Petrol strimmers

[foresttowndiy]

Looking for opinions on the preferred choice of strimmer shafts.
The Honda 25cc comes with either straight shaft and an angled gearbox or a bent shaft and no gearbox.
New machines available for good prices on eBay, presumably due to it being winter?
I'm sure the two will have the same or similar operating position for the whole machine, just wondering why the two different designs and which anyone would go for if anyone on here is a pro user.
My now deceased Ryobi sh*te did have the useful expand-it system, my brush cutter was straight shaft and angled gearbox, the strimmer attachment was a bent shaft! The engine didn't last long enough to test long term reliability for the choice of shaft.
Thanks in anticipation of responses!

 

[r896neo]

You will rarely if ever see a professional using a bent shaft machine unless he is very short.

They are less comfortable, can't take a blade and generally built to a lighter spec.

 

[foresttowndiy]

That sounds good to me. Straight shaft it is.
The Ryobi blade attachment is a straight shaft, I wonder if this needs a solid driveshaft rather than a wire rope drive?
I'm wondering about chopping my new machine up to make it expand-it compatible but don't want to lose the 5 year guarantee Honda offer. Only pain here is you have to get it serviced every year, still a Honda is likely to be good I guess. Twice the price I paid for the Ryobi but it lasted 2 months heavy use after a year of light work. Pain to start cold, won't start hot, vibrates, noisy, thirsty, exhaust won't stay on, rubbish!

 

[dhutch]

Always considered Ryobi to be a good make, but that was for electric power woodworking tooks, belt sanders and the like.

Sounds like you are giving the machine a lot of use (abuse?) which means you will want a professional grade machine rather than DIY designed for an hour a month clearing light grass!

I dont know what models/prices your looking at but when we bought our brushcutter we ended up with a Stihl FS85 which has done us very well, either with the autocut (grass against walls etc) or a three blade steel cutter for most work.

All small twostokes are a bit finickty but its been as good as any and never not worked second time.
Honda make cracking good engines including small fourstrokes, but I cannot comment on there abilty to make a strimmer!

Daniel

 

[foresttowndiy]

The problem with the Ryobi is 100% the engine/carb.
It has to be persuaded into life then you have 5mins coaxing it to rev without dying. Then if you stop to change the attachment it will not start at all once hot. This must be the carb but I've done all the adjusting I can, found a step by step guide online as the model is known to be garbage. Only suited to basic garden maintenance which sort of goes against using petrol?
I have given it a lot of hard use as once its going it is/was quite good. Clutch is slipping also but I think that was caused by my not using 100% revs, I was doing brush cutting in single arcs, slowing machine, advancing then another rev and swing.
1" thick bramble, may be I was asking too much of a £100 machine? How else can you clear 1/2 acre thats been abandoned for 20 years?

 

[maplegardenservices1]

use a straight shaft strimmer and do not use cow horn handles.

 

[dhutch]

1" thick bramble, may be I was asking too much of a £100 machine? How else can you clear 1/2 acre thats been abandoned for 20 years?

With a £500 machine....?
I would also have held the revs in. But I do agree that for a £100 strimmer that sounds like abuse conditions.

People will make anything that will sell. Yes for £100 DIY it proberly would have being better being electric, but if somone wants a petrol strimmer and only have £100, they have a product for that buyer! They even have a long garden which needs an area lightly strimming onces a year...

If you want to do 6ft brambles that best tool i have seen mounted to the front of a skidsteer loader and could do a 6ft strip at about half walking pace!


Daniel

 

[Burnerman]

The Honda UMK435E1 is a brushcutter (saw blade) and strimmer complete - its a 4 stroke (wet sump, no pump), easy starter and has a reliable tickover. It is a straight shaft solid drive machine.
Its vital the oil is changed regularly but I can recommend it.
John

 

[Stivino]

Untitled

• Stivino
• 24 Mar 2011
• 2

Beg steal or borrow one of these.

 

[foresttowndiy]

Well I now have a huge long box in the kitchen, a umk25le. Comes with a 3 prong blade and line trimmer, have to unbolt to swap over.
The big heavy stuff is now gone, attacked that 1st. Most of it was dead so hard going.
I'm sure the Honda will be fine long term, I don't know of a bad unit from them. Trial starts tomorrow!

 

[Burnerman]

I hope you enjoy your new kit! It should last a very long time, but do grease the angled drive gearbox frequently to keep it that way!
John