Wee Willy Whacker

[farmersammm]

Had this thing for a few years. I don't store it properly, it sits out on the porch all year in rain and direct sun. I never drain the gas, and never do anything but use it when needed. THIS YEAR IT DECIDED TO LET ME KNOW IT NEEDS BETTER TREATMENT

K'kins does the yard work here. I HATE YARD WORK, AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO LIVE ON A PLACE WITH GRASS UP TO THE EAVES.

Anyways..........I always buy her a new weed whacker every year. The stupid things won't start after a while, and I get the cheap ones that are basically throw-aways.

(I bought her a Husqvarna this year, so no more throwaways......this one is expensive)

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Back to MY weedeater......................................... .......

I got this when they first came out with the drill start, 4 cycle trimmers. It's a dream to start......no pulling on a rope all day long

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-W...ble/1002466480 I see they still make them. I believe it's a re-badged Troy Bilt. Troy Bilt makes good stuff. I need something capable of handling heavy Johnson Grass, and large weeds. Mostly for weedwacking the "shop". I let it go sometimes to the point the Johnson Grass is 4' tall.

I used to take this kinda stuff to the guy in town to fix. Lately, he's been doing lousy work.........IF HE ACTUALLY DOES GET AROUND TO FIXING ANYTHING.

The fuel primer bulb/fuel line finally disintegrated from sitting in the sun, and the old fuel in it over time. I decided to pick up a kit to fix it. I'm not good at small motors, but this turned out well.

The kit was surprisingly cheap. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Genuine-Fac...ir-Kit/3606334 And it came with a cool tool

I had YouTubed the repair, and saw the fuel line fish tool, but couldn't find one..........then I happened to see the kit on the Lowes site that came with the tool.

The first step is to run the wire on the tool through the hole in the tank, and out the filler neck. Then cut a 45* angle on the end of the fuel line (so it'll slip through the hole in the tank), and"bait" the hook on the tool.

I coated the fuel line with motor oil so that it would slip through the hole in the tank easeir (it's a very tight fit)

Then use the fish tool to get the line through the hole just far enough to grab with a pair of needle nose pliers. You'll tear the hook out of the hole if you attempt to pull the line through the hole with just the fish tool by itself.



The new bulb assembly is a breeze to put in, if you use a socket to press it in by hand.





Hook everything up, and you're ready to do some work.

[farmersammm]

This was a really cool new concept when they first made these. No fuel mixing, just fill it, and go.

It has a crankcase like a regular motor. Just check the oil once in a while.

AND THE BEST PART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ELECTRIC DRILL STARTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You use an adapter that fits in the hex drive in the pull start assembly. Has an overrunning ratchet thingy, and just spins once the motor starts. No more stinkin' pulling on a start rope for hours (exagerating, but ya know what I mean). LOVE IT

[Louie1961]

Sam, next time you need to buy a string trimmer, I recommend one of these...best money I have ever spent. Much more cutting power than the Stihl 2 cycle unit I had. With two batteries you never run out of juice, they charge up quickly. And the automatic string loading feature is amazing. Its a real workhorse with MUCH less maintenance. Just don't leave it on the front porch.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/EGO-Power-5...ded/1003130700

[John T]

Had this thing for a few years. I don't store it properly, it sits out on the porch all year in rain and direct sun. I never drain the gas, and never do anything but use it when needed.

Brilliant.

For someone that calls himself a farmer should have more respect for tools/equipment.
I see that a lot with you.... fixing up broken stuff that has probably been neglected and you wait until it's damn near falling apart....

On the bright side, At least you have the ability to fix things...

that drill starter gimmick is silly. Just use a good quality gas stabilizer and keep the plug/air filter good, it will start very easy.

I bought this monster a few years ago, It's been flawless.... But then, I take care of it and store it properly.

.
https://www.husqvarna.com/us/product...lst/967175501/

[mla2ofus]

If possible use non-ethanol gas in it and find a place to hang it in your shop to protect it from the elements. I have an ECHO trimmer I rescued from the dump several yrs ago and after buying a $15 carb for it it's been trouble free. It's a straight shaft 2 stroke model and uses .105 string and will take down about anything short of tree saplings or large mature weeds with thick trunks.

[bigb]

Sam, next time you need to buy a string trimmer, I recommend one of these...best money I have ever spent. Much more cutting power than the Stihl 2 cycle unit I had. With two batteries you never run out of juice, they charge up quickly. And the automatic string loading feature is amazing. Its a real workhorse with MUCH less maintenance. Just don't leave it on the front porch.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/EGO-Power-5...ded/1003130700

I have a Greenworks 60 volt leaf blower and that thing is amazing, I have a spare battery but have never ran one down enough to need it. I use it at home and I use it at the job site to clean up after drilling out a house, way faster than a broom and gets it all. My only complaint is that it is fairly heavy with that huge battery and not too ergonomic and can get to your arm after a while when you try and hold it at certain angles, but holding it with both hands gets around that.

[Capt B]

Sam, next time you need to buy a string trimmer, I recommend one of these...best money I have ever spent. Much more cutting power than the Stihl 2 cycle unit I had. With two batteries you never run out of juice, they charge up quickly. And the automatic string loading feature is amazing. Its a real workhorse with MUCH less maintenance. Just don't leave it on the front porch.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/EGO-Power-5...ded/1003130700

I agree I bought a 60 volt Dewalt trimmer last year all my cordless tools are Dewalt so stuck with the same brand. So much better than gas. Just as much power and battery lasts a long time.

[12V71]

I have a Greenworks 60 volt leaf blower and that thing is amazing, I have a spare battery but have never ran one down enough to need it. I use it at home and I use it at the job site to clean up after drilling out a house, way faster than a broom and gets it all. My only complaint is that it is fairly heavy with that huge battery and not too ergonomic and can get to your arm after a while when you try and hold it at certain angles, but holding it with both hands gets around that.

I have the Greenworks 60 volt trimmer... Thing is awesome, the battery lasts over half an hour on high speed and wrecks some pretty heavy weeds. It's not any heavier than most good gas power jobbies. With a spare battery and a quick beer break, the weed whacking is close to being non stop.

[farmersammm]

Got some work done with the rebuilt whacker yesterday.



Absolutely amazed at how much stuff was hidden by the Johnson Grass. When it gets this bad, you gotta go in with the weedwacker before you can go in with the mower. Otherwise you wind up running over/into stuff you didn't know was there.

The best "string" I've found is the round stuff.

Wears better when going up against sapplings, and hard to cut stuff.

It's fairly thick.

The little 4 cycle motor seems to work pretty good in heavy stuff. The old 2 cycle motors used to get real hot, and only really worked good at max RPM. The little 4 cycle can lug down, and not lose its ooooomph. I'm thinking there might be a little flywheel in the thing, not sure (shrug). Three years of this abuse, it's gotta get "two thunbs up". Same with the 4 cycle chainsaw. Leastways I think I have a 4 cycle chainsaw.............haven't used it in so long I can't remember. It needs work, so I guess I'll find out

[farmersammm]

OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!..........................

I found the welder too

[farmersammm]

Just took a look at the chainsaw............it's 2 cycle, not 4 cycle. Guess I ought to look at it once every few years I hate the things, so I try to ignore them

[ronsii]

Just took a look at the chainsaw............it's 2 cycle, not 4 cycle. Guess I ought to look at it once every few years I hate the things, so I try to ignore them

They're only 2 cycle if you run mix gas in em'.... although I should warn you the few times I ran em' like a 4 cycle they didn't run long....

[CAVEMANN]

Hey sammmm, almost all the small engine powered equipment are built the same, all made from a select group of components and rebranded as needed, Craftsman and Poulan/Poulan Pro are the same thing, I think the only one that may be all it's own machine is Stihl.

[bassboy1]

Hey sammmm, almost all the small engine powered equipment are built the same, all made from a select group of components and rebranded as needed, Craftsman and Poulan/Poulan Pro are the same thing, I think the only one that may be all it's own machine is Stihl.

Yep, Troy Bilt (and virtually everything else) is made by MTD.