Weedwackers!

[Ronus]

Im looking to get a new weedwacker and i havent had good luck with the brands you can get from your local HD or lowes. They are junk and break within a year.

Does anyone know what professional lawn places use? I dont mind spending the money for a really good one if it will be more reliable. I weedwack a local motocross track in lieu of paying track fees so i weedwack for 6 hours straight. Has to be a good running, easy string switch and a large gas tank would be cool too.

What say my friends at GJ?

 

[heavydutyOEX]

Echo. Stihl

 

[jakemac]

Most landscapers around here are using ECHO. I think they get them at the dealer, not the box store watered down models.

 

[EOC_Jason]

We've got 5 acres with 7 large metal buildings. It is almost non-stop weedeating during the summer.

I prefer the Echo trimmers...

 

[Junkman]

I have a Husqvarna, and love it. It also helps that the Husqvarna dealer is local, and knows how to repair just about every piece of equipment that has been manufactured in the last 50 years. He did tell me that today, all the weed whacker's are poor quality out of the box, and to keep my old one in good condition. Landscapers usually get only a year out of them, but they work them to death.

 

[ArcStyles]

Oh I can definitely vouch for the Husqvarnas. Used a spindle with even lengths of chainsaw blades to mow and mulch down blackberry bushes. Couldn't live with out them on my 15 acres of land. Love the chain saws too! TIMBER!!!

These babies are mules for brush cutting and usually come with a saw blade for cutting down small trees and saplings. These are heavy duty, straight shaft, "take no prisoner" beasts. Stihl comes to the party with the same in your face, foot up your *** mentally that Husqvarna possesses.

You owe it to yourself to get behind one of these sabers of destruction. These babies don't whack weeds, they demoralize 'em.

You want to whack, get something else. You want to impose your will on annoying plant life, then get a Stihl or Husqvarna.

VAHALA!!

 

[Monte]

you might want to check out Stihl, iirc they´re built in the USA.

 

[The Shop]

Stihl all the way! And not just because I'm a Stihl tech, because at home I run Husqarna, old Homelite saws, and Stihl equipment. And since you have alot to trim I would recommend the Stihl 100RX trimmer. It's a light weight model that will save your back if you use a trimmer for hours at a time. But, before you do anything, look around town for a good dealer first. Because really a product is only as good as the dealer backing it up. And eventually your going to need parts and service also.

 

[zkling]

I have an older ~8 year Toro brand trimmer that has never let me down. IIRC it was ~$150+ at home depot years ago. I was cutting ~20 yards a week and it is still going strong today, now just cutting 1 yard per week, thankfully. Always starts 2nd pull (1 to choke, 2 to start).

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202071...ads-_-pla-_-202071361&ci_gpa=pla#.Ugf_Gm3ROA8

Not sure if it is the same internals, but it looks the same. I absolutely love it. Can't count the 100's upon 100's of feet of string I have put through it. (Most yards have chain link fences that killed my string consumption).

I have a stihl chainsaw that I bought used, non working. Fixed it up and I like that, but I got it super cheap so I really can't complain.

Last year I splurged and bought a brand new stihl BG hand held blower on clearance (~$130 IIRC) to replace a craftsman that served me for years. Honestly I am not very happy with the stihl.

 

[SweetD]

There are several recent threads on this topic. My two cents is Echo. Very happy with their "entry level commercial model" Model # SRM-225.

Dave

 

[gilbo]

i think i hear an ECHO in hear

, i just couldnt resist.

ECHO SRM-225

yea, get one from local dealer so if any issue, you have someone to get it worked on, versus HD

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I bought a cheap weedeater ultralight from a sears liquidation store about ten years ago...This thing is super light and runs like a champ....Best weedwacker I've ever had, and for like $70....

 

[mech-tech]

Another one to check out is the hitachi. It is around $180 online and comes with a 7 year warrenty...but as mentioned, dealer support is everything. For me, what good is a 7 year warrenty if I have no dealer anywhere around me. Also, my local lowes warrenty dealer is about 45 minutes away...not very handy when ya figure its cheaper to just buy the part yourself and change it vs spending the gas money to bring it to the dealer. Something else to consider, when lowes sold the john deere mowers, you had to go through lowes for warrenty and bring it to the john deere dealer they suggested...again, not very handy when I live two minutes from the john deere dealer that sells the same mower for the same price.

 

[rust buster]

I've used most brands over the years, especially when I was a landscaper. Stihl was my favorite. I hated mixing gas/oil, so about 10 years ago I bit the bullet and tried out the Craftsman 4 cycle which of course ran on straight gas and not mixing appealed to me. It was a complete waste of money...heavy and ran like ****. Well last year I bought the new heavy duty Honda 4 cycle and man it is a sweet machine. Very light, powerful and purrs like a kitten. I highly recommend it.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I've used most brands over the years, especially when I was a landscaper. Stihl was my favorite. I hated mixing gas/oil, so about 10 years ago I bit the bullet and tried out the Craftsman 4 cycle which of course ran on straight gas and not mixing appealed to me. It was a complete waste of money...heavy and ran like ****. Well last year I bought the new heavy duty Honda 4 cycle and man it is a sweet machine. Very light, powerful and purrs like a kitten. I highly recommend it.

Yupp, I had one of those and hated it too...

 

[nanofrog]

Maruyama here (had it for a few years now, extremely pleased with it). Better built than recent Stihl or Echo in my experience, and has a longer warranty (5yr commercial or residential).

Tanaka (owned by Hitachi) offer a 7yr residential warranty (commercial is 2yrs), and are supposed to be excellent as well.

If it matters to you, both are made in Japan.

 

[mark viii mark]

I've had the same Echo for the last 12 yrs. Just replaced the carb this year, new carb was around 40.00 bucks. runs like new.

 

[crewchief888]

i like my echo pas225 so far.

 

[redwrench60]

Stihl FS 250R.......if you're man enough That machine oozes piss and vinegar. It's the only real two stroke Stihl trimmer left and it's the ****.

 

[Danver]

I was also fed up with the box-store weedwhackers I owned in the past when I decided to buy a new one this spring. I found a couple of models I liked and heard good things about from Husqvarna, Echo, and Stihl. I ended up buying a Stihl FS90 pretty much just based on my visit to the locally owned dealer. The product knowledge and service was at a level just not found in a lot of businesses these days, and I wasn't pushed to make a purchase.

I didn't rule out any of the other brands, but the Stihl was the only one available in my town, and any of the others would have meant an additional 20 mile drive each way and I do try to buy a locally as I can, within reason. After I bought it they even did the paperwork to register the warranty and keep everything on file. If I ever need warranty work I just bring it to them and they handle everything right there.

I've been very pleased with the FS90 so far. I used it initially to reclaim a grown-in area by my shop and it ran with the blade with power to spare. I even cut down a small tree just about 2" in diameter and it never hesitated. Now that I have that spot cleaned up the machine is probably a little overkill for general trimming with the string trimmer reinstalled, but I still like having the handlebars and the harness even though it takes a little bit longer to initially get it on and set up.

 

[onelochevy]

Love my echo but I dont think you can go wrong with anything Stihl makes.

 

[Chevy350]

Just picked up an Echo SRM 266T this am. Compared them side by side with the SRM 280T and the Stihl FS 110R. Only thing I may change is the head. I like the speedfeed head, but my previous unit ran .130 line (tumble weeds along fence line), where as this is running .095 and it seems to not like tumble weeds and not sure if this can run anything thicker.

 

[jmm]

Learn how to fix em! This is garagejournal, after all. You have tools and you know how to use em. Weedeater motors are the simplest things on the planet, though I will concede that the components of most new ones are ******.

I'm a Stihl man, but I'm fundamentally against weedeating. I live in the woods. By design, there's no weeds that need eating, no grass to speak of. I think it looks nice. I usually keep a couple Stihl weedeaters on hand to play with (they're cool machines), and eventually sell. I actually use my chainsaws though -- I LOVE the old Stihl 26 (now called 260). That things perfect.

 

[cburnscrx]

Honda...enjoy!

http://powerequipment.honda.com/trimmers/all-trimmers

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Echo.

I own a Stihl pole saw, will never own another Stihl product if I can help it. The don't allow dealers to sell parts except over the counter, no internet sales of Stihl parts. Protects the dealers, but makes parts expensive. I ended up with poor, not very responsive dealers when it came to ordering parts. I bent the extension tube on the pole saw, no one wanted to bother ordering it, took several tries at the dealer I bought it from, he reluctantly ordered me another one.

I have an Echo weed wacker, works great, love it.

Charles

 

[Regnar]

I have the Stihl FS90R. Way more power than I will ever need but man is it nice to get into the drainage ditch and just clear the thing in no time at all. Another nice feature is the 5 pumps and pull for starting. My old weed eater had to be pulled 30 times before it started. All I can say is I was shocked by the price at first but I am happy every time I use it!

 

[Farmall450]

There was a thread on this recently.

I still like echo & stihl. Echo is cheaper, Farm & Fleet has 'em too.

 

[Toymeister]

Honda 4 stroke call mayberrys.com prices are not posted on the web. Cheaper than most local. Maybe mayberry.com

 

[Jawn]

I recently got a refurb Husqvarna 224L (apparently Honda powered?), it seems great so far. Uses straight gas (no mixing!), has tons of power. Starts first pull, idles smooth and quiet.

 

[John in OH]

Without question get a Stihl. Tried many brands over the years and Stihl is the best IMHO. I use a Stihl weedwacker, chainsaw (actually own two), leaf blower and love them all. BUT, one word of warning ... Stihl makes a "homeowner" line as well as a professional line of equipment. Make sure you spend the extra dollars and get the professional line.

Lots of Stihl dealers around, but I get all my stuff from the local John Deere dealer.

 

[bullnerd]

I went to my local equiptment guy looking for a Stihl. He talked me into a Redmax. I hate it! It spins the opposite way of my old trimmer (Polan that lasted about 18yrs) and its made really chinsy. In fact it wouldnt start today! I used the redmax oil and it has that smell of crappy oil! I think I'm gonna toss it and go back to using bel-ray oil.

 

[ryan t]

I grew up using a Stihl on the farm and loved it. When I bought my house I bought a husqvarna and it's pretty good. After it starts I have to hold the throttle down for about 30-45 seconds till it warms up enough to really start spinning. Once it's warmed up though it's awesome. Found a Stihl FS40 yesterday by the road, cleaned it up and got it started. Still need to buy a head for it but it will be my go to trimmer soon.

 

[six206]

I have an echo that I got from home depot about 3 years ago. Takes care of my 12 acres of fence and yards. Works great and haven't had any problems. What ever you get make sure you put it away for the winter properly or you're just asking for trouble.

 

[jackfork]

I mowed around 20 yards while I went to school, and several years after in the '80's and '90's. I wore out a green Weedeater weedwacker in one season, and a Stihl in two. My next one was a Shindaiwa straight shaft with handle bars that I bought in '88 or '89. I still use it today. The only thing I have had to do with it is rebuild the carb once, replace the gas tank, and replace the string head. I love this thing. I have both Stihl and Echo chainsaws and they are great. But if I ever have to buy another weed trimmer it is going to be another Shindaiwa. The brand has been owned by Echo for the last several years. My dealer then and now, Vinton Supply in Springfield, MO still carries Shindaiwa as well as Stihl, Tanaka, and Echo, and he told me he still considers Shindaiwa to be the best of the lot.

 

[otis66]

On my old job, I'm retired now, the landscape/building & grounds crew used all RED MAX weed eatters and shoulder leaf blowers. They used these tools everyday during the season. I noticed also that the Private Landscapers in my area used Red Max weed eatters too.

 

[rr361]

Stihl - had mine for at least 7 years now. Done absolutely nothing to it other than gas/oil and line. Don't store it properly in off season either. Runs like a champ. Always starts easy. It'll break now that I wrote this...

Other 2 strokes:
I have an Echo backpack blower that I've been very happy with for the last 2 years. Also, a Husq chainsaw that I'm not impressed with. Won't run worth a ****. Should have returned it.

 

[Robbie UK]

I use a Stihl (in fact, quite a lot of them).

I try and ignore the fact that it's no longer made here in Europe…

When choosing you can go a model lower than you would think with a Stihl. They all have plenty of grunt and you may appreciate the lighter weight.

 

[lametec]

Whatever you get, don't get what my neighbor has, because he apparently "fu#$ing hates" it. At least that's what he yelled at it this weekend.

 

[ezzzzzzz]

I just picked up an Echo PAS with trimmer and edger attachments. $299 plus tax! It took me over a month to finally decide. I tried to get my failing not so old Ryobi to run and finally threw in the towel. For what I've spent on cheesy wackers I should have invested in a better unit from the start. This Echo is built so much heavier and runs like a scaulded dog. I will need a strap to contend with the weight of this ****** though.

One quick note, ethanol kills these carbs. I run TrueFuel 50:1 instead of pump gas and oil mixes. If you decide to use pump gas be sure to locate some TrueFuel or non-ethanol gas/oil mixture, run your engine dry, refuel with one of the two recommended and run it 5-10 minutes before you store it. You'll appreciate it in the spring.

 

[BTC]

I have a Stihl Kombi tool. I like it. If you're a homeowner, I think it makes sense to consider a combination tool.