Why is it so blammed difficult to re-wind the spool on string trimmers correctly? Try as I might, I cannot get the spool to release more than two or three times before the string binds up tightly on the spool. Any advice??

 

Bring it to home depot and ask the guy to show you how to do it.

 

You can buy a pre-wound spool to go into your trimmer. Cartridge-like.

But even if you don't get the cartridge, it's not that hard to wind a spool. Don't wind it tight, but not so loose either. Kind of hard to explain without actually showing you.

 

Screw the string put bike chain on there. My granpa did this and it was cool never had to rewind just watch out for rocks and stuff.

 

I'm with Joe(bigrig)..once someone showed me it's a cake walk. the instructions for mine didn't indicate how much tension to keep on it

 

Thanks for the replies. I agree, it should be simple but the longer I try the worse the results. Somehow, I think the problem is the inherent coil "memory" the nylon/plastic retains from its original packaging. With the large, economy sized coil, that winding memory does not agree with the smaller spool diameter I am winding it on.

 

That is exactly why I bought a trimmer that doesn't use the spool..

Bought a Sears 4 cycle so no worries about gas and oil mixing or spools of line.. It has the precut line that threads in through a hole..

Very easy to use and lasts a long time..

 

the first thing I did when I get my new trimmer is take the auto string feeder off and put a replacement head on it. I got a big 15 dollar spool of heavy string about 7 years ago and still have over half left. I can usually do all the trim work on one cutting of string. Once I'm through I just reload the head and I'm ready for the next time the yard needs mowed. I"ve used the plastic and chain blades but like the self stringing type the best.

 

heres the easiest way to fix that.... go to your local stilh dealer... pick up a stilh FS? 130.... strait bar, bike handle trimmer... pick up the cirular saw looking blade.... purchase... and attach... have fun killing grass small trees berry bushes... your wifes garden... the small rodents... that stupid dog that keeps leaving brown messes in your yard.... small rodents... and the neabhors stray.........................................chil d..... lol dont take me seriously on that one... i love the fs 130... used to run one at work... killed about an acre of over grown black berry bushes in about a day with that beast.... fire it up.... full throttle... make sure no one is around... and just start swinging your whole body from side to side.... LOL to me it was alot of fun lol

for the trimmer head.... trial and error... i always just wraped mine real tight on the fs-130 and fs 90 if i had to use it around a building or a fence, where i had to worry about damaging the blade or property or homes or office buildings... just real tight and full throttle.....{but,,, im sure i had a bigger weedeater in my hands then you huh?}

 

A few years back I had an IDC580 and bought a piece of plastic that had 2 pieces of chainsaw chain with a piece of flat metal on the end of each chain.
The thing worked real good for about 3 years.
It cut wire fence, hedgebushes, and most anything that got in its way.
One day I heard something go zing past my head.
I stopped it and saw that one of the pieces of metal had left the place where it was suppose to be, never to be seen again.
I learned my lesson.

 

Small aircraft cable works really well also.

 

I bought a 4 cycle trimmer and some line that acts like a cat-of-9-tails. I had to experiment a little to see exactly how to rewind it so it would work. The string is designed with ridges so it doesn't weld itself as bad as regular string. It cuts into our jungle and the over growth from the neighbor like a hot knife thru butter. Yeah at first I needed 3 hands to get it right but now it's fine. I love the way it cleans up growth where I can't use chemicals because of our mouser. Don't want her biting or licking grass killer. Lot cheaper than an exterminator and covers a bigger territory.

 

I use a Stihl trimmer that is not that hard to wind. Just don't wrap it tight.
I have discovered that you can not wind them like they come from the factory!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chugalug

A few years back I had an IDC580 and bought a piece of plastic that had 2 pieces of chainsaw chain with a piece of flat metal on the end of each chain.

They were called the weed warrior and weed wizard and they were shut down and put out of business from a class action law suit because of them coming apart and hurting people.

In the 25 yrs I was in business repairing weed wacker and small engines this is the number 1 problem people have with there trimmers knowing how to wrap the string properly,most use the wrong size string or string that has been hanging around to long and not kept hydrated (thats right hydrated).Most but not all spools will tell you the direction to wind the string ,keep it tight and untangled as you are winding,don't over fill the spool keep it a 1/8" to a 1/4" below the edge of the spool. When you store your string get yourself a small airtight container put your line in it with a damp sponge and this will help with the memory problems the line gets and it will keep your line from becoming brittle and breaking off while you are mowing.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by bajhafords

Small aircraft cable works really well also.

You are just asking for trouble or a lawsuit if someone gets hurt,there is a lot of stress on the line head if you do this and can cause the bearings in the lower shaft to fail and come apart (have seen it happen more then once) people try to use all kinds of things that were not designed to take the force at spinning at a high rate of speed and then hitting a solid object they build a lot of heat and bad things start to happen to the spool,I don't recomend using any type of steel cable for this. I don't want to be the one to preach but these things are not toys(although some seem like it) they are tools and every tool needs to have some sort of respect when using it.