OK some of this is news to me. I have an EGO trimmer with the standard, quite terrible, bump head. It's really quit good other than that.
EGO sells other heads. Can I just buy one and put it on? They sell many many different styles. Any ideas? The EGO website isn't much help.
https://egopowerplus.com/15-inch-rapid-reload-replacement-string-trimmer-head/
I have 3 at present.
As far as motors, if its all close to home, go electric. Never worry about anything other than extension cords. If you need to roam, go 4 cycle. 2 strokes just always seem to gum up so quickly / have running problems and the 4 stroke has a lot less trouble for me.
As far as heads. I have yet to have a string head I like. I figured out that the bottom shafts were cross compatable between the deere and toro and one has a solid metal blade that I use for non-hard object adjacent trimming. (like under the trailer) and I swap out for the string head for hard object stuff. I hate the string head and am watching if theres one I can swap on that works worth a damn.
Probably the only tool where I'd recommend battery-powered over its gas-powered brethren. Unfortunately, they will damage vinyl and other fragile objects. I much prefer spraying agent orange or some other vegetation killer once or twice a year rather than constantly trimming. Deadly chemicals are your friend here.
tuna55 said:OK some of this is news to me. I have an EGO trimmer with the standard, quite terrible, bump head. It's really quit good other than that.
EGO sells other heads. Can I just buy one and put it on? They sell many many different styles. Any ideas? The EGO website isn't much help.
https://egopowerplus.com/15-inch-rapid-reload-replacement-string-trimmer-head/
I would bet you can. I purchased a "universal" one to use with my Kobalt 80V trimmer. The package had a few different washers and such to make it compatible with multiple brands.
Only took a few minutes to remove the old one and install the new one.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shakespeare-Push-N-Load-Trim-Head/3381658
Maybe consider a grass clipper instead of a string trimmer. Here's one, but there are other brands.
https://www.zoro.com/sun-joe-electric-grass-trimmer-2-in-1-72v-red-hj605cc-red/i/G3490468/
In reply to stuart in mn :
Our yard is too big and...jungle-like(?) for anything corded.
I have a set of Ryobi 40v yard tools, and other than charger failures they work well for how much I avoid yard work.
In the past 10 years since I've owned my house, I've had 3 different trimmers:
Craftsman: This one was cheap and had a bump head. A pain to re-string, but it ran ok. Gave it away once I got...
Troy-Bilt: My dad found this one and gave it to me. Looked nearly new. Guy said it didn't run. I put fresh fuel in it and it ran great, still does. This one has a head that you press a button, slide the line through, and it locks in. Super simple. May convert this one to a blade because...
Echo: Another dad freebie.This one is the one I use most now. Guy threw it away because "the handle was loose". Yes, the handle with a wing nut! I saw the same machine for almost $200 at Home Depot. The head is even easier to load: you cut two pieces of line and slide it through one of two holes. No buttons to push; it auto locks once you push it through. When it gets chewed up, you just pull the stub through the other side.
My biggest problem is the line itself. I have this stuff:
It is TERRIBLE. I usually can't get through a full job without loading the trimmer 2-3 times. I really need to get some better line.
Personally I hate grass. It's a stupid crop. All it does is create work. I much prefer concrete. I do recognize that, even in my own house I'm in the minority with that opinion.
If you're going to maintain grass then a trimmer is one of the places where it pays to buy better tools. I bought my wife a stihl trimmer about 10 years ago and other than a spark plug change or two I haven't touched the thing since its purchase.
In reply to APEowner :
I just keep making less grass to deal with. More garage, more house, more gravel, more garden, more wood chips.
In reply to Patrick (Forum Supporter) :
We really don't have much grass, certainly not what counts for grass up north. But I have random tiny stems that'll be a foot tall 2-days after I mow.
I used to be a hard core Stihl person, but the past few years, I have really taken a shine to Echo equipment. Seems slightly less finicky about starting and seems to use a lot less fuel; personal opinion, still wouldn't say no to Stihl.
I assume the "push the line through" trimmer head is or similar to the Echo speed-feed head, which basically ranks right up there with sliced bread for making life simply more pleasant.
I am reducing the amount of small ICE engines and their maintenance needs as I am able. As such I ended up with this 5# B&D battery powered trimmer that I can keep with me on the rider and operate 1 handed if I need. It's gone up from $85 at the beginning of the season. Comes with two batteries so you get an hour of runtime total
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B019Z72FN8/
I use these replacement spools. The first spool lasted probably 3 hours
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RZ5BN78/
Works fine for maintenance. Worked okay for clearing the undergrowth in my woods. Does edging too, which I didn't know my wife would like so much, but she does so +
Those are the same spools I use in my B&D trimmer. I'm still on #2 I believe and I have now lived hever a little over 7 years
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to stuart in mn :
Our yard is too big and...jungle-like(?) for anything corded.
I have a set of Ryobi 40v yard tools, and other than charger failures they work well for how much I avoid yard work.
The clipper I posted is battery powered. The main point was it's a clipper, and not a string trimmer.
APEowner said:Personally I hate grass. It's a stupid crop. All it does is create work. I much prefer concrete. I do recognize that, even in my own house I'm in the minority with that opinion.
If you're going to maintain grass then a trimmer is one of the places where it pays to buy better tools. I bought my wife a stihl trimmer about 10 years ago and other than a spark plug change or two I haven't touched the thing since its purchase.
I have a kobalt 40v that I hated how the string worked. I could never get it to load properly and shakespeare discontinued their head for it. After months of trolling ebay search, I finally got one. Worth every penny. Like you though, APE, I have been slowly minimizing the amount of trimming I have to do, the pavers from the big box stores do a wonderful job of keeping the grass (weeds) away from the house and fence and I cut them into the ground so I can just pop two wheels of the mower over them without worry.
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Patrick (Forum Supporter) :
We really don't have much grass, certainly not what counts for grass up north. But I have random tiny stems that'll be a foot tall 2-days after I mow.
I mean....this screams "goat" to me but I see you can't go there.
Maybe find a small-ish neighbor child and give said chitlin a weed whacker and whatever sum of money is required for child labor these days?
My wife and I have been partial to corded string trimmers - they're close to maintenance free except the line. The one we'd used for years (she had it before we got married) broke last year. I first tried to replace it with a Weed-Eater and it was junk. So I went to the local commercial mower shop and bought a Stihl - it took me a while to get my head around how to wind the string, but it's OK now that I have it figured out. The difference between a Stihl or other expensive brand and a cheap big box store trimmer is huge - like the gap between a plasitc Sunbeam mixer and a Kitchenaid, or the cheapest welder at Harbor Freight and an industrial size Miller. Good trimmers are worth the extra cost.
Do you have a particular cordless tool brand that you prefer? Try looking to see if they make a trimmer that uses the same batteries. I know Dewalt and Milwaukee make some. I've been looking longingly at the Milwaukee one as I already have a battery for it, but I also have a Stihl FS90R already, but batteries are just easier than gas.
In reply to RX8driver :
Totally. Personally, I'm very bummed that Rigid has such a slim offering of yard tools.
For me it was a really big problem for a lot of years. I have hated even this word - garden (unlike my wife, who persuaded me to buy a small territory for it. First three years we used huge lawn mowers and pruning shears, it was something similar to torture. After it we tried string trimmers, but it didn't make the situation more easy (how I had hoped before), because the charge did not last long and it didn't have a torque-heavy drive system which should help you to maintain consistent speed under load and deal with challenging cutting applications. Thanks God that this year I have found the best cordless trimmer blower combo, hope that it will help you too
I'll follow up on the canoe revived discussion. I've had a kobalt 80v trimmer for long enough to wear out two heads. Probably close to 3 years.
I've got a few attachments for it too (reciprocating pole saw, chain pole saw, edger). I really like it.
For the trimmer head, I have one that you push a 10 foot or so piece through the center, then wind it up. Bump feed. Got to replace the head periodically.
XLR99 (Forum Supporter) said:I hate them too, but I discovered last year that it's worth it to buy a nicer one. My son has been doing landscaping in the summers the past few years, so his standards for equipment are higher than mine. After lots of ridicule and 'If you buy another cheap trimmer I'm not using it', I went and got a Stihl FS91R from the local dealer. Apparently it came with the 'good head
' which the cro-magnon new guys on his crew can't kill, so he was actually impressed. It was $325, but will most likely outlive me in home use.
I do like the goats idea, in part because it would cause my Spenderella neighbor to completely flip out.
This. I sell the fs91 in particular frequently. I will walk homeowners directly to it over the 56 and the 70 all day. It's an excellent machine.
I'm bringing this back up specifically to talk about line.
I have been using Star shaped precut .110 craftsman line in my 17" head. I waste about half the piece wrapping it through so it doesn't fly out right away.
This is expensive and only at Lowes.
I wanna buy a big spool, but can't find any Star shaped.
How are people liking twist and square line?
I'll never go back to round. I'm not sure if I can just put the blades on this particular head or if other heads are available. Trimmerplus 17" straight shaft trimmer.
Even trimming twice a month I get some pretty thick and heavy duty weeds around the property, and lots of viney bushes, so I'm looking for some heavy duty stuff. Somewhere in the garage is a kit to put circular saw blades on it, but that might be over kill.
I use square in .095 (I think). Cuts well for grass and light brush (blackberries and such), generally feeds well.
On mine you jam the end in a little hole in the head spool and then bend it to wrap the opposite direction. I've never lost line from it until I was down below 12" left.
I bought a Stihl trimmer, a basic one, and it has been working great for years. I used to replace my el-cheapo one from the big box every year, now I take my Stihl to the dealer every other year for a $20 tune-up and it keeps it in tip-top shape.
For line, mine uses three swivels that you feed a loop of line through. I much prefer this over the bump feed. Every bump feed I ever owned jammed with each bump and required 25 minutes to untangle and re-thread. F-that. I buy a spool of good line, spend 20 minutes cutting it into strips, then I am good to go for a few seasons. Takes about 1 min to replace all three lines.
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