Trimmers - discussion/pics

I used to hate trimmers until my cousin asked me to fix her stihl fs45, or close to that number. It needed a carb kit and the exhaust screen was clogged up. I removed the screen and fixed the carb and it ran like a champ. I may have reamed the muffler hole just a bit. I picked one up for myself last year and did the same thing. It makes a big difference in power and it revs right up.

 

I’ve thought about doing a muffler mod and knocking the limiter tabs off on mine, runs just ok, kinda boggy coming off idle. Maybe this weekend

 

I have a Stihl FS 80 that has served me well over the last 20 or so years.

 

I muffler mod everything ope. Even my Honda powered mantis Mini tiller. Its even got a velocity stack and high performance three stage oiled foam filter. It definitely made a noticeable difference after tuning the carb. If nothing else a muffler mod gets more heat out which isn't a bad thing for the engine.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1Mj5cx2RmkqvESp58

 

Sounds a lot better than stock. Most of my ope is modded. Impeller kit in the snowblower (will throw snow onto the barn roof), muffler mods on 2 strokes if not ported, and adjustable carbs on everything. Some people think I am nuts, but my neighbor loves it.

 

Lol. You sound like me. I can't leave most things alone.

 

That tiller sounds awesome!

 

I had no idea impeller kits existed! That might be a fun project on my 1980’s Snapper 826 snowblower.

 

Thanks bud. And it still starts in 1-2 pulls down into the 50's with no choke. It was in the original air filter box. Those parts are from the large scale RC car world.

 

My beloved Husky acted up on me last week. Developed a miss after almost an hours running. Gave it a new plug and everything seems good. A buddy came and helped me do some weedeating yesterday. So weird getting so much done so fast. His boy was riding the trails while we worked.

 

I'm running an oil test survivor trimmer on 25:1 peanut oil mix to see what happens. 2 tanks in of the 1.25 gallons I have mixed up.

 

I weld in steel, but some bolt in rubber for a tighter clearance. Either way it will theow snow over the neighbor's house and onto the next roof. I have to be careful.

 

Dusted off the old Echo to cut some brush that I let get out of hand. The Brush Destructor blade works extremely well. Weight of this trimmer was felt very quickly...forgot my strap.

 

Here's an update on trimmer line since I tried several brands this season. All lines are .105 and bought from Amazon. I only used the Husky 335R this time.

Husqvarna Titanium- I used this for years and finished off a roll left over from last year. It was the shortest lasting. It didn't cut at low speeds like around rocks and fenceline. I had to keep the rpms up and that resulted in the line not lasting.

Rotary Black Vortex- performed very much like the Husqvarna but it did last longer. When I was in the tall weeds and didn't have to worry about rocks this was great.

MaxPower Twisted- my new favorite! At slow speeds it still cuts. I can run slow around rocks or fenceline and it will cut without wearing out the line. Worked great in the tall grass and destroyed the 6' tall thistle patch. I just wish it was available in a drum.

Hope this helps!

 

The max power won Project Farm's shootouts if recall. Pretty sure thats what I'm using because of the vids.

Yep, went out and looked. Max power twisted is what I'm using.

 

I like the Echo orange line becuase it will cut at low speed but is durable enough to handle 7/16 brush stems easily. Nice clean cut on grass also.



I just tried something new to me other day. Traditionally when I spool the line, I lay it on the drum with it's natural curve from being in a roll. I flipped it and went against the curve. Instead of the line laying away from direction of cut, it laid towards it. Made it a fair bit more aggressive. The swept away method is much better for horse fence or the like...less breakage. Just a goofy experiment I thought I'd share.

 

Laid down some grass with the FS110 last week. Used the tri blade. Waited two days flipped it once with a pitchfork, was dry two days later. Forked it into the bed of the pickup, probably got an hour into it. I hate spending the time and gas $ to do this 1/2 acre every week. Might continue if I have time and no rain.

Haze from the Canada wild fires.



Fair amount of waste.






Feeding it out to the animals loose.


That 4 mix engine is interesting, it wants all throttle or idle and just lugs through most anything.

 

I'm going to try that- thanks for the idea!

 

Inherited dad’s FS45. Had to put a new carb on it and it popped right off. Gotta love that germanese engineering.



I’m considering getting an FS50 or a straight shaft version (FS91) the FS45 has been superseded by the FS40 and the FS50 is a slightly longer shaft.

I got my dad to put a couple hunks of nylon string into a bucket of water since it was suggested to make the string a bit more durable. We’ll see in July when I get home in three weeks.

 

Spent about an hour in some light brush on Saturday. After running an Echo 225 last week, my Husky feels like a high performance machine. Love that husky! I did put paws on a Husky 525 other day just to see what they are about and was impressed. More motor than my 223, but also a little more weight. Not sure I like the 'ergonomic' trigger grip on the new one...feels wobbly in the hand to me. (this is how they reduce vibes)