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Can do Doug. Taking tomorrow off as there is a Veteran's breakfast and monster's school. So, I'll escort my bride to that. Then it's a half day of school so I need to be home to handle said monster when the Vet goes to work. However, everyone is off all weekend so... a chipping we will go... Will shoot some pics then...
Speaking of machinery ****, I think I just upsold myself from the Echo PAS system to the Stihl Kombi. It seems they have the kinks worked out of their 4 mix engine and it's a powerhouse now. Was thinking the KM131R head, FSKM brush cutter, FSKM Line trimmer, and HTKM pole pruner. Their big dog 131 head is lighter than Echo's much lower powered 2620. I know what I want for Christmas....
Can do Doug. Taking tomorrow off as there is a Veteran's breakfast and monster's school. So, I'll escort my bride to that. Then it's a half day of school so I need to be home to handle said monster when the Vet goes to work.
A big thank you to your bride for her service to this great country!
Sounds good Rodney! Looking forward to pics. I liked my little Echo, and it did what I needed for where I was at the time. I only had three attachments for it. It’s nowhere near enough machine for what we have now though. Sounds like your Stihl would be a better fit for you.
I can’t take advantage of any of the Veterans Day freebies this year, as I’m still dieting. Oh well. I’ll treat myself a few days later when the diet ends. Glad you guys are doing something special for Momma. Enjoy the time with your little helper too!
I have this for my kombi unit Rodney. Works great for knocking back brush from the trail/fence line. Thing doesn't flinch at 1/2" branches, my pruner attachment doesn't see much use anymore now that I got most everything cut back the way I want. https://www.stihlusa.com/products/mu...5adjhedgetrim/
Rodney - I have a KM131R with basically all the attachments offered. Trimmer head, articulating hedge trimmer, sidewalk edger, bed-edge redefiner, powerbroom, etc, etc. I can report a mixed review. After doing one 40-hour job the head unit was very hard to start and the two little spring clips inside the split shaft which allows attachments to be accepted on the shaft broke. Plus the flexible shaft of my edger lost a retaining clip and fell out. Stihl service was very slow and said the part was backordered. They had my Kombi for 3 weeks...finally I called Stihl, told them my nearly brand new unit was in the shop for ever. They authorized the dealer to give me another brand new KM131R and "fixed" the shaft. Well, the new one starts better but eventually stalls out if it idles too long. The clips have held up; whatever the dealer did to the edger didn't solve the problem; shaft still falls out. It is usable though. I will say this machine has good power (not as much as the top Husky but very good). Fuel economy is better than Husky X-Torq engine. The throttle seems different if you haven't used a 4-Mix engine. It is governed at max torque and doesn't rev as high as a true 2-stroke. You definitely feel some vibration through the handle. One employee asked to switch back to the Husky split-shaft because of the vibration. The husky has a rubber-isolated handle while the Stihl does not. Nevertheless, this is a powerful unit and will remain in use. Here's a shot of the trimmer plus the extension shaft you can also buy. Thing weighs a ton with the extension on, but well worth it for tall shrubs!
I wouldn't need the hedge trimmer but the pole saw is a must along with the extension offered. I did read about vibration issues. Some say they have been corrected on later models. How recent is your 131 Tyler? If it's an ongoing thing (along with the other issues you mentioned), I can still shop the Echo. I don't want problems. I just saw bigger power at almost the same (a tad less) weight and said, I'll go Stihl. The Husky units are now made by the Redmax division. It seems the Redmax acquisition helped Husky but many in the trades think it hurt the Redmax end of things. No personal experience there though I have had my Redmax line trimmer and hand held blower for 20 years and they were built solid back then. The Husky split shaft is also 2 lbs heavier than the comparable Stihl or Echo. If it's not Stihl, I'll go with the Echo. Great motors that are true 2 stroke and very fair pricing...
I have the Echo PAS system, but I have the 221. Going back, I'd get a more powerful head unit like the 2620. I had my eye on the 280 until they discontinued it. I have the blower (bought it in Vegas, its useless), hedge trimmer, weed eater head, brush cutter, tiller, and the edger. I really wish I had more power for the edger...that really works my little 22cc power unit.
My issue is I can't justify the 2620 power unit b/c mine is still running great (its 10 years old). Tough to replace something that works just fine (Just slow). I'd love the pruner. Its next on my list of PAS attachments.
The 2620 is the one I was considering Steve. The Stihl 131 has more power with a hair less weight though. 25.4cc's vs. 36.3cc's on the Stihl. I'm not sure how they made a unit that is a 4 mix and 1/3rd larger engine into a lighter package...
Tyler, have you had to adjust the valves on yours?
The 2620 is the one I was considering Steve. The Stihl 131 has more power with a hair less weight though. 25.4cc's vs. 36.3cc's on the Stihl. I'm not sure how they made a unit that is a 4 mix and 1/3rd larger engine into a lighter package...
Tyler, have you had to adjust the valves on yours?
Research continues....
Rodney, my Stihl KM131R was purchased this spring. The second, replacement unit was put into service late July 2018. So these are very recent. Not enough hours for valve adjustment. I also run several Honda 4-strokes, one of these is a 2004 model, runs fine, tons of hours, never a valve (or timing belt) replacement.
Interesting. I wonder if you just got a bad one? In all my forum research, most pro/long term users are very happy with the setup. The only negative that I found that wasn't anecdotal was the blower attachment which had a problem with the thin aluminum drive shaft sheering. I wasn't interested in that anyways though. I'm after a line trimmer, brush cutter, and pole saw. I'll likely upgrade my hand held Redmax blower to a new unit at the same time too.
The only thing any of those attachment blowers are good for are blowing off a driveway. My echo one is useless for anything other than a few grass clippings and dust. Leaves laugh at it.
Hence the Husqvarna 580BTS. Goodness that thing is awesome at moving huge piles of leaves.
Yeah, I might have just gotten a bad one. The replacement seems fine, but the vibration issue is still present. It doesn't bother me as much as some of the guys...I tend to be the primary user of that trimmer.
I didn't bother with the blower - they are useless. I'll also second the 580BTS vote - I now have three of these and they are the best I've used.
No backpack for me. Just a handheld. Either a Stihl BG 86 or an Echo PB-2620. I don't have to move large piles of leaves with it. It's just for cleanup. My lawn tractor picks up all my leaves.
11-08-2018, 08:23 PM
