I have struggled with weed whackers. For more than two decades now, I have written about my struggles with snarled wind-up rolls of string trimmer twine, balky engines, hand-numbing throttles, etc. Last year, my tone changed. I actually sang the praises of a new string trimmer. It happens to be a Stihl model, but its improvements are not restricted to that brand. Changes in technology have resulted in engines that are much easier to start and throttles that are much easier to keep running at weed-cutting speed without locking one’s hand muscles in ache-all-night cramps. My principal frustration has been with the spools of nylon monofilament line than with the gasoline engines. Often, the threads protruding from the trimmer head would break or wear down to nubbins, prompting me to bump the head against the ground and activate the centrifugal force mechanism that is supposed to release more line. I say “supposed” because all too often, the spool inside the trimmer head would become tangled and partially melt and stick together. No line would come out despite bumps. I would stop trimming, take the spool apart, disentangle the welded line, rewind the spool, replace the cover, and resume trimming — only to need to repeat the process, sometimes within a few minutes. Weirdly, I seem to always choose hot, humid days as trimming days. My temper would rise in tandem with the spreading sweat marks wetting my shirt. “Gumdrops!” I would exclaim. “Muggerwumpus! Geehaw!” And my favorite expletive, “Some of the beach!” Chickens would look around fearfully. Dogs would slink away to the darkened depths of the lower barn. Cats would ... well, you know cats. They just stare insouciantly, and insouciance is a word that was specifically invented to describe cats. My wife would be more confrontational. “The neighbors can hear you!” she would say. The nearest neighbors are a quarter-mile away. But I always respect my wife’s criticisms. Chastened, I would mutter, “Gummerhawbeach.” Or somesuch. Last year, I switched to a new style of trimmer head. This one has no spool. Instead, it has two holes on its sides. One inserts eight-inch lengths of precut nylon line into the two holes, and then pulls them taut. If they break, or wear down, one simply yanks out the stubs from the center of the head with a handy set of needle nose pliers, then reinserts new line. Marvelous, right? Last year, with new line, the improvement worked well. A trip around the borders of the barn took less than its scheduled hour. I used perhaps a half-dozen refills of line, acceptable given the need to bang line against sandstone barn blocks along the foundation. This year, however ... disaster. That same trimming trip around the 50-foot by 60-foot barn took two full hours and a full three dozen refills. Now, I had spent several evening hours sitting on the front porch with pliers, cutting a 400-foot roll of monofilament line into the required eight-inch lengths of line. I had anticipated having an entire year’s supply on hand. Snap! Crack! Pop! The line would break, or whiz out of the spool, sometimes even before the engine had been revved to full weed-whacking speed. I recalled the ancient melodies: “Gumdrops!” “Muggerwumpus! Geehaw!” “Some of the beach!” Then I turned to the Internet — and I learned something. I sent a blistering email message to Stihl, excoriating that company for having foisted upon me a sham. Instead of being easier and simpler, the new trimmer head was a failure, a boondoggle. Line snapped left and right. Wayne Lemmond was sympathetic. Lemmond works for Stihl as a customer service representative. Many years ago, he encountered the same situation with quickly breaking nylon monofilament trimmer line. He found a solution: Soak the line in water. I tried it. It works! My second seasonal trimming trip around the barn took just three sets of trimmer thread, and was completed in less than the scheduled one hour. Here I thought that monofilament line was, well, impermeable. I know that string and rope eventually dry out or rot. Nylon, however? I never even gave dryness a thought. Mr. Lemmond advised that nylon is porous to some extent. It dries out and becomes brittle. During manufacture, it is soaked in water to make it pliable. Then it is stored, in warehouses, in distributors in retail stores, sometimes for years. It dries out. He advised soaking the line in water, for four hours minimum and overnight if possible. He himself always keeps his trimmer line wet in a bucket of water, he said. I tried it. It works. My guess is that it will work on wind-up spools as well as cut-to-length spools. So, there it is. New technology has improved trimmer engines. Old-time tricks, soaking line in water, preserves pliability. I shall retire some of my ancient melodies. Learn more about trimmer engines, contact J&J Small Engine Clinic. Source: thecourierexpress
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 14:40:10 +0000
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