Date of publication: January 25, 2016.
Category: Articles.
A beautiful lawn is the face of a summer cottage, so most gardeners prefer to plant special silky grass on their land, which not only pleases the eye, but also replaces annoying weeds. In addition to top dressing and watering, lawn grass needs care, so it needs to be mowed periodically. For these purposes, you can choose an electric trimmer or lawn mower. Many prefer a trimmer. The reel with fishing line is the main tool of this device, it allows you to quickly cut off overgrown grass with an even layer. In addition, with the help of a trimmer, you can level the lawn in the most inaccessible places: on sections along paths and fences, around bushes, trees or a well.
Regardless of whether you use an ordinary tool equipped with only a fishing line, or an electric trimmer with a knife and fishing line, sooner or later you will have to change some elements of such a device. Unfortunately, at this point the instruction from the portable lawnmower, where all the necessary requirements are indicated, is already lost and many are faced with the question of buying the “right” fishing line.
Trimmer line specifications
To understand which fishing line for the trimmer is needed for your mower model, it is enough to determine its main parameters: thread thickness, section shape, composition. Consider all the components in more detail.
The thickness of the thread (cord)
You can find out the required thickness by looking at the characteristics of the trimmer or by reading the inscriptions on the universal bobbin. Most often used cords with a diameter of 1.2 to 4 mm. over, for each individual model there is a diameter of fishing line for the trimmer. The fact is that if the thread is thinner than necessary, then you will increase engine wear due to the increased number of shaft revolutions. If, on the contrary, it is too thick, then the rotation resistance will increase, and the engine will begin to overheat and ultimately fail. To determine the exact diameter of the thread, it is best to focus on the type of trimmer motor. Thus, the following is obtained:
- For an electric trimmer with a lower position of the “engine” with a power of less than 500 W, a thread with a thickness of 1.3 mm is required. If you did not find one, then you can use a thicker fishing line 1.6 mm, but no more.
- For an electric trimmer with an engine top position of about 1 kW, select a thread with a diameter of 2 mm.
It doesn’t matter what type of electric trimmer the shaft type is, bent or straight (allows you to install knives).
Video: Which Fishing Line For a Trimmer is Better
Advice! If initially a 1.6 mm diameter fishing line is installed in the tool, then you can put the thread at 2 mm, this will not affect the operation of the engine.
If we are talking about a gasoline model, then in this situation it is necessary to determine which shaft the mower has. For bent, the most commonly used threads are 2 mm thick. But on a tool with a direct shaft, a fishing line for a trimmer of 3 mm or 2.4-2.5 is installed. The thickest fishing line is usually placed on more powerful tools (from 1.3 kW).
If we talk about which fishing line copes better with young grass or perennial dead wood, then we can conditionally divide the cords into the following categories:
- Fishing line from 1.2 to 1.6 mm. This is the thinnest thread used to trim the lawn.
- 2. 2.4 will allow you to cut both young grass and harder. Suitable for periodic use.
- A thread from 3 to 3.2 mm will allow you to mow grass and thick stems of weeds or dead wood if you rarely travel out of town.
Less commonly found is a fishing line for a 4 mm trimmer. This is due to the fact that rarely anyone has to deal with such serious thickets. However, if you are the owner of a powerful gasoline “mower” and have not appeared in the country for several years, then a 4 mm fishing line will be the best option.
Sectional shape
There is a large selection of cords with different cross sections, depending on which the trimmer will be able to mow this or that grass:
- Cords with a round cross section are the most popular, while such fishing lines are cheaper than the rest, from 68 rubles (12 m). They mow fresh grass well, but do worse with deadwood and shrubs. The disadvantage of this fishing line is a fairly strong noise, which resembles a rumble from a running machine engine.
- Spiral (twisted) cord makes less noise, but does not differ in high strength. Therefore, such a fishing line is suitable only for thin young grass, which you constantly care for. Such a fishing line costs from 100 rubles.
- Square, rectangular or star fishing line allows you to more smoothly mow the lawn with low noise. True, such products also can not boast of durability. Such a thread will cost about 147 rubles per 12 meters.
- Jagged cord with sharp edges is used for large weeds in neglected areas. At the same time, the fishing line will not make much noise, and due to the increased aerodynamic properties of the mower, additional power will be given. Such a thread, costing from 200 rubles, is suitable for a powerful trimmer. Serrated cord is considered durable and reliable.
- A two-component, round-cut inner core fishing line is considered the strongest of all. Thanks to the core made of another material, even small shrubs can cut the cord. True, such a fishing line is suitable only for gas trimmers. Due to the high cost (from 250 rubles) of such a cord, it is impractical to use it daily.
The composition of the fishing line
The composition of the fishing line directly depends on how long it will last. Most often, the threads are made of nylon. This material wears out more slowly and is characterized by high performance in conditions of high temperature and heavy loads. The duration of work also does not affect the properties of nylon.
Coaxial fishing lines are considered the strongest. They can be distinguished by a dense core, due to which such cords wear out longer than nylon. It is difficult to cut such a fishing line with a knife, and during mowing it produces a minimum of noise.
The most expensive fishing line is the one that contains aluminum, or rather, its inclusion. Such a cord appeared on the market relatively recently, but it can already be said with confidence that it is the most durable.
In custody
After you have chosen the right cord, you just have to remove the worn part, clean the trimmer from dirt and grass, refill the fishing line and you can begin to improve the summer cottage.