Stihl SH85 shredder vac....

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woodswalker

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Yeah, I know, not a chainsaw question, but I figured with all of the Stihl pro's on here, some of you might have some knowledge ( Andy!!!)

What do you guys know about this thing?

My main question, or concern with this thing is durability? Are there design flaws with this thing? What kind of service do they require? If I accidently suck in a quarter sized rock from a driveway or a 3 inch chunk of oak mulch, is it going to toast the shredding blade?

I tend to get 25 years out of my Stihl chainsaws, can I expect the same life out of these newer gadgets with the same maintenance as I am used to with my saws? If this deal is the quality I am used to from Stihl, It will be a life saver for me!

Again, sorry for all of the dumb questions, just wanted to check with you guys before I spend the money! Thanks a million in advance for any guidance you may be able to give me!
 
Andy will be here in a bit, he hasn't had his beer and cereal yet.

Since no one else knows anything............

You will have to.............

......................................
..................................





wait..........................
 
Yeah, I know, not a chainsaw question, but I figured with all of the Stihl pro's on here, some of you might have some knowledge ( Andy!!!)

What do you guys know about this thing?

I bought the same a few months ago and did only use it a few times to clear out the garage untill now....so my experience is poor. It's a handheld unit, so don't expect extreme performance for both shredding and blowing. But it's a very handy unit for cleaning driveways, etc. Never used the shredding device so far.

My main question, or concern with this thing is durability? Are there design flaws with this thing? What kind of service do they require?

It's a Stihl, so I expect it to be built to last... You might want to wait for a while because a new version of it is announced to appear mid 2008 in europe (called SH86). It's identical but has an improved inlet tube attachment (screwed on), which indeed is better imo. I got a good deal on mine for that reason.

Service : besides air filter cleaning and the regular 2 stroke servicing works, there's nothing special to it. Cleaning the fan wheel mabye from time to time.


If I accidently suck in a quarter sized rock from a driveway or a 3 inch chunk of oak mulch, is it going to toast the shredding blade?

I don't expect it to be able to pick up rocks as you mentioned, but if it does, it will destroy the fan for sure. The shredding knife is small and built to cut leafs, not solid items.


I tend to get 25 years out of my Stihl chainsaws, can I expect the same life out of these newer gadgets with the same maintenance as I am used to with my saws? If this deal is the quality I am used to from Stihl, It will be a life saver for me!

So do I.;)


[/QUOTE]
 
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Since no one else knows anything............

You will have to.............

......................................
..................................





wait..........................

If we want Lake to continue to be generous with his information and advice, it's best we all try to contribute to the best of our abilities ....;)
 
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I can't really add to Belgian's excellent post...

except... the shreader blade is tougher than he may think, and cheap even if it is damaged. I've never had to replace one (and have some really dumb customers), so they must be hanging in there.
 
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Keep it coming!

Belgian! Thanks a lot! Awesome advice!

It sounds like maybe the shredder blade is durable enough to handle whatever I vacuum up!

Lake, what are your thoughts as to waiting for the SH86, as suggested by Belgian? I kind of need it soon, like next few weeks. Do you agree that the SH86 will be that much better than the SH85? Will the improvements to the SH86 be retrofittable to the SH85 if I buy it now? How soon to you suspect the newer/better model to reach the East Coast?

Again, sorry for all of the questions, and I certainly appreciate the advice given and any more you folks may be able to offer!
 
We have no notice of the SH86... looks like they are testing it in Europe first! Nothing wrong with the SH85.


and.. not "anything".. a shreader should only be used to pick up small stuff that CAN be shreaded...
 
Andy will be here in a bit, he hasn't had his beer and cereal yet.

Since no one else knows anything............

You will have to.............

......................................
..................................





wait..........................



I'm sure that if you knew anything...... you'd post:greenchainsaw: :greenchainsaw: :greenchainsaw:
 
Will the improvements to the SH86 be retrofittable to the SH85 if I buy it now?

Judging from the pics, it's not retrofittable. It's an improvement, but only if you are taking the inlet tube off regularly. If you leave it on, there's no advantage at all. It was not a biggy enough for me to postpone my purchase. Up to you.
 
SH85 Nice Piece of Equipment

This fall will mark two years with my SH85. I had it out yesterday cleaning up leaves that over wintered around the house and under bushes. I have had zero problems with mine. I use it in a homeowner application, have about 1/2 acre, and a lot of trees. I have put a lot of hours on mine both in vac mode and blowing. It has ingested several substantial bark chips and the occasional rock. Usually they lodge in the fan housing and shut the motor down quickly. Nothing has broken yet. I keep up with the air filter and spark screen in the exhaust. It is a little sensitive to these maint. items and seems to degrade operation noticeably when either is due for a clean up. I think this primarily comes from the vac operation and the dust that comes off of dry oak leaves in proximity to the unit. I cleaned the fan housing for the first time yesterday, and only a small dirt accumulation was present and some minor wear on the fan where some of the bark chips have lodged. I have killed 1 McCulloch (straight gas accident, DOOOOH!!!), 2 Sears, 2 Homelite, and one Weedeater leaf blower/vacs in the past 10 years or so. The Stihl is on track to be permanent. None of the previous equipment had the performance of the SH85 either and it is quieter to boot. Highly recommended.
 
thanks Jackman! That's exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for!

How does the bag hold up? Glad to hear that it can handle the occasional mulch chip and keep on gettin up!
 
just to put your mind at ease. Here's a pic of the SH-86D model (D stands for catalysator that comes standard with it , don't think you ami's like that....).

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Looks like the new screw on blower tube is a sensible improvement. In my limited experience of fixing SH/BG 85's you will usually find that a well used unit has had the user modification of a couple self tapping screws to keep the tube on.
 
Its supposed to have a new anti vibe system. And also available with Ergostart.
The stop button cant be locked in the off position so no more pulling with the switch in the wrong position!
The Ergostart model is £10 more than the normal model which has a list price of £280 inc VAT OUCH!!!! lol you guys would only have to add $50 for a MS361!
 
I've been thinking about getting the SH-85 too. I currently use a corded Black and Decker Leaf Hog. Works very good for what I use it for, until the cord gets in the way. Hate that cord! I have blowers, so I just want it for the leaf vac/shreader. My Leaf Hog has taken a lot of abuse. Twigs, rocks, mostly leaves... But still keeps ticking. The one think I'm curious about is the performace of vaccuming vs. an electric like I have. I'm impressed with the Leaf Hog and if I got the same performance without the cord... I'm all over it. Anybody feel the same about the SH-85, (very happy with the vaccuming)? All the searching I've done about the SH-85 is people using it as a blower and they're happy with it. Just like the earlier post above... I've got blowers...
 
I've owned the SH85 for 3 yrs. now. If I had to do it over again, I would buy a back pack blower. Your arms get quite fatigued after alot of continuous use. The vacuum works good but it is easier to just blow the leaves out of the flower beds and shrubs. Shreds leaves up into mulch good but the bag fills quickly. I have vacuumed up a large chunk of bark that stopped it instantly but after removing the bark it fired right back up without any problems or anything broken. It is good for "sweeping" the garage and driveway.:) Hope this was helpful.

-Russ
 
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Yeah, I know, not a chainsaw question, but I figured with all of the Stihl pro's on here, some of you might have some knowledge ( Andy!!!)

What do you guys know about this thing?

My main question, or concern with this thing is durability? Are there design flaws with this thing? What kind of service do they require? If I accidently suck in a quarter sized rock from a driveway or a 3 inch chunk of oak mulch, is it going to toast the shredding blade?

I tend to get 25 years out of my Stihl chainsaws, can I expect the same life out of these newer gadgets with the same maintenance as I am used to with my saws? If this deal is the quality I am used to from Stihl, It will be a life saver for me!

Again, sorry for all of the dumb questions, just wanted to check with you guys before I spend the money! Thanks a million in advance for any guidance you may be able to give me!


I have one and have used it the last two weekends cleaning up leaves and old cedar mulch from the yard. Where I live there are lots of rocks, which this thing will pick up on occasion. I can tell you this. If it was going to tear up then it should have done so already. I abuse it pretty good and it always cranks right back up after I free it up. I would buy another if I had to, Hope this helps.
 
I have one and have used it the last two weekends cleaning up leaves and old cedar mulch from the yard. Where I live there are lots of rocks, which this thing will pick up on occasion. I can tell you this. If it was going to tear up then it should have done so already. I abuse it pretty good and it always cranks right back up after I free it up. I would buy another if I had to, Hope this helps.


Just remind him should he ever decide to adjust the carb use a long screwdriver, not a short one like Woody tried,:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
 
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