Yard gas tools

[cheechi]

I don't have my own land to take care of but my dad's place is usually a mess. They have a blower and weed eater that probably aren't worth repairing at this point, over 10 years old both and haven't run right for most of that time. They were HD cheapos when they were new.

I am thinking I could go the cheap route and get a Cman/Poulan blower, and recommend he do the same for a weed eater. The blower I know I would use more often so between the two that's where I would want to spend more or get a nicer one. The trimmer I would like to get one that is modular to add a pole saw attachment and maybe some others depending on the brand/variety. I am partial to a 2 cycle blower to keep my gas the same, we had a 4 cycle trimmer before and they currently have a 4 cycle mower. I don't have a preference on that part, I would probably keep the trimmer at their place.

I'm not considering any electric ones, they're underpowered and I have bad luck pruning extension cords with their B&D so now I just bring my chainsaw whenever they say the bushes are too tall. Can't do a backpack blower because their roof is hard enough to balance already.

I am primarily looking at whether it's worth it to get one of the nicer brands Stihl/Echo/Husq for either of these as it will eventually be used at my home also. I am leaning towards Husqvarna primarily because of the price, but still not sure if it is enough to go higher than the mid range Cman.

Anyone who has had one of these 4 for a while, blower or trimmer, and especially attachments can you give me some advice?

On a semi-related note, anyone who has a Husqvarna riding mower like it or recommend one?

 

[Displaced Hokie]

You will get tons of recommendations, as everyone has an opinion and favorite brand. Like anything, you get what you pay for.

My thoughts are that if $$$ is tight, the cheapo units last pretty good for what they are. As you said, the previous ones have lasted 10 years.

If you can loosen up just a bit more cash, the homeowner Sthil models are excellent. Trimmers and blowers are in the $150 range. Second choice would be Echo, which you can get at Home Depot.

I prefer John Deere mowers to Husqvarna's in that price range.

 

[5lima30]

Echo or Stihl and don't look back, you won't regret it. IMHO Poulan, Craftsman, Weedeater, and Troybuilt are just aggravating and a waste of time.

 

[Hetman]

I ask: how big area?

For grass - go for a model with 4-point vibration dampers, it's worth it, but most of them are marketed as professional. I don't know if there are any Chinese cheapos. You can choose from Stihl, Husqvarna/Jonsered and Makita/Dolmar (same tool, different colors), IDK if there are any Hondas?

You don't want all attachments on the same tool - it will be a pain to use any. But after buying good weedeater you can try a Chinese one for all other attachments and then improve it (or try to get used parts for your old one and build a tool that fits your needs perfectly .

 

[rlitman]

Stihl's string trimmers don't have vibration dampers, but the vibration doesn't bother me.
I highly recommend the Stihl Kombi system. It is pricy, but well worth it.

The BG86 handheld blower does. I used to have the previous version (just about the same, except without the dampers), and the vibration on the blower was excessive. They say that it was fixed on the new one.

 

[theoldwizard1]

You will get tons of recommendations, as everyone has an opinion and favorite brand. Like anything, you get what you pay for.

True, especially in trimmers and blowers.

Echo or Stihl and don't look back, you won't regret it. IMHO Poulan, Craftsman, Weedeater, and Troybuilt are just aggravating and a waste of time.

Agree ! Buy a good brand. It will be worth the extra in the long run.


New emission laws have pretty much killed the 2 cycle engine. Any one here have any yard tools that run off of propane ?

 

[BHH]

My advice is don't cheap out on a weed eater. This is one of the most dangerous pieces of yard equipment there is and the more expensive ones are much safer, not to mention they just work better. You don't have to pay a ton, but a mid range one will be much better than a low end one.

 

[Hetman]

Stihl's string trimmers don't have vibration dampers, but the vibration doesn't bother me.
I highly recommend the Stihl Kombi system. It is pricy, but well worth it.

The BG86 handheld blower does. I used to have the previous version (just about the same, except without the dampers), and the vibration on the blower was excessive. They say that it was fixed on the new one.

FS310, FS360, FS410 etc...

 

[SweetD]

I have an Echo backpack blower and an Echo string trimmer (straight shaft model with no attachments). Both are "entry level commercial"...and I love them both. Paid about $300 for the blower, about $200 for the trimmer. Forget the sizes off the top of my head. My friend manages a local outdoor supply business and I bought them from him. He knows his sh!t, and for my needs these should last me a long time. Both two stroke pre-mix gas. Good luck -

Dave

 

[cheechi]

The grassy part of the property is probably about 7/8 of an acre. The wooded part is about another acre. There are Many big trees spread throughout the grassy part, so I would need the pole saw more often than once a season. They barely take care of their yard so whatever tool I get will be used very hard, but not very frequently. I'm not their yard guy, I'm just the only one 'not lazy' enough to get up and clean the gutters.

Our Ryobi weed eater from ~99 was a good tool. It didn't cost a lot and did have the interchangeable tools. I probably broke it myself over tightening the spark plug, but that's the only part keeping it from running now. I had it fixed once but now it shoots the plug out whenever trying to start it. I think the fix was just as much as they could to for it. It has not run since roughly 02.

The Poulan blower we had just stopped running last fall. I could get it to run/idle/die/run/idle/die enough to finish the gutters then, but it won't start anymore. I'm sure the last time gas was mixed for it was around 04 or 06 and so besides whatever mechanically is wrong, it's got to be all kinds of gummed up. I plan to take it apart and tinker with it, but that's more for my own learning. I'll eventually fix it up and sell it, I won't be relying on that one anymore.

The vibration for either tool isn't that important to me because I wear thick gloves whenever using either. I like the thickest palm fingerless, bicycle gloves are great for it.

The other thing I would pretty much insist on is a throttle lock on the blower. I noticed a few of the CM/poulans don't have it or I might have picked one of those up from a pawn shop the other day. The plastic parts on most of the lower end Husqvarnas are the same as the CM/Poulan models. Are these to be avoided as well?

I would easily justify the price of an Echo or Stihl but since I have no yard or gutters of my own yet it is difficult.

The other thing is that my CM saw runs on 40:1 and I don't want to have to make two sets of gas. They do almost no work on their property, so their gas will probably sit long periods and Sta-bil is only able to do so much for it. Anything new I would be getting is going to be 50:1, so I have to eventually replace the saw. I'm ok with that eventually, but that's why I'm considering a 'top end cheapo' for the near future and haven't fully jumped onto the nicer ones.

 

[TreePointer]

I have a Stihl Kombi 90R. It's a loop handle (not bike) and has a Stihl 4-Mix (not 4 stroke) engine. Just run quality synthetic 2-cycle mix (Stihl Ultra) at 50:1 (I run this in all my 2-cycle engines). Current attachments:

trimmer head (w/ string trimmer, brush knife, and chisel tooth saw blade)
articulating hedge trimmer
blower
power pruner (chainsaw)
extra shaft extension

Very powerful for its size and gets the job done. I've been very pleased. One drawback is weight. If you need to use a power pruner a lot, then you can get a lighter weight system with a dedicated power pole pruner. BTW, the Sthil system actually cost a little less than the comparable Husqvarna system. I wanted a Kombi 110R, but they were out of stock at the time so I went with the Kombi 90R. No regrets.

I also have a FS-130 trimmer with bike handles for clearing large areas. That thing makes me smile.

 

[Hetman]

1. For Ryobi get a helicoil . If it doesn't work, take dimesions of pole and shaft (or clutch cover) and buy any used engine that fits.

2. Poulan probably needs major rebuild: piston rings, seals, bearings and after that you can check the carburator (if it doesn't start).

I totally recommend 4-point dampers, once you use it it's no coming back. Really .
PS: I agree, for kombi tools, loop handle is better, but for grass bike handle - so, you need both .


Good, fully synthetic oil and you can go 1:50 on anything, even Chinese.

 

[scarrylarry]

I have a Stihl Kombi 90R. It's a loop handle (not bike) and has a Stihl 4-Mix (not 4 stroke) engine. Just run quality synthetic 2-cycle mix (Stihl Ultra) at 50:1 (I run this in all my 2-cycle engines). Current attachments:

trimmer head (w/ string trimmer, brush knife, and chisel tooth saw blade)
articulating hedge trimmer
blower
power pruner (chainsaw)
extra shaft extension

Very powerful for its size and gets the job done. I've been very pleased. One drawback is weight. If you need to use a power pruner a lot, then you can get a lighter weight system with a dedicated power pole pruner. BTW, the Sthil system actually cost a little less than the comparable Husqvarna system. I wanted a Kombi 110R, but they were out of stock at the time so I went with the Kombi 90R. No regrets.

I also have a FS-130 trimmer with bike handles for clearing large areas. That thing makes me smile.

Tree Pointer
When I saw the original post I thought I can offer my thoughts on this fellas choice,but you beat me to it.I would have said the exact same thing as you. I have the same machine Kombi 90 4 mix and I love the thing.I have the blower attachment and articulating hedge triimer.I was tired of all that **** electical stuff and hauling around extension cords.If I didn'y buy Stihl I probably take a good look at Echo.
Hope this helps the original poster out a bit
scarrylarry

 

[Milton Shaw]

I have Echo backpack and combo trimmer. I run more oil than recommended so I don't worry about seized pistons/rods that I have seen on some others. Both of those had a screen as a gasket for the muffler that clogged up with carbon in about a year of richer oil than recommended. Dealer said just cut screen out and use it as you are not cutting in a national forest that requires spark screen. I have the trimmer, hedge clipper, edger, and pole trimmer, tiller, and extension pole for the combo. So far I have had no problems out of any of them. I keep a rubber crutch tip on the unused attachments to keep the dirt out of the grease. I have had poulan and weedeater brand before and these are both superior to those as far as starting and doing any work with them. My weed head uses 2 precut lengths of line, I made a holder out of pvc for them with a 9" piece of pvc and a couple of 3/4" caps one glued one loose. This keeps the lines straight and just cut to the length of the pipe and ready to use. Fits a pocket and keeps the lines straight. I have been amazed at how well each of the attachments work and the amount of work they can do. Hedge clipper has no vibration compared to the Black & Decker electric one I used before.

 

[cheechi]

1. For Ryobi get a helicoil . If it doesn't work, take dimesions of pole and shaft (or clutch cover) and buy any used engine that fits.

2. Poulan probably needs major rebuild: piston rings, seals, bearings and after that you can check the carburator (if it doesn't start).

You are most likely correct on both, I have known it for a while but I don't have anyplace appropriate to do such messy repairs. I will get to them and at least sell them both if I don't keep them as backups. I am not fond of throwing away tools or things that can be fixed.

I will have to find out what oil I have and try the 50:1 mix with my existing saw next time. What potential damage could I cause if I try it and it doesn't work?

 

[The Shop]

I'm a Stihl certified tech at are local Stihl shop, and we manly work on Stihl, but, we also tinker on Husqvarna, Mtd, Homelite, Echo,.... every day. So after working on the Lowes/ Home Depot equipment I can say that they may look the same as what's at your local dealer but there not. They cheapened it so it would meet their price point. So my advice to you is to find a local Stihl or husqvarna dealer and never look back. And if you or anyone else has any question on any Stihl equipment let me know. And for the record the Stihl 4mix engine is a four cycle engine but it still uses 50:1 oil mix.

 

[96snma]

I work at a golf course doing maintainence during the summers when I'm not in school. All of our blowers and weed whips are Stihl. Those things take the most abuse I've seen as most kids don't care about taking care of it. Get a speed feed head, you won't regret it. For what its worth, all of the ride on stuff is toro and Husqvarna makes the best chain saws (personal opinion based on experience). My parents had a craftsman push mower that was given as a housewarming in '87 still running today. They just got new one this year and the old craftman is at the course being used for doing the owners homes

 

[dwp99]

Don't rule out Shindaiwa I've got a hedge trimmer that runs great. I also have a green machine that's about 30 years old that keeps going and going. Shindaiwa bought out Green machine and the model t25 is the same as the green machine I have.

I'd suggest finding a good mower shop and talk with them. Find one that all the commercial guys go to. The home depot's and Lowes won't be there for any warranty

 

[redwrench60]

My Stihl FS250R gas trimmer sounds like a nasty 2-stroke dirt bike and the tall tall grass out by the creek bed is sobbing gently cause' it knows I am coming........

 

[Hetman]

You are most likely correct on both, I have known it for a while but I don't have anyplace appropriate to do such messy repairs. I will get to them and at least sell them both if I don't keep them as backups. I am not fond of throwing away tools or things that can be fixed.

I will have to find out what oil I have and try the 50:1 mix with my existing saw next time. What potential damage could I cause if I try it and it doesn't work?

You can scorch and seize it, we can only guess how bad - from rings to piston, sleeve and pin, all the upper part of engine. But you know it afterwards , not before.
Both stihl and husqvarna oils are only average, get good motorbike oil (full synth!).


Helicoil job is fairly easy and fast, get vacuum cleaner, turn engine upside down and do it carefully without disassembling. You do not have high hopes for this tool anyway.

Poulan will be messy and time consuming, there's no shortcut .


If you can throw some money, get branded combitool, but buy good grass trimmer separately.

 

[LSU]

Buy Stihl or another top brand.

You got that part?

Now - buy it from dealer who has been in business and will be there to sell you parts and service it.

Forget Hd, Lowes, etc. forget a crafstman. Buy it from a place that services what it sells.

Look around at the pro yard guys and see what they buy and where they get theirs serviced.

Yea, I can turn a wrench and work on stuff but tuning a 2 cycle carb can be tough. I want my lawn stuff to start when I need it.

 

[mrtoolfool]

echo or stihl and don't look back, you won't regret it. Imho poulan, craftsman, weedeater, and troybuilt are just aggravating and a waste of time.

ditto......

 

[tomshep]

I think you are seeing stay with the better brands as the trend.

I have had craftsman, john deere and weed eater before.

For my current weedie I went with the cheapest Echo at HD. My logic was it is cheap enough to throw away and I was focusing on the weight. My prior weedie had a brush attachment which was rarely used but the damn thing was simply heavy. I am quite pleased with the little Echo weedie. My only complaint is it uses pre-cut 7" strings you have to manually replace when they wear out. I would consider the next model up that has a continuous feed. About 3 years use now.

For my blower I also went Echo. They had a model that was a "quiet series". It was a few dollars more but I LOVE IT. Blowers can be really noisy. This is much quieter and that makes the cost worth it. Going on 7 years.

Both run premix and I always use stabil. They start every time (except tomorrow since I was just bragging about them).

You get what you pay for.

Tom

 

[Beaumont67]

I have a Stihl straight shaft trimmer (for 10 years now) with Shindaiwa SpeedFeed head.
http://www.lawnmowerpros.com/Shindaiwa/Shindaiwa-Trimmer-Heads.asp
^^^^ SpeedFeed is amazing...and happy with my Stihl....would not buy, an underpowered curved shaft.

 

[bookittyrun]

oh... you guys got me thinking of my mid 60's jacobson commercial 20" push mower... and my shindaiwa trimmer... and cheap pole saw. the neighbor who promised to hold onto these items for me during my move couldn't produce them when i came back to pick them up. *******!

as predicted, everyone is correct with their recommendations. my power equipment runs great, whatever brand... because i maintain it. certified husky and exmark tech, years as a head mech at a golf course, and small engine shop... two stroke engine work is very different than four stroke, maintenence is more frequent, and if you don't know how to properly service these motors, make sure you have a resource for service that you can trust... i play no favorites when it comes to brand name, they all make ****, and some nice stuff, too. the chime throughout the post has been, "you get what you pay for"... but spending cash does not mean you don't need to bring it in for regular service (you know, before it's broken and not running). buy what's well balanced and feels right to you during operation. that's how you'll be happy (not owning what everyone else owns).

 

[Mr Ratchet]

I use all Sthil, but Echo and Husqvarna make quality products as well.

I use my blower,shredder,vac to most. I blow off all my cement before and after I mow. It works well for blowing off fertilizers and insecticides of the cement and back into the grass/landscape. I use it to blow leaves out of the sone into the grass for the tractor to pick up. The shredder-vac works well in places where leaves can't be blown. It breaks them down well.

I use the hedge trimmer for trimming bushes and also to clear heavy weeds and even to cut holes in the branches of thicker trees like a spruce so I can get in with the saw.

All of my Sthil products are around 10 yrears or so and all work as well as the they when new.

Chain Saw: MS290
Line Trimmer: FS46
Hedge Trimmer: HS45
Blower/shreddeed/vac: SH85

 

[littletoes]

REPAIR AND MAINTAIN!!!

Yep, buy what fits you!

Wife likes to go cheap....and I usually pay for it, either in the way of a back-ache because it doesn't "Fit" and is uncomfortable to use...or it just doesn't work up to expectations....

EXAMPLE-WeedEater brand ANYTHING...hard to maintain (you have to have specialty tools to adjust carb), and it seems to have been made for little tiny housewives that might go out three times a year to use it.

Now I have a Shindaiwa Speed-Feed, and won't go back to anything else! It's a smaller commercial trimmer, but I won't wear it out in this lifetime.

Just an example, any of the quality brands are just plain better. They will run longer, with less breakdowns.

 

[Mastermind]

BUY ORANGE!!!

i learned this lesson at a very young age. the old retirees in g-pas nieghborhood had every cheap piece of lawn equipment known to man, every color of the rainbow, except orange. when one would break everyone of the old timers showed up with thiers "try this"
long story short, everytime the stihls won the contest.
after a large (4-5 ft diameter) willow tree fell on the beach lot, every chainsaw in the hood bit the dust, broken bars, seized up, etc, me at 10 yrs old with the 026, dad with the 048 had the tree sliced up in 45 mins. all the broken saws lined up on the picnic table were green, yellow,red, even a purple, the orange one got the job done. g-ma tells g-pa, youu need an orange saw. never owned any yard tool that wasnt a stihl except the old school snapper push mower and john deere rider that is soon to be replaced by the furgusen with woods finish mower.

 

[honcho]

String Trimmer--Honda 4 stroke Expensive, Quiet, Reliable!

Blower: I've had great success over the years with the Poulan 2 stroke 31cc blower I own two and only work required was replacing the fuel lines in 10 years of use. However, I don't think this model is made anymore. I also own a Husqvarna made in Japan backpack blower but I believe the current model is made in China.

Stihl makes good stuff and my brother is a Stihl guy but I find the the two closest Stihl dealers to be jerks and I don't like being tied to their "stealerships" for overpriced parts. Furthermore, things like Stihl carbs are the same cheap chinese **** that are on all the brands now.

 

[scarrylarry]

I'm a Stihl certified tech at are local Stihl shop, and we manly work on Stihl, but, we also tinker on Husqvarna, Mtd, Homelite, Echo,.... every day. So after working on the Lowes/ Home Depot equipment I can say that they may look the same as what's at your local dealer but there not. They cheapened it so it would meet their price point. So my advice to you is to find a local Stihl or husqvarna dealer and never look back. And if you or anyone else has any question on any Stihl equipment let me know. And for the record the Stihl 4mix engine is a four cycle engine but it still uses 50:1 oil mix.

The Shop
I think you offered advice I'll take some if you have time.My Kombi 90 has the trimmer head that advances by bumping it, that's okay with me but if you don't wind that line on there perfectly it jambs up real easy.I just find that it's a bit of a pain to do that.Any suggestions ?
Thanks scarrylarry

 

[TreePointer]

I'm not The Shop but I'll share my experience. The only line that is pretty much guaranteed not to jam is the simple round cross-section type. I'm not sure what head it is, but it is a tap feed head (.095") that came with my KM90R, purchased in 2009.

http://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/.../Cutting-Heads-and-Blades-Selection-Chart.pdf

I'm also looking forward to hearing more suggestions.

 

[The Shop]

The Shop
I think you offered advice I'll take some if you have time.My Kombi 90 has the trimmer head that advances by bumping it, that's okay with me but if you don't wind that line on there perfectly it jambs up real easy.I just find that it's a bit of a pain to do that.Any suggestions ?
Thanks scarrylarry

If you are using square, pentagon, x, ..... line that's probably the problem. What happens with square line is when you wrap around the spool it tends to wedge itself togather so it doesn't come out as easy. And actually square line will slow down your trimmer because of a increased in wind drag. Round line is better because it won't wedge itself togather and has less wind drag. And really only the tip of the line does the cutting. So it doesn't matter what shape the line is. And if you want a more durable line you can load your head with .105 red line it will fit just fine and will last longer.

 

[Toymeister]

String Trimmer--Honda 4 stroke Expensive, Quiet, Reliable!

.

+2 go to www.mayberrys.com get phone number and call for your price. Honda does not allow them to offer on the net for below list but they can sell it that way

 

[IssuedSig]

If you are going to buy a backpack blower Get a RedMax and don't look back!
They are some of the most powerful blowers on the market with excellent durability.

 

[curbnaround]

The BG86 handheld blower does. I used to have the previous version (just about the same, except without the dampers), and the vibration on the blower was excessive. They say that it was fixed on the new one.

I just bought this one a few months back. Very easy to start and nice to operate.

 

[kapster]

I have a stihl combi trimmer with a blower attachment and a yard boss tiller. Love them both, they start easy and run at a moments notice. I know a few people with homeowner stihls and they are excellent too. You have to watch it, cheap trimmers are 100 and stihl homeowner trimmers start at 150? Well worth the extra money.

I looked hard at echo but it didn't make sense. They re heavier and cost more was what I thought. Haven't looked back with my stihls

Someone mentioned honda 4 stroke, my 4 mix stihl can be ran at any angle and don't have to change oil, just mix. I assume Honda has to run right side up since it has oil in the crankcase?And they are pricey.

 

[hasco]

Has there been a 4 Cycle, Gas Hedge Clipper/Trimmer in the past 20 years ? I can only find 2 cycle models and I want to replace my Weedeater 2 cycle trimmer. I don't mind buying used. It's for a house and not a business . Thanks

 

[scarrylarry]

I think Honda made some yard equipment that was 4 stroke but not positive .
scarrylarry

 

[rlitman]

Not sure why we brought back a 6 year old thread for this, but . . .

Honda makes a 4-cycle string trimmer. I don't know if they have a hedge trimmer that works on that engine, but I don't think so. The Honda uses a whisk in the oil sump to ensure lubrication in any orientation.

Stihl sells 4-mix tools. It uses mixed gas, but has valves. Anyway, you don't come off with the unburned gas stink when you're done using it.

But if you just want a hedge trimmer, I'd suggest looking into battery powered. There's a lot of good cordless stuff out there now.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The cheap 2 cycle yard tools work well IF YOU KEEP THEM MAINTAINED !

Typical failures are vacuum leaks in fuel lines and dirt inside the carburetor. Another common failure is various fasteners (nuts/bolts/screws) becoming loose and causing vacuum leaks. Last issue is improper oil mix which will ruin the piston.

Cheap string trimmers use flexible driveshafts. If the break, it is not worth the cost of replacement.

Premium gas powered equipment commands a premium price. I like Stihl.