String Trimmer OCD?

Is it justified? After burning up a string of cheap and cheerful trimmers, I bought a straight shaft Echo trimmer a couple years ago and it was like the first time I got my hands on a pro saw. Eventually came the move to .095 line and now I am wondering what is next. Is there a place in the line up for a string trimmer set up with blades or is the application for it so narrow that it is a waste? Right now anything I can't take with the trimmer gets hit with a Fiskars heavy brush blade or the 50cc saw.

 

Hello and welcome to the club! I have a Stihl FS 85 that I do the normal trimming around the house and my mother's house with. I also have a FS 250 that I primarily use around the perimeter of my 10 acre lot, as well as helping my brother with his acreage. I have a chisel tooth saw blade, a tri-blade grass knife, and the plastic swing knife head.

I find the loop handle on the 85 perfect for jobs where you have manhandle the trimmer or need to finesse around obstacles. As an exmple, I did the 600' ditch in front of the property today. The sides of the ditch are 3-4 feet above the bottom and it is very rocky. I have to move the trimmer all over to get the job done.

When I walk around the property, I use the 250 with the harness and bike handles. All I have to do is swing it back and forth as fast as I can walk.

I think I will pick up the trimmer shaft for my Kombi-toll soon. That way I can have the plastic knives set up on that.

 

Brush cutter head swap is very easy for me, maybe 5 minutes if that.

 

So where is the one I have in the food chain? http://www.echo-usa.com/Products/Trimmers/SRM-230

I don't have a brush hog any more but the decks on the F910 and F1145 do a pretty good job as long as I don't go after trees with them I'm working at the house to get everything pushed back and graded to minimize trimming. That should mean that once I am done 99% of it gets maintained from inside the cab. The perimeter of all the open areas at the camp as well as around all the granite sticking through the lawn is always going to require the trimmer even with the front deck mower. This usually means hitting with the string trimmer a least a couple times a year and then hitting the stuff on the perimeter that gets beyond string diameter with the saw. As it is all mature forest, I get a lot of small stuff leaning in to the clear for sunlight that quickly goes beyond what the trimmer will take down. That is where I am thinking the blades may come into play as it takes a long time to walk the perimeter with the saw. The forest roads get hit with the back blade every few years as they are wide enough to break the canopy and get overgrown.

I inherited a big ole Shindaiwa with the shoulder harness, bike handles and blade kit but it hasn't been used in probably 25 years and is going to need some love. Motor displacement looks to be about 10% more and it is definitely built a lot heavier. http://www.shindaiwa-usa.com/getattachment/f4c8d5b6-d84c-412c-bc45-b2e34cb336ea/C25 C35 T25e_030187.pdf. I don't really need another project but it looks like the two of these might be the right combo to cut my maintenance time down?

 

I have a Stihl FS 85 as well. Stihl's website says it's 25 cc's. 98% of the time it's used just as a string trimmer, but occasionally I'll swap out for a tri-blade shown below. It only takes a few minutes to sway heads and it takes care of saplings up to 1". I so rarely use the tri blade that it's be more trouble than it's worth maintaining 2 trimmers. But I guess if you're using it every week I guess you could justify it.

 

I'm definitely not a trimming every week kind of guy...I'm usually taking waist high stuff down other than trimming around the granite outcroppings to reduce potential damage to the mower. I'll give that thing a go. My motor is a little smaller than that but seems to have plenty of snot. The stuff that is left after I hit it with string probably only needs to be hit a couple times a year so the swap probably makes a lot more sense than maintaining two machines.

 

Welcome solar and wind...I recognize you from somewhere else

 

Muffler mod? It sure helped my Husqvarna 326. But then the outlet on it was about the size of a cooked grain of rice.

Get that Shindaiwa running again. I still have a t-20 that runs for a backup, but don't use it much.

 

Ha...here! We joined the same week in '13. I have been on hiatus as I have been on the road every week this year for work until last week.

 

I plan on it when I have some time to spare. I really like how that thing is built and I don't think it has many hours on it. It also has the cutter kit with a bunch of blades.

 

Haha. I didnt look when you joined. Thought it was here but from someone elses post I thought you were new.

 

I have a cheapo home depo special. The like $70 I did a muffler modd on that to triple the outlet and it actually makes those cheap units where you can use them on normal smaller trim jobs.

 

Drive shaft is listed as 4 layer cable on the Echo. My rule to date has been that if .095 string can take it down its fair game. This generally means all weeds, grape vines and new growth on bushes/trees. It gets warm doing it and loads down a little bit but never comes close to stalling. Is that too aggressive?

The blade kit on the Shindy is 8" saw....one looks like a plywood blade and the other more like a framing blade.

 

Yea I weed eat my fair share of wire fence...chain link and goat type!!

 

I have just started spraying all the fence lines with glyphosate. I now have a boarder around everything. At first it looks bad to you once you get use to it...not that bad. I barely break out a weed eater anymore

 

Do you worry about leaving behind that Roundup on a regular basis?