Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I know we are all still enjoying the winter and our snowblowers, however, all the shops are starting to stock the summer stuff. 

My Homelite 2 stroke string trimmer needs replacing and I'm looking for recommendations.    I would consider a 4 stroke, in fact, I'd probably prefer one (due to not having to mix the oil and gas).   I also like that system that allows you to take off the string trimmer and put on other attachments.  I'm not in the lawn care industry, so it would be for my residential needs (basically every Saturday morning).  

Thoughts or insight?

I just checked the Honda Canada web site, $489 for their cheapest 4 stroke trimmer.   I saw a Craftsman today at Sears with a Briggs mini 4 cycle for something like $230. 

How long has Briggs had this mini 4 cycle for, is it reliable?

Anybody have any experience with the 4 stroke trimmers?   I'm in need of some opinions.  My options are basically the Troy Bilt side valve for $230 or the Yard Machines OHV for $280.  

Anybody know difinitively who makes these enginges, is it Briggs?

I bought a YardMan YM26CS string trimmer used, which the prior owner had used with several trimmerplus attachments.  This is the first string timmer I ever purchased, so I can't say how well this trimmer performs versus a 2-cycle engine.  The only reason I bought this was because I got it for a good price ($20, including 4 attachments) and because I didn't want to mix oil for 2-cycle engines.

To get it working, I drained the old fuel, took-apart and cleaned the carb (lots of gunk removed with carb cleaner) and fuel tank, replaced the fuel lines, fuel filter in the tank, spark plug, changed the oil, and changed the upper shaft, as the coupler for the trimmer plus attachment had worn-out and could not operate the attachments.  Replacement parts are readily available (mail-order was much cheaper than my local dealer) and the total repairs took less than 3 hours.  Plus MTD has all of the manuals and blow-up diagrams available on-line.

The trimmer now works pretty well.  Start-up is pretty easy (remember to prime well), usually starting on the 6th pull (5 of the pulls are used for the first stage of the recommended 3-stage starting process).  I've used the trimmer on two occasions for about a total of 1.5 hours.  The first hour,  I used the string trimmer to cut through overgrown Marathon grass (grass grew to 8+ inches).  Once I figured the proper angle for trimming, it cut through the grass pretty quickly. 

I also have the Ryobi vaccum/blower which works pretty well, although the suction is pretty weak on hard surfaces (concrete) even at full throttle; it works better on picking-up clippings/leaves on grass.  Also, the angle you have to hold the vacuum to maximize suction causes gas to slosh against the cap and leak, if the tank is filled more than about 3/4.  I don't know if this a problem with the cap on my machine, or a design defect, but I'll just remember to fill-up less.   I also have the hedge trimmer, but I haven't used it yet.

MTD recommends that the valve-lash be checked every 25 hours of use, which is pretty easy to do.  On my trimmer, one of the valves had excess play, which I adjusted before my first use, but I recently noticed a clacking noise at WOT, so I'll have to adjust it again.  I hope this is not a recurring problem.

All in all, I'm pretty satisifed even after investing another $50 for parts.  This machine is more than adequate for my needs (3000 sq. ft. of grass).  I do have concerns about the longevity of the upper shaft, but I expect that attachments which do not heavily stress the coupling, such as the trimmer, blower/vacuum, or dedicated edger, would be OK.  I would not use the tiller attachment if you want to maximize the life of the upper shaft.

As a professional mechanic of nearly 30 years, I strongly feel the only 4 stroke string trimmer worth considering is the Honda HHT31S LTA (loop handle) or UNBA (bike type handle). This is a straight shaft commercial grade machine. The power comes from Honda's proven GX31 (31cc / 1.5 hp) engine. This is the original mini 4 stroke engine, which has been in production for almost 10 years & is bullettproof.