How to put a trimmer line on a STIHL grass trimmer

STIHL gasoline grass trimmer how to refill the line for the trimmer. Changing the line in your trimmer (lawnmower)

Polyethylene thread thickness depends on the machine model and varies from 1.2 to 4 mm. It can be:

  • with a round section. it is the strongest material for mowing grassy plants;
  • with a shaped section. used for mowing soft plants;
  • Twisted. used for thin grass;
  • professional type, not suitable for all models of equipment.

To change the fishing line for a trimmer on a lawn mower, you need to buy a cutting line that will be ideal for this or that type of mower.

You can soak the thread in a basin of water for a few minutes to increase elasticity and strength.

The arrangement of the line in the mower

The design of the element, on which the kapron thread is wound, is very simple. This element is called the reel. It has two “tracks”. the upper and lower. Between these tracks there is a special partition with a recess. The line for the trimmer is wound on these tracks. It must first be pulled through the notch.

To remove the spool without obstacles, you need to unscrew the special button on the mower housing.

Performing the winding of the line

The hastily completed disassembly of the bobbin spool without losing its parts allows you to proceed to the main task. the winding of the line into the spool. Technological features of the bobbin design and the number of working eyes determine the sequence of operations.

The most common option and the easiest sequence of operations:

  • The size of the reel and the length of the unique factory winding determine the recommended line length for winding. 25 m.
  • One end of line is inserted into the fixing technological hole located inside 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. normally an arrow on the inside of the reel indicates in which direction the line is wound.
  • 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 for holding the winding when assembling the bobbin in working position.
  • The leftover end of the fishing line is passed through the hole on the outside of the reel.
  • The bobbin halves are assembled and put on the trimmer bar.

Reel with two working tendrils

In this type of bobbins you should find the number of grooves for winding the line lying on the inside of the bobbin:

For both cases, take a line for the trimmer with a length of 2-3 m. With one-cable spools the line for trimmer reel is looped through the hole, its ends (tendrils) are put together and aligned, then reeled in the opposite direction to the reel rotation on the boom. inside there’s usually an arrow showing the right reeling direction. In the presence of fixing grooves ends of a fishing line are put through them or held by fingers of a free hand, put through a through hole of an external half of a reel, a bobbin is locked and fastened to a rod of a trimmer product.

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 fishing line tendrils 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 execution of this procedure may seem long and rather labor-intensive, but with time and experience, this problem will be solved more quickly and easily.

The video below clearly shows how to tuck the line for the trimmer into the grass trimmer reel and wind it up correctly. this operation is nothing complicated and with some patience is sure to be successful:

How to remove the spool from a Makita grass trimmer?

Press the spool lock and turn the protective cap of the body until it stops, so that the spout on the protective cap is in the middle of the lock. Then remove the protective cover and remove the spool.

Hexagonal is the best line for grass trimmers if you want to mow dry grass. Of course, if the area is thick with dead wood, we would advise to use a cutter, but if the vegetation is small, the hexagon will do a better job.

How long should your trimmer line be on your trimmer??

For one threading of lines in the bobbin a piece of 2 to 4 meters is necessary. it all depends on the thickness of the line and the manufacturer’s recommendations. If you wind more, the movement of the fishing line will be difficult, and in the process of work may have problems with pulling the new ends. Unwind the necessary amount and cut with a knife.

You need to reel off 2-4 m of fishing line (depending on the size of the spool), find a hole on the inside of the spool fixing the line for the trimmer, insert one end of the line there and start winding line for the trimmer in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the spool on the trimmer.

How to wind the trimmer line on the grass trimmer spool. preparation

The grass trimmer reel is in the mowing head, which consists of a spring, a reel, and two covers.

  • The first step is to disassemble and remove the grass trimmer head. To do this, press the catches on the sides of the housing until they stop and turn clockwise.
  • To open the mowing head press the side latches, if you can not do it by hand, you can use a screwdriver. Remove the spool.
  • To correctly select the right fishing line for your grass trimmer, look on the inside for the number. The numbers indicate the necessary line diameter in millimeters.
  • If you can not find this information, you can determine the maximum diameter by taking a fishing line and put it through the hollow hole. The thread should run freely back and forth.
  • There are two ways to wind the line, let’s look at each of them in detail.

How to wind a line for a trimmer on a grass trimmer spool. 1 way

Reel off about 4 meters of fishing line for reeling. To determine the exact amount of material you need, wind the line for the trimmer from the roll on the spool, the final result should not exceed the diameter of the spool and climb over the edges.

  • For convenience, fold the thread in half, making one end 10-15 cm longer than the other.
  • The spool has a separating rim in the center. 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 wind 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 “Wind Line” on the spool, near it there is an arrow indicating the direction of winding. If there is no such arrow on the spool, look for an arrow on the mowing head: wind it up in the opposite direction.
  • Wind your trimmer line carefully onto the spool, pulling the line as taut as possible.
  • When you are finished, take the shorter end and insert it into the blade on the spool body that corresponds to the diameter of your fishing line. In this job, thread is threaded into the paddle marked 3.3 mm.
  • Do the same with the second end, but insert it in the blade opposite to 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 will not unwind.

How to wind your trimmer line onto the grass trimmer spool. 1 way

Reel off about 4 meters of fishing line. To find out exactly how much material you need, coil your line from the reel onto the spool, making sure the end result is no larger than the diameter of the spool and does not exceed the edge.

  • For easy work fold the thread in half, make one end longer than the other by 10-15 cm.
  • The spool has a separating bead in the center. There is a cavity where you need to insert the line for the trimmer. To do this. the place of bending the thread squeeze more forcefully and put the loop in this cavity.
  • Important. you must determine exactly in which direction to wind the line for the trimmer, to do this, find the inscription “Wind Line” on the spool, near it there is an arrow indicating the direction of winding. If there is no such arrow on the spool, look for an arrow on the mowing head body, you need to wind in the opposite direction.
  • Wind the line for the trimmer on the spool carefully, tightening the thread as much as possible.
  • When you are finished, take the end that is shorter and insert it into the blade on the spool body that corresponds to the diameter of your fishing line. In this job the line is spooled into the blade labeled 3.3mm.
  • Do the same with the second end, but insert it in the opposite blade from the previous one. Secure the two ends, leave an allowance of 5-10 cm and cut the rest. The allowances are necessary so that when inserting the spool into the head, the thread will not unwind.

Safety precautions

In order to quickly and safely change the line on the mower reel, you need to follow safety procedures. Before removing the spool to wind the line for the trimmer on the lawnmower, you must disconnect the technique from the power supply (if the mower runs 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 manual petrol lawnmower instructions here.

Do not forget that the cutting element must be adjusted. On the body of the unit there is a button for adjusting. If the process does not start automatically and the thread tension is loosened, then the button is clamped and the trimmer line is pulled with force from the spool.

It must be remembered that changing the line in a lawn mower is an important process that requires responsibility. It is necessary to perform everything step by step, and only a special polyethylene line for the trimmer should be inserted into the spool. An iron rope, some high quality wire or even a reinforced line for a trimmer will not do 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 lawnmower for the convenience of cleaning grass and weeds. In case you think of an electric or petrol lawnmower, click here and you’ll find some comparative data on the 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. You should also watch out for other parts of the machine, here for example you can find information about Craftsman lawn mower blades that also get worn out and can lead to irreversible consequences.

The device of the spool, into which the line for the trimmer is inserted, is very simple. But it differs depending on whether the bobbin works with one or two filament tendrils. It is important to pay attention to safety when changing the filament in the reel.

The line for the trimmer. varieties and the possibility of replacing it with another material

Grass trimmer cord can be different diameters (from 1,2 to 4 mm), and you need to choose it depending on what kind of vegetation you want to mow. the thicker the line for trimmer, the coarser grass it will cope with. Experienced users recommend a 2mm trimmer line as the universal type.

The line can be round in shape (for lush grass) or with square or star-shaped edges (for cutting dry grass). The second type is less strong and wears out faster than the round cord.

One of the popular questions regarding the operation of trimmers is whether the special mower cord can be replaced with other materials, such as metal or steel cables and strings, wire, etc.д. It is necessary to know that the installation of such items is not recommended, because together with them, the grass trimmer turns into a dangerous technique. During mowing, pieces of wire or metal will constantly break off and fly in different directions, risking injury to the worker. And if you accidentally touch their limbs while working, a serious injury is assured.

Owners of trimmers, wondering whether fishing line can be used for the trimmer, we answer. it is allowed, but it will tear and wear out much faster, and therefore require frequent replacement.

Tip! Fishing line for the trimmer is good for cleaning grass near the fence or metal mesh. instead of spending expensive trimmer cord, you can charge a large-caliber (2-3 mm) tackle, which costs much less.

How to wind the line

Depending on which model of grass trimmer is used, you choose the type, thickness and length of the line. Cord diameter can be from 1.2 to 4 mm. It’s not hard to guess that the thicker you tuck the cord, the harder and thicker the grass it can cut.

In most cases, a universal line for the trimmer with a diameter of 2 mm is used.

There are 3 ways to find out what diameter of line you can use on your mower.

  • Look at the cord thickness information in the manual of your machine.
  • Look at the bobbin itself. It may have information on possible line diameters.

the line for the trimmer is wound onto a spool in the mowing head. Therefore, it must first be opened (mentioned above). There are two ways to wind the filament.

First method

To correctly determine how many meters of fishing line are required for a particular spool, you need to wind it on the bobbin so that the coil does not exceed the diameter of the edges. If the line for the trimmer is peeking out over the edges of the spool, you won’t be able to fit it into the cover. Once you’ve decided on the length of the material, it needs to be tucked into the bobbin, so do the following.

  • You need to fold the trimmer line in half so that one end is 10-15 cm longer than the other.
  • Note that the bobbin is divided into two parts by a central rim, which is where the charging begins. Find a groove on it and insert the cord bent in half by applying a small amount of force.

The second way

Some spools have a second way of securing the cord: you can charge 2 lengths of thread, instead of one folded in half. Change the line according to the following algorithm.

  • Before changing or loading new cord into the spool, determine how many meters of cord will be needed using the method above.
  • Bend one end of the cord into a hook.

You can change the filament quickly and easily without having to disassemble the brushcutter head (watch this video).

The ends of the filament sticking out of the holes in the brush guard can be cut to the right length when the part is installed in the trimmer. This can be done in two ways:

  • turn on the grass trimmer (as it rotates, the ends of the line will be cut on the blade fixed to the blade guard for this purpose);
  • cut off the extra ends with scissors so that they do not touch the body of the housing.

The second method is used if a large diameter cord has to be replaced and the cutter blade cannot shorten it.

If the thread has been charged into the mowing head, but the length of the protruding ends of the cord is not long enough, they must be lengthened before you start the machine. this applies to the head with manual adjustment. However, there are also cases when using a semi-automatic mowing head when, due to insufficient length of the protruding ends of the cord, they are not automatically extended. In this case, it is necessary to switch off the machine (you must unplug it from the socket on an electric machine), manually press the button at the bottom of the part and pull out some fishing line. After this operation, the cords can be extended again by means of centrifugal force if you set the spindle speed to the maximum.

No matter how thick you choose your trimmer line, remember: to avoid constant interruptions and changes in the filament, avoid hard surfaces (stones, kerbs, thick, dry twigs, etc.) and places where the cutting attachment touches the filament.д.).

Cutter block attachment

The cutting unit is the main component of the Philips trimmer. It has short, sharp edges and is used for quick, precise length trimming.

To remove the cutting unit from the styler body, check for the release button on the styler body. If it is present, press the button to remove the cutting unit.

If the styler does not have a release button, place your finger under the teeth of the cutting unit and pull it out of the unit. To reinstall, insert the lower part of the cutting block into the styler body and then push the part with the teeth in until it clicks into place. Do not apply excessive force; this can damage the device.

If you are unable to install the cutting unit, check for foreign bodies in the body of the styler and try cleaning it with a small brush or cotton swab.

No matter how well the electric grass trimmer we purchased works on our summer cottage or country house. Sooner or later there will come a time when we need to remove the grass trimmer head for replacement or maintenance. I should say right away that you don’t have to remove the whole trimmer head to change the line. Within this article I will tell you how to remove or replace the entire cutting head, using the example of the BlackDecker GL716 electric grass trimmer.

Tips and recommendations on how to wind a line for a trimmer and what you need to know

There are some useful tips and recommendations that will be useful to learn not only for beginners, but also for the experienced mower masters. These tips will help prevent negative consequences in the form of injuries and malfunctioning of the mechanism. These tips state the following:

  • Install the cover until it clicks into place. And it is 2 or more clicks, which depends on the number of locks. If one retainer does not snap into place, the reel can pop out and injure a person when the tool is started
  • Do not wind the trimmer line tightly or in more quantities than can be inserted. It is better not to wind up the rig, than it will be more, as this will lead to negative consequences in the form of inability to unwind it if necessary
  • If you own the tool with one line (usually these are low-powered units), then the winding process is carried out in a similar sequence as described above, only with the difference in the absence of the middle curb between the extreme bases of the spool
  • After replacing the material, you must first check the functionality of the tool, and then proceed to mowing the grass. If not checked beforehand, the scaffolding could unravel and injure a person

This is interesting!Choose the right quality material so as not to be injured when working with gasoline mowers, trimmers and brushcutters. During grass mowing small stones and other materials fall under the rotating parts, which can fly long distances, so, despite the fact that the line for trimmer is not a knife, work with the tool should be carried out in protective special outfit. The result of the work done is the following. after the new material is enough for an area of 600 square meters, but taking into account the presence of a reinforcing layer on the line. Ordinary nylon materials do not last as long, which is important to consider at work. Do not try to mow thick-stemmed grass with a fishing line, as special metal discs or knives are available for this purpose.