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Post by worksforme2 on Aug 6, 2019 8:22:18 GMT -5
After years of good service my 4 cycle weed eater suddenly refused to rev up. I could hear air sucking and the primer bulb was not staying filled with fuel so I thought that was the problem. Wrong diagnosis. I had used it to do some edging (not that kind iron hamster) and hedge shaping which meant I had it turned sideways. So I took it in to find out what was wrong. Low compression was the problem. Turns out if a 4 cycle engine is rotated like that the oil pickup does not work so the compression rings are not lubricated. Result...death of an engine due to operator error. My next weed eater will be a 2 cycle. No issue with turning it sideways since the oil is mixed in with the fuel. The 4 cycle weed eater engine really should have a large warning on the outside of the box stating " THIS DEVISE SHOULD NOT BE USED AS AN EDGER OR ROTATED 90 DEGREES WHEN RUNNING".
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Post by hopingforachange on Aug 6, 2019 8:48:32 GMT -5
If your yard isn't huge, look into the battery powered versions. The neighbor has one and he can do his lot with a single battery and no longer has to deal with mixing gas.
I have the Ryobi corded power head with a free attachments and I don't miss dealing with mixing gas.
I'm even thinking next year about getting the Husqvarna romba mower.
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Post by worksforme2 on Aug 6, 2019 9:16:06 GMT -5
If your yard isn't huge, look into the battery powered versions. The neighbor has one and he can do his lot with a single battery and no longer has to deal with mixing gas. My yard is about an acre. I would estimate including the landscape areas, trees, fencing, flower beds and misc. other areas I probably have that I have approx. 400 450 lineal feet of trimming. My X had an electric trimmer yrs. ago but it was really small and did go very far before needing a recharge. I wasn't very powerfull either. Did a quick search online...I'm leaning toward the De Walt. I already have a bunch of 18v cordless De Walts so it would fit right in. |
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Post by saarinista on Aug 13, 2019 23:17:48 GMT -5
I've found the labeling on lawn tools in general to be sorely lacking. It's hard to remember what fuel goes were, what order to do stuff in (prime, choke, yank cord, pull how many times? etc.) and so forth.
I have a label maker and make labels to remind me of this stuff. But even then, the labels get dirty.
The battery operated and electric tools definitely are easier to operate. Just affix your power source and turn it on! However, for a one acre lot that could be tough, making gas powered a better choice-IF you have labels.
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Post by Handy on Aug 14, 2019 19:45:38 GMT -5
2 stroke=gas-oil mix 4 stroke= gas only but check the oil (different cap).
Depending on how warm or cold the engine or ambient temperature is, that determines how my times I push the primer bulb or how much choke (enrich the air fuel mixture). This doesn't always work so I only have spark plugs finger tight and when something does not start, I remove the spark plug to see if it is wet or dry and look at the spark plug's tip color. No, I never had a spark plug come lose even though they were only finger tight. Maybe I have strong fingers.
If the tip is black, I use a propane torch to burn off the black carbon deposits. Hold the spark plug with a pliers and heat the tip where the spark jumps the gap. It takes several minuets to burn off the carbon if the spark plug is black. I used to use a sand-blaster to clean spark plugs but for me the torch works better. BTW, you can get a nasty burn from a HOT spark plug so have a spray bottle with water in it and spray the spark plug after you burned off the excess carbon. Tools: Propane torch spark plug wrench pliers spray bottle of water
People have brought me several of their problem lawn care devices. I get most running but not always.
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Post by greatcoastal on Aug 15, 2019 17:22:30 GMT -5
I've been mowing 10 or so, lawns every week now for 6 yrs. I've owned a Shindawa M242 weed eater (with a seperate edging attachment) all this time. A 2 cycle. It has outperformed all others. I paid double the cost of cheaper brands. I went to a lawn mower sales shop that sells commercial grade equipment.
Another bonus is all the attachments that I can use on it. (chain saw, blower, hedge trimmer, etc...)
I did take the route of the cheapest leaf blower that Lowes sold. ( 2 cycle gas powered) ( always use non ethanol) and paid an extra $10 for a 2 yr warranty. I think I went through 5 of them? They would last about a year. When it worked it was more than sufficient. Yet every one would ,one day, not start,and I would get another one. Then buy a warranty.
Recently I bought an Echo brand ( double the price) and expect it to last as long ( or longer than) as my weed whacker has.
An electric would be out of the question. Far to many obstacles, and time is a factor.
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Post by Handy on Aug 15, 2019 19:29:59 GMT -5
Electric is nice for smaller lawns but I have too much work for even a couple of batteries.
I bought a used Echo trimmer and really like it.
String trimmer in the UK = strimmer or you do strimming from what I heard.
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