exactly roy,

the manufacturer will recommend an ideal line size (the size usually
relates to the 'cc' capacity of the motor) so the machine all runs in
balance, then the user needs to take a little tiem in practsing to sue
the line tip for best economy, with practise i found you can get quiet
quick at trimming and not use much line.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

On 13 May 2004 21:59:59 GMT, "I-zheet M'drurz"
wrote:

===wayne wrote:
===
=== I used thin aircraft cable worked pretty good!
===
=== There ya go! F*#k that wood fence!


fence hell, where did the toes go?
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

"Shooter Dude" wrote in message
I have a Homelite string trimmer I bought at Home Depot.
First of all - next time you by a trimmer, stay away from the cheapos like
Homelite, Weed Eater, etc. Don't buy one with a curved shaft.

Reason: On the cheapos, the engine is a piece of junk. Actually the crank
shaft has a bearing on only one end. The engines rarely last even the
200 hours for which they are rated. Also, when you let off the throttle
to idle, the string continues to spin. This is because it has no clutch.
Therefore when you walk from the back fence to the front of the house, the
string is rotating - wear and dangerous.

For the least expensive good trimmer, I suggest Echo (probably about $200).
It has a well bearing'ed engine, rated at 1000 hours (and usually lasts
longer if you always use the correct oil/gas mixture). It is well balance
and easy to use. It has a centrigul clutch. You get five time the use for
less than twice the money. There are several good brands such as John
Deere, Huskie, etc that are even better, but you get into some high dollars.
For home use, I'd go with Echo. They will use .095 line and it works
fine.

If you buy something quality, it only hurts one time - when you pay for it.
If you buy something inferior for the cheap price - it hurts every time you
use it.



It uses 0.080 line fed from a bump-feed head. In 20 minutes of trimming
(mostly walking around), I have to feed line out at least 10 times,
usually requiring several bumps each time.

..08 line is correct for this unit. Don't use anything heavier because it
is harder on the engine (reduces life) and heavier line may not work as
well.

I've seen "fixed line heads" for sale that use pre-cut lengths of
heavy line. Before I waste $10 - $15 on one of these, are they any
better?

Don't waste your money!!!!!!!

Know it is too late on this trimmer since you already bought it and will
have to suffer with it until it konks out or you get disgustted and sell it
at a garage sale. But it might help on your next one.

Bob

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message ...

Don't they make trimmers which use some sort of chain, or
am I imagining having seen them?

They were discontinued and maybe even recalled because of their
ability to cut deeply into flesh. String trimmers were originally
invented as a much safer alternative to metal cutters that wouldn't
cause serious injury even to bare feet (don't test this yourself).

(Shooter Dude) wrote in message . com...
I have a Homelite string trimmer I bought at Home Depot. It uses
0.080 line fed from a bump-feed head. In 20 minutes of trimming
(mostly walking around), I have to feed line out at least 10 times,
usually requiring several bumps each time. When trimming against an
obstacle such my foundation or even a wood fence, the line lasts about
20 seconds or less before it's mostly gone.

I've seen "fixed line heads" for sale that use pre-cut lengths of
heavy line. Before I waste $10 - $15 on one of these, are they any
better? They seem wastefull, since once the line is about halfway
gone (or as short as you can stand it, I guess), you discard the rest
of it.

Thanks for any tips!

Try doing the trimming the old-fashioned way, with clippers. Makes
whatever problem you have with a string trimmer go away real quick.

wrote:
Try doing the trimming the old-fashioned way, with clippers. Makes
whatever problem you have with a string trimmer go away real quick.

There you go. I use round-up, no fuss.

--
I won't retire, but I might retread.

Bob wrote:
...First of all - next time you by a [tool], stay away from the cheapos...


For important tools, buy the best you can afford. They will last longer
and do a better job. Caveat: they need maintenance.


Two philosophies on tools for casual use:

Buy a good one (not the best and/or most expensive). It will last longer
and actually have some resale value (assuming it gets maintenance).

For tools that get excessive use or neglect, buy the cheapo. Due to
neglect and hard use, neither the cheapo or the good one will last.


I go through shovels. I used to buy $5 shovels. They last about 2 years
before they break (usually the handles, but yes, I have broken the blade
on a couple). One year I splurged and bought a couple of high end
shovels around $25-30 apiece. They lasted two years. I now buy $5
shovels (although the price has gone to $6 or 7).


Any project worth its salt is an excuse for a new tool.

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Try doing the trimming the old-fashioned way, with clippers. Makes
whatever problem you have with a string trimmer go away real quick.

There you go. I use round-up, no fuss.

When I lived in El Paso I had a gravel lawn. Even less fuss.

"RoyDMercer" wrote:
"Steveo" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Try doing the trimming the old-fashioned way, with clippers. Makes
whatever problem you have with a string trimmer go away real quick.

There you go. I use round-up, no fuss.

When I lived in El Paso I had a gravel lawn. Even less fuss.

I hear ya. I use washed river rock in my culvert out front..too
steep to mow grass on it. Works out nice.

--
I won't retire, but I might retread.

Shooter Dude wrote:

I have a Homelite string trimmer I bought at Home Depot. It uses
0.080 line fed from a bump-feed head. In 20 minutes of trimming
(mostly walking around), I have to feed line out at least 10 times,
usually requiring several bumps each time. When trimming against an
obstacle such my foundation or even a wood fence, the line lasts about
20 seconds or less before it's mostly gone.

I've seen "fixed line heads" for sale that use pre-cut lengths of
heavy line. Before I waste $10 - $15 on one of these, are they any
better? They seem wastefull, since once the line is about halfway
gone (or as short as you can stand it, I guess), you discard the rest
of it.

Thanks for any tips!


I have an Echo line trimmer (SRM-2200) that I bought almost 20 years
ago, and I believe it uses .095 line, which lasts pretty well. But for
when I'm cutting tough weeds and brambles, I replace the head with a
lawnmower blade.

[pausing to let that mental image sink in...]

I have no idea what kind of mower would take such a small blade; it's
about 8 inches long, like an edger blade. The lawnmower blade works a
lot better than a saw blade unless I'm trying to cut saplings. Just
last weekend I bought a 9" edger blade that had the right size arbor
hole and I'm experimenting with it. I've sharpened about 3/4" of the
leading edge and it seems to work pretty well, but the steel is softer
than the mower blade so I don't know how well it will stay sharp nor how
long it will last.

A metal blade does a good job around a wood fence because you can see
exactly where the blade is and cut right up close to the fence without
hitting it. I wouldn't try it with a chain-link fence though.

Bob

There you go. I use round-up, no fuss.

That's what i do also.....use RoundUp for trimming

I go through shovels. I used to buy $5 shovels. They last about 2 years
before they break (usually the handles, but yes, I have broken the blade
on a couple). One year I splurged and bought a couple of high end
shovels around $25-30 apiece. They lasted two years. I now buy $5
shovels (although the price has gone to $6 or 7).

What are you doing with the shovels that's causing the handles
to break, and isn't there a different tool for doing that?

--Goedjn

default wrote:
...What are you doing with the shovels that's causing the handles
to break, and isn't there a different tool for doing that?



Some of them break from trying to pry rocks out of the New England soil
and some of them get lost in the tall grass and I drive over them with
the tractor (or occasionally the mower). In unusual circumstances, the
handles will rot from being left out in the weather for several years
(those are the ones that last the longest). Shovels get used for quick
fence posts, row markers, wheel chocks and anti-woodchuck implements.
There must be 1001 ways to (ab)use a shovel.

I *did* put them in the class of tool that were abused.

On Fri, 14 May 2004 10:40:07 GMT, "Bob"
wrote:


I have an el cheapo Weedeater electric cuz' I need to trim only a few
places where the mower cannot get close enough to. While not directly
relevant to this tread on gas trimmers I'll put in my 2 cents about
string sizes. The bump feed doesn't work so I have to pop out the
spool and feed the string. Not a big problem but still a nuisance.
Experimented with a thicker line. I haven't seen a motor smoke that
fast and destroy itself. So I took it apart to see if I can salvage
any useful parts (none). It was obvious the thicker sting caused an
imbalance, melted the fiber or plastic bearing and then seized the
motor. The lesson then is stick to the recommended string weight.
The problem may not show up soon in a motor mounted on bearings but
the imbalance is there and will shorten the life of your trimmer.

Note: I will still buy this model, the smallest and cheapest, cuz' it
suits my needs.

It uses 0.080 line fed from a bump-feed head. In 20 minutes of trimming
(mostly walking around), I have to feed line out at least 10 times,
usually requiring several bumps each time.

On Fri, 14 May 2004 10:40:07 GMT, "Bob"
wrote:

|
| "Shooter Dude" wrote in message
| I have a Homelite string trimmer I bought at Home Depot.
| First of all - next time you by a trimmer, stay away from the cheapos like
| Homelite, Weed Eater, etc. Don't buy one with a curved shaft.
|
| Reason: On the cheapos, the engine is a piece of junk. Actually the crank
| shaft has a bearing on only one end. The engines rarely last even the
| 200 hours for which they are rated.

[snip]

Although I generally agree with you about cheap tools, my Homelite
trimmer is nearly 20 years old. Other than an occasional change of
spark plug, I have had no problems with it whatsoever. Today I started
it for the first time this season and it started on the second pull,
as usual. But the string does break frequently. I also had a small
Homelite chainsaw that lasted more than 20 years, although I did not
use it frequently.