Weed Trimmer Selection (1 Viewer)

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IIRC the t270 and t272 are the very same engine.

They T272 is only an upgraded T270. Commercial guys that like to use blades or run the engine without a guard (2ft of trimmer line) eat up clutches like college students go through cheap beer.

The T270 has a padded clutch shoe. The T272 has solid metal shoes. Therefore you don't have the issue with the pads wearing out and overexpanding the clutch spring and breaking.

When i get a T270 in with a bad clutch i always replace it with a T272 clutch.

The last Shindiawa meeting i went to (i'm a dealer/certified shindiawia tech) they informed me that they were the same engine. Then again it could have been the all the drinking the night before affecting my memory.

This was before they brought out the T242 and other models replacing the t230/260/270/272

Shindiawia is a better trimmer hands down than any of the equal Stihl 4mix counterpart. Valves don't like carbon build up...2cycle fuel=carbon build up.

Echo and Shindiawia are now the same company, hopefully Echo's equipment will improve and Shindiawias will not drop

i possibly still have some overstock of the phased out shindiawia trimmers...if your looking for one let me know and i'll check my inventory. Trying to hold onto some of these as long as possible.
 
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the removal of the pads in the T272 has taken care of those issues...no pad to wear out causing clutch spring to over expand.

If you keep the guard on them or keep your string at 6" you won't be having clutch issues anyway.


The problem comes from no guard and running 2ft of string.
 
Well I just bought a Stihl FS-90R from reading ths thread. All I can say is wow! This trimmer rocks! Wish I had bought it years ago.

The Sthil replaced a troy-bilt 4 stoke TB465SS. The old trimmer had vibration issues straight out of the box. The final issue that had me replace the trimmer was siezed bearings in the head. After taking apart the trimmers head the bearings were just plan crap. The local Troy bilt/MTD dealer only would sell the entire head not just the bearings... In the end costomer service was the final straw.

Thanks for posting all for the information D'animal.
 
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Echo owner here. Might try Stihl in the future. Depends on how long my Echo lasts.
 
Another Stihl FS-80 owner; great machine.

Picked up a FS-55 at an auction for $35; looked to have been used once. Cranked and ran perfectly but had a serious vibration. Local dealer removed the line head and replaced it with style used on the 80; problem solved, no vibration. Gave the 55 to my son in law; now he is hooked on Stihl
 
I owned an Echo not that long ago but got tired of taking it in for service - usual in this order: won't start, carb rebuilding, won't start...When they go, they go quickly.

I now own a stihl fs110 bike mount and love it. D knows what to get and was very helpful with questions about them. It is night and day. I never thought the bike mount would be that beneficial until I got use to it. It is the bomb!
 
Stihl vs echo

Hi guys,
Took back my crappy toro weed eater and got a refund because I constantly had to rethread the line, a common complaint.
I have about 1/2 acre in a subdivision and cut about one a week. Am looking at a husqvarna 128b with detachable shaft vs echo pas-225.
The husqvarna is a bit cheaper and I really like their products as I have a 125b blower.
Any thoughts between the two?
Sorry title is wrong, should be echo vs husqvarna
 
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How many hours a week?
First of all, I would recommend a straight shaft if it is the the only work is knocking down grass/ brush and weeds. Second, trimmer head selection, quality of line, and size will make a huge difference.
If it were me, I would check out a Stihl FS 80R or 90R with the Autocut head for your needs. Or if you are totally bent on a Husky, a 323L with the T-35 (but the head sucks).
Stihl has better customer service and parts availability, do you have a dealer close?
 
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We are talking 30 min of use per week. I need something with a detachable head so I can switch out to something else.
Just need it for edging, etc.

How many hours a week?
First of all, I would recommend a straight shaft if it is the the only work is knocking down grass/ brush and weeds. Second, trimmer head selection, quality of line, and size will make a huge difference.
If it were me, I would check out a Stihl FS 80R or 90R with the Autocut head for your needs. Or if you are totally bent on a Husky, a 323L with the T-35 trimmer head.
Stihl has better customer service and parts availability, do you have a dealer close?
 
If you want to compair the Husvarna vs the echo, look for a Husqvarna 326L. They are pretty good solid units. Echo is having problems with their newest generation such as the SRM 280 holding up. They are lasting less than one year in a commercial enviroment. The gearheads on the Husvarna are better built than the Echo gearboxes.
 
Quite honestly for a average homeowner just using it a few hours a month just go pick out whatever commercial grade(Shindaiwa, Red Max, Stihl, etc) feels the best to you and has local support and you'll likely be happy for years. That level of equipment is so far beyond the cheap homeowner junk it's not even funny---like a jeep vs a cruiser.....:D
 
FS 130R by far the best reliable machine for "last minute client" showing up in 2 days.

Saved my butt on numerous occations, including today...
 
My Husquevarna trimmer is still running strong after 4 years-cultivator attachment and pole saw. I did buy this before I knew how good Stihl was-that's my next chain saw for sure.
 
If you're not already invested in a few interchangeable heads ... look at the Stihl Kombi .... I have been very happy with mine a KM130 which has been running a pole saw, power scythe, blower, trimmer and recently, an edger (new this year and yet to be "baptized") ... no complaints other than with the steel extension pole you get a good upper body workout!! I use the power scythe, inverted, to trim up the 1/2 dozen or more mature willows as well. They look a lot better when they are all uniformly cut at about 8 ft and the grass seems to do a little better under them.

It seems to me that one distinguishing (and common) difference between a home owner trimmer and a commercial/hard use unit is the steel shaft vs wrapped wire.
 
Dan,

I'm looking at my options for a modular trimmer & edger. Is the KM 56 powerful enough to easily run both the curved and straight-shaft edgers? What is are the differences between the straight shaft and the curved shaft KM edger attachments?
 
The KM. 56 is a great unit. It has the torque to handle either edger, or any other attachment in the Kombi line up.
The difference between the straight and curved edger attachments is personal preference. The straight shafted one has a different gear ratio that gives it more torque. With the added torque, it spins the blade about 1,200 RPM slower than the curved one.
Edging for the first time, the straight shaft will cut right through the sod with no problems at all. Some companies that install "invisible fence" actually use the straight shaft unit to cut the slot fire the wire.
If you already have established edge, you will find the curved shaft is faster.
 
The KM. 56 is a great unit. It has the torque to handle either edger, or any other attachment in the Kombi line up.
The difference between the straight and curved edger attachments is personal preference. The straight shafted one has a different gear ratio that gives it more torque. With the added torque, it spins the blade about 1,200 RPM slower than the curved one.
Edging for the first time, the straight shaft will cut right through the sod with no problems at all. Some companies that install "invisible fence" actually use the straight shaft unit to cut the slot fire the wire.
If you already have established edge, you will find the curved shaft is faster.
 
Buy whatever you can get GOOD service and parts locally
With the crazy early winter storm we had last year I bought all new Stihl equipment and couldn't be happier.
Fs-110 trimmer replaced my home use Troy built crap.

Not a lot of experience with husky or echo, I used friends briefly to try them out before I bought the fs-110
I went with Stihl because of the service,supplies and parts easily available from 7am-7pm at my local ace when I do need them.

Reliability of any of the equipment has been a non issue in the first year of hard use.
I also chose the FS-110 because you can put the metal and poly blades on for clearing land and brush.

Proud owner of;
Fs-110 trimmer
131 pole saw
Ms291 saw
Top handle ms192 saw (my favorite) great trail saw!
Hs56c hedge trimmer
Bg86c handheld blower
 
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