String Trimmer Recommendation

[drlien]

Have you considered putting a carburetor kit in the old one? I've got a Homelite that's pretty old (10+ years). Last year, it wasn't running right, so I put a kit in it for about $3. Now it runs great.

My dad buys old weed eaters at garage sales for ususally less than 10 bucks because they don't run. A majority of the time, the carburetor kit or a spark plug is all it takes for a fully functional machine. He now has about a dozen trimmers. I think it could be an obsession...........

[buckeye95]

LinuxRandal,

I was looking for information when I attempted to fix my trimmer as well. I could not find any service information online, but did locate a site that had parts diagrams that could be downloaded for free (http://www.outdoordistributors.com/R...ts_Lists.html). This might give you the extra info you need if you have questions about how things fit together, etc. It looks like they also carry many parts, as you can go elsewhere on the same site to look up the part number for availability. One last thing you might want to keep in mind is that the web site states that the Ryobi trimmer line was bought out by MTD, so you might want to go down the MTD road if you hit a brick wall trying to get information.

Drlien,

I would consider doing a card rebuild, but I don't think that is a problem. There seems to be a problem with the clutch where it does not catch right. Additionally, the rope no longer goes fully back in the casing (starter spring worn out ?). I fixed the pull rope once (took it all apart and rewrapped it), but after a few pulls I was back at the same point with the rope hanging further and further out. I'm thinking it's time to put this old mare out to pasture.

Thanks for all the comments.

Pete

Thanks

[jAngiel]

the rope no longer goes fully back in the casing (starter spring worn out ?). I fixed the pull rope once (took it all apart and rewrapped it), but after a few pulls

Every couple of years mine will do that, I just spray some silicone spray or wd40 down inside the hole where the rope goes and lube it all up. Works for another year or two.

[bfrikken]

what model ryobi do you have now?

[cgallery]

I was going for my nightly walk about two years ago. It was a Sunday night. People on the road I was walking put their trash out Sunday night because the garbage men come Monday morning. Halfway through my walk, I stumbled upon someone throwing an Echo line trimmer and Panasonic dot matrix printer away. The Panasonic printer I understood. But I took the Echo home and looked at it the next day. It was a tough start, needed line, etc. I was able to get it started, purchased line for it, and used it all last season. I really does need to have the carb rebuilt, but I did the Lawn Boy carb last year (twice!) and the Echo worked well enough so I put it off to this season. I gotta get that done.

For the price I have no complaints. Obviously, the much wealthier people that live among me treat a $200 Echo like it is a $70 throw-away.

I also found a bunch of 3/4" void-free maple plywood (not birch) once. All the plys are maple, seven plys. I even found some 1" in the pile. It was raining (I was walking the dog early Sunday morning) and I went home and got my kid's wagon and got it all. Took it home and let it dry in the basement. I still have a ton of it, I use it for jigs. Wears (and cuts) like steel. Much harder than the Baltic Birch plywood. Wife thought I was nuts.

Thanks,
Phil

[buckeye95]

bfrikken,

My current (broken) Ryobi is model # 780r. It is a straight shaft, 31cc, 18" model.

Phil,

I have noted the same thing in my neighborhood. I have not picked anything out, but have noticed that when old mowers are out in the trash the night before garbage day, they are usually gone by early the next morning when I go to work (and before the garbage truck has been there). Friend told me some guy comes by every week in an old pickup the night before trash day to cruise for treasures, so I'm sure that's where they are going. I've often wondered what his yard/garage looks like, and what his wife thinks of it. Anyways, the way I look at it I'd rather see stuff like that absorbed into the "food chain" rather than filling up the dump.

Pete

[LinuxRandal]

Thanks Buckeye!

[Chris_B]

I have a Honda straight shaft.



Starts on the first pull every time (like every other Honda I have), and no fuel mixing...

Chris

[buckeye95]

Well, I ended up making a decsison and getting a Weedeater SST25 Featherlite straight-shaft 25-cc unit.

Was talking with a friend about this a couple days ago, and he told me last night that a local chain Meijer (Walmart competitor) had these on sale for $58.88. Checked out Amazon and the same model is $89.99. Also did a little more research on the web and found several places these were rated a best-buy for consumer models. I was leaning towards the Echo SRM210 at HD for $199, but to get a "best-buy" rated consumer grade model and still keep $140 in my pocket was too much to pass up. I'll see how this one goes, and if it does indeed die in a year or two, I will probably go with the Echo or other high-end unit at that point. One thing I did find out last night from one of the other forums on the web (found by doing a Google search on "Weedeater Featherlite"), is that apparently these consumer grade models of trimmers have engines only rated for 20 hours of use (versus 10x to 100x times more time rating on the high-end trimmer motors). Maybe this explains some of the short life durations some have been seeing. Me, I only use it for 10 minutes about 4x per month, so hopefully I'll be getting several years out of it.

Thanks again for everyone's comments / help.

BTW - if anyone is interested in getting this same $58.88 deal, you can use the store locator at www.meijer.com (they have stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky). You can also download a copy of the flyer (the Weedeater is about 2/3 of the way back in with the lawnmowers).

Regards,

Pete