Posted: 9/14/2014 11:14:46 AM EDT
|
How long do they usually last?
And once they reach that age, is it worth repairing them? mm |
|
I bought an Echo straight shaft 6 years ago.
Only one spark plug and an inner line spool replaced in that length of time, and cleaned the air filter out every spring, that's it. Still going strong and starts easy. My wife's boss bought a Stihl 4 stroke, and had absolute Hell with it, not even a year old, and the compression release went out on it. Took it to Eliiot's for repair, came back in pieces in a box. A long wait period, and an astronomical price to repair. |
| Life span seems to vary greatly on trimmers, even within the same brand. I had a Ryobi that lasted over 10 years and the only thing I did on it was replace the fuel lines as they would dry out. I would imagine that if the on you have is a cheapy/regular model from Home Depot/Lowes odds are it will cost you as much/more to repair it than to buy a new one. If it's a higher end brand/model then it might be worth getting fixed. Also depends on if you are still able to get parts for it if it's an older model. I need to get a new one, but haven't had a chance to shop around for an Echo or Stihl which seem to be the Arfcom favorites. |
|
Quoted:
Mine is a $60 Ryobi from Northern Tool....I think I got it in 2001. I had to replace the spool a few years ago, this morning I replaced all the fuel lines and spark plug. Not running. mm You got a pretty good run out of that one, especially for that price. Might be time to buy a new one. |
|
Try fuel lines. They deteriorate and allow it to drake in additional air and go lean. $3-4 at one of the boxes so it's worth a gamble. Get ethanol free fuel or buy the gold plated fuel at the store. Since going E-free my stuff has been much more trouble free. Newest one is a 4-5 YO Echo stick edger still going strong. 10 YO Ryobi is a good candidate for replacement.
Jester |
| I had an Echo from 1990- 2007. I didn't even change the plug once. Gas and go. I bought a Stihl FS 45 in 2007, and fought with it the last 2 years ( replaced fuel lines, plug, still ran like crap). Bought an Echo 225 SRM in May. The quality of the new Echo far surpasses the Stihl IMHO. Changing the line is a breeze. |
|
I bought a Troybulit rebranded thing, probably Ryobi. Didn't use it a whole hell of a lot. I guess after 8 years the fuel line fell apart, so it just sat for a couple of years. Then I rebuilt the carb and all the fuel lines. When I tried to crank it up, the rope for the pull start broke.
I started pulling it apart to replace the pull rope, but you've got to damn near disassemble the whole motherfucker to get to the pull rope and I thing I needed a torx screwdriver or something. Threw it back in the garage. Got some cash for Christmas 2 years ago and bought an Echo. Fuck that other shit. Some of the worst money I ever spent was on that rebranded crap. |
| Did a 4 cycle troy x2 (each lasting around 2 years each) - got the 2nd because I was already invested in attachments.... They saw med-heavy use during all but winter months since it not only functioned as a trimmer, but also as a edger and blower every week. I decided it wasn't worth investing another $170 ish to pick up another one and when fishing for info from friends. After several recommendations for Stihl (7+ years durability) - I decided to give that brand a try and picked up a split shaft Stihl km56rc w/ both the trimmer and edger attachments (still need the blower) at the beginning of this summer and no issues so far. The dealer actually talked me out of buying one of the Pro series trimmers saying I'd spend too much for what would amount to overkill... Time will tell... |
| When I retired I got a Stihl "combi" unit with all the attachments known to man. Four stroke. Five years later it is still running strong. EVERY time I use it I pour out the fuel and let it idle until it dies. Starts right up the next time I need it. Money well spent. Pole saw attachment is REALLY handy. |
|
Quoted:
When I retired I got a Stihl "combi" unit with all the attachments known to man. Four stroke. Five years later it is still running strong. EVERY time I use it I pour out the fuel and let it idle until it dies. Starts right up the next time I need it. Money well spent. Pole saw attachment is REALLY handy. I don't do this on mine but it's probably the best thing you can do if using gas with ethanol. I run my gen dry by closing the tank valve but on my other stuff I just run the crap out of it then put it away and gripe when it doesn't work next time. Thinking of engaging the local economy by outsourcing the yard maintenance anyway. Seems cheaper than buying a new mower. Jester |
