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Best commercial trimmer in $300 range?

#1

W

wlc65

Currently looking for a new commercial trimmer. Looking for something reliable and will stand up for a long time. I currently run a Stihl and a Troy-bilt, looking to replace the Troy because it is junk. Any recommendations beside Stihl?


#2

Boobala

Boobala

wlc65 said:
Currently looking for a new commercial trimmer. Looking for something reliable and will stand up for a long time. I currently run a Stihl and a Troy-bilt, looking to replace the Troy because it is junk. Any recommendations beside Stihl?
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Shindaiwa OR Maruyama NO cheapie trash machines here ... Commercial grade !!!


#3

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

Husqvarna 525L, 525LS or 525LST. These are some tough little machines! I bought the 525L and I've never used a better trimmer. Weighs a little over 9 pounds, has an amazing anti-vibration system and it's got great power for its size (it can run .105 line.) Very comfortable trimmer to use. If you want more power and a solid driveshaft, you can get the 525LS. If you want to run the trimmer without a guard, the 525LST is geared differently to produce more torque and less RPM. All three of them look cool too. :cool:

I don't buy any Echo or Shindaiwa products. The carburetors aren't adjustable, end of story. There aren't any Redmax dealers near me, so that's not an option. I wasn't impressed with the specifications on the Maruyamas, they may be good trimmers but they're too heavy for me.


#4

S

sidemouse

wlc65 said:
Currently looking for a new commercial trimmer. Looking for something reliable and will stand up for a long time. I currently run a Stihl and a Troy-bilt, looking to replace the Troy because it is junk. Any recommendations beside Stihl?
Click to expand...

What model Stihl are you running because if I had to guess it's at best an FS90...
Huge difference between trimmers and brush cutters, most folks don't realize this but higher priced units are classified as brush cutters (it's in the horsepower or cubic size of the engine, forget which but that's what classifies it as either a trimmer or a brush cutter, whether it runs string or blades doesn't really matter much)... If you're running an underpowered unit it will only last so long, if price bothers you that's the cost of running one of these unit... Then it depends what you expect this machine to do and how good you are sourcing your own parts and doing your own repairs, otherwise I'm going to suggest sticking with the brand for which there exists dealer / service support somewhere close to you. And you can try a few 'other' brands but they all break down in time, some are better than others but that's from one unit to the next, not that one brand is but so much better... They all require some sort of maintenance at some stage, I can go a year or two sometimes with just the basics but sooner or later it takes a complete tear-down and rebuild (not including the block itself, that stays intact) usually they don't go much more than 4-5 years on one spell (air filters and spark plugs aside).

At some point brand loyalty spells out parts interchange, cross-referencing and mechanical expertise, if you stuck to the same brand for many years you might know right away what is wrong with it and where to get the part and how much it costs, for example... So pick a brand and stick with it, knowing what makes one tick is the secret, as for top of the line brands... Definitely stay away from Troy bilt and any of those other economy priced brands, Stihl makes an excellent product, there are many others like it but again you want top of the line for $300? Not going to happen, for a top of the line trimmer you're into brush cutters and these generally run $3-$400 maybe even $5...

You can try Echo, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, Toro, can't recall what else but again it's all the same just looks and how they're built.
Ultimately you have to decide not so much which brand per se, but which one you want to stick with because it takes 5-8 but really 10-14 years of running one brand machine and one brand only before I could think I knew what I was doing.


#5

R

Rivets

You can't go wrong with Echo or Stihl. Landscaper around here go with what they have on the truck when adding or replacing. If it was me, I'd would go Echo first.


#6

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

sidemouse said:
What model Stihl are you running because if I had to guess it's at best an FS90...
Huge difference between trimmers and brush cutters, most folks don't realize this but higher priced units are classified as brush cutters (it's in the horsepower or cubic size of the engine, forget which but that's what classifies it as either a trimmer or a brush cutter, whether it runs string or blades doesn't really matter much)... If you're running an underpowered unit it will only last so long, if price bothers you that's the cost of running one of these unit... Then it depends what you expect this machine to do and how good you are sourcing your own parts and doing your own repairs, otherwise I'm going to suggest sticking with the brand for which there exists dealer / service support somewhere close to you. And you can try a few 'other' brands but they all break down in time, some are better than others but that's from one unit to the next, not that one brand is but so much better... They all require some sort of maintenance at some stage, I can go a year or two sometimes with just the basics but sooner or later it takes a complete tear-down and rebuild (not including the block itself, that stays intact) usually they don't go much more than 4-5 years on one spell (air filters and spark plugs aside).

At some point brand loyalty spells out parts interchange, cross-referencing and mechanical expertise, if you stuck to the same brand for many years you might know right away what is wrong with it and where to get the part and how much it costs, for example... So pick a brand and stick with it, knowing what makes one tick is the secret, as for top of the line brands... Definitely stay away from Troy bilt and any of those other economy priced brands, Stihl makes an excellent product, there are many others like it but again you want top of the line for $300? Not going to happen, for a top of the line trimmer you're into brush cutters and these generally run $3-$400 maybe even $5...



You can try Echo, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, Toro, can't recall what else but again it's all the same just looks and how they're built.
Ultimately you have to decide not so much which brand per se, but which one you want to stick with because it takes 5-8 but really 10-14 years of running one brand machine and one brand only before I could think I knew what I was doing.
Click to expand...

Why do you need a big commercial brushcutter to do regular maintenance? It costs more, weighs more and uses more gas as well. Sure, you have more horsepower, but you don't need that much horsepower for regular trimming unless you're running with the guard off (which isn't safe). My $300 Husqvarna will trim circles around a heavy Stihl brushcutter and cost less in the process.


#7

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

Rivets said:
You can't go wrong with Echo or Stihl. Landscaper around here go with what they have on the truck when adding or replacing. If it was me, I'd would go Echo first.
Click to expand...

When the Echo carb goes out of adjustment, what do you do then?

I am disgusted with the newer Echo machines. Older ones are okay, but the newer ones are underpowered (due to the EPA carb) and they take forever to warm up. I will admit that my Husqvarnas acted the same way when I bought them, but a quick carb adjustment fixed that. :thumbsup: The new Echo edger I had took at least 1 minute before you could rev it up without bogging, and it was underpowered compared to my well-used Stihl FC55. I sold that Echo for $145 and never looked back. :cool:


#8

Z

Zak88lx

I still have my original Echo SRM-210 from 2003, and it still runs like new.
Great unit, and I love the rapid loader head.


#9

cpurvis

cpurvis

Zak88lx said:
I still have my original Echo SRM-210 from 2003, and it still runs like new.
Great unit, and I love the rapid loader head.
Click to expand...

I've got the same Echo trimmer only much older, like early to mid '90s. The only repair I've had to do was replace the grommet that the fuel lines pass through on the gas tank. And clean out the spark arrestor screen. I finally threw it away. That was caused by my overdoing it on the fuel/oil mix. I ran 32:1 in it for years when the book said 50:1.

Prior to this Echo, I'd had a Homelite, a WeedEater and a Toro. None of them lasted much more than a few years.


#10

Z

Zak88lx

cpurvis said:
I've got the same Echo trimmer only much older, like early to mid '90s. The only repair I've had to do was replace the grommet that the fuel lines pass through on the gas tank. And clean out the spark arrestor screen. I finally threw it away. That was caused by my overdoing it on the fuel/oil mix. I ran 32:1 in it for years when the book said 50:1.

Prior to this Echo, I'd had a Homelite, a WeedEater and a Toro. None of them lasted much more than a few years.
Click to expand...

I have always ran mine with the Echo Power Blend mix at 50:1, and then I recently tried experimenting with the AMSOIL Saber Professional at 75:1, but the trimmer did not run well, so I went back to the 50:1 Power Blend.


#11

H

helomech

Love my echo, starts on the second pull, and runs great. Don't know if you can adjust the carb or not, never needed too. Had it for about 6 years now and not a lick of trouble.


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