line trimmers. 2 stroke vs 4 stroke vs propane

[tpolley]

i'm looking to buy a line trimmer next spring. i'm looking at craftsmans line of line trimmers because they're $150 to $209 and that fits my price range. has anyone messed with the 4 stroke models? i hate having to mix gas and oil. i think the largest one they have is a 29cc. seems kinda under powered compared to the 2 stroke 33cc. i always thought 2 strokes had more torque than the 4 strokes anyway. also, just tonight i discovered craftsman has a propane powered trimmer that runs off the 16oz propane cylinders. it's only 25cc. my thinking is if the unit will run 2 hours on a 16oz cylinder and i can refill the cylinder from a larger propane tank using a harbor freight adapter that would be much cheaper than buyng gas right?

anyway, i will be cutting grass at the house but i will also be using it to cut atv trails at the farm. the grass there is chest high and i will likely be using a saw type blade. i'll also be using a chain saw attachment. are these units powerfull enough for these types of jobs?

 

[JeepsAreBuilt]

I've only used 2 stroked trimmers. However.. 2 stroke motors are able to rev high rpms constantly. I say get a 2 stroke, rev it up, make some blue smoke, annoy the neighbors and make the tree hugger dirt worshiper cry.

I would need to recommend a different brand than craftsman. Look into STHIL or Echo. I dont know where eveyone is.. but some small motors gods should have some good input.

 

[metal1313]

the propane ones are being widely panned as not much cheaper, not much better for the enviroment and really f'in heavy and awkward. i dont have any experience with 4-stroke trimmers, but i would def recommend an echo or sthil unit. the consumer models arent as powerful but are lighter, and arent too crazy expensive. some of the pro models are in the same price range. that said ive been beating the snot outta my ryobi for something like 6 years now with no issues other that wearing out the curved shaft that came with it.

 

[tpolley]

bah! i've been watching videos on youtube about the propane trimmers. in every video people go on and on about how "eco freindly" propane is and how much gas is wasted every year by fuel spills when refueling the trimmers. then they show some brief 2 second clip of the trimmer passing over an area of mulch that has a few stray weeds. i haven't found a video yet of the trimmer accually being used hard.

 

[devilphrog]

Go with Stihl! If you are worried about fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, consider their 4-Mix line which is a 4 stroke engine that runs on 2 stroke fuel. Plenty of power and the engines are built on this side of the water in Virginia Beach, VA!

 

[Toolhorder]

One of the reasons trimmers are made 2 stroke is because a 2 stroke can run at weird angles. You can run a 2 stroke upside down if you wanted to. It doesn't care. I have a 2 stroke c-man now that a 32cc straight shaft and it's great. Had it a few years now. The only thing I'm torqued about is they make a better one now with the ability to take attachments.
I used to make extra money by scrapping metal after work. Once I stopped by the Chevy dealer across from my dealer and there was a Ryobi straight shafter in the scrap bin. I took it home and nursed it back to health. Amazing what happens when the plug is cleaned and new fuel is added. Ran that thing to death many years before it gave up. It was a 4 stroke model.

 

[TireTracks]

I have allways used 2 stroke. I also like them because it's entertaining to rev them and make some smoke while your trimming.

 

[adam728]

I'm a huge 2 stroke fan. That said, I use a 4 stroke trimmer, basically because it's much quieter in use.

The breather on the Craftsman 4 strokes is through the crankshaft itself, so you can run is in whatever position you want, it's not like oil will pour our a valve cover breather or anything. Plus, how long do you usually run a trimmer in anything but the usual position?

Both the 2 and 4 stroke put out very comparible amounts of power, and run at about the same rpms. The lower noise level of the 4 stroke gives many people the impression that it's making less power.

As for the LEHR build propane trimmer? Seems a lot of people like it. I personally feel it needs some refinement before you'd find one at my house.

 

[Displaced Hokie]

To me, the benefit of the propane is that there is no fuel to go bad in the carb, which is the major cause of trouble with this kind of machine. Unstabilized fuel can go bad in less than 30-days.

I also vote Stihl. I think they have trimmers starting at @ $199. There are independant Stihl dealers all around, plus most John Deere dealerships sell Stihl.

 

[ossaguy]

I've only worked on just a few Hondas,they sure are quiet,but awfully heavy.Years ago when they first came out,they had performance problems that by now should've been worked out.They are made to run at any angle.We have never sold them just because they are so heavy,and commercial guys don't want that.Honda quality is usually top notch.Be sure to check the oil level often since the capacity is so tiny,there's no wiggle room for a low oil condition.
The propane unit I looked at from Sears was really heavy,and they wouldn't be any quieter.The concept sounds pretty neat,though.
The Stihl 4 mix hybrid units are as loud to me as a 2 stroke,just a different tone.The carbon issue means you need to use their Ultra HP synthetic oil in the gas.Valves go out of adjustment often,although that is easy fix.There is more to go wrong with this design than a 2 stroke,and you still need to mix the gas/oil.
If you decide on a 2 stroke,the Stihl FS250 is really strong in the tough stuff,and is a real solid machine.Has a steel chainsaw-style clutch even.Really overkill for grass,though.
Too bad you can't have a dedicated heavy-duty use one at the farm,and a lightweight one for the grass-only stuff at home.

Steve

 

[W_KY]

I would also recommend looking at Shindaiwa and Red Max brand. I have used both with good results. If you take a look at the professionals, most of them are running Stihl, Shindaiwa, or Red Mex. In my opinion, that usually means something.

 

[Mickey O]

I got rid of everything 2 stroke, hate the mixing (all the different ratios), even found a small 4 stroke snow blower that works real well. For the line trimmer I got a cordless rechargeable, works okay, but I don't have a lot of trimming to do.

I read somewhere that people use a certain brand of premium 2 stroke oil, not sure if it's synthetic or not, but they said the same ratio works in all of their 2 stroke equipment. If I could keep just one ratio of gas mix I might use two stroke equipment again. I like the sound of the propane one.

As far as using attachments, I had one that had them and aside from being a pain in the *** they didn't work nearly as good as a single purpose tool. I suppose if you get into the higher end stuff they might work better. Out here a good source for high end equipment like that are Municipal auctions.

 

[a390st]

I have a Stihl 2 stroke. I had several different brands when we did a lot of landscaping, and I liked Stihl best.

 

[baucom]

I'd go with a 2-stroke trimmer from one of the major commercial manufacturers. They all have a "homeowner" line that is still excellent quality and reasonably priced. My reasoning behind buying 2-stroke OPE is due to the fact that it's mature technology and pretty much foolproof, plus I don't want to have to check the oil on my trimmer. As for Stihl 4-Mix, if I have to mix gas and oil, then I may as well just use a simpler and cheaper 2-stroke. My trimmer, blower, and saws don't smoke noticeably, and if they stink, I don't smell it when I'm using them. I buy good oil (Shindaiwa because it's <$1 @ my dealer) and mix it with premium gas from one of the few stations around that advertises "No Ethanol" in their gas. As long as you use good oil and mix the fuel to the ratio on the bottle, it'll be perfectly fine for any modern 2-stroke equipment you own--no need to keep multiple cans of different ratio mixes for different equipment. If it will be sitting unused for a while, like during winter, I dump the fuel out and run it until it quits before putting it away for the season. So far (knock on wood) I haven't had any starting problems the following spring. My OPE is Redmax, Shindaiwa, Echo, and Makita--all quality and none much more expensive than what can be found at Lowes, HD, Sears, etc...

 

[nissan_crawler]

I run a 34cc 4-stroke, and love it. You can't bog it, period. It put my old stihl 2-stroke to shame.

Quiet, more power than you know what to do with. It even runs a small tiller attachment quite well.

 

[Need4racin]

Go with Stihl! If you are worried about fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, consider their 4-Mix line which is a 4 stroke engine that runs on 2 stroke fuel. Plenty of power and the engines are built on this side of the water in Virginia Beach, VA!

x2. Go with commercial, or I guarantee you will be replacing that new almost as expensive POS in 2 years. Craftsman stuff is relabeled homeowner junk.

 

[krehmkej]

+whatever on avoiding Craftsman poweer products. They just don't hold up under even "homeowner" usage.

For years I had 3 pre-mix cans: 32, 40 and 50:1. Recently I was at the local saw shop (every town has one in Oregon). They said just use 40:1 in everything.