so we wanted to buy a weedwacker to add to the collection of lawn equipment. so i went to lowes and picked out a 4 cycle 159.99 troy-bilt. took it home assembled it and gased it up.

it has one of those damn automatic spindles on the bottom(whatever you call it) where the line comes out.
it takes me just a few min to get familiar with the controls and to get the end to spin to cut the grass.


success!! i start to cut my 1st few blades of weeds and then the lione sucks itself back into the spindle.
this happens about 4 more times and it takes me quite a while to figure it out. eventually after the 5th time i threw the spindle across the yard at the fence.
luckily nothing broke but i lost the spring and i said fawk it.


so i returned it and got my $$$ back. i went to sears and checked out their selection. the only 4 cycle they had was 219.99 craftsman, a little more than i wanted to spend but i wanted a better product.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...=Line+Trimmers

the spool(now i know what it is called) uses a single peice of line that is easy to replace.

those spools that contain 20 feet of line that are supposed to be automatic are a pain and this craftsman is sweet.

it is a little heavier but cuts like hell and i would recommend it

 

4-cycle weed wackers own!

 

$220 for a weed-wacker?

we got an electric weedwacker with automatic spool

85.99 with two free spool refills

 

you must be doing some serious whacking.

mine was like $75 and it takes down everything. gas and i think 25cc?

my yards only about 30 feet wide though.

 

Mine's similar to the one you got (but it's in JD green)...

Did you get any of the attachments ?? I need to buy the tiller/cultivator attachment 'cause my step-dad took back the one I was "borrowing" from him )

 

I got a Ryobi 4 cycle a few years ago...it's great...paid about $120.00 for it...you can attach all sorts of attachments to it. Works great.

 

Yeah, the ryobi/sears/jd/homelite are pretty much the same and can accept the same attachments...

My step dad bought a kawi top of the line trimmer last year 'cause it was the quietest one on the market

http://www.kawpowr.com/stringtrimmers.asp

 

i picked up a cheap homelite gas powered one last year for like $70 at home depot

 

4-cycle for 70 bucks?!?!? What a deal!...unless it's 2-cycle

 

2-cycle but i only use it for about 10-15 min per cut, the push mower gets into most places, just around trees, shrubs, sidewalk etc.

 

damn, i never thought about the tiller attachment, i may have to take another trip back.

the auto spool was a pain in the butt

 

you said it, i didnt want to mix oil and gas

 

it not to hard, considering i only have to mix 1 tank per summer, and i have a 1 gal tank just for it.

 

 

I am having the same experience with a Lowes weed wacker I thought it was just my inexperience at weed wacking, but their automatic line shit is a PAIN IN THE ASS! I went through the WHOLE line in ONE CUTTING SESSION!

It will be going back THIS WEEKEND!

 

i had mine less than an hour

 

Yeah, the next one I buy is gonna be a 4 cycle...

 

Got a 2 cycle Toro...best I've ever owned, no smell, no smoke, no mess $150 at Homer D Poes.

 

i figured if i was going to be using it i might as well enjoy it

 

Mine's the same way... I've got to have another gas can for my 2 cycle chainsaw, so I figured, I might as well just go with the 2 stroke...

 

B&D Cordless elecric here. It was a gift. I hate it. No balls and it just sucks, This weekend a new 2-cycle Weed Wacker. I like teh 2 strokes.

 

We just pay the Messicans

Seems to work pretty well

 

My friend has "lawn fairies"... He'll come home and the lawn will be cut...

"Damn, the lawn fairies must have been here"

 

THats what we call them as well.

Thats just because we can't pronounce they're names

 

Mine's heavy, but it came with a shoulder stap. I never used it 'cause I didn't want to look like a girlie man, but decided to give it a try when I used the tiller attachment. Using a tiller attachment on a weedwacker is like holding the tail on a tasmanian devil

I use the shoulder strap all the time now...

 

Damn, someone else trying to put the Mexicans out of work! I actually have a Japanese gardener as most Mexicans around here are known as "mow & blow" gardeners.

 

I have a Homelite 2 cycle. For as little as I use a wacker, it's OK. I rarely use it more then say 5 minutes to run the sidewalk weeds and get the stuff around trees.

That being said, it smokes, and vibrates a lot. My arms probably couldn't take more then 10 minutes at a time, given the degree of vibration.

Mixing the fuel is not that big of a deal. I'm on the same 1 gallon that I mixed up 3 years ago. At least the thing is somewhat fuel effecient.

 

Be careful what you're wacking by...

My brother in-law was wacking the other day and during the process managed to hit a little tiny pebble and threw it up into the air and through his neighbor's window.

I couldn't believe it until I saw the window busted out.

Always wear safety glassed when wacking.

 

mine has the single line piece also. gotta love that feature!

 

^ i remember you!

 

Hopefully you put some fuel stablizer in the mix...

The 2 strokes are tough to handle vibration wise, but mine doesn't smoke...

 

Go for the Toro. No vibration, starts on 1 pull, no smoke...best I've ever owned in my lifetime.

 

that was done in the same purchase

 

i hire people to take care of my landscape

 

i also REMEMBER YOU!

 

Personally, I like my B&D 18v whacker. Battery packs go with the rest of my tools and it owns.

 

Not to be a pain in the ass, but are you POSITIVE that you wound the line in the correct direction on the spool? Seems like that could cause the problem you were having. I've got a Craftsman 2 cycle with the automatic line feature and it works great, takes me like 3 months to have to refill the spool. I also bought the blower attachment for it - works pretty damn well.

 

it was all ready to go, i tried to follow thedirections, but at the time i became impatient and decided that was the route i didnt want to follow. some things i can appreciate the ease of use, but it didnt work for me in this case

 

Yes to fuel stabilizer.

It smokes only when it's warming up -- but since I only use it a few minutes at a time, it never really gets real warmed up.

I would treat it nicer with better fuel and maintenance, but it's a cheap Homelite and I figure it has a limited lifespan as it is. It wasn't that expensive when I bought it. I've got a good 3 1/2 years out of it already and it ain't giving up soon.

 

meh, I got a free weed wacker...weedhog by B&D (it's electric ) and it does the job for now.