So I had an old craftsman weed wacker. It bit the dust.. I bought another craftsman and it was a piece of junk.

I gues the string spool dont turn while idleing anymore.. This is something I did not know that they changed.. So to run the new weed whacker you need to run full speed.

So I returned it.

I then went to the home store and bought a troy built.. Got that home and low and behold the thing spun the wrong direction from my craftsman. It spun CCW instead of clockwise.

After triming the yard with it I finally figured this out as I was picking rocks and debris out of my leg.. What a dumb design to make the spool spin CCW..

So I returned it..

Now I am at a delema.. What should I get..

I think I am going back to craftsman but get an upgraded model better then 24cc. Someone said I should try the echo units from the home store.

I dont know what way the echos turn as I did not see them yet..

Sears is having a sale and I could get a 4 cycle unit..

Are 4 cycles better then the 2 cycles?

This one here.. I have to go look to see which way this spins as the picture shows the line cutter on both sides of the shield..

Sears.com

Actually I threw my old one out so I did not even look to see what cc it was..

I dont know what to get really..

Sears.com

 

I bought an Echo from the Depot several years ago. It's been a great performer. Always starts.
It's line reel does not spin at idle.

 

If you get a curved shaft it will spin clockwise if you get a straight shaft it will spin counter clockwise. Most all trimmers will not spin at idle, some low end models spin because they do not have a clutch, they save money by not putting a clutch in they. Have a good one. Geo

 

Bought a Stihl thinking it would be good, but needs a new carb or rebuild every year. Their excuse is the ethanol in the gas. Got tired of the hard or no start and went electric. Second year and has never failed to start. I refill the line spools and learned it advances the line every time you pull the trigger, so I just keep it spinning most of the time. Yes, I drag around a long power cord, but I don't need anything longer than 200'

Post what you get and let us know how you like it.

Bud

Just checked, 7.2 amps very powerful for electric. B&D curved shaft and CW.

 

I try to plan around using anything other than the mower, so don't use mine a lot, but have had good luck with Echo as well. My curved shaft Echo is close to 20 years old, my straight shaft Echo is 8-10 years old, and they both start and run great.

 

My old one was straight shaft and spun cw . I'm not sure that holds true.

 

Husqvarna 28 cc and up is the best bet IMHO. My wife will not get rid of hers for any amount of money. Always starts on 2nd pull. Our local True value hardware store is a Husky dealer. My 2 came from the scrap yard and are still running.

 

That is different, must have had another gear in the trim head, since the engine normal turns clockwise, to get the straight shaft they add a gear at the end to mesh with the clockwise rotation which then turns counterclockwise. Have a good one. Geo

 

Lets ask specific questions/...


2 stroke or 4 stroke? I never owned a 4 stroke weed wacker...

 

Unless you are doing fence lines on pasture, or miles of edging go ELECTRIC!!! And be done with it.

 

I personally would never own any two-cycle engine. Having to mix oil with the gasoline is just plain crap as far as I am concerned. Then again, having ANY gasoline engines (and having to store gasoline) is just not something I want to do.

I echo the suggestions to get an electric IF you can find a heavy-duty model. My Weedeater (brand) model 509 would still be going strong if I could find a replacement head. I bought this in the late '70s or early '80s and it was just a couple of years ago that the head broke. Alas, nobody has a replacement head that is specifically listed to fit. I bought a replacement head about a month ago, thinking I could modify it and that is when I found out that not all trimmers turn clockwise. I also found out that instead of having a 5/8 inch diameter threaded shaft on my Weedeater, it has a 3/8 inch threaded shaft with a 5/8 inch adapter. This is promising IF I can find a universal head that turns clockwise.

Last Wednesday my sister's kid (he's 36 ) came over and worked in my yard. He tried using the itty-bitty 12 inch Weedeater (I don't off hand remember the model number) and it burnt up on him. I then set up the 24 volt Ryobi trimmer I modified to use with my electric riding mower and it worked fine for him until it ran out of string. This Ryobi originally used a Lithium battery but I was able to buy just the trimmer without battery or charger for a good price and then made a plastic piece to use instead of the battery and to hold the power cord. I have about forty feet of cord on it and I just rolled out the battery bank on the cart and away he went.

 

I prefer 2-stroke. Less parts to go bad, lighter weight, faster rpm. Echo is good. The cheap little weedeater featherlites turn while idling and clockwise. Most curved shaft trimmers do.

 

Several years ago my wife went out and bought a craftsman 4 cycle weedeater. I was skeptical when she brought it home but it has preformed well. I don't burn ethanol gas in my small engines, there are several stores that sell pure gas and even though it's higher priced - it's not like you are filling up your car/truck.

 

Another vote for Echo 2 stroke. I don't use mine much, so I run the premixed gas.
Steve

 

I vote for Husqvarna. Compare weights if you will be using it for a long period of time. Adjust the position of the deflector shield to keep the rocks away from your leg.

I found that when I changed from a clockwise trimmer to a counter-clockwise, I needed to walk in the opposite direction when trimming along the curb. Just what works best for me.

Good luck with your choice.

 

HA. see my rant here:

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/ge...ml#post2543082

 

My wife CLAIMED she would help with the trimming if only she didn't have to deal with the gas engine. Well--I went right out and bought a Dewalt 20V trimmer that uses the same 20V Max batteries as my tools. She hasn't touched it yet--but I'm loving it. Super light, instant spin-up, bump head that actually works, and Dewalt line is tougher than anything I've ever used. Battery run-time hasn't let me down yet. $130 bare, $199 with 5AH battery & fast charger (+ 1 extra free right now).