New Stihl user

[jcollett]

Lawnmowers :
Older machine : Masport, 19", self-propelled (walk-behind).
Younger machine : Honda, 21", self-propelled (walk-behind).
Peripherals : Black & Decker Weed Eater, battery powered.
Black & Decker Weed Eater, powered by electricity (extension cables can reach every corner).
New problem :
Facing our house, on land belonging not to us but to the Council, who ignore it, there have recently been planted by the local Tree Trust (Home) some beautiful cherries and liquidambar. The land is steeply sloped (steeper than 45 degrees), with a very irregular surface, full of convolvulus, periwinkle, Wandering Jew (?), etc. At least once a year I go through the area and pull down all creepers which are climbing up into the trees. I have now set myself the task of getting rid of those weeds, in the hope that grass can be encouraged to grow instead. The problem slope is on the other side of the road, so I can't take the electric B & D there. I have done lots of clearing with the B & D battery operated weed eater, but short work spells and continual battery recharging were not a good situation. I decided to go for a petrol powered Stihl line trimmer (FS 45 C), which I have now owned for just over a week. Despite a very misleading instruction in the user's manual, I can start it easily. The problem is, suddenly, after a minute or so, there is no nylon line visible in the cutting head. I'm supposed to tap the head on the ground to advance the line when needed, but that offers two problems : I cannot see when more line is needed unless I stop the machine and look at the head; the ground I am on is rough, sloping, and soft. Tapping the head on the ground has no effect. I have been told to take a short board with me : hard and solid to tap the head on. I can't get that to work; one moment all is well, with two nylon threads whizzing around, the next moment the threads are gone. I have to stop, go home, undo the head, and pull out the next few centimeters of thread. I already regret buying the machine (it was not cheap) because I cannot get it to behave properly, and against all my better judgement I am already thinking of using Roundup to try to get rid of the weeds.
John Collett

 

[Rivets]

Either your bump head is installed incorrectly, or the line is installed wrong. I would take it bake to your dealer to get it right.

 

[Ric]

Despite a very misleading instruction in the user's manual, I can start it easily. The problem is, suddenly, after a minute or so, there is no nylon line visible in the cutting head. I'm supposed to tap the head on the ground to advance the line when needed, but that offers two problems : I cannot see when more line is needed unless I stop the machine and look at the head; the ground I am on is rough, sloping, and soft. Tapping the head on the ground has no effect. I have been told to take a short board with me : hard and solid to tap the head on. I can't get that to work; one moment all is well, with two nylon threads whizzing around, the next moment the threads are gone. I have to stop, go home, undo the head, and pull out the next few centimeters of thread. I already regret buying the machine (it was not cheap) because I cannot get it to behave properly, and against all my better judgement I am already thinking of using Roundup to try to get rid of the weeds.
John Collett

Chances are if the line isn't coming out when you bump the head you're crisscrossing or overlapping layers line and the line is sticking to itself and will not come out. The head I believe holds something like 25 feet line to fill the spool, don't use over about 15 feet. Sometimes filling spool can cause the same problem. Remember when winding the line and filling the spool make sure you wind it in Flat, Even Rows.

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[jcollett]

The dealer took my problem machine into the yard behind the store and found some long grass to cut. He soon found that the line-advancing mechanism was cutting grooves into the nylon, grooves which could easily become cuts. In a phone call to Head Office he was advised to put a new head on the machine. That new head was tested in another part of town, seemed OK, and I was sent home with instructions to have another go. I made a bit more progress, and learned that the advancing mechanism needed to be applied much more frequently that I had expected. But I still ended that work session with both nylon lines missing, cut off. I think there's a serious design flaw there, but the dealer says he sells hundreds, and that I was the first person to complain. When I bought the machine, I also bought the different type of head called a Polycut (flexible plastic blades) and I'll have a go with that tomorrow.