What brands for a decent weedwacker?

[NutBucket]

It can't be air tight. It's not like a car with a vapor recovery system and such. It has to have a vent, period.

 

[mindless1]

Per EPA for (however long) the tank cap has an intake air valve. If it's ancient it might get stuck open but otherwise it lets in just the air to displace the fuel.

That air does have whatever moisture amount the environment dictates. It could be an excessive amount. On the other hand it might not be, many people including myself have ran E10 for years and while we don't think it's better, it is still manageable.

Yes you may need to replace fuel lines or a carb diaphragm every 8 years or so, and watch that your fuel for smaller engines isn't aging past a couple months.

It is annoying that we've come to this, but I have not needed fuel stabilizer once, rather I just mix only the amount I'll need (a gallon at a time) and at end of season for seasonal equipment, run the engine to empty the fuel out.

It is more damaging to small engines because they aren't built to the same high (warranty) standards as automotive engines, but things like a fuel line replacement or carb rebuild or gaskets and diaphragm, yeah you have to plan on replacing them. Just don't make the mistake of assuming the whole piece of equipment is shot if all it needs is a carb cleaning, gaskets, and diaphragm. The latter is about $3 and 5 minutes time to replace.

Ultimately, you play the hand you are given. No sense in getting upset about the EPA because they aren't going away.

 

[NetWareHead]

Also be car

It is annoying that we've come to this, but I have not needed fuel stabilizer once, rather I just mix only the amount I'll need (a gallon at a time) and at end of season for seasonal equipment, run the engine to empty the fuel out.

Although I use fuel stabilizer, I also try to purchase small amounts of fuel regularly whereas in the past, I'd purchase one large quantity of fuel in the beginning of the season and draw from that; often by the time I was approaching the end of that stock it was over a year old. Nowadays, if I end up with some gasoline that is approaching a few months old, I dump it into one of the cars so it can be consumed within a week; getting rid of it. The only fuel that I'm forced to keep over winter or for long times is any 2 stroke I mix up that I couldn't burn. I dose it with more stabilizer and burn it as soon as feasible.

 

[rchunter]

I've got a Stihl weed whacker and chainsaw. It's easy to get non ethanol gas around here so that's what I usually buy.

 

[mindless1]

While I try not to have much old 2 cycle gas, when I end up with some I use it to clean greasy parts and as a Goo Gone substitute, to clean sticker/adhesive residue off of things.

That little bit of oil in it helps to keep the goo suspended once the gas dries. Of course I do this outside.

 

[Greenman]

Pardon my ignorance - I've never had a yard to maintain.

Surely ethanol-resistance is universal in today's gasoline-powered equipment, given the prevalence of ethanol taint.
Has the market not adapted to accommodate ethanol??

Or maybe you guys are using old equipment ...

It's the plastic and rubber parts that are used, ethanol hardens them. Most of the 1st world has ethanol free fuel available, so the issue is localized. Here in the bay area E10 is all that's allowed. The upper tier equipment seems to last a bit longer before everything goes south, but it still dies.

 

[NutBucket]

So 20 years on my blower is an aberration? I think not....

 

[herm0016]

i got the echo PAS 230 and love it. pole saw and trimmer for now, more in the future. I have an acre and i just don't have time to F with multiple batteries for one job.

i got a stihl woodboss recently too, i cant seem to figure out why it will only let me run it for one session. i can start/stop for a few hrs cutting trees and brush. take a lunch break and the thing refuses to start till the next morning.

I just pay the price for the cans of premix fuel. every pro guy i have talked to says its worth it for a home gamer that uses there stuff once a week. used about 4 gallons through those 2 machines in the last 2 months, which is quite a bit of runtime.

 

[Greenman]

So 20 years on my blower is an aberration? I think not....

I don't know. I've had 3 chain saws, 2 mowers, and 2 or 3 weed whackers fail over the years. Everyone of them had the same problem, fuel lines and rubber seals were hard as a rock. Most manufacturers say to use ethanol free fuel, I assume there is a reason. The problem isn't limited to small engines, there were a few European motorcycle manufacturers that were having a problem with fuel tanks failing because of E10 fuel.
If the rubber and plastic parts aren't designed for it, they fail. More info here:
http://www.fuel-testers.com/list_e10_engine_damage.html

 

[mindless1]

^ Depends on whether that means with or without repairs. Over the past 20 years the only thing I have thrown away was the lowest-end leaf blower made at the time, which wore its bearings out. Otherwise for 2 cycle equipment there were nickle and dime repairs like fuel lines, primer bulb, magneto, carb diaphragms or gasket sets, pull cord.

My push power is over 20 years old and riding mower almost there. Push mower needed carb cleaning and gasket set, riding mower has needed nothing engine related done to it except that the flywheel bolts came loose and needed tightened.

Granted, I don't recall when the gas stations I frequent, switched to E10 but I'm sure it's been a few years by now. I should also mention that I run 35:1 ratio ashless synthetic oil in 2 cycle equipment, not the 40:1 or 50:1 that everything is rated to take now, but the switch to synthetic oil must have been less than 10 years ago.

 

[NutBucket]

Ok, in that time I've replaced the spark plug a few times, air filter and the fuel cap. Granted I'm far from a pro but I'd say that's pretty good for a Craftsman (which I found out was make by Husqvarna based on the packaging of the replacement fuel cap).

 

[Carson Dyle]

I find it hard to believe that the average homeowner with the typical suburban lawn needs a gas powered trimmer just to do the grass edges of their yard. Unless you're someone who says "I should have weed-whacked the back yard last month. It's getting to be almost two feet high."

 

[mindless1]

I find it hard to believe that the average homeowner with the typical suburban lawn needs a gas powered trimmer just to do the grass edges of their yard. Unless you're someone who says "I should have weed-whacked the back yard last month. It's getting to be almost two feet high."

Are we supposed to try to convince you, or are you coming over tomorrow to trim my yard for me?

Battery powered trimmers are weak compared to my Redmax gas trimmer (and were so weak they could barely do anything years ago when I got the Redmax, or should I throw it in a landfill today and get a battery powered trimmer to replace a perfectly good, superior tool?), and hand sheers just aren't an option. Maybe my yard isn't that magical "average" or "typical", if you want to throw those two qualifiers in then there are a lot of things we can decide away as not needed because there is some other alternative.

I'm fine with you not having a gas powered trimmer if you don't want one. I'm not fine with someone else deciding I shouldn't have something I want, yet that person should get to have something they want that I feel they don't need.

On the other hand, I'm not a fan of the low end, consumer grade 2 cycle equipment including trimmers. Cordless has improved in recent years to the point where a tolerable cordless trimmer costs less than a contractor grade gas trimmer, except that I've already owned my gas trimmer for longer than batteries for a cordless would last so you have to factor for another battery eventually if not an entire new tool and battery.

 

[herm0016]

agree mindless,
I have 500 feet of fence to trim, and a 30 foot pear tree and very large apple tree, plus about 10 50+ foot pines and an aspen grove, black locust, choke cherry, and many junipers. Not sure what carson thinks is avg, but i have not heard anyone else say what they have for property.

my clean up was 5 pickup truck loads of mulch from a rented 6 in woodchipper, and that was just the backyard inside the fence.

 

[NetWareHead]

I find it hard to believe that the average homeowner with the typical suburban lawn needs a gas powered trimmer just to do the grass edges of their yard. Unless you're someone who says "I should have weed-whacked the back yard last month. It's getting to be almost two feet high."

My gas powered string trimmer is much faster then a battery powered one. I have a thousand plus feet of trimming to do each week at three different properties. I occasionally brush cutter by removing the string trimmer head and attaching a saw blade. A battery powered device is completely unsuitable.

 

[rchunter]

10 acres here. I do most of it with a riding mower (not electric either) but I still have to weed whack a crap ton. Battery powered trimmer not going to work...

 

[thedarkwolf]

That is great and all but I haven't seen the OP say he has 10 acres, thousands of feet of fencing, and 100s of trees to trim around yet. Carson said average and I assumed average when I also suggested a battery powered one.

 

[NutBucket]

I expect my gas trimmer to last 20 years. What battery will last that long in normal use?

 

[Thebobo]

I expect my gas trimmer to last 20 years. What battery will last that long in normal use?

You might be surprised and you can switch the battery out when performance dips.

little info - Opportunities batteries have lasted 17 years in a much more demanding environment.

Electrics now are perfect for smaller suburban lawns.

 

[NutBucket]

My consumer grade cordless tool batteries are usually shot after 5 years or so.

Figure I spent $200 for my Echo trimmer. I expect to replace a few spark plugs and air filters over it's lifetime. Those are cheap. Replacement batteries are not.

 

[thedarkwolf]

and 20 years worth of gas and oil. I find lithium batteries last a lot longer than the old crap batteries most of us are use to.

 

[mindless1]

^ Legacy (NiCd or NiMH) battery lifespan had a LOT to do with owner education, or lack thereof. Junk tools did have crude chargers prone to cook cells, but another common reason owners got poor life out of them was they kept trying to use the tool when the battery pack had run low and that caused reverse charging of the weaker cells.

Once a cell in series reaches 0 volts, continuing to use the pack makes current flow in the opposite direction in it. If you avoid this state, then the lifetime of a NiCd pack has historically been better than Li-Ion, but perhaps closer to equal now with Li-Ion battery improvements.

One issue a cordless owner faces is whether buying a battery down the road is even worthwhile because the manufacturer may no longer make it (then you're stuck with generic junk from China, or rebuilding your own packs which is more work than dealing with gas trimmer engine maintenance), or even if they do still make it, the tool itself may not last through a replacement battery lifespan so then the question is whether to throw it away and buy a new cordless tool. This can mean >50% higher cost over 20 years including the cost of gas/oil for the gas trimmer.

My current gas trimmer is at least 16 years old and still runs great. At current gas prices I go through "maybe" $3 worth of gas and oil for it per season. That's $60 at the 20 year mark which won't buy a new battery for an equal power cordless trimmer (arguable whether one even exists), while the cordless tool itself probably won't last that long either.

If someone wants to pay more for the convenience of cordless on a medium to small property, today with far better models available than there were a dozen years ago, I can understand that. I can also understand it if they are too hands-off to do gas equipment maintenance or have nowhere to store the gas. Cordless does make sense for some people.

 

[13Gigatons]

Thanks for filling the neighborhood up with horrible pollution and noise as well.

 

[mindless1]

Thanks for filling the neighborhood up with horrible pollution and noise as well.

Move to a different neighborhood. Mine has nice air and no noise pollution unless you care to count those who edge their lawn very early in the morning. In other words, gas lawn equipment is not very loud, unless the ambient noise level is very low so it stands out, and then it matters if people are depending on a low noise level to sleep.

 

[NetWareHead]

That is great and all but I haven't seen the OP say he has 10 acres, thousands of feet of fencing, and 100s of trees to trim around yet. Carson said average and I assumed average when I also suggested a battery powered one.

The average homeowner who only trims grass, maybe along a fence or even around some flower beds can get away with a battery powered trimmer. Most casual homeowners dont want to mix 2-stroke or deal with engine maintenance and maybe wouldn't buy a conventional trimmer. Battery is perfect for light usage like this.

You dont have to do thousands of feet of trimming or have a multi-acre property to warrant a gas powered trimmer. One of my properties is only a 1/3 acre square lot that needs trimming on all 4 sides plus around a good number of flower beds and a veggie garden. Part of the property is woods that needs brushcutting once/twice a year and with a rock wall that has landscaping at the top and bottom. IMO, there is too much work for a battery trimmer that exceeds the run time. I want to stop working when the job is done, not when the battery quits. Even the beefiest battery trimmer from Stihl can only swing .095 inch line which shreds too easily.

As much as I steer clear of battery equipment, I do recognize this is the way of the future. Battery and motor technologies are only improving from here on and will eat into gas powered trimmers' territory. Eventually, most homeowners may not need a gas trimmer but who knows when that day will come.

Thanks for filling the neighborhood up with horrible pollution and noise as well.

You are more than free to come by and trim the edges by hand with shears, brushcut with a machete and edge my walkways with hand tools. Then you can sweep it all up with a broom instead of using a backblack blower.