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

I apologize if this is an elementary question but I am a new homeowner and do not have alot of knowledge on engines in general.

I have a 1/4 acre lot and plan to do my own lawn maintenance. I've already purchased my mower and am now looking at getting a trimmer.

I've noticied the big difference in gas-powered trimmers seems to be 2-cycle or a 4-cycle engine but I'm not clear what the pros and cons are of each. Also in some of my research I see that some units take straight gas whereas others require a mixture. I'm just completely confused at this point at what to even start looking for. I dont have a large lot that requires a tremendous amount of trimming but I want to purchase a unit that will be durable and most fit my needs. Maybe my needs would be better suited with an electric model?

Any explanations and advice would be greatly appreciated.

snowshoveler wrote:

Hey Chris..........................

Please don't think I'm trying to steal any thunder from you, here.   I do bow to you the professional technican!  I have a landscape maintenance company that has been in business since 1988.  I am definately an end user and not a tech., but with countless hours of use "under my belt", I know what works and what doesn't.  I've tried them all.  I can only extend the knowledge that if something stands up to commercial use, then it will likely be a lifetime purchase to homeowner use.  And, that, is money saved in the long run. 

I think that one of the greatest things about this site is the fact that all the knowledge shared results in wiser spending of our hard earned dollars by "crying once" and buying better quality OPE. 

Ken

I think I really only had two points from the beginning.

Two stroke engines have changed a lot in the last couple of years from what most of us are used to, in order to comply to EPA standards here in the US.

Even old time two stroke engines have valves, called reed valves that can fail and cause the machine to run poorly or not at all. And they do fail from time to time.

robmints wrote:

I remember my dad saying that the reed valves would get weak from "flapping" all the time and would usually be the cause of poorly running machines (usually Lawnboys) that would come into the shop.  I've worn out a few myself from back in the day when we ran Lawnboys exclusively.

Ken

Great in-action working model of a 2 cycle
http://www.oldengineshed.com/twocycthry.html

well folks the still 4mix is a carbon copy of shindiawas 4 stroke unit and neither one is much good.we sold the shindiawa 4 stroke units and after i get done doing all the recalls and updates ill be an old man.

i really hate it when a company brings out somthing and claims its te best thing since sliced bread,then we find out it went mouldy and has to come back in for repairs .

eventually they will bring in fuel injection and that will be the end of 4 strokes.

now i know some of you are saying no way but what if i tell you that your precious 4 stroke isnt so clean after all and the only reason they build them at all is so they can earn credits to play off on their not so clean units.

did you know that fuel injected  2 strokes have been tested to run at a mix equal to 400 to 1. they are variable ratio oil injected ...changes with load and rpm.

its complicated now but getting better all the time.

a fuel injection 2 stroke can run cleaner than almost every 4 stroke.

dont beleive me check out a mercury outboard called OPTIMAX...awsome engineering in that thing and cleaner than any other 4 stroke outboard.

i like 4 strokes but they have not earned their place in small hand held ope yet.

later chris

Chris,
What about Echo's Tornado power, or what ever they call it.

echo is top quality product (used to sell it) but you could look at a srm 2300 or 2500 and have a very nice machine  that will last a lifetime with little or no maintenence.

i feel that the 4 stroke are gonna be a problem after a couple of years ,especially if they dont get used much.

just check out the price of a carb kit for any 4 stroke trimmer and maybe a spark plug ...if you can find one ,and you wont fine one at walmart.

if you leave you gas get stale once its gonna be very costly,i end up replacing every second carb on the 4strokes if you even mention bad gas around one of them.

and that just makes them impractical to me.

stale gas is a way of life we all do it from time to time and  sure its anoying ,but with these ones your gonna pay through the nose

.buttlint ...how much does a carb lit cost for one of your stihl 4 strokes and how many do you have in stock...the kit i mean not the trimmer.

later chris

Well, SnowShoveler has pretty much convinced me to go with a 2 cycle trimmer.

I had been considering the Honda units, but had some concerns.  I am leaning towards the Echo 230 or possibly the PAS-260 for some flexibility with trimmer, edger attachments.  Though some say that the you should't use the PAS model for your primary edger.  I guess my question is - if you should not use it as your primary edger, what is the point?   Are you better off with a dedicated edger?

Also, liked a Husky model I saw - 326.

Not as primary edger? Bullsnot.

Mine works fine, has for years. Bottom line is, once you have a nice groove, it doesn't take much at all, you'll fly down it.

Marshall wrote:

Absolutely correct!  If you keep it up, it is a breeze to do.  You do not need a dedicated machine that will sit most of the time.

Ken