Any suggestions for a good 4 cycle weed eater...

[guitar1580]

... one that won't cost an arm and a leg? I'm in town and don't have alot of heavy stuff to cut. I decided to try a 4 stroke engine this time.

I've been checking out a Ryobi, 30cc with angled shaft for approx $175. Thought I'd check to see what you folks use and like. Thx,

Josh P

 

[pharmer]

I've had the Troy Bilt 4 cycle with a few attachments for 3 years. The good: Easy start, powerful, and reliable, no gas mixing. The bad: HEAVY, as in a hand held lawnmower. Joe

 

[HalfStack]

There's a 4 cycle weed eater ??

Sorry, I assumed that all weed eaters are 2 cycles. This is new to me.

 

[doublesharp]

I'd stick with a 2 cycle Husqvarna but this 4 cycle Husky looks pretty good.

HUSQVARNA 224L - Trimmers

Husqvarna weed trimmer 224 L 4-stroke line edger trimmer Honda engine NEW husky | eBay

 

[Marshwheeling]

Weed EATER???

I thought you were supposed to smoke it.

 

[ogilvyspecial]

I looked at quite a few 4 stroke weed trimmers last year and decided on the Stihl, which is more of a "hybrid 4-stroke."

I've used it quite a bit and found that it has far less noise & vibration that the 2-stroke we still have. The one I decided on is one of the larger, more powerful trimmers and it makes quick work of even the tough stuff.

Where our smaller 2-stroke Stihl would bog down doesn't even phase the bigger 4-stroker.....

What sold me on the Stihl was that, dollar for dollar, I got more machine for the money. My wife's cousin owns a Tree Removal Business, her Dad a Lawn Service and while they don't use Stihl products exclusively, they do run 'em on a daily basis. When asked, they both told me I couldn't go wrong with a Stihl, but, then again, I've had a Stihl chainsaw & weed-trimmer for yeats so that really wasn't news to me.

Another that they recommended, and that I looked at, was the Shindiawa (sic) 4-stroke. The place I bought mine was large so they had all the brands I had reaseached, including Husqvarna, another top choice, which meant I was able to do an in person comparison before making my decision.

Having been down the Ryobi road before, more than once, I would never even think about buying another. Hard starts, stalling, you name it we've dealt with it.

The Pro's all use straight shafts. They are just easier to move around, get under/around bushes and gives you a better view of what you are doing.

 

[Rule3]

I bought a Troy Built. Used it once and brought it back. Here in the land of mowing 11 months of the year.

It is way to heavy and gutless. Not happy with it all, it was harder to start then a 2 stoke. I have gone through a lot of junk 2 strokes and finally got a a Echo. It or a Sthil are worth the few extra bucks. All the commercial guys use them here.

 

[deadin]

I don't know that "4 cycle" and "not cost an arm and a leg" are compatible.

However I've been looking at the Honda's. I've always been impressed by their small engines and such (generators and pumps)

 

[setxn]

I've used a Stihl FS90 R for 5 yrs with the only complaint being the weight.Starting,power,noise level,fuel consumption and (knock on wood) lack of problems are all great-if it would just do the trimming by itself!

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I have the same stihl. It is heavy, noisy and burns a lot of fuel but it works.

For some reason here in the south I go through small gas powered tools about every 3 years so I just buy what is on sale. They all fail quickly.

My guess is it has to do with storing them in an outside shed in the sun but there is really no other place for them.


Never buy a small house and small garage....

 

[joeintexas]

Went through the same thing here a couple of years ago, the 2 cycles would last a year or two then start having problems. I went with troy bilt and it has been fine for the past 2 years, really heavy though and wears you out carrying it around, but it does start on the first or second pull. Honda and Stihl are both really better trimmers but there is a significant difference in cost. Nice not to have to mix oil and gas.