My New (to me) toy/tool

[WV Sawmiller]

  I was using an old push mower to mow some tight spots I can't reach with my big riding mower. I either have to cut those areas with a weedeater or some parts with a push mower when it is dry enough. Anyway I was cutting along an old ditch in the back yard and hit an old piece of pipe or metal stuck in the bank. It choked my mower down so I pulled it back and restarted it and had a serious vibration. I lifted the front of the mower and found nearly half the blade had snapped off so I am speculating that it was experiencing a significant "out of balance" condition.

  I called my small engine shop and he did not have a 20" blade like I needed. My hardware store said he did but when I got there he did not have the one to fit mine (a simple 3/8" bolt).

  Since there were no other places in my little town who would have one and I was that close I drove a few more miles to my small engine shop to get him to order me one. and to check on some chainsaw sharpening stones I ordered last week While there I spotted a 2 wheeled weedeater with high wheels and talked to my dealer about them. I did not want to buy a new one but told me if he came across a good used one to let me know. He said he had a Craftsman model he'd sell me  and told me they'd used it around the shop all last summer.

 
  We went out and looked at it and after a couple of pulls it fired right up so I bought it and brought it home. He did not have the heavy (.155) cord he said it uses so he ordered me some.

  I brought it home and finished my ditch then started on a marshy spring area between my yard and pasture fences and tore up the string I had and the spares he gave me so I had to quit.

  My initial opinion is that it will work very well for my needs when I remember to stay further back from my fence and such. It does seem to pull to the left and is pretty top heavy and wants to turn over on my very steep and uneven ground. In some respects I wish it were wider for more stability but if it was I would be complaining it would not fit easily it he tight spots so it is as trade-off. He did warn me about the string breaking on hard objects. 

  Replacing the strings are dirt simple (Poke the doubled end through a slot and pull tight under a clip and done) and when I get some more cord I will resume my task. I think it is a very nice addition to my groundskeeping stable.

  It has a 24" cutting path and, 2 high wheels and a sort of plastic bump head on the front to keep it from digging into the ground. I don't don't it others out there have and use them but if you do and have any pointers and lessons learned I'd love to hear them.

[Wlmedley]

I've never had one Howard so I can't help you with any tips but I was wondering if it pulls itself.

[red]

I believe it is called a High Wheel String Trimmer I picked one up very cheap at a garage sale and gave it to a friend with a long fence line 
I remember you must wear safety goggles
Also the heavy duty line can be purchased on a roll and cut to length . . but neat machine

[thecfarm]

My neighbor has one. I used it for a few minutes.
I use a "cheape" push lawn mower for my bad areas.
I call them my mini bush hogs.
They are no longer cheap, new, $200.
I use to get them for under $100.
I was looking for something better.
But I need something that will chew up small limbs. 
What you have will not do that. But will cut off small bushes that have only just came up, not the ones that have been there 2 years.
I was impressed on what it cut.
Should move easy too on that half ball where the string goes in.
I would suspect they come in different hp or cc.
I picked up a 6.5 hp mini push hog. A big difference then those 4hp ones.
You should like it better.

[doc henderson]

great for overgrown weeds where some metal or rock may be mixed in.  the heavy line rarely breaks.

[WV Sawmiller]

Bill,

  It is definitely not self-propelled. Where I used it I tended to need to pull it more than I could push it because of the uneven terrain.

Red,

  My dealer is ordering me a roll of line. He said cut it in 2' lengths and  you double them, push the middle through the slot and pull it snug under a clip. Dirt simple to refill. I am sure safety glasses are in order but the guards on it do a good job shielding the operator - much better than hand held ones I use. Normally instead of glasses I wear a wire mesh face screen.

Ray,

  I was using my cheap push mower as you describe and they cut decent where you can reach and are stable but the small wheels dig down in the mud and don't give enough clearance in the rough stuff. Yes, this is designed for the softer stuff than the woody stems and does not love rocks and fences.

Doc,

  The dealer said and I concur the hard stuff like heavy woody stems and wire break them but they will bounce over the rocks pretty well and cut softer vines and briers like our young multi-flora roses.

[aigheadish]

I've seen these things advertised for a while and they seem like they'd be pretty handy. With the amount of money I've spent on my pro-grade weed eater I'm amazed that I'd still like a better option. This would be very handy for getting the flats of the pond banks when the water level drops, the ground there is very uneven and fairly miserable to weedeat. I should go down and talk to the mower guy down the road to see if he sees them come in used. 

[doc henderson]

the big wheels are near the center of the motor and well balanced overall.  easy to use.  I have a cub cadet.

[WV Sawmiller]

  The high wheels make them easier to move around on the mud and such but mine is very top heavy and easy to turn over so it is a trade off. They would be absolutely perfect for trimming under a barbed wire fence on level or moderately sloped ground or a yard or field fence a few inches off the ground. The 2' cut width is impressive. I think mine is about 6.5 hp so it really chews through the grass and weeds but that extra power will snap the cords if you hit too much wire and such.

  Yeah, new ones are pretty pricey but I got mine for less than half what a new one would have cost.

[SwampDonkey]

I use a nice Stihl FS251 trimmer with shoulder strap. Not cheap, as it is in the pro line, about 42 cc. Sure works nice. 

[WV Sawmiller]

  I have a Sthil FS85 and I think an SF 90 or 95 I use. I got the bigger one last year and keep a blade on it for trimming brush in the pasture since my horse died 16 months ago. i now use the smaller one around my house and yard with the string head. I have a strap for the bigger one. Actually it should work with both but I don't use it for the yard use.

  This wheeled trimmer helps fill the gaps between those 2 needs but it will not replace either.

[aigheadish]

I think I've got the Stihl FS131 with the handlebars and harness. The harness makes a huge difference as I used to be worn out weedeating after 15 or 20 minutes, now I can go for an hour with no issue. I still don't like to do it but better machines make it much nicer. I need to look into a more stout string. 

[gspren]

I have a DR model that I bought off Craig's list maybe 10 years ago fairly cheap and used it around the farm. I haven't used it in the past 2 years since we moved to a smaller property, still 2 acres in the country but don't need it anymore. On the farm I had a long driveway with a pasture fence on one side and going downhill almost all of the way where it worked great. When I got to the bottom I left it there while I walked back and got the ATV, I kept an old dog collar on the rear rack and would use it to attach the trimmer to the rack while I towed it back up the hill. If anyone lives near enough to Brogue, PA and wants it it ran 2 years ago and it's yours. Actually I think I might try to start it, I only used non ethanol gas. 

[SawyerTed]

The only walk behind trimmer like that I used was a self propelled version.  It wasn't a good fit.  Funny how tools like that don't fit my hands anymore.  

We use one to trim around the historic cemetery headstones at Portsmouth sometimes.   I prefer the handhelds.