Husqvarna Trimmers - confusing model numbers

[IndyGarage]

My Husqvarna 128L trimmer just failed after about 10 years. For some reason it stalls after about 10 minutes of running and won't restart. I bought a new carb and put on it - same problem. I switched the coil out from another trimmer that had locked up after somebody put in straight gas. Same thing, ran for 10 minutes then died. Not sure what the problem is, but I don't have any more time to work on a $200 tool.

I liked the trimmer really well - so I went back to Lowe's to buy another. Well their model numbers are super confusing.

They still sell the 128L at the same price I paid 10 years ago - $229. They have another model - 329L - which appears to be identical to the 128L but a different air cleaner and bigger trimmer head on it - $269. Then they have one called a 525 - which is listed as a "professional" model. It's $329. The 525 seems to be a completely different model. It's lighter, it has an anti-vibration handle. It has an 18 inch cut. But interestingly the engine is listed at 25cc compared to 28cc for the other two.

Well I sprung the extra hundred bucks for the 525 because of the 18 inch cutting swath. And I'm glad I did. The first thing I noticed was it start and ran good, with no adjustments. It's the first two stroke tool that I've had start and run right from the factory. I trimmed with it for about 30 minutes. Wow - I thought my old 128L was good. This is better. The weight is noticeably different. The power is better, and I can trim around the brick walks without rubbing the trimmer head - which wears them out. I'm happy with this new trimmer. I just wonder how they get more power out of 25cc than 28cc.

Anyway, for anyone else going through this choice, I would recommend the 525 over the other one, although I would have never known. My 128L was a nice trimmer.

 

[1foxracing]

Here's how the Husqvarna numbering system go's.
100 series= homeowner
300 series= mid-grade
500 series= professional
The secret to long 2-stroke O>P.E. life is use good gas and 2-stroke oil. I use LL100 AV gas with Klotz 50:1 oil mixed very precisely at 50:1, many people add "extra" 2-stroke oil thinking it will helpful. It's not necessary to add extra oil at all and some of my older Husqvarna stuff is 18 years old (123 string trimmer, chainsaw, and hand held leaf blower) and still run great on their original spark plugs even.
I bleed orange.

 

[seber]

Your old machine is overheating. In a two stroke this is almost always due to running lean because the case seals have failed. That means a complete disassembly and new seals all around. There are instruments to measure the leakage.

 

[IndyGarage]

Certainly I know how to mix gas. I agree, I use that exact cup. I've used Klotz in the past, but I like Redline because I can tell visually if the gas is mixed, always synthetic.

I loaned my first 128 to my neighbor, and although he swears he put mixed gas in it, it got hot and seized shortly after I got it back from him.

I don't know what's wrong with the second 128L. It's been running good for 10 years, but I use a trimmer hard. I have a large hillside behind my house that is too steep to mow. It started running bad this year, and now runs perfect for about 10 minutes then stalls. I changed the carb with a new one, and swapped the coil from my bad one to the newer one. No luck - still runs for 10 minutes then stalls. The only thing I can think of is there is a crankcase leak opening up when it gets hot. (Seber posted this opinion while I was writing this - yes, I think this is probably correct)

I can tell the number series - 1 for homeowner up to 5 for professional. I just can't tell the difference in the actual machines.

 

[IndyGarage]

Your old machine is overheating. In a two stroke this is almost always due to running lean because the case seals have failed. That means a complete disassembly and new seals all around. There are instruments to measure the leakage.

Yes, this is all that is left. Hardly worth it to disassemble a $229 trimmer and reseal it. Maybe I could find the leak and fix it.

 

[M6erfan]

Here's how the Husqvarna numbering system go's.
100 series= homeowner
300 series= mid-grade
500 series= professional
The secret to long 2-stroke O>P.E. life is use good gas and 2-stroke oil. I use LL100 AV gas with Klotz 50:1 oil mixed very precisely at 50:1, many people add "extra" 2-stroke oil thinking it will helpful. It's not necessary to add extra oil at all and some of my older Husqvarna stuff is 18 years old (123 string trimmer, chainsaw, and hand held leaf blower) and still run great on their original spark plugs even.
I bleed orange.

Nice

I have a Husky 2 stroke trimmer (223L) that I bought in 2013, going on its 7th season, on the original plug, air filter, fuel lines/filter. It's never seen pump gas, usually it gets VP C9 mixed with whatever 2 stroke oil I have on hand. Over the years that's been Maxima Super M, 927, Blendzall 455, Lucas semi-synthetic, Yamaha 2R. . . I've mixed anywhere from 32:1 to 50:1, again, depending on what I have on hand. IMO, the key to 2 stroke longevity, by far, is the air cleaner being in good working order and sealing well. Dust/grit KILLS 2 strokes and OPE can kick up a ton of dust.

@IndyGarage, odd behavior indeed, assuming that you have good compression, spark, and fuel. Could just be worn out. And yeah, not worth rebuilding unless you really love it.

Edit: have you looked at the spark arrestor screen to make sure it's not clogged?

 

[IndyGarage]

@IndyGarage, odd behavior indeed, assuming that you have good compression, spark, and fuel. Could just be worn out. And yeah, not worth rebuilding unless you really love it.

Edit: have you looked at the spark arrestor screen to make sure it's not clogged?

Yes, first thing I did was pull out the screen. It was not clogged at all.

I'm reasonably sure that Seber is correct and it's got a leak. I'm wondering if anybody has been successful solving that with RTV or even JB weld. The thing is going to the junkyard, probably worth a try if I can identify the leaky seal.

 

[M6erfan]

Yes, first thing I did was pull out the screen. It was not clogged at all.

I'm reasonably sure that Seber is correct and it's got a leak. I'm wondering if anybody has been successful solving that with RTV or even JB weld. The thing is going to the junkyard, probably worth a try if I can identify the leaky seal.

Depends on what is leaking. If a crank seal, there's no fixing that with any tube of goo. Complete gasket sets are about $20.

 

[IndyGarage]

Well, I hate to admit this, but I got a Lemon in the Husqvarna 525L that I bought.

It ran perfect the first time I used it. Started in 2 pulls. Good power - I really liked it.

So for the second run I went out to my hillside which is a trimmer killer. Pretty quickly I ran out of the original line it was packed with, so I loaded it up with Rotary .105 and attacked the 2-3 foot tall weeds on that hill. Things were going pretty good, went through a full tank of gas and another load of line. Then all the sudden it died on me - just quit. No amount of pulling would restart it. That's strange.

Next day I went out - started right up in 1 pull. Ran it for 10 minutes - died same way it did the day before. This time I went to restart it and the recoil wouldn't catch - I tried to shake the recoil and get it to catch - nothing. Brand new "professional" trimmer. Can't start it.

I took it back and ordered a Makita 18V x2 cordless. I ordered a couple seal kits and i'll fix one of the old 128L's for the hillside and use the cordless for my yard. Too bad. I've had really good luck with Husqvarna stuff until this.

 

[M6erfan]

RE: Your 128L. . . Check the gas cap vent. Runs for a while then dies is a pretty common symptom of a clogged fuel vent.

 

[IndyGarage]

Today I got my replacement for the Husqvarna 525 - a Makita XRU18 battery powered trimmer. This is the 18V x2 or 36 volt trimmer - the best battery powered one they make.

I used it for about an hour this afternoon - about as much time as I got to use the 525 before it broke. The Makita performed flawlessly. I ran it through 1 load of trimmer line and 1 set of batteries and still had plenty of power left on the second set of batteries. I would say it ran 35-40 minutes per charge - it's hard to say, because you don't run it except while you are actually trimming. .

I like the Makita very much, but it is a whole lot different than any trimmer I've had before. On the box Makita claims that it performs as well as a 30cc trimmer. it seems to have good power, but the power is very deceiving because it makes so little noise. Literally all you hear is the line spinning and cutting. There is little to no noise from the motor. So it doesn't sound as powerful as a gas trimmer, but it trims really well. I trimmed everything from edging to the weeds between the bricks on my back patio to some big weeds in the side yard that were 1-2 feet tall. A couple things I didn't like about it - the trigger seemed to be made for someone with bigger hands than me - I had to hold it a little different than the husky gas trimmers. And I don't really care for the small trimmer head that comes with it. It doesn't hold much line and it doesn't seem to feed all that well. I have a new in the box Husqvarna universal trimmer head that I will eventually install.

So am I done with gas? Well the battery trimmer is better than I thought it would be, and the batteries last longer. I also ordered seal kits for my 128L's and a cylinder and piston kit for the one that is locked up. I thought I would keep one or both of them to trim my hillside, because I thought there's no way the battery powered trimmer would be up to that task. After having used the battery machine today, I'm not so sure it wouldn't be able to tackle that hill. We'll see how it turns out.