Trimmers - discussion/pics

Hmm - The FSA 57 itself is not attachment capable, but hold up, that's not a deal breaker. When buying into a battery platform, the BATTERY itself is the most important thing, not the motor/tool. It looks like Stihl has been hard at work on the AK system. The AK platform is pretty slick, priced lower and more compact than the AP (pro) stuff and still offers excellent quality tools. The KombiMotor on that platform is the KMA 80 R - and that uses the same KM attachment suite the homeowner and professional gas (or battery) powerheads use. But I'm not so sure I'd go for the KombiMotor right away. One of the best things about battery equipment is that it doesn't mind sitting around. You can have a fleet of (infrequently used) dedicated tools with their own motors, and simply pass a couple batteries around to power the fleet. Trying that with gas equipment is a recipe for funding your mechanic's early retirement. So for the one or two most frequently used handheld tools, ie: A trimmer and an edger, I'd probably buy dedicated tools for those so I can leave handle positions optimized and enjoy a lighter weight unit for those tasks. Then buy a Kombi to run whatever else, like a polesaw, hedgetrimmer, cultivator, etc.

 

The FS85 is a classic and I wish I had one (in R trim). I trimmed MILES of fence line and laneway with one. That's what we graduated to after the old Echo SRM2501's started to die off. The FS110 and FS110R, along with the FS85 and 85R, are all solid shaft units. At the time of the FS110R coming out (it was the first of the 4-Mix engines to be released), the FS85RX was available and that was a hollow shaft unit as it was intended to be a string trimmer only. RX trimmers (like the FS85RX, FS100RX, and the current FS111RX) have hollow shafts and in the case of the latter two, a lightweight gearhead and guard which takes a LOT of weight off the business end of the unit, at the expense of blade or attachment capability.

Stihl uses three different types of driveshafts, cable (flexible), rigid/hollow, rigid/solid. The cable shaft units are typically the curved shaft models and lower power straight shafts like the FS55R/56R, FS80R, FS94R, not sure what the FS70R has but I'd venture it's a cable shaft too. Surprisingly enough the FS90R and the FS91R are solid shafts and only the FS85RX, FS100RX and the FS111RX utilize the hollow shaft.

I have an FS110R at home, and even 15 years later (admittedly under light use) it's in great shape and runs strong.

 

Wouldn't Crossbow smoke 'em pretty easily? Especially spiked with some glyphosate. Yeah, it's 2,4-D (and triclopyr, which is the real magic) but neither are the worst chemicals I can think of to use. Metsulfuron-methyl (MSM) would be devastating on Ailanthus but that certainly qualifies as "nasty stuff" as it is quite notorious for spray drift and unintended soil activity clearing out all woody shrubs/trees within a significant radius.

 

Decoding Stihl model numbers:



FS = Handheld Trimmer/Brush Cutter
xxx = Model number

(no suffix) = Bike Handles, which are considered the "standard" by European manufacturers due to inherent safety and ergonomic characteristics.
R = Loop handle
RX = Loop handle (I believe it's a slightly different style from the R loop handle too), lightweight (String and PolyCut heads only)

So an FS 85 was the bike-handle version of the FS 85, The FS 85 R (most popular by far) has the standard D-Shaped loop handle, and the FS 85 RX was a loop handled trimmer with a hollow driveshaft to reduce front-end weight. IIRC, the only difference between the 85 R and the 85 RX was the hollow driveshaft. Even converted a few back to solid shafts for commercial customers (that didn't want the then unproven FS 110 R) after the 85 R was discontinued but RX models were still readily available. Lighter than running an 85 T (Later renamed the KM 85 (yes, you could get a KM with bike handles at one time!) and KM 85 R) and the cost to do so was pretty reasonable. $40 drive shaft IIRC. It's been 20 years! The other way to build an FS 85 R (after Phase II EPA regs took effect) was to swap shafts on an FS 80 R (same engine!) and that was also a popular conversion as LOTS of FS 80 R's were sold vs the pricier FS 85 R. Inevitably, someone would push the cable shaft a bit too far with an aggressive blade and need a service replacement. The flex shaft was lifetime warranty, but not if an "unapproved" blade or attachment was used. So, we'd suggest a solid shaft to go back with as a replacement. There were more differences between the FS 110 R and the FS 100 RX, with the lighter gearbox, smaller guard, and different handle in addition to the hollow driveshaft. Same story for the current FS 111 R and FS 111 RX. What I can't figure out is why we don't have an FS 94 RX as everything else on the FS 94 R is optimized for light-trimming, but it lacks the hollow shaft and light weight front-end components the FS 111 RX has while still being lighter overall. Just not up front where you'd feel it the most.