Does anybody else remove the guard from their trimmer?

[Lakeside53]

Did a google on tri-blade and am not sure what that is. I know they make heads with trimmers other than string but I've not tried one.

Would like to try something else though. a few times an hour I have to pull the head off and deal with getting the string to feed again. (From constantly catching on bushes and brush.)

I also have a blade, but I want to try something between a solid blade and string.

Sometimes I put a long bar on one of my small saws and clear brush with that, but I have to be careful not to damage trees in the overgrown brush that I want to keep.

Blackberry and woody scrub is not for string.

Softer woody stems (1 year blackberry) can be cut with poly-cut blades.

Tough stuff requires either the 4 or 3 wing metal blades. The small tooth blades are worthless in blackberry.

 

[extraspecialman]

A Stihl polycut is kinda in between a blade and string,but really not much good for brush.Does ok for thick weeds.Has 3 plastic "blades" that mount in the base.The blades are replaceable ,and pretty cheap.I think you get a pack of 12 for about $5.My favorite brush blade is a Beaver Blade,has actual chain saw teeth .

 

[Lakeside53]

A metal tri blade eats the beaver blades lunch in blackberry - that's for small trees/shrubs... and the lawyers stand 3 deep watching and waiting for it to break...


Here's a link to the echo version

http://cgi.ebay.com/7-NEW-ECHO-Weed...ryZ71277QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[jeeptj19992001]

I guess its a little different in my area... Guards are for homeowners here... no pro uses a guard in my neck of the woods.. Then again...pros know when its too long and when its not....so overheating is never an issue

pros, you mean the kids that work for lawn services while school is out, and do not know anything...ohhh you live in nj...."the GARDEN state"

 

[16:1mix]

Good information fellas!

 

[lawnmowertech37]

Did someone say blackberry ?

them things are delicious in a pie blackberrys that is


i think the tri blade is a 3 sided blade Homelite had them back yonder

 

[BIG JAKE]

Use a tri-blade....

I bought a tri-blade for a yardman trimmer I have. Needed to cut some bigger weeds. It would start oscillating at idle while I was walking to the next weed (spin faster and slower). Has the wound spring type driveshaft maybe they all have this. Well I didn't think much of it until it snapped the driveshaft off at the head at idle while it was doing this-didn't take long either. It's a straight shaft homeowner and maybe not very robust. So if you see this happening with one of these heads don't let it do that. Maybe you could set the idle up a little to prevent oscillation.

On the guards, I take mine off. Had an interesting thing happen though maybe as a result of not having the guard on. I was cutting weeds around the vehicles one day and since my the head spins clockwise I tilt left to cut on single weeds so it throws most debris straight away from me. Car was directly behind me about six feet when I heard a pop. Seems a stone got slung around and took out the rear window on the honda. High deductible on a 530.00 window=expensive mistake. Doesn't seem possible but I shelled out 250.00 on that one. Hope posting this saves someone from misfortunes I've had with the :censored: mn things!

 

[Fish]

Without the guard I can trim alot faster around obsticles. Eye protection always.

I use great care and take my time when I trim around my obsticles..............

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But keep in mind, removing the guard will void any related warranty...

 

[Fish]

Any suggestion on the toughest line to run? I have a Shindaiwa c270 (if I recall right) and use it to fight brush, blackberries, etc (not much grass).


Currently I use Arnold brand .095 line, and wonder if soimething else would hold up a little better to the abuse I give it.

Mine still has a guard on, but it's only a matter of time before it'll break off from the tough life fighting bushes, etc.

You should try a roll of Gator Magnum trimmer line, it has a strand of aramid
fiber in the center, some real tough stuff.

 

[belgian]

I use great care and take my time when I trim around my obsticles..............

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Is that a string or a tri-blade you use ?

 

[teacherman]

Ten years ago i bought a mile-long roll of this orange five-sided star cut or whatever line. It is great stuff.

I also use a 150 foot piece of it as a throw line for trees. tougher than nails, little or no friction, just tough to get it to hold a knot, but I can throw it with surprising accuracy.

It works great, and I have a lifetime supply for 35.00 spent long ago.

Oh, I leave the guard on, it keeps it at 17" diameter, which is fine with me.

I also use it to strip peeling paint on a house, it works surprisingly well on loose, flaky paint............

 

[LazyJ]

Stripping paint! there's a "more power" mentality

No guard on my FS85 since day 1, autocut head gives me excellent control of my line length. The counter-clockwise rotation drives me crazy though, I'll never understand that engineering idea.

 

[Urbicide]

You should try a roll of Gator Magnum trimmer line, it has a strand of aramid
fiber in the center, some real tough stuff.

+1. Good stuff.

 

[scotclayshooter]

Another vote for taking the guards off, I have 2 fs250s neither have guards, I didnt ever bother to fit them from new.
None of the people i work with have had any problems with clutches or overheating with 200s or 250s with the guards removed!

 

[extraspecialman]

the counter clockwise rotation works best If you walk backwards and to your left.This makes the string work against the moving path .Also walkin backwards and to your left will throw all the cut grass clippings back towards you,instead of into a new mulch bed or a freshly painted house.So it has its advantages

 

[Pete M]

IT ALL DEPENDS....as well as hedges and trees, I'm strimming nearly every day. If I'm strimming near houses, cars and people, I will ALWAYS have the guard on. If I'm strimming fence posts around fields then I'll have the guard off. My partner in business always runs guard off - says it's easier for edging. But I have no problem edging. And he is the one who has broken numerous car and house windows despite being extra careful with direction of strimming. Another bloke I work with took out the rear window of a Porsche Cayenne a few weeks ago. Luckily, the driver was cool about it and has got it sorted on her motor insurance.

 

[Pete M]

And running without guard is nothing to do with pros breaking them. 20+ years doing this with workmates and not one broken guard. Mind you, always Stihl equipment - don't know how some of the other stuff would stand up.

 

[geofore]

trimming heads

Have you looked at www.grassgator.com for a replacement head? They are lighter and you cut the line to the length you want. I carry a pocket full of em, quick and easy to replace line. The gator heads are lighter than original equipment and can be easier on the hp it takes to run longer string. From a safety standpoint: Do not remove the gaurd on the weedwacker, "You could put your eye out."

 

[RiverRat2]

+1

I only take the guard off to run blades.

Yep!!!! and wear wrap around sideshield safety glasses with any trimmer bladed or not!!!!!

 

[Pete M]

Speaking of putting an eye out....I almost did. Finishing up on a job a few weeks ago, all equipment back away in the truck, feeling knackered, then noticed that the weeds at the bottom of the fence on the pavement (sidewalk to most of you) hadn't been strimmed off. Grabbed the nearest strimmer out the truck, just happened to be workmate's guardless one, fired it up, didn't bother with eye protection as the helmets were all put away and it was only a tiny bit to do (5m along the fence) strim strim, flick of something that I though whacked the side of my nose, didn't think much of it till I looked in a mirror and saw a 5mm diameter red dot on the white of my eye about 2mm from my iris. Within hours the whole of the white on the side of my eye nearest my nose had gone bright bright deep blood red. Was a close call...