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String Up My String Trimmer

  • I need advice on loading and threading the string on a gas-powered weed-eater/string trimmer. I have owned many of them in my adult life, and either they all suck, or I'm doing something fundamentally wrong. I hate weed-eaters. Every one I've used in the last six years, I've wanted to throw under the wheels of the nearest bus or drive over repeatedly with my car out of frustration. That said, I am currently using a Poulon gas-powered trimmer that actually works. It is pretty much like every other gas-powered string trimmer I've ever owned (I've owned many of them in different brands), especially with regards to the problem I have with the string. Namely: - There is no tension to the spooled string, so that it spools out easily as it runs. - Or there is too much tension to the spooled string, which breaks off every five minutes, so that I have to sit down, take the whole top of the trimmer off, thread it back through, and restart the trimmer. I rarely have a chance to "bump" the bottom to let more string out before it breaks off again. Often, it can't "bump" because the string has tightened on itself on the spool, so that I have to pick at the string with my nails to get it to unwind enough to thread through the top again. Overall, I go through a lot of string. I have to fill the spool of string almost every time or every other time I trim the yard. I don't think this is normal. I used my dad's string trimmer when I was a teenager, and I remember that it would allow me to "bump" the bottom frequently with the string never breaking off. I don't remember ever having to take the top off and rethread it, let alone every five minutes like I do now. Let's just assume that I am using the right kind of string for the trimmer. I know, assumptions. But I have this problem even with brand new spools loaded by the manufacturer. Also, my lawn is pretty standard suburban Midwestern USA. I have a lot of sidewalks to go around and a big wooden fence in the backyard. No brush, no tough weeds. I'm mostly trimming back grass and dandelions. Can you offer any tricks for winding the string on the spool to make the proper tension for the damn thing to work correctly? Is there an art to this that I am missing?

  • Answer:

    Not to question your technique, but have you questioned your technique? gjc is right. Using a string trimmer properly around noncuttables is a little tricky. Beating the string into obstructions is the quickest way to cause catastrophic string failure. I trained lots of kids how to use a string trimmer back when I managed a retail store and the baggers would get sent to do that sort of thing. One thing I was convinced of was that it really sucks to use a trimmer around concrete, but the other is that some people just have a really difficult time getting a feel for the nearly invisible blade on these things, especially kids getting paid near minimum wage. :-) Try taking the trimmer out on a sunny day and finding an angle at which you can clearly see the line. Use that angle to "learn" where your cutting edge is. Practice some fine cuts. Any time you are failing to cut at that cutting edge, you are stressing the string. As for bumping, during the normal course of operation, one should only have to bump occasionally, like every ten to thirty minutes. If you are coming up against obstructions, pavement, etc., that increases. Possibly significantly. That's not necessarily bad, but it isn't necessarily good either. You need to trim that grass between the pavement blocks? You really need to have precise control over the cutting edge, which means you need to know where it is. The other thing? Lift your trimmer's head now and then and *listen* to the pitch running at full throttle. It will run slightly faster, and therefore sound a little different, when a little bit of the line has worn away. Bump at this point, not when lots of string is needed.

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I have a lot of sidewalks to go around and a big wooden fence in the backyard. Both of these will wear the line out pretty quickly, but nothing like the consumption you describe. I have a large petrol-powered trimmer and 1.5 acres of tough weeds and rocks that seem to have been specifically designed to wear out the line on a trimmer and I get about 3-4 full trims from a spool of line (about .5 - 1.5 hours of trimming each time). Are you sure you aren't winding the line on backwards (ie wrong rotation)? That's the only thing I can think of that might lead to the string spooling out without you 'bumping' to feed it. It would explain why the line won't feed when you bump it, certainly. I know you said assume you are using the right string, but are you sure it isn't too thin? Have you tried taking the trimmer in to a repair place, with a full spool that you have threaded in place and asked them to check it? Hard to diagnose something like this at a distance.

dg

I had this exact problem this weekend while trying to load a new spool of string in my Black and Decker Grasshog. I wound up finding Youtube videos of people showing how it's done by searching Youtube for something like "replace spool on black and decker grasshog." Maybe a similar search will help you?

erst

http://ask.metafilter.com/212604/String-Up-My-String-Trimmer#3069368: "No one has responded with any tricks beyond what is in the manual(s), which of course I have read" There are no tricks. If you wind the spool in the way the manual describes and use the machine in the way the manual describes, it will work.

dg

Are you pulling the string all the way out? I usually only do a 3/4 pull so that I don't get to the end and break it.

snsranch

I don't understand the tension problem- I've never had a trimmer just spit out string as it goes. You're certain that you're: using the correct diameter of string for your model? winding the direction your trimmer indicates? winding neatly with no crossing? seating the spool properly after refill? Can you push on the spring and manually "bump" it with your hand after loading the spool (without starting the trimmer!), and does it feed ?

oneirodynia

Man, this is something that can definitely be a little frustrating. Oneirodynia's suggestions are all good ones. I suggest paying particular attention to your winding technique, and making sure that you are winding it in the correct direction. If the string isn't feeding properly, try winding it in the other direction (counterclockwise if you've had it wound clockwise, clockwise if you've had it wound counterclockwise). I've always found that reverse-winding is the most common culprit with string trimmers, so check that out first. Also, what model exactly is your trimmer? The manual is probably online and if you can get us a link to that or at least the model ID so that we can try and find it, it'll probably help.

Scientist

If your trimmer has two exit holes for string it should be noted that you wind it by starting at the midpoint of your new string, wrapping each leg separately. You do not start at the end of the string and wind it all on.

odinsdream

Are you using the correct string for the trimmer? It shouldn't break off if it is the right gauge and material. Also, the little holes are usually swept back "with" the rotation of the string so that there is no hard edge for the string to break off on. The string should be wound in the opposite direction of the spinning of the head. And I wonder if you are using it correctly? There should be a blade on the end of the shield of the trimmer that cuts the string to the right length automatically. So, you start the trimmer and (if yours has such a blade), bump it until the strings are that length. Usually like 4 or 6 inches. Then, you use the tips of the strings to do the cutting. If you are pushing the string too close to obstructions, the string will wipe against the sides of it instead of whacking it with the ends, which causes the string to abrade in the middle. Really stupid question: is your trimmer the kind that is supposed to use the pre-cut strings?

gjc

I replaced my spool with a 3rd party thing that uses 2 pieces of string. It's similar http://www.cmdproducts.com/Grass%20Gator%208010.html. It's much more convenient and less troublesome that the damn spools of string.

COD

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