Need a new weed whacker

My son bought a new Sithl last summer. With the store rebates, it only cost him about $100. I have a j3300 John Deere, and his Stihl is MUCH lighter and less fatiguing to run. It's much quieter, too.
 
Jim does that Echo have attachments? What I mean is, the flex shafts aren't all that different between brands. Ryobi used to sell the Quick Attach coupler as a separate accessory. The only difference might be the coupler itself allowing you to use your Ryobi attachments.

I've replaced the shaft w/coupler for mine on different powerheads. Hate to see those attachments go idle when/if the Ryobi quits.

And yes, those pre-MTD units were/are the best. Whenever I find one at a garage sale it's usually pretty cheap. And the owner usually throws in the attachments he has. A primer bulb and new fuel lines usually get it going.

I have a 725, 775 and BC30. And too many attachments. I bought the 725 new in 95? Still going strong.

I think MTD messed up on a bunch of the 4 cycles, esp. the TroyBilt. They used the 2 cycle clutch with weights too light, which kicks in at a much higher rpm than it should for a 4 cycle. By then, the 4 cycle is producing way more torque. And snaps the shaft. :( The 2 cycle woulda moaned a little and built the rpms back up. :)

Ted
 
xPosTech said:
Jim does that Echo have attachments? What I mean is, the flex shafts aren't all that different between brands. Ryobi used to sell the Quick Attach coupler as a separate accessory. The only difference might be the coupler itself allowing you to use your Ryobi attachments.

I've replaced the shaft w/coupler for mine on different powerheads. Hate to see those attachments go idle when/if the Ryobi quits.

And yes, those pre-MTD units were/are the best. Whenever I find one at a garage sale it's usually pretty cheap. And the owner usually throws in the attachments he has. A primer bulb and new fuel lines usually get it going.

I have a 725, 775 and BC30. And too many attachments. I bought the 725 new in 95? Still going strong.

I think MTD messed up on a bunch of the 4 cycles, esp. the TroyBilt. They used the 2 cycle clutch with weights too light, which kicks in at a much higher rpm than it should for a 4 cycle. By then, the 4 cycle is producing way more torque. And snaps the shaft. :( The 2 cycle woulda moaned a little and built the rpms back up. :)

Ted
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The Echo I got has interchangable attachments. For a minute I thought I was going to get lucky. Thought I could just knock the little push button off the Ryobi attachments and use them as the shaft looks like they match up. What I've run into is the outer shaft on the Ryobi is just a touch to big to go into the Echo. I've thought about "dimpling" the shaft on the attachments a little bit to see if it would go into the Echo, but haven't been quite brave enough to try it yet. I could try it on the Ryobi trimmer head as that is already broke and I wouldn't be out of anything if it didn't work. I just want to be careful so as not to hurt the Echo as I'm doing it.
 
As far as the attachment issue goes - I would recommend bringing one or two with you to check fit while shopping for different brands of trimmers. Look around at yard equipment dealers and see if any brands work better than others (or if any brands have adapters that do the trick).
Redmax might also be another Brand suggestion for you, if that hasn't been posted already - they sell a good trimmer and aren't horribly expensive. I've been running mine for a year and love it.
 
Jim,

For weedeater string, I found the Husqvarna Titanium holds up very well and will take you a lot farther on the same amount of string.

jwstewar said:
2 things that "made my decision" close proximity of the dealer and the warranty. Stihl is a 2 year warranty w/ an engine rated for 50 hours and Echo has a 5 year warranty and an engine rated for 300 hours. I guess engine rating is according to the EPA "EDP ( Engine Duribility Period) or Useful life By EPA’s own words EDP means “When Engine performance deteriorates to the point where usefulness and / or reliability are impacted to a degree sufficient to necessitate overhaul or replacement”.
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50 hours? That seems way too short. For me, that would be about 2-3 years and for a professional, that's every month or 2. My experience has been much greater then that.
 
I've now used the Echo 3 times for probably a total of 8 hours. I'm starting to like it even better than what I did at first. I used it on Friday for almost 2 hours on less than a tank of gas. I'm glad the fuel usage has decreased. Only area that I'm a little less than thrilled with is the muffler. As I'm using the unit my elbow keeps hitting the muffler shield. I don't get a burn, but it is pretty warm and I move pretty quick. I'm getting better at keeping my arm off it though.:yum:
 
I've had one of everything electric, 4cycle, 2 cycle, battery and I've finally settled on Stihl. I have an FS90 and an FS200 both will do either string or brush cut with a blade. I use the 90 for string and the 200 for woods work. If Stihl made auto's I'd be the first in line to buy one.
The only item that interests me is the new Propane powered units. What with no worries over storage and being able to refill the tanks, if only they're powerful enough.
M.
 
Good info on the weed wackers. I have a Stihl FS85 and it works pretty well for me. I use the brush hog behind the tractor for the big stuff.
I was wondering though... my dealer told me to use at least 87 octane gas in the Stihl. And not to use the lower 82 octane. Something about burning the valves. Any thoughts on the choice of gas to mix with the oil?
 
I bought an Echo 1500 in 1988 it was not design for a brush blade. I also bought a head for it design like a Bush Hog with two lose swing blades. I have cut some rough stuff along fence lines. The only trouble I've had was to lose three screws from the engine case, and had to replace the little pumper bulb. I also lost seal in the gas cap and made a replacement out of a scrap of drafting board cover.
I have always used a little more oil than it required, and ever leave gas in it. If I have gas in the tank when I finish, I dump it back in the can and let it run until it quits.
 
Fuel in 2 Stroke

I have had the worst luck with small engines and cheap gas. Late last summer I found out why. Gas companies have begun putting alcohol in gasoline. As much as 15% in some cases / places. That isn't a bad thing but, you can't let it sit for very long before use. Here's why-
Alcohol is Hygroscopic meaning that it absorbs water from the air. For example, I opened my Poulan chainsaw case and took out my Poulan Pro 260. I put it on the bench and opened the gas cap. I found some old fuel in it along with "something else". I drained the gas but had to nearly disassemble the tank to get it out. "It" was a glob of water 2" across and about 1/2" tall along with other, smaller droplets as well. It had absorbed that much water in a tightly closed tank inside a case that was snapped shut tight enough to prevent the bar oil from seeping out when it tipped over. For OVER a year.
My new Simpicity snowblower crapped out after a season because the hose and other elements of the carb were not alcohol resistant. Not in warranty either grrrr.
So what does all this have to do with Cheap Gas? Cheap gas has the most alcohol in it. Premium name brand fuel has less or none (I'm not sure which) and so doesn't absorb water as easily. I could swear, If you use Premium fuel you'll have fewer fuel related problems. It's just one less thing to deal with for me. As always, your mileage may vary but that's what's worked for me. I've had several techs from different shops tell me that the higher Octane isn't an issue.
I let my NEW FS90, FS200(well this one isn't new),new BR600 and both new Stihl chainsaws sit over the winter with only marginal attention paid to them. True to the techs word they fired right up last weekend with no water in the tanks (Whew!).
OH, that Red Fuel Stabilizer? I didn't use that either. Seems that can cause problems too. I think it may have helped put the Kibosh on the snowblower. Don't try to save here either. Use it and any left over is discarded because it gums things up too when it's old.
This is what has worked for me. I will continue putting Premium Name Brand Fuel in my tanks. I also use the manufacturer's 2 cycle oil too. My thinking is that it's approved by the manufacturer so I've got that going for me and if something DOES go wrong it won't be a question of who did what.
I've spent as much as anyone else would buying this gear, I want it to last. A few dollars over the course of the season isn't going to get in the way of a repair free summer. FWIW, I also use Premium fuel in my garden tractor, brush cutter, wood chipper and my car.
Again, Your mileage may very but . . .
M.
 
Keifer said:
I was wondering though... my dealer told me to use at least 87 octane gas in the Stihl. And not to use the lower 82 octane. Something about burning the valves. Any thoughts on the choice of gas to mix with the oil?
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Kiefer - where are you seeing 82 octane gas? Everything around here is 87 minimum. I've only seen less than that in the western states.

Oh, and for the subject, I have a Stihl FS90 as well. It takes a couple seconds to get up to full RPM's but once there, it doesn't bog down like others I've had.

I didn't care for the Husqvarna I had. I like the Echo's.
 
I finally bought an Echo early last summer after firing up my Ryobi once. The next time I tried to start the Ryobi I found the PLASTIC choke shaft had viberated out of the PLASTIC carburetor housing and disappeared in the weeds somewhere. Made a trip to the local small engine shop. Tom didn't have one and said he would order one. Two days later he called and said "It isn't availabe from Ryobi" so I have a weed eater that won't start and no parts available. Throw-away tools, I hate 'em.

I threw the Ryobi in the trash and bought an Echo. It took about 15 minutes for me to start wishing I had bought one years ago. Yes, it requires medium grade gasoline and mixing oil. It takes a minute to measure your oil and dump the gasoline in. A gallon got me thru last summer. I don't think it's gas consumption is any less than the Ryobi and the Craftsman before that but it's increased power and ease of operation just makes weed eating go faster so I use less gas. Is gas consumption a big deal? Maybe if you make your living doing yard work. The difference between one and two gallons of mixed fuel a season is nothing for just a home owner. I'll qualify that statement by saying that my area is kind of "rain challenged". Now ask me about the difference between fuel consumption of my diesel Kubota tractor and the old gasoline one and I can show you a significent difference. :eek:
 
Still loving the Echo. Actually even more in last week. I bought a new string head for it. I was never a fan of the push the string in type heads, but I still haven't gotten the hang of winding the string on the Echo head like I did on the old Ryobi. So I was at Lowes buying a new sump pump and walked down the mower/trimmer aisle. They had new heads there for $16 that you pushed a piece of string through. Actually it had 2 of those so in actuality you end up with 4 strings sticking out. I bought it and stuck it on the Echo. At this point I've only played with it a few minutes, but it sure did seem like it went through the grass a whole lot quicker. I'll just have to cut several strips of string to carry with me for reloads. BTW, like someone mentioned, I didn't realize it until late last year, but the Echo does require 89 octane gas.

Oh, another note. They remodeled our Lowes this winter. They closed a bunch of stuff out. They had another Troy-Bilt trimmer there. This one is a 2-cycle so I'm hoping that xPosTech is right and the 2-cycle will be OK. After all was said and done, I got it for $40 and it will take the Ryobi attachments. It even came with a head that uses the punch in strings. It will also accept the Troy-bilt electric start, which is a good thing, as it is fairly hard to start. I've only started it twice and the first time it took awhile - granted it was only 5 degrees out and it did take awhile to warm up.:rolleyes:

I also bought a Troy-bilt walk behind edger for $60 with a B&S engine on it. Got it for $59, haven't put it together yet. Got a little electric chipper that had been $139 for $59. It seems to do OK for smaller stuff, though I've used it on pine branches and the needles clog the discharge chute pretty quick. So have to stop and clean that out fairly often, but for other types of trees, it should be OK. Can't beat the price.
 
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