guess my luck finally ran out...............
hillbille
Member Posts: 14,170 ✭✭✭✭
I have an old Kawasaki weed eater, bought new back in the late 80's. It has finally given up the ghost. something to do with the flywheel, and the magnets coil, aren't adjustable. kept it running last year by spraying brake cleaner up on the flywheel from a hole I drilled in the case. I think it is just worn down to much and the fluid is taking up a few thousands to get it started.?? just guessing but I almost pulled my arm out trying to get it to start and am finally mad enough to buy a new one. With my upcoming hip surgery I may not be weedeating for a few months so I figured I should get one the wife can start and run on her own.
I was her idea to go to a local simplicity dealer who carries echo brand weed eaters to pick one out for herself. I am still gonna get a straight shaft as we also mow a family cemetery and there is a lot of weedeating around all the headstones. doubt I get 35 years out of it though.......
Comments
I am a big fan of Echo products. The last one I bought was one of their chainsaws about 5 years ago and it has run flawlessly ever since. That being said, if my weed eater craps out , I think I am going to go battery powered for the next one. Some get 45+ minutes run time on a charge and that is about all want to do anymore anyway.
This is the one I have my eye on. Bob
Echo makes a good product, but the Huskys are a bit easier to pull start, IME.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
echo makes one with 30% let off for the pull start, and for $30 more the next one up has a 70% let off to start. Thats why the wife wants to go, I'm fine with letting her choose, as for the next couple months her or my grandson will be using it. It also comes with a 5 year warranty and the local shop does all the repair work inhouse, the only reason I am leaning towards this brand.
I would go battery but I am afraid the cemetery is just to much for battery weedeater, it is about a good hour-hour and half of run time....
I finally went with the Ryobi and the 40amp battery. That & their leaf blower work great. Each battery lasts about 45 min, which is when my back also says stop.
My wife had a hip replacement 7 weeks ago & it went well. She's out shopping & running errands now. You should be out working in the yard sooner then you think.
Thirty five years of service from a weedeater is mighty impressive
My son bought a Milwaukee battery powered trimmer and a chain saw along with other tools
The trimmer works great No gas no pulling regular stuff just new line and change battery's my Wife loves it
I have a weed trimmer i bought some years ago with a independent electric starter it basic about the size of a rechargabe screwdriver that fit a drive on the trimmer it works great you can pull start it but the starter takes all the pulling out of it
If me I would consider the battery powered versions
I am four square for Stihl products. However, I have ran an Echo straight shaft trimmer. My next one will be an Echo.
Wife bought a Stihl ELECTRIC trimmer and hate to say it but it is not a good design at all. It won't feed right and you have to buy a new head each time. My gas Stihl ran for 23 years without issues. Not much help.
I am running a Solo brand weedeater that I bought in 1986.It is a straight shaft and I use it with a brush cutting blade for heavy work . Usually cranks with 3 or 54 pulls . My john deer chainsaw is older than that by a decade , rebranded echo .
I switched to an battery operated EGO trimmer and sold all the gas ones. I do use an Echo chain saw for big stuff, and the EGO chainsaw for smaller stuff Workss great.
we bought one of those 4 cylinder ones last year. I have no idea what brand she bought. We usually get about two years out of those darn things. Hopefully this one last, or we are buying a Billy goat!!!!
I have an old Echo trimmer and newer saw that both run perfectly.I was in a business in the next town over and the lawn maintaince guys were using 40V Ryobi trimmers.They told me that they had chargers that worked in the trucks and extra batteries.There is a Ryobi tool outlet in the same town and when I went by the 40V trimmers and blowers were on sale,so I bought a trimmer and 2 blowers. I am too old to be jerking a starting rope on anything that is hard to start. I still have my gas powered stuff,but I use the battery stuff 80% of the time.
For the most part I am not a battery person, but they have come a long way in the last year or two. I get tired before the battery goes dead. Even the chain saw amazes me how well it works.
I got tired of the string trimmer on my old Stihl gas powered trimmer and bought a new head that takes the plastic blades. BIG improvement and no more headaches! Blades do wear out but are quick and easy to replace. After my latest back surgery back in '08, I gifted that trimmer to one of my sons. Been living trimmer-less ever since and have learned to appreciate that old English garden look about the place. You know! An English garden is best viewed after a few pints of ale while wearing rose colored glasses. 😁
I have a husky I bought in '96. It's the only one I have. It's a bit hard to start. 6 pulls or so. Heavy too. For me, the trick to keeping it lasting so long is not using it. I hate weed whacking. I'd rather work on it than run it.
Had a Ryobi for close to 20 years, it finally gave out. Tried to find another one around close to were I live, but no luck. So I bought a stihl gas trimmer four years ago and I’m very well satisfied with it. Starts on the first pull, and we use it a lot around here for trimming.
I bought the Husquvarna straight shaft trimmer from Amazon last year. Very easy start, amazing power and stupid simple to reload new line into it. $225 delivered to my door. It is a two stroke but that does not bother me. I cut weeds with it that stalled out other trimmers and this beast just kept on eating weeds. I live the fact the cut weeds do not wrap around the shaft binding the trimmer head. I looked at Stihl but the cost difference made me cringe.
Get a Kobalt 80v weedeater from Lowes. After one hour of operation, you will never go back to a gas powered weedeater.
It will run for at least 90 minutes on a charge. Just as powerful as my old Echo weedeater.
To clarify, we bought an 80v Kobalt weedeater, leaf blower, and lawnmower on the same day. 80v is the biggest.
We got one battery with the lawnmower, and one battery with the weedeater and blower. Of course, the batteries are interchangable. But the lawnmower battery is bigger than the weedeater battery. The big lawnmower battery will last at least 90 minutes in the weedeater. I am not sure how long the smaller battery would work in the weedeater, but I would guess an hour at least.
Take the leap like we did, shell out $900 and go all electric with the Lowes machines. We went electric 3 years ago and now have a gas lawnmower, weedeater and blower gathering dust.
If you buy all 3 machines, you will have 2 batteries and at least 2 1/2 hours running time on the weedeater before recharge.
Worried about changing the oil in your lawnmower? There is no oil. Think your sparkplug is used up? No spark plug. Worried that the 2 stroke gas has gone stale? There is no gas. Need to clean the air filter? There is no air filter.
I just talked myself into buying the Lowes Kobalt 80v chain saw. As I already have 2 batteries, I bought the saw alone and it is just $195. I ordered it and it will arrive at the store in a week.
I have a $515 Stihl, and a $625 Husqvarna chain saw, but they are just difficult for me to start these days.
Pull type sprayer behind my garden tractor, filled with Glysophate. Spray the driveway, around the trees, sidewalks, patio, fence lines. Grass and weeds die and when I'm done mowing the place looks well trimmed. I do have a nice Husquavarna trimmer in case I miss spraying some place.
I really haven't had good luck with battery powered tools. They have come a long way with their technology. I may have to submit to progress.
My weed eaters name is Alfredo, it runs on beans
After 18 years of service with zero maintenance I replaced my 'Weed Eater' with a Stihl brand.