Need to replace a Husky 235R brush cutter...

[sanmigmike]

We had a couple of Husky 235R brush cutters and both have scored cylinders. The Stihl dealer suggests the Stihl 131 with the bike handle bars. Wondering if it might be a step down in size. We have a bit over seven acres with lots of berries some brush and saplings. The other concern is that we are a bit older then when we were using the 235R. Any suggestions would be great.

I was thinking of trying to fix the 235s but the last time I checked Husky parts were pricey and at times hard to find. Don't have a local Husky dealer anymore and the closest is over 40 miles away. Any thoughts on fixing the old units? Still need something now so will still have to get something.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Conquistador3]

Unless cylinders are thrashed, there's a very good chance they can be fixed: remove the aluminum transfer and then hone the cylinder. You'll find plenty of topics on the matter in the "chainsaw" section.
Aftermarket pistons/rings for the 235 series brushcutter are available from Meteor: these are very good quality pistons, as good as the original.
It would be good to understand exactly what went wrong with those two brushcutters: if both died to air leaks, the big end needs to be gone through as well. Bearings can be had through any industrial supply company while the seals can be got online without too much hassle, albeit they aren't cheap.

To be honest suggesting an FS131, bike handlebars or not, to clean seven acres with brush, saplings and whatnot is pushing the envelope. I would get something above 35cc that can push both a good three pointed knife and a carbide-tipped circular saw. I know larger brushcutters are hard to get in the US due to emissions but keep an eye open for the Shindaiwa 45/450 family on the used market: that's what i use for the truly hard works. Echo and Shindaiwa (same machines, different colors) also have some very nice brand new big displacement brushcutters in the over 40cc class, more modern than the old 45/450 family I use.
Dolmar has a big displacement true four stroke brushcutter you may also want to consider: differently from Stihl's 4-Mix unit this is a proper four stroke, meaning it runs on straight gas and has oil in its crankshaft.

 

[DrewXT]

A cylinder and piston kit can be had on eBay for about $80, why not try and fix them?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[sanmigmike]

We've got a Kubota L3830 tractor with a Land Pride rotary cutter so I'm not cutting all the stuff with the brush cutter. But there are a lot of places I just cannot fit the tractor and our property isn't level so I'm also a little overly cautious about too much work on a slope. I think we will try to fix at least one of the old 235s but we are still going to need to buy a new brush cutter since my wife wants to do some cutting before I can get one fixed (I work kinda slow...). She really enjoyed using the 235Rs but her shoulders are kinda shot (Doctor says they need to be replaced but she is trying to put that off as long as possible) so weight is an issue to her. I can understand that since I seem to need an ankle replaced and I'm trying to put that off.

As much as I'd like to look at some Dolmar stuff the closest dealer I know of might be in Newberg (we live to the SE of Portland) but there is a Stihl dealer about ten miles away and Shindaiwa/Echo Tanaka dealer about thirty-five miles away. When I was looking at saws I really wanted to get a Dolmar or at least look at them and I got Stihl and Echo since there wasn't a Dolmar dealer that actually stocked them at all close to us.

Thank you very much for the quick and informative responses!

 

[sawfun]

We've got a Kubota L3830 tractor with a Land Pride rotary cutter so I'm not cutting all the stuff with the brush cutter. But there are a lot of places I just cannot fit the tractor and our property isn't level so I'm also a little overly cautious about too much work on a slope. I think we will try to fix at least one of the old 235s but we are still going to need to buy a new brush cutter since my wife wants to do some cutting before I can get one fixed (I work kinda slow...). She really enjoyed using the 235Rs but her shoulders are kinda shot (Doctor says they need to be replaced but she is trying to put that off as long as possible) so weight is an issue to her. I can understand that since I seem to need an ankle replaced and I'm trying to put that off.

As much as I'd like to look at some Dolmar stuff the closest dealer I know of might be in Newberg (we live to the SE of Portland) but there is a Stihl dealer about ten miles away and Shindaiwa/Echo Tanaka dealer about thirty-five miles away. When I was looking at saws I really wanted to get a Dolmar or at least look at them and I got Stihl and Echo since there wasn't a Dolmar dealer that actually stocked them at all close to us.

Thank you very much for the quick and informative responses!

There is a Husky/Shinny dealer on Johnson Creek Blvd. in southeast Portland. Plenty of Stihl dealers around.

 

[Conquistador3]

We've got a Kubota L3830 tractor with a Land Pride rotary cutter so I'm not cutting all the stuff with the brush cutter. But there are a lot of places I just cannot fit the tractor and our property isn't level so I'm also a little overly cautious about too much work on a slope. I think we will try to fix at least one of the old 235s but we are still going to need to buy a new brush cutter since my wife wants to do some cutting before I can get one fixed (I work kinda slow...). She really enjoyed using the 235Rs but her shoulders are kinda shot (Doctor says they need to be replaced but she is trying to put that off as long as possible) so weight is an issue to her. I can understand that since I seem to need an ankle replaced and I'm trying to put that off.

As much as I'd like to look at some Dolmar stuff the closest dealer I know of might be in Newberg (we live to the SE of Portland) but there is a Stihl dealer about ten miles away and Shindaiwa/Echo Tanaka dealer about thirty-five miles away. When I was looking at saws I really wanted to get a Dolmar or at least look at them and I got Stihl and Echo since there wasn't a Dolmar dealer that actually stocked them at all close to us.

Thank you very much for the quick and informative responses!

Since weight is an issue, that rules out Honda's. Great machines, will run forever as long as they have oil in them but they are on the chunky side.
If Husqvarna still sells them, take a look at RedMax as well. They are Zenoah's with a different name and Zenoah that's what I used back when I had similar jobs to yours. I would probably still be using them if they hadn't been stolen...

Best wishes to you and your wife. I have a shot knee as well I hope to go to the grave with as I've dealt with doctors enough in my life...