Honda bent shaft string trimmer but they're not sold in the US.

If a trimmer turns counter clockwise I can't use it.

 

[jsaw]

I had a cub cadet 4 stroke. It always started 2nd pull. It was quiet and I always ran it about 1/2 throttle. The down side was that it broke a lot. The gears at the end of the shaft went bad, but were replaced under warranry. After the clutch suffered a catastrophic failure I junked it. I replaced it with a 2 stroke Cub Cadet that was $100 less in price.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

I replaced a 15 year old John Deere 1200 trimmer with a Troy Bilt 3-4 years ago....The first 2 years were great....started usually on the first or second pull, then the 3rd year it needed a carb. Then the 4th year it needed a carb. I wasn't too mad because I bought it on sale at lowes for like 100 bucks and the carbs are 14 bucks all day long on Amazon. This year when it wouldn't start I replaced it with a Milwaukee Battery power.......I should have spent the extra money back when i got the TB. Very little noise, all I have to do is grab the battery, plug it in and I'm off. If you're like me you drain fuel in everything in the off season even if it is mixed, so thats one less thing to do. I've got almost a half acre and can do my property 4 times before a charge. So another plus for BATT power.
I tinkered around the with carb on the TB and got it to run what i feel like is the smoothest its ever run, but after about 10 minutes of use unless you feather the throttle it just bogs down. I still keep it for the brush cutter attachment and found that it just runs best wide the hell open untill you're done

 

[oldmxracer]

My 21 year old Toro trimmer needs replacing

It's a 2 cycle gas oil mix, curved shaft

I'm highly contemplating moving to a 4cycle trimmer

What's GJ say.....worth the extra money?

Straight or curved? Which and why?

After 21 years You need a change? 4 stroke revs too slow and is heavy! My property does not require much but the motocross club's grounds needs many hours of it !

 

[ATC]

In for info!

I guess I'm lucky. I've never had to weed eat anything in my life!

I just bought a M18 pole saw, so I'd probably just get the trimmer head for it if I needed one.

 

[Firebrick43]

I had an fs90r for 10 years. Its awesome. Straight shaftt all the way.

I love that it has the wide 4 stroke Power band unlike a two stroke. I have and edgit guard (highly recommend). Cutting straight grass under fence post i throw a lot of string out (like 20") and can trim as fast as I can walk at half throttle. In weeds I use normal length and speed it up some. I use .110" line. Less vibration on the hands to boot.

I sold it and bought a kombi 130r so I could use some of the attachments like the mantis style tiller head in the flower beds. I don't mind mixing but generally hate 2 strokes except for chainsaws.

They are only a 1 and half more weight dry but just slightly more wet as a two stroke due to less fuel in the tank because of fuel efficiency.

They do like synthetic oil in the gas. Keeps the carbon off the valves. But it keeps carbon off the pistons of a 2 stroke as well.

 

[racecougar]

Chainsaw blade is awesome for heavy stuff.

The Forester blades are absolutely excellent for clearing brush and small trees. I have a few of them that I cycle through on a 52cc Wild Badger. That machine is significantly heavier than a normal string trimmer, but it has the torque and heft to zip through some sizable wood.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z8MPH96/?tag=atomicindus08-20

For string trimming, I like the 2-stroke straight shaft units. I have a couple of old Troy-Bilt 25cc TB70SS' that still get the job done around my place. That said, I've used my Dad's Stihl (don't remember the model number) over at his place, and it is definitely a better, but lighter, machine than the TB70SS.

 

[adrenalinejeeper]

Stihl straight shaft, bike handle, full shoulder harness(not just one strap), with an autofeed head. You will wish you upgraded to the harness/bike handle combo years ago.

 

[D45]

I just sold my 2 cycle leaf blower and bought an open box MDT 4 cycle blower for $68!!

I'm shopping today for a 4 cycle trimmer

 

[cashishift]

Is it just me - or is there a reason why leaders in the industry don't offer 4 cycle trimmers? Is there a reason why?

Basically Honda and TroyBilt

I'm a Stihl guy. Find the power level you require and the handle style you like... and run MotoMix...

 

[D45]

Who doesn't offer 4 cycle? Seems like Ryobi, Troy bilt, Craftsman, Husqvarna all do

Echo and Stihl?

 

[u2slow]

I know that outboard boat motors are significantly heavier in 4 stroke vs 2 stroke for a given HP. How does a trimmer compare?

I can't speak for one with separate crankcase oil, but my Stihl FS90 (4-stroke-cycle aka 4mix) is very similar in weight/handling to the FS55 (2-stroke-cyle) I had previously.

Stihl straight shaft, bike handle, full shoulder harness(not just one strap), with an autofeed head. You will wish you upgraded to the harness/bike handle combo years ago.

Even the single shoulder strap with bike handle (what I have) is a huge improvement over carrying it with your arms alone (major leverage on your back.)

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I think all we have had is two cycles. So can’t help with that part. With that I’ll put my recommendation for a straight shaft. For some reason most people I’ve met recommend bent shafts but I got a few of those from the curb and used them they hurt my back. I like the straight shaft it is also supposed to be stronger.

Don’t let anyone talk you into the battery stuff though. We bought a Milwaukee and the supplied battery and stuff man was it underpowered. We used it twice and returned it not worth bringing home. We haven’t had a gas powered one do us bad if the maintenance is kept up on it like changing the plug every year and draining the gas out at the end of the season. Looking for a good gas one probably going to get a Stihl or Echo.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

I bought a Makita, 4 stroke, straight shaft, factory brush cutter, and put a " Renegade " circular saw carbide style blade on it, OMG, trimming is a completely different experience now. I dont really trim much grass ( I live rural ), I use it for felling small trees and cutting brush. The rate it will go through thing is insane. Best value for the $ of anything Ive bought in forever.... One pull, and its always running, never stalls... like a honda..

 

[D45]

Anyone own a Senix brand?

 

[u2slow]

I seem to recall blades are not to be used on most (all?) curved shaft models.

What I noticed with the blade... its great for that first time you're clearing a space, or only clear it every year or two. When you go through it 2+ times per year, you can hold growth back with the string trimmer just fine.

 

[Steve W.]

Borrowed my brother-in-law’s 4-Cycle Troy Bilt several years ago. A little heavier, not quite as powerful, but I could adapt, if necessary. The deal breaker for me was the NOISE. It wasn’t really that much louder, but the lower number of exhaust pulses really sounds bad to me. Would be interested in trying a Honda some time, as I have yet to be disappointed with any of their products.

Until then, I’ll stick with my 2-cycle Craftsman with all the interchangeable heads.

.

 

[jumbojak]

I'm not a fan of handlebar trimmers. For a big brush cutter - I'm looking at you FS 560 C - yes, you need the handlebars and the harness. For trimming and lighter brush though, use a D handle. You can maneuver the head much better and do a better job. This is especially true if you're trimming and take the guard off.

 

[MeanGene427]

I got the Cub Cadet 4-stroke, works well and decent price from Tractor Supply

 

[toyotadriver]

I want a UMS425 Honda bent shaft string trimmer but they're not sold in the US.

If a trimmer turns counter clockwise I can't use it.

Now I'm curious. Why?