Hi chaps

On Thu, 22 May 2003 16:16:02 GMT, (Simon
Avery) wrote:

~"Jolltax" wrote:
~
~Hello Jolltax
~
~ J Anyway I fancy upgrading to one of those cordless petrol
~ J strimmers getting excited now
~
~Good start. Even the direst petrol strimmer, assuming it'll start, is
~far better than any electric one ime.
~
~ J Are they actually much more convenient than an electric
~ J version with cable sigh. Has anyone got any
~ J recommendations on a particular manufacturer, reliability
~ J etc? Also, what should I be looking for in terms of
~ J features?
~ J I have a small / medium sized rear garden (30 x 30 ft) and
~ J smaller front (say 20 x 15) with fencing, shed, greenhouse,
~ J path and beds which I can't mow around closely (hence the
~ J strimmer!). I can't imagine I need anything heavy duty so a
~ J 'budget' model will suffice - the cheapest one I have
~ J seen is 79.99 at B&Q (a McCulloch Trim Mac - never heard of
~ J them!)
~ J Budget - I don't think I could justify more than £100 to
~ J Central Control (even if I wash up, walk the dog and
~ J everything else).
~
~As for features, your overwhelming one appears to be price. Anything
~150 or so is going to be budget range - which is fine, just don't
~expect to be able to shop around for a wide range of features and add-
~ons.
~
~McCulloch is a very well known brand and most decidedly "cheap and
~cheerful". I don't know this particular model (I made a decision some
~years ago not to use anything less than 40cc) but I expect it'll do
~what you want very well, and as you're coming from the electric market
~you'll be very chuffed at how quick it is.

I very much appreciate this thread, chaps, having been losing my
cordless battery strimmer for weeks to dying battery life and an
inability to cut through nettles (and anything else by the end). After
reading this I had no problem in going out and getting the cheap and
cheerful McCulloch (which had better not break now as I recycled the
rather large box this morning!).

~At this price range, suppliers are much of a muchness. None will offer
~you a super servicing deal included with the price and all will have
~the minimum guarantees required by law and nothing else. B&Q have a
~fair reputation for replacement of faulty goods so they seem as good a
~source as any.
~
~Try to avoid "tap and go" strimmer heads if you have any choice. They
~invariably break very quickly and replacements are difficult to find.
~
~Buy an extra roll of string. With standards heads the string is all
~interchangeable, though stick with the recommended thickness (1.5mm to
~2.0mm for this one, I imagine. 3mm lasts much longer but needs a
~bigger engine) Square or round, up to you. I like round but others
~like square or twisted - none seems to have any huge advantage
~regardless of hype.
~
~Buy a 1 gallon fuel can, some 2-stroke oil (mix at 25-1 if in doubt,
~that's guaranteed to work).

Beware of the B&Q mixer bottle. It isn't sealed and if you put it in
sunlight when full you can hear the vapour hissing out...

Also it's grading of what is 1:40 is nowhere near correct - you're
supposed to put 125ml into 5litres and I think I put 60ml into one
liter in said bottle and it still wasn't up to the 1:40 mark on a
level surface. But thanks for the "25:1 works" advice as I didn't
worry too much about it being underdiluted...

~Buy eye protection and wear it!
Did. Thanks. Didn't take specs for granted as sufficient as I've been
wont to do in the past. Will help in decorating too.
~
~Ear protection 'probably' isn't required with the smaller ones, but I
~wear it for comfort levels.
I always do anyway, even when lawnmowing. You only get one pair of
ears.
~
~Buy cheap boilersuit to wear over your clothes. (Wish someone had told
~me that before I had to strim both sides of a mile-long public
~footpath much favoured by dog owners)
~
~Don't strim cow parsley or hogweed unless you're very well covered.
~(The sap will cause burns and scarring to exposed skin)
~
~Avoid strimming wild garlic unless you want to lose your friends.
~
~Keep string level correct. Don't over-rev the engine, nor let it
~struggle. Correct usage is to bring revs to peak JUST as you begin a
~sweeping cut and let them fall before the end of the cut.
This is definitely an art which I think it will take practice to
acquire! I took it up to the allotment to get my paths less than
calf-deep and you'd have laughed.

jane tries to start engine
Primes fuel feed. Pulls cord.
rev. nada. rev. nada. rev. "Work you b*gger". nada. rev. "come on, you
only get six tries".nada. REV!!!! nada. jane gets agitated rev...
nada.
turns down choke anyway and tries again
rev. "Come on, dammit!" rev. "ARGH" rev. Splutter. rev. fires and
dies. rev. fires at last. jane breathes sigh of relief and cheers

You have to take a firm grip or it swings of its own accord and tries
to take your feet off! I have leather gardening shoes which were ok.

But anyway, I now have a nicely cleared path, no nettles and a new
toy. Got extra practice in by doing half another plot's path (knee
high grass) so I have a grateful neighbour who has enough grass for
her strawberries and I think I've just about got the hang of the
throttle.

It does sound a bit jumpy, though, and after a while the vibrations
did start to be annoying, so I stopped at that point. I guess you
can't expect too much from two-stroke engines!

The one nice thing about this one is that it's light enough for us
girlies to use.

Extra costs if you haven't already got them:
Unleaded petrol can £4 (useful to have anyway)
Mixing bottle £5 (as long as you don't believe the markings)
Petrol (spare went in car...) min 2l £1.50
Two-stroke oil (125ml £1.50)
Goggles £4
Earplugs or muffs (£1plugs - £7.50 for defenders) (McCulloch is 70dB)

so bargain on £100.

~
~Always turn off engine when adjusting string.
:-)

~Maintenance wise;

Thanks a lot for this advice - have saved this post for reference...

~Wipe down shaft and gearing after use. Keep guards clear (some tend to
~get clogged easily). Store in such a way that the shaft is not going
~to bend. (lain flat, hung up, whatever - just not leant against the
~side).
~
~Clean air filter regularly. After 5-8 hours use is typical.
~
~If angle head has a greasing point, grease every 20-30 hours use.
~
~Come winter:
~
~Drain all fuel and run engine until it stops. (2-stroke evapourates
~leaving an oily gummy residue)
~
~Remove and clean spark plug. Add a tiny amount of 2/stroke or engine
~oil into the pot. Pull starter cord slightly to move pot and replace
~plug. This prevents the piston from rusting into place
~
~Remove cutter head and pack gearing with grease. Replace head.
~
~Finally, a general clean of all surfaces with a damp rag, or petrol
~soaked rag if you're brave, lazy and don't smoke.
~
~--
~Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/
~

--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!