What is the trick to respooling my lawn trimmer

[bmyers]

Wow,lots of responses and sympathy. I'm just happy I'm not a ding dong cause I cant get my trimmer to work right after respooling it. There were no telephone poles to wrap the trimmer around where I was, a cabin in the woods. I had to clear about 1/4 acre, no way I'm doing it by hand, life (and vacation time) are too short.

I'll go with an aftermarket cutting system. Either string or blade. String seems it might be cheaper and easier to find in the long run. Do the fixed length large diameter string cutters require special pre cut / prepared string lengths or can one use bulk bought string?

-Bill

[cabinetman]

I'll go with an aftermarket cutting system. Either string or blade. String seems it might be cheaper and easier to find in the long run. Do the fixed length large diameter string cutters require special pre cut / prepared string lengths or can one use bulk bought string?

-Bill

Read post #2, it's a method you can try to see if it works.

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[bmyers]

I got tired of buying replacement spools. Tried rethreading. Now I just buy the line in bulk. I removed the spool, drilled a small hole near the top edge of the outer shell, one on each side. I thread in a length (I precut them) so it sticks out each side. It may seem to take a while to thread a length in but, it's actually pretty quick. I now have two cutting lines instead of one.

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Ya just tie a knot in the end or something? Did you use super thick line? Seems like it would break quickly if its the normal stuff.

Thx,

Bill

[cabinetman]

Ya just tie a knot in the end or something? Did you use super thick line? Seems like it would break quickly if its the normal stuff.

Thx,

Bill

If you want a single cutting line...you need a knot. With two holes (opposed) drilled on the outer shell, just feed in one length which is equal to the diameter of the outer shell, and two cutting lengths. Just stick one end in each hole (from the inside out), and you now have two lines for cutting.

I suggest buy your bulk line first, and then drill the holes small enough for a snug fit.

.

[eezlock]

what is the trick........

I found thru trial and a lot of errors on string trimmers...the best way is pay close attention to the directions that came with the unit.
(1) proper sized line for the spool head, (2) wind line in proper direction indicated on spool head, (3) use no more than is recommended to fill the spool head, (4) when loading line onto spool head, keep the line pulled snug to the head with constant tension on the line and wind the line so it lays flat on the spool. When winding the line on the spool make the layers flat and consistent so they don't entangle with the other layers of line, like a smoothly wound fishing line on a rod and reel if that makes any sense! The easier and more smoothly the line is wound onto the spool...the fewer the problems.

If all that fails to give you the results you want...do what I did...go to a gas
powered unit with short individual lines that lock into the head at two locations on opposite sides of the head. My wife likes her small electric weedeater for use around her flower beds, me, I like the gas powered one for around the fences and open areas near the shop ... no extension cords to drag around and then put up!

[woodturner]

I use it for edging also, and it just eats the line.

A string trimmer is not really the right tool for edging - the concrete will cause excessive wear to any of the heads, string or blade.

What landscapers often do is cut a V groove in the grass - so the dirt level is 3" or so below the sidewalk or drive level and slopes up to the yard level. Something like this:

sidewalk|_ /grass
--------| /

Edging is then a simple task - just run the lawn mower over it, with one wheel on the sidewalk and one wheel on the grass.

[JimD]

I might try one of the Grass Gators but what I currently use is a Weedeater that has a single line. I've refilled it many times, it is not hard, and it generally works fine. The direction of feed is molded onto the head so I usually get it right. I also use the recommended line diameter. My previous weed whacker was a more typical dual line. I refilled it too but it did not feed as well. It seems like the process was to pull off a long length of line, find the middle, secure it on the head, and then wrap the line, doubled up around the spool. It was hard to figure out exactly how much but I just aimed low (so it would fit). But stopping to sort out knots in the spool were a not infrequent enough headache.

Jim

[billwmeyer]

Several years ago I had a Homelite dual line trimmer and I hated it. If I remember correctly, I ignored the dual line feature and only put out 1 line, and I only filled it about 3/4 full and wrapped the line very carefully. It helped a lot, but still didn't cure the entire problem. I was actually thrilled when it quit.

Good Luck

Bill

[frumper64]

I buy bulk line and cut it to length. Generally cut 40 or 50 lengths at a time and then I'm good for a few months. I have an Echo trimmer with the dual short line head and REALLY like it. It is by far the best trimmer I have ever used and feeding the two short pieces into the head when necessary is no problem at all.

[Pappy]

I haven't been watching this thread but if you are going to try to wind string on the spool of a trimmer, I would suggest first using 10 mg Valium - at least 4 or 5 of them!!!!!!

Several years ago I bought an Echo and got the optional head that holds 2 individual pieces of string. Best thing I ever did on an edger.

[Kristofor]

I have a Toro sort of similar to the one linked, but a few years older and with more toys. It would work relatively well with the bump head if I used small diameter line. But I didn't like using small diameter line as it would break off easily on heavier/woody growth. If I loaded thicker stuff it would jam frequently no matter how carefully it was spooled up. I ended up buying something like this which has 8 cutting lines, uses any normal heavy duty line that you can cut as needed, and where one u-shaped line can be replaced in about 1-2 seconds. I had some worries about the longevity of the "turret" mounting points but it's been working fine for going on six years now. The frustration relief factor probably paid for itself in half of a single summer...

For edging my trimmer came with a metal blade head and guard. I don't think I've ever done any edging anywhere that I've lived so I cannot really comment on how well it works. However, if I were going to I think I might buy one of the quick change (push button, twist knob) $40 attachment modules with the wheel(s) and edger blade rather than swapping the head and guard on a regular basis.

We do have a rototiller attachment (from deere so it's not color coordinated ). It's not up to the job of busting sod or even turning heavy soil very well. That said, in our veggie/flower gardens where we have a lightweight mix of vermiculite, peat moss, and compost it works great and is really easy to maneuver. Of course our garden is only a few hundred square feet, so it's really pretty light duty service we're expecting from it...

[jaybee]

For trimming the edge of the lawn, I gave up completely on trimmers. I now use one of these:

http://www.gardena.com/int/lawn-care...rs-classiccut/