Ryobi and Homelite are one in the same. Ryobi now owns Homelite and all of it's products. All of their cordless tools have interchangeable battery packs.

Well Butch, I'd be happy to show you a picture if you have difficulty understanding words. I have a RYOBI SS-30 trimmer. Period.

Go figure.

Sheesh Craftsman...what's up with your attitude?

I don't think that Butch meant to imply that your Ryobi didn't have the name Ryobi on the side...he's just saying that Ryobi and Homelite are made be the same people.

I've read quite a few posts by Butch in the Lawn Mower Forum..and he seems to know of what he speaks.

But, even if he's mistaken here...I don't see any reason for your hostility. Most people here are quite friendly; most of the time :)

Chuck

I am also looking for a weed trimmer but my number one requirement is it to be easy to start. No one mentioned that. I am an old lady, in good shape but old. I had a Ryobi which worked beautifully the two times in three years I was able to start it.Finally gave it away, ditto with a tiller and two chain saws. (The chain saws my husband couldn't start) I wish the cordless electrics were cheaper and had more power.

Craftsman is royobi which is also owned by MTD as is several other brands.
I have royobi s with 4 different brand names including troybuilt.

Thanks for sending me in the right direction. What do you think of the Husqvarna 25cc? It seemed like it was very well built. Just started looking up close at them today, now that weeds are taking over. The Tanaka looked great too but just a little more expensive.

i have a Troy bilt 4 stroke that i bought last year. i have not tried out any attachments yet, but the trimmer itself is great! plus, no oil to mix!

I have an Echo SRM210, it is really light and starts first pull every time (had it 4 months).

Dealer said it was his most sold unit

I purchased a refurbished 4 cycle Troy-Bilt [TB] Trimmer Plus unit, like the Ryobi's, about a week and a half ago and really like it! It has plenty of power, starts easily and doesn't require much of a pull on the throttle triggrer either regardless of whether I'm using the straight shaft head for trimming heavy weeds, I use .095 Maxi line, or the hedge trimmer attachment on even heavy stemed bushes or the pole chain saw attachment for cutting off old dead Oak limbs of which the largest so far was 5"dia and solid. It powers through all these jobs with ease! It never even seems to start to bog down either.

This engine has more than enough power even though it's only 26cc when compared to my 31cc Ryobi and the TB unit is very quiet too, in fact I noticed that the whirling line made as much noise as the engine which wasn't objectionable at all and I wasn't wearing any hearing protection either as it isn't required. I don't have to run the unit very fast and it has more than enough torque, I'm very pleased!

Like David above said it doesn't require the mixing of Gas & Oil which is real convenient too!

Something else I'll pass along is that I used the section of extention for the chain saw to extend reach the hedge trimmer as I have some very large bushes to reach over and it worked very well although it got a bit heavy after awhile but it sure helped considerably.

HTH

I have the Ryobi BC-30. I like it. I use it to cut brush and it does a fine job. It came with the brush cutter blade which is nice but last time I was too lazy to change out the heads so I used the string trimmer only and it cut through the heavy stuff fine.

I have red max trimmer, which finally ran out of line. It has .085 recommended. Would you stay with that or can I use a lighter line so it comes out easier? All I use the trimmer for is trimming bluegrass against my fence and patio and around the trees. Thanks, Brad

Redmax BC4400 - works very well with line or blade.
Bicycle handlebars are a must for the large whackers.
(This one is 42cc.)

As stated before I have the Remax BC2400. With the string provided I was really disappointed in the performance of this trimmer. But the string (.095 clear), finally ran out and I replaced it with 6-sided .095 string from Sears and it really works like magic. Maybe the original string was a little brittle sitting on the shelf waiting for purchase. Anyway, I love my trimmer now. Brad

I have Ryobi and two Homelites. They all run well and do what they are supposed to do, however, what I really like about the Ryobi is how easy it is to replace the string. Just feed it into the head and turn the head. Nothing to remove. I've used it for about two years now and the string has not tangled once as opposed to the Homelites which tangle constantly and the head has to come off in order to install new string.

If you blokes haven't been doing it, keep the trimmer string under water 24/7 under you use it. It cuts better and lasts longer when it it hydrated.

I have repaired small engines for nearly 30 years now and it takes a lot to impress me in the two cycle lineup. I was impressed enough with the Tanka line of trimmers to buy the TBC340 trimmer. It has the best power to weight ratio in the industry. I love it, one fine trimmer. Later Butch

Elaine,you cant go wrong with Husqvarna,and a 25 cc unit would do most anything you need.Ive owned several different trimmers,and my favorite so far has been a Stihl FS 85.A Stihl FS 80,which is still available,has the same engine,just a different flex shaft inside.I currently own a John Deere XT 120 and would definatley NOT recommend it.Its not balanced right and way under powered for its weight.Also stay clear of the Japanese units like Red Max and Shindaiwa and Tanaka and Echo.They are also under powered for their price.If a cheaper unit is what your lookin for,a Stihl FS 44 with straight shaft is also a nice little model.

We decided on the Husqvarna 25cc model and brought it home 2 days ago. The string trimmer is awesome. It is handling more than we expected so we haven't put the brush blade on yet. Thanks for the advice. This forum is an incredible resource.

Shellbark,

Your advice is to stay clear of Japanese units yet you
recommend a Husqvarna trimmer which uses a Kawasaki engine.

maybe the new ones do,but the one i bought new in 2001 didnt have,and it was a great trimmer.

Shellbark were in the world did you get your information? Stihl is one of the heaviest most under powered trimmers on the market. If you believe the weight is right on the FS80 I've got some ocean front property in Tn I would like to sell you. Go to Stihl USA and compare their trimmers to the Tanaka trimmers. They will blow the Stihls out of the water and yes they weigh them with the cutting attachment in place, Stihl does not. I'm not sure about the trimmers they have now but some of their trimmers use to be built by Maruyama as did some of the Husqvarna trimmers. Tanaka has one of the best weight to power ratios in the industry. Later Butch

Here is a link that might be useful: Tanaka

Oh I forgot. Tanaka TBC340 rules. Later Butch

i dont go by catalog info or other peoples word.I go by personal experience and form an opinion from there.If somebody ask for that opinion,i gladly tell it.Never said Stihl had the best power to weight ratio,but i know for a definate its better than my John Deere.What i did say is the Japanese units are overpriced.I ran the same Stihl trimmer hard for 5 years and never had to do anything but change string heads.And thats speaking from experience.I think im gonna go do some trimmin now.Later Shell .Oh i forgot,Ford has had the best selling truck for 20 years now.

I have arthritis bad and decided on a Stihl with the easy start system.One pound heavier then Echo or Tanaka,but also $60.00-$80.00 cheaper.And dealer is one mile away.

I have a cheaper version Ryobi (curved shaft, no fancy attachments) 7 years ago. Still running well and starts well. It is light weight. Use it about once every 3-4 weeks for 8 months in the year - a total of 8-10 times, 30 minutes each (=4-5 hours per year).

Which would be my point - it depends on what you use it for, and how much you expect to use it. In my case, the very occassional user, something on the cheaper end of the scale made more $$$ sense. But if your intention is to use it a lot, you should get the best you can afford. I am not familiar with higher end models, though. But all I know is that one of our neighbours' high end model "conked" out 2 years ahead of my cheapo Ryobi.

i also forgot to add 1 more thing .Tanaka sucks and people like Butch must be dealers.Or just extremely stupid

ShellBark wrote: "i also forgot to add 1 more thing .Tanaka sucks and people like Butch must be dealers.Or just extremely stupid."
********************************************************

Remarks like that won't win you any Brownie points around here. You are entitled to your opinion and Butch is entitled to his. There is no need for personal attacks, accusatory statements or inflamatory remarks such as the ones contained in your last post.

When you resort to such tactics, all you do is discredit yourself and no one pays any attention to anything you have to say in the future. If you have some concrete evidence that Butch is incorrect in what he said, then go get it and post it. If not, then WE are left with the only conclusion possible. And that is, that Butch knows more about this issue than you do.

I just bought a Shindaiwa C35 at the garage sale for $5. The old timer said he wanted $30 and picked it up and it started leaking gas. He said it must be a cracked fuel tank and then said just make me any offer. I said $5 and he said sold.

I took it home and disassembled it and cleaned it up.

The in-tank fuel pickup/grommet had completely turned to goo and that's where the fuel leak was. (no cracked tank after all!!) I pulled the muffler to inspect the piston and cylinder to see if it was worth spending more time working on and to my amazement it looked perfect. Then I cleaned up the carb, plug, air cleaner (which was completely caked with crap) and rigged up a temporary fuel line.

It wouldn't start. Then I pulled the carb off again and blasted every passageway with Berryman carb cleaner. It still wouldn't start. Then I took apart the carb again and tried blowing thru the fuel line intake but couldn't. It was clogged internally so I cleared it free with a small copper wire, then blasted it with Berryman and compressed air.

That did the job. It now starts easy and runs great. At 35cc it's a pretty powerful wead eater and sure runs smooth.

I just installed a new fuel line pickup/filter assembly and air clean that I ordered from www.mfgsupply.com. I also ordered a new fuel tank band and gas cap.

I also re-lubed the head and the shaft.

I'll be in it for about $5 + $21 parts when all is said and done. It's a nice weedeater.

Great find Davefr! Shindaiwa is a warhorse of a machine. Properly cared for they will last the average homeowner a lifetime.

Here's a follow-up on my Troy-Bilt [TB] 4 cycle unit I purchased at the beginning of the month as noted in a prior post here. It really has the power, runs smooth, starts very easly and is very quiet along with having a nice balance. All for $79.97 as it was refurbished!

I had a big job to do on my place, actually there's more I'd
like to do but the damn hot weather is here and if I don't get an early start, forget-it!

As the pictures show I had a large patch of of thick Tarrweed to deal with and used the brush blade due to stalk thickness. My 4 cyl TB handeled it very well with more than
enough power even with just a slight pull on the trigger and fairly thrifty on the gas too. The brush blade hardly greated any chaff and next to no dust.

This first shot shows the patch of Tarrweed which is about 85' deep. The shot was taken from about 75' away and you can see some of the stragglers the tractor left behind in the foreground of the initial patch that became to dusty to mow.

{{gwi:303414}}

The next two shots show a close up of the sticky Tarrweed which was on the leading edge of this patch plus a Macro shot of the stalks after they were cut. The brush blade sometimes sounded like a circular saw cutting through a stick of wood, zing.

{{gwi:303416}}

{{gwi:303418}}

The last shot shows all the cut stalks and weeds in piles that may not be too visable but it does show the area free of large patch shown above.

{{gwi:303420}}

So am I happy with this unit, You Bet I am! And would I reccommend it, I sure would!

This is from shellbarks members page.
opinions are like buttholes,they all stink unless its your own

Please call me: Mister I live in: West Virginia My zone is: Va

I think from this we can all see why he is like he is.

Shellbark how much actual experience do you have in the outdoor power equipment industry? Who made you the all knowing all seeing guru on outdoor power equipment? Have you ever even held a Tanaka trimmer in your hands let alone used one?

AS for the "please call me mister" part that is something you earn not request.

Later Butch

I purchased one of the Ryobi string trimmers 5 years ago and both I and my local lawn care machine guy tried to get it running, to no avail. Like other posters, I finally gave it away. I replaced it with a small, light, fantastically reliable Echo, which has been my "go to" trimmer for a wide variety of jobs. Starts every time, never quits, light and easy to use. Does bog down in waist high grass, but no surprise really and if I cut upper portions off first it will handle the job.
I also own a Craftsman High Wheel Trimmer, figuring that for 1/2 the price of a DR I could put up with some reliability problems. What a piece of junk! Fortunately I have the extended warrantee, because it's been back to Sears about a dozen times in the 3 years I've owned it with all manner of design and maintenance problems (cutting head falling apart or off completely, leaky oil gasket, etc). It can't cut through long grass since the head design collects the grass rather than cutting it and spinning it away, so in tall grass it's a constant chore to clear the head of debris. Looking to buy either a DR or a Swisher in the near future. Anybody got any ideas? Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Home on the range

Speaking of Tanaka trimmers,

I was looking for something to fight blackberries with...and ran across a Tanaka TBC-300SDH. It was on 'sale' for $299--it seems like a discontinued model. Were there any issues with this model?

It has the double hand grips, a shoulder harness, a 29cc motor, and it's a little heavier than Butch's 340D at 14lbs...

Is this a good or a bad choice for brush-cutter trimmers? Another dealer had the 340D for $410 and a Shindaiwa dealer wanted $329 for their 23cc brushcutter trimmer.

Most dealers around here have advised me to go with the 4 blade grass blade for the blackberries. Is this a good choice or are there better blades available?

I battled a massive blackberry invasion myself. I started with a 4 tooth brush cutter blade on my Echo PAS 260 but it was very slow going. It would cut the stalks OK but they were hard to reach. (You'd really have to reach way underneath the brush to get to the stalks and it was pretty miserable cutting. Even after you cut the stalks they'd just keep standing upright they were so intertwined.)

I switched over to my hedge trimmer attachment and it went much better/faster. The hedge trimmer had big enough slots to cut the vines and you could make big swipes that would just slash thru this bramble. With this approach I could actually clear the land.

Dave sounds like a good idea. Actually sold a PAS-260 to a guy to trim under a fence. He said it worked really well.

Johanessen I have never seen an issue with a Tanaka trimmer. Though the TBC300 is discontinued it is still a good buy. You will still get your full warranty and a great trimmer.

Later Butch

I use a Ryobi 4 cycle staight shaft that can take different attachments. I only have the blower, the trimmer and the brush cutting blade. I think the model is a 490r. I have been using this for 6 years around the house. It gets a good amount of use. I've had no problems at all with it. I do a tune up every year. The only thing that bugs me is the line snaps off and goes inside the head more often than I would like. I think this is due to trimming around a lot of rocks. Could be the type line I use. This is the only trimmer I've owned and I'm very satisfied. I don't know if they still make them or if the quality is as good.

I've had the Ryobi 725r 2-cycle(31cc, 40:1 mix) for a little over two years now. Price was less than $100 new where I got it. Use it about twice a week from Apr to Oct. Plenty of power for use with hedge trimmer and tiller attachments too. I now use 0.105 dia string and it seems to me to hold up better in the weeds than the smaller stuff. The engine has a durability rating of 125 hrs and has yet to give trouble. Con: the pull-start is one of the jerky-est and hardest of any machine I've ever tried.

I listened to Butch and bought the Tanaka TBC-300SDH. I found the manual to be a bit sparse in terms of recommendations about the care and feeding of a 2 cycle trimmer.

Is there any thing I need to know about breaking in, running, shutting down a 2 cycle engine?

So far I'm really liking the tanaka and find it very easy to start.

RE: Happy with your weed trimmer?
Posted by: DYT4000 9 FL (My Page) on Tue, Apr 12, 05 at 11:19

Javert, I have the C1200 Deere..works like a champ. """"Best weedeater I've had to date."""
========================================================================================================================

Whats the worst one you dated ?...............
LOL, I couldn't resist....just poking fun.

I`ve been using a Shindaiwa T-230 for a year and a half now and it is easily the best trimmer I`ve ever owned.

I retired my 19 yr old Echo GT2000 this year and purchased the straight shaft Echo SRM210i. This has got to be the easiest model to start and is a great trimmer. Came with the Echo Rapid Loader. When you get quality you never question the purchase later but rather just enjoy what you bought.

derbyboy,
I'm with you on the Echo SRM210i. I really like the easy start pull system. Took me a few times to ease back on the pull. I was pulling like it was a traditional start mechanism. I bought a 1/2lb roll of the echo line for $7 and cut 8" strips for the rapid loader. Took me 15 minutes to cut it down but it sure is cheaper than buying 50 pieces for $8. My Echo is probably overkill for my yard but it sure is easy to use.

Ragman51

I own the same Ryobi trimmer. Lasted less than one year. The plastic tabs on the inside of the shroud are used to turn over the motor. The "kick-back" and hard starting, broke off all the tabs. I was not impressed with the design. When it did start though, it was a good runner

Hi,

Allow me to add to this thread with different approach. I like to be able to turn my weedeater (strimmer here in England) over so I can strim with the nylon line cutting pretty vertically downwards. Doing this enables me to cut the grass edges around my shrub beds neatly enough to need no further work.

The only weedeater I've found that will allow me to do this without conking out immediately is a Robin. I think it may be due to the fact that it has a sponge filter over the carburettor, though I could be wrong on this.

I've had the Robin for years and it still runs and cuts well.

Beggar:

Robin is one of the best there is. They are the ones that revolationised the light weight trimmers them everyone else had to follow suite.

I just wish Echo would use the plastic fan/clutch housing so they could lighten their trimmers up some more. Then they would be really hard to bet in all the catigolories. Later Butch

I used a rented Stihl today on my overgrown construction site. It had a 3 blade head with the bicycle handbars. It went ok, seemed to have a small gas tank but as it keeps the weight down and I have an herniated disk that's ok. Starting was a big tricky though.
I have lots and lots of huge....road hemp? Sort of looks like marijuana. Some of the stalks were probably 2-3" at the bottom. Also lots and lots of button weed (?) as in I felt like a forester at times. If I fell down I didn't think anyone would find me.
Did good on the big weeds but the grass would slow it up oddly enough.
I didn't want to have to buy one but think I might have to break down.
I would like the lightest weight model, safety and this sort of brush cutting power. Sounds like the Stihl or Tanaka are favorites here. No Craftsman? I have no idea where to get these other than looking at the big box stores.
Mary

I had a friend of mine give me a Deere S1400 trimmer. It has been sitting in his shed for a couple of years because he bought a different trimmer. It needs a new spark plug but I dont now what plug to buy. Which one should I get and what is the gap set to? Thanks

I have one of the cheaper Stihls's, one of the curved ones, and it is fine. However, I love to turn a trimmer sideways and let it cut up/down, as this is a great way to edge spots that are too hard to get at with my 4 wheel edger (or areas separating beds from lawn). However, this causes debris to hit my leg which is annoying, and I guess there's more danger of getting hit in the head with a stray rock. If anyone has found a solution for this, say a debris-guard that will block stuff from flying up, let me know.

Fatso, I have the perfect answer for you.
check this handy little guy
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92264

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/92200-92299/92264.gif

as for the rest of you guys. I will have to make a journal entry tonight. Lots a passion and lots a testosterone in this forum:
dear journal, enjoyed gardenweb tonight- encountered unusual "trimmer-snobs"
=)

I purchased a refurbished 26cc curve shaft Homelite trimmer (black line head ). The feed spool constantly tangles. I regret buying it (too cheap). I will have to spend $25 on a simple head ( not bump feed ) . I noticed that the new version of this model have a gray colored slightly different feed spool but who I have no idea if it less troublesome .