How much line to wrap around the reel of the STIHL grass trimmer?
Lawn trimmer is the most common tool used for cutting grass and small bushes. This machine is notable for its ease of maintenance, simple operation during work, and thanks to its low weight even women can cope with it. It is no secret that for the qualitative performance of works on grass mowing, the correct selection of cutting tools is required. As the latter, trimmers use special cutting attachments (discs, knives) or trimmer heads with a fishing line inside. Nozzles and fishing line for the trimmer are an expendable tool, but if the knives can be sharpened, then when the line is used up, it is necessary to replace it. In this article we will tell you in detail about how to change the line for your trimmer.
Mowing head for grass represents a cylindrical body, in which a spool (bobbin) with a tucked in it the line (cord) is installed. This design can be installed on both gasoline and electric trimmers. The heads differ in the way the filament is threaded and fed and come in 3 types.
- Automatic. The filament is fed after the user has lowered the engine speed. Although automatic line feed is convenient if you perform large amounts of work, but such bobbins have one drawback. high consumption of thread.
- Semi-automatic. Using this type of head does not require the user to perform complex manipulations. The way they work is the cord is lengthened automatically while machine works at full speed. It is enough to slightly knock the head of the grass trimmer on the ground (this removes the cord lock), and the line for trimmer thanks to the centrifugal force is pulled out of the bobbin, after which it is cut to the right length by the knife located on the protective cover.
- Manual. To extend the cord you need to stop the machine, after which the line for the trimmer is pulled manually.
Based on the above, semi-automatic bobbins are the best option. It should also be borne in mind that the grass trimmer reels are single-stranded (used only for grass trimming) and double-stranded, which are used for mowing tall grass and small, with thin stems of bushes.
Safety instructions
To quickly and safely change the fishing line on the mower spool, safety precautions must be followed. Before removing the spool to wind the line for the trimmer on the lawnmower, it is necessary to disconnect the technique from the power supply (if the mower runs on electricity). Here we want to mention the rating of electric lawn mowers in terms of reliability, which will help you choose a safe helper.
Another important safety rule to follow is to press the locking button. You can find its location on the machine by referring to the operating manual. You can find, for example, the instruction manual for a hand-held petrol lawnmower here.
It’s important not to forget that the cutting attachment needs to be adjusted. There is an adjustment button on the machine. If the process does not start automatically and the thread tension is loosened, then the button is clamped and the line for the trimmer is forcefully pulled out of the reel.
It is necessary to remember that the replacement of the line in the lawnmower is an important process that requires responsibility. Everything should be done in stages, and only a special polyethylene line for trimmer should be inserted into the reel. An iron cord, some high quality wire or even reinforced line for a trimmer will not do here.
Winding up the line
The hastily completed disassembly of the bobbin spool without losing its parts allows you to proceed to the main task. winding the fishing line into the spool. Technological features of the bobbin design and the number of working tendrils determine the sequence of actions.
The most common option and an easy sequence of actions:
- Size of bobbin and length of unique winding determine recommended length of line for winding. 25 m.
- One end of the line is inserted into a locking technological hole on the inside of the bobbin.
- The line for the trimmer is wound on the reel in the opposite direction to the rotation of the bobbin on the trimmer product. usually, on the inside of the reel an arrow indicates in which direction the winding is carried out.
- A small part of the line is left free to lead it out. it is fixed in a special groove on the inside of the bobbin, created to hold the winding when assembling the bobbin in working order.
- The leftover end of the line is fed through the hole on the outside of the spool.
- The bobbin halves are assembled and pushed onto the trimmer bar.
Reel with two operating tendrils
In this type of bobbins should find the number of grooves for winding the line lying on the inside of the bobbin:
For both cases, a 2-3 m trimmer line is used. In single-canvas spools the line for the trimmer is pulled through the through hole, its ends (tendrils) are folded together and aligned, then winded in the opposite direction of rotation of the reel on the boom. inside the arrow usually indicates the correct winding direction. In the presence of fixing grooves line ends are pulled through them or held with the fingers of a free hand, pulled through the hole in the outer half of the bobbin, the bobbin is locked and attached to the rod trimmer products.
The difference of winding the line in double-groove reels is that initially a piece of line 2-5 m long is folded in half (to determine the middle fold), and the loop of the fold is inserted in a special groove between the grooves. Both tendrils of the fishing line are wound each on its own groove, fixing the tendrils and reel assembly is similar to the variant with one groove considered above.
The first performance of this procedure may seem long and rather laborious, but with time and experience, this task will be solved much more quickly and easily.
The video below will clearly show you how to tuck the trimmer line into the grass trimmer reel and wind it up correctly. this operation is nothing complicated and with some patience is sure to be successful:
What’s needed to change the filament
If the grass trimmer is used regularly to cut the grass, the discs will blunt, but they can be sharpened and continue to be used. But lines for trimmers in the reel tend to run out, so it is necessary to fill a new one, which requires to determine the type of head and to prepare the cord of necessary thickness and length.
So, the mowing head is a cylindrical body that houses the bobbin with the fishing line. Such detail is present both on electric trimmers and on petrol mowers of any brand, whether it is Bosch, Makita, STIHL or other brands. There are three types of heads, depending on how the line is threaded and fed.
- The principle of operation of the automatic group heads is that they feed the line for the trimmer by themselves when the mower reduces the engine speed. These designs are good for working on large areas, but have the disadvantage of high cord consumption.
- Semi-automatic cord reels are easy to operate. automatic line feed is performed at maximum engine speed. To remove the cord lock, you need to gently tap the tool on the ground, after which the unlocked filament slides out of the spool. The cut to the required length is made with a knife fixed to the guard.
- Grass trimmers with manual cord feed need to be turned off beforehand, and then you need to pull out the line for the trimmer yourself.
Tip! The most convenient and best value for money are the semi-automatic cord reels.
Reels for electric and gasoline-powered mowers can be with one or two fishing line tendrils. The former are used for trimming low grass growth, the latter for mowing tall grass and small bushes.
Preparing. removing and disassembling the bobbin
Most models of electric and gasoline-powered trimmers require that the line be changed by removing the spool. With the FUBAG tool you can skip this step. For the instructions to be universal, we will still look at it in detail:1.
Secure the shaft. Insert the locking element in the correct hole. It can be a thin screwdriver or a metal bar.
Unscrew the bobbin case. Strictly clockwise in this example.
Unscrew the bonnet according to the direction shown on the housing.
The preparatory phase is over. You can proceed to winding the line.
How to wind the line onto the grass trimmer reel. preparation
The grass trimmer reel is in the mowing head, which consists of a spring, spool and two covers.
- The first action is to disassemble and remove the grass trimmer head. To do this, press the catches on the sides of the body as far as they will go and turn them clockwise.
- To open the mowing head press the side latches, if your hands do not work, you can use a screwdriver. Remove the spool.
- For the right line for your grass trimmer, look on the inside for the numbers. These numbers indicate the necessary line diameter in millimeters.
- If you do not find this information, you can determine the maximum diameter by taking your trimmer line and putting it through the hollow. The line should run back and forth freely.
- There are two ways to wind the line, let’s look at each of them in detail.
How to wind a trimmer line on a grass trimmer reel. 1 way
Reel in about 4 meters of fishing line for winding. To determine the exact amount of line you need, wind the line for your trimmer from the reel onto the spool, the final result should not exceed the diameter of the spool and should not extend beyond the edges.
- To make it easier to work, fold the line in half and make one end 10-15 cm longer than the other.
- The spool has a separating edge in the center of it. There is a cavity on it where you need to insert the line for the trimmer. To do this. squeeze the bending point of the thread more forcefully and put the loop in this cavity.
- Important. you need to determine exactly in what direction to wind the line for the trimmer, to do this, find the inscription on the spool “Wind Line”, around it there is an arrow indicating the direction of winding. If there is no such arrow on the reel, look for an arrow on the mowing head body, you need to wind in the opposite direction.
- Wind the trimmer line carefully on the spool, pulling the line taut as much as possible.
- When you are finished, take the end that is shorter and insert it into the blade on the body of the spool, corresponding to the diameter of your fishing line. In this work the line is threaded through the blade marked 3.3mm.
- Do the second end in the same way but put it in the opposite blade from the previous one. Secure the two ends, leave an allowance of 5-10 cm, cut the rest. The allowance is necessary so that when you insert the spool into the head, the thread does not unwind.
How to Wind a Trimmer Filament on a Semi-Automatic Grass Trimmer Reel
Grass trimmers (aka lawnmowers) are actively used by modern society for the care of lawns and other similar objects of gardening farms. The tool is noted for its high efficiency, despite the questionable quality of grass cutting (compared to an ordinary peasant’s scythe. heaven and earth). The main advantage of trimmers (lawnmowers). high productivity with little physical effort of the operator. However, over time, the grass trimmer’s cutting element (caprone fishing line) wears out or gets damaged, making the grass trimmer a useless tool as a result. Hence the actual problem. how to replace the trimmer head and how to replace the line for trimmer grass trimmer heads? Let’s consider this process on the example of lawnmowers manufactured by “Black and Decker” and others.
Replacing the grass trimmer fishing line with step-by-step instructions will allow even an inexperienced lawnmower owner in such matters to perform quite complex work.
However, before you begin work on replacing the fishing line on the trimmer, it is necessary to ensure the safety of the work. In particular, measures should be taken to protect against careless or spontaneous activation of the lawnmower:
- exclude spontaneous start-up,
- remove the battery (if applicable),
- place the tool on a comfortable place for work.
Works to replace the grass trimmer line is convenient to perform when the lawnmower is lying on the table, and the master, who performs the grass trimmer line replacement, has the ability to approach the tool from any side.
remove the cover of the grass trimmer head
At the first stage of disassembly remove the cover of the grass trimmer head. Using the Black and Decker trimmer models and others as an example, to remove the cap it is usually sufficient to apply some pressure to release the latch-lock which is located on the side of the head body.
On some models of lawnmowers, the grass trimmer’s head must first be removed using the hexagonal wrench provided with the tool. The head is usually held by two or three screws, which can be accessed through the side holes of the back decorative cover.
The cover of the head, where the filament spool is installed, is usually held in place by a latch tab. It’s enough to squeeze the tongue-latch and slightly turn the cover, after which the cover is easily removed At the moment of squeezing the tongue-latch should be slightly turned and lift the cover of the grass trimmer head to remove the winding drum.
Step two: Removing the filament drum (spool)
The next step in the process is to remove the spooling drum with fishing line from inside the head. You need to turn the head open so you can see the trimmer line and spool. On the side of the head find two recesses (eyelets), through which the line for the trimmer is led out.
Release the trimmer line from the holes by turning the drum. and then carefully remove the spool from the head area. The spool reel of some models is mounted on a spring. This point must be taken into account during the extraction operation.
Procedure for removing the grass trimmer reel with fishing line from the inner area of the head: 1. head complete with reel; 2. extraction gently with a small axial turn; 3. extracted parts The old grass trimmer line is completely removed from the reel. To perform the removal of the old line of the grass trimmer, you need to remove the line from the loops-fixators and pull the free end. Use this method to remove the old bobbin-winding line. The same process is repeated on the second section of the reel. It is recommended that the technician wear gloves when working.
Spooling the line
Inserting the trimmer line into the grass trimmer is not difficult. To carry out this operation, you need to follow a simple algorithm of actions. The first step will be to determine how much consumable material. To make its calculations, it is necessary to wind the line for the trimmer on the bobbin so that the resulting coil would be less than or equal to the diameter of the sides of the structure.
When you have decided on the size of the cord, you need to fold it in such a way that one part is 15 cm longer than the other. Winding the cord begins with a board that divides the bobbin into 2 parts. There will be a fastener, into which you need to insert the thread bent in half.
Now you need to understand in what direction to tuck the line for the trimmer into the grass trimmer. To do this, inspect the bobbin. often a special arrow is indicated on it. If there is no explanatory information, find the pointer on the trimmer head and start winding in the opposite direction. Further actions can be divided into 4 steps:
- Finishing winding the cord. To do this, it is inserted into the side groove on the spool. Its other end is attached to the opposite groove.
- The ends of the fixed fishing line are cut. Leaves an allowance of 7-10 cm.
- The inserted piece is placed in the head of the grass trimmer. This is done by alternately inserting and pulling the thread into the inlet holes of the structure.
- The thread is pulled out of the groove. After completing the action, the product cover is secured with the clamps.
After completing the last step, the garden tool is ready for use. If after inserting the line into the grass trimmer the device does not work properly, it is recommended to repeat the procedure, changing the thickness or type of cord. Otherwise, the product may fail.
Safety precautions
In order to change the line on the mower reel quickly and safely, you must follow safety procedures. Before removing the spool to wind the line for the trimmer on the lawnmower, it is necessary to disconnect the technique from the power supply (if the mower works on electricity). Here we want to mention the rating of electric lawnmowers on reliability, which will help you choose a safe helper.
Another important safety rule to follow is to press the locking button. You can find out its location on the body of the equipment with the help of the instruction manual. You can find, for example, the manual gasoline lawnmower instructions here.
Do not forget that the cutting element should be adjusted. There is an adjustment button on the body of the machine. If the process does not start automatically and the thread tension is loosened, then the button is clamped and the line for the trimmer is forcefully pulled out of the spool.
It is important to remember that changing the filament in your lawnmower is an important process that requires responsibility. It is necessary to perform everything step by step, and only a special polyethylene line for trimmer should be inserted into the reel. An iron cord, some high quality wire or even reinforced line for the trimmer will not fit here.
If there is a summer cottage or a large plot of land near your individual house or cottage, then it is necessary to use a lawn mower for the convenience of cleaning grass and weeds. If you think about choosing an electric or gasoline lawnmower, click here and you will find the comparative characteristics of different models.
Over time, the line for the trimmer on the mower wears out and needs to be replaced. this can be done yourself. Choose this polyethylene thread depending on the model of the mower. It is also worth to watch for other parts of the unit, here for example you can find information about blades for Craftsman lawn mower, which also wear out and can lead to irreversible consequences.
The device of the spool, in which the line for the trimmer is inserted, is very simple. But it differs depending on whether the spool works with one or two tendrils of thread. It is important to observe safety precautions when changing the line in the reel.
How to put a chain instead of a fishing line on a grass trimmer
It is possible to “pump” the machine additionally to mow not only grass, but also weeds and young growth. This does not require expensive tools or special skills. As the saying goes, everything is brilliantly simple!
- A chain from an old chainsaw;
- cup bent inside, which is used for fixing the grass trimmer blades;
- washer and nut;
- Vise, marker and ruler;
- welding machine;
- drill;
- Metal drills.
Length from chain ends to washer must be the same.
Additional recommendations for changing the fishing line
Before you charge the fishing line for the trimmer in the spool, you should take advantage of a few tips from the manufacturers. They are of interest not only to beginners, but also to experienced trimmer owners.
These recommendations will help prevent personal injury and extend the life of the equipment:
- Do not wind the thread with force and tighten it, in addition, use a longer length than it should.
- After replacing the fishing line, you should check that the machine is working properly.
- The lid should be set until it clicks into place. If at least one catch does not click, the spool may pop out during operation.
Important! It is necessary to wear special goggles and suits to cut the grass, because small objects can fly under the rotating parts of the mechanism and hurt other people.
Additional recommendations for changing a fishing line
Before loading the line for the trimmer into the reel, you should use a few tips from the manufacturers. They will be of interest not only to beginners, but also to experienced trimmer owners.
These recommendations will help to prevent injuries and extend the life of the equipment:
- Do not wind the thread too tightly or with too much length.
- Check that the machine works correctly after changing the filament.
- The cover should be installed until the characteristic clicks. If at least one catch does not click into place, the spool may pop out during operation.
Important! Grass cuttings should be performed in special glasses and suits, as under the rotating parts of the mechanism fall small objects, which can escape and injure people.
Now you know how to put the trimmer line on the grass trimmer, and you see that there is nothing complicated about the job. It is important to choose the right consumable and replace it according to our instructions. Soon all your settings will be perfect.
Share in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев, were there any difficulties in the work of replacing the cord or did you cope with the first time.
To learn more about how to quickly and easily tuck the trimmer line into the grass trimmer reel, the following will help