Weed wacker question

[bore_pig]

I am going to go look at Stihl weed wackers later today. Any input? I think I would like a straight shaft model without the bicycle handlebars. Possibly would use a blade on it in the future as well. Thanks guys!

 

[avalancher]

I have the Stihl FS55, and I like it.Starts good and runs great,but is very picky about fuel.If your fuel is a little stale, it affects the power big time.When I bought mine it was available with or without the bicycle handlebars,I bought mine with.
After using my neighbors for a while without the handlebars, i found they are far more comfortable than the single grab bar when clearing a lot of brush.I have the 4 and 3 blade brush blades, nylon line head, and the nylon blade head as well.Dont quote me on this, but I think the grab bar models do not come with the shoulder harness, a big back saver when using it for a long time.

 

[zipper1081]

Its funny you bring this up. LOL I just sold a craftsman with the handle bars. I looked at the Husqvarna,Stihl,Shindaiwa. I had an old shindawa T-20 for years & ran over it with my truck 2 years ago. It ran like a top no problems at all. So after about 2 weeks of looking and talking to guys at work. I bought a Shindaiwa 242T $319.00. I ran it for about a hour yesterday with no strap with no problem. hope this helps.

 

[bore_pig]

I won't be doing too much for brush clearing. Just a little here and there. The bicycle handlebars would be nice, but would take up so much room in the garage. I'll have to look into the strap thing, never used one.

 

[savageactor7]

Well alrighty then if it just grass trimming you'll be doing the curved shafts are way less expensive and will do the job.

For others thinking about what best for them. If you want to cut impenetrable, triple canopy like heavy brush with a circular-like saw blade attachment get a straight shaft.

^Other than that pick one of these grass trimmer heads up when your there and don't even bother with those pita line dispenser spools. Pretty sure they're less than $20 and will save you tons of aggravation and hours of lost time.

We had a Husky 235R for awhile, has the handle bar type grips and I love it. It's so comfortable to use last year I ran it all day for days at a time cutting brush with my arm in a cast...(one of the few things I could do at the time)

 

[zipper1081]

I won't be doing too much for brush clearing. Just a little here and there. The bicycle handlebars would be nice, but would take up so much room in the garage. I'll have to look into the strap thing, never used one.

I have used both. I like the single handle you can grab it with one hand & reach over a bank or stand on level ground & reach up on a bank.

 

[Butch(OH)]

We have been running 2 FS110 (straight shaft) for about 4 years now. The 4-mix motors have been flawless. The heads work as good as any I have used if you spend just a bit of time cleaning them every 3-4 batches of line. One of ours is bike handled, one not and truthfully I don't like the bike handles as well for trimming but with the brush saw I consider them a necessity. I don't think STihl will sell a trimmer with a saw and not have bike handles??

 

[bore_pig]

Well alrighty then if it just grass trimming you'll be doing the curved shafts are way less expensive and will do the job.

How much money are we talking about here? I don't mind spending a bit extra to get better quality. Would like to be able to buy different heads in the future too.

 

[savageactor7]

The straight shaft is metal and the curved shaft is like a fiberglass and has plastic gears too.

I used a green machine in the 70's, it had a curved shaft and was heavy duty, made for farm use. It came with a saw attachment...I was cutting some Elder brush that wasn't all that bad and the shaft broke. But it cut flawlessly for weeks...just gets tired with use.

Just a guess but I'm thinking an extra 100 will give you a machine that your next of kin will fight over...if you buy from a dealer.

The Stihl you find at a BB store is not the same quality you get from a dealer.

 

[CentaurG2]

I am going to go look at Stihl weed wackers later today. Any input? I think I would like a straight shaft model without the bicycle handlebars. Possibly would use a blade on it in the future as well. Thanks guys!

If you are stuck on Stihl and want a trimmer that can also run a brush knife, you are looking at a FS110, FS130 or FS250. I have both the 130 and the 250 with the loop handles. My fs130 has been flawless but you need to run it on Stihl Ultra mix at 50:1. Without the synthetic, you could have problems with carbon on the valves and compression loss. In addition, the 4-mix motors do not have much in the way of throttle control. They are either at idle or wide open. If you are used to run your trimmers at anything in between, you will find the fs130 frustrating. The FS130 (and the fs110) are nice as they can use any of the stihl Kombi attachments. You simply loosen two T27 screws and replace the head. I have the articulating hedge trimmer and it is worth its weight in gold on my 130. The FS250 is a different animal. It is MUCH stronger than the 130 and is way overkill for lawn trimming. You really need to get use to the power of this beast. If you intend on doing a lot of brush clearing and need a trimmer for your lawn the fs250 is hard to beat. In my experience , they are VERY difficult to find with the loop handle. Good Luck.

 

[indiansprings]

I've got a old 70's vintage Stihl FS 80 AV with cycle handles, two late model FS 80's straight shaft and a FS 74 stright shaft. My son has a Husky 123L straight shaft and a new FS 90 4-stroke straight shaft.

I personally don't like the trimmer with or without handles for brush clearing,
both the old bike handled 80 came with saw blades as did the non-bike handled 74, I have found it easier and safer to just use a small chainsaw for brush clearing.

The FS 90 is a beast when used for heavy grass trimming and light weed cutting with the head the gentle posted earlier. I was very skeptical of the four stroke when my son bought it, I didn't think it could possibly hang with the old FS 80's, boy was I fooled, the torque is unreal.

I think it was great advice to stay away from the big box stores and entry level units, my son started with the Husky 123L from Lowes and was sadly disappointed with the units lack of power and cheap head, he got what he paid for, would have been the same with a entry level Stihl.

I trim a five acre yard and a quarter mile of fenced road frontage as well as do a few yards for older neighbors. I like the padded shoulder strap, there's nothing like a straight shaft for getting under bushes, fences etc, the extra reach is well worth it, you'll throw a curved shaft away after using a straight shaft. Save you money buy a pro model and be happy for the next twenty years.

 

[alderman]

I've found the handlebar model to give better control when using a blade. If you are just using trimmer string then it makes sense to use whatever is more comfortable to you. I spent way more than I budgeted on a commercial brushcutter 25 years ago but it's still going strong.


Here's how I store mine with limited space.

 

[Octane]

A family friend has a small engine repair business that he runs on the side and he has always said that as much as he loves Stihl saws, he wouldnt touch a Stihl trimmer with a 10' pole.
He sees them come in for repair all the time with busted recoils.
If you are going to spend the money for a quality trimmer, buy the best: Echo.

 

[kas7227]

I have the fs250r loop handle. I bought it for clearing brush a few years ago and it works really good with a blade. I now just use it as a grass trimmer for my little 1/4 ac. lot. It's way overkill for that, but it sounds so much cooler than all of my neighbors Home Depot trimmers.

 

[YarraValleyDude]

Have a look at the Honda 4 stroke series, you can't beat them, low noise, low vibration, tons of power and no fuel to mix.

 

[scotclayshooter]

If you are stuck on Stihl and want a trimmer that can also run a brush knife, you are looking at a FS110, FS130 or FS250. I have both the 130 and the 250 with the loop handles. My fs130 has been flawless but you need to run it on Stihl Ultra mix at 50:1. Without the synthetic, you could have problems with carbon on the valves and compression loss. In addition, the 4-mix motors do not have much in the way of throttle control. They are either at idle or wide open. If you are used to run your trimmers at anything in between, you will find the fs130 frustrating. The FS130 (and the fs110) are nice as they can use any of the stihl Kombi attachments. You simply loosen two T27 screws and replace the head. I have the articulating hedge trimmer and it is worth its weight in gold on my 130. The FS250 is a different animal. It is MUCH stronger than the 130 and is way overkill for lawn trimming. You really need to get use to the power of this beast. If you intend on doing a lot of brush clearing and need a trimmer for your lawn the fs250 is hard to beat. In my experience , they are VERY difficult to find with the loop handle. Good Luck.

Get a FS250 while you can!
This is the MINIMUM strimmer i would have, I have a FS450 arriving tommorrow (I hope).
The handles fold faily neatly just with a turn of a knob
I have one on its 5th season and its only now needing rings, They are tough!

 

[bore_pig]

Wow! Way more responses than I anticipated!

I like stihl equipment because the dealer is only 6 miles from the house. Everything else is about a 20 mile drive.

Picked up a FS55 with the loop handle. Got the head with the nylon blades too. That was an extra $24, but I liked that setup on the fil's trimmer. I really didn't price around at all because I like this dealer. Was $194 a fair price?

 

[savageactor7]

If you got it from a dealer I'm willing to bet that's what they get for them all over. Stihl or Huskey ...I've never known that stuff to go on sale. Most of the time you're lucky to get an extra chain or file or in your case some kid of utility blade.

That's just the way it is with a dealer...with a good dealer you also get a relationship they have knowledge & experience the BB's don't..plus a higher quality toy that's 'properly' set up.

I was using my straight shaft trimmer today and was easily able to completely trim under the picnic table without moving it, you'll like using yours too.

Good luck with you new trimmer.

 

[andosca]

i do a lot of weedwhacking at work and we've used a number of of trimmers over the years. stihl saws are great but the line trimmers, hedge trimmers, ets. are crap. i have no bias i've just used a this type of equipment a ton. i'm not sure what model they are but they are heavy as hell compared to the kawasakis we use and just feel unbalanced. they burn gas like crazy as do the hedge trimmers which also have a tendancy to burn up pistons. the stuff just doesn't seem "pro" quality to me though the price definitely is. the kawis aren't too bad, they're lighter cheaper and reliable. i would spend the extra dough on the straight shaft no matter the brand.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

I have the Stihl FS55, and I like it.Starts good and runs great,but is very picky about fuel.If your fuel is a little stale, it affects the power big time.When I bought mine it was available with or without the bicycle handlebars,I bought mine with.
After using my neighbors for a while without the handlebars, i found they are far more comfortable than the single grab bar when clearing a lot of brush.I have the 4 and 3 blade brush blades, nylon line head, and the nylon blade head as well.Dont quote me on this, but I think the grab bar models do not come with the shoulder harness, a big back saver when using it for a long time.

Avalancher; Didn't know you possesed any Stihl OPE.....!
I have an FS-55, tickled with it...wear face shield, log pants..it can throw some serious debris around at high velocities!