How to change a trimmer line to a trimmer blade

How to Remove the Reel from an Electric Grass Trimmer

the grass trimmer, gasoline or electric, is the only right solution for cutting grass in hard-to-reach places where you can’t work with a wheeled lawnmower. As a cutting tool in trimmers used metal knives or a special line for trimmer, which is hammered into the spool grass trimmer. But unfortunately, three-dimensional mowing heads do become unusable over time. Some faults can be repaired with your own hands, and some require a complete mower replacement.

a grass trimmer with a blade mounted on it is most convenient to use for more comfortable mowing tall and coarse grass in the country. A trimmer line on a brushcutter is no good in such cases. The thin one tears very quickly. Using thick 2.3 mm cord or homemade rope rods cause vegetation to wind up on the bobbin. This increases the load on the engine. As a result, the piston group and other moving parts of the machine wear out very quickly.

If you mow weeds produce electric trimmer without a knife, a single line, even if thick with a figured section, the problem can not solve. There is always a risk of overheating the electric motor and damaging the flexible shaft. And it’s all about the high torque of the electric motor. Grass wrapped around the spindle creates a strong resistance to the shaft, reminiscent of a speedometer cable, which cannot withstand and twists.

In order to save equipment from premature wear and tear manufacturers have provided the ability to install special knives on trimmers for grass. The design and shape of the existing cutting elements allow you to easily cope not only with rough and overgrown grass, but also successfully fight with young shrubby shoots.

What blades to put on the electric and lawnmower

Before buying and putting a knife on a brushcutter, let’s find out what they are and in what cases they are used. Today, manufacturers offer the consumer a large number of types of these consumables. In general, all cutting tools designed for mowing the grass can be classified:

The main material for making trimmer knives can be plastic or metal. The use of such consumables depends largely on two parameters:

For safety reasons, manufacturers do not recommend putting steel blades on electric grass trimmers. Almost all battery- and cordless electric brushcutters are equipped with plastic blades. Depending on the manufacturer, they can be of solid disc shape, with several blades, or in the form of a special mowing head that provides for installation of detachable plastic blades.

Straight boom on the gasoline grass trimmer and curved boom on the electric trimmer

Metal blade cannot be used on electric grass trimmer because of its design features.

• the curved boom of the device reduces the distance between the working part of the device and the mower’s legs. In case of collision between blades of blade and stone or other solid object, grass trimmer falls to your feet.
• High torque, which we mentioned above, in case of a collision between a metal blade and a solid object, transmits a high load to the flexible shaft of the grass trimmer and its engine. What causes them to fail prematurely.
• The handle of an electric mower most often does not have a stop bar. That does not exclude foot injuries.

exactly these features enable to use plastic knives only on trimmers with electric motors. The cutting blades collide with an obstacle and break, protecting the mower’s legs from possible injury.

Plastic blades handle overgrown and dry grass well. They can mow nettles and burdock stems.

Metal blades that are used on gasoline-powered trimmers are also conditioned by their design features.

• Straight boom design increases distance to legs that provides full safety to the operator.
• Comfortable U-shaped and J-shaped handles for a firm grip. The D-shaped handles of the brushcutter are complete with a limiter that rests against the foot of the mower, which prevents the head from coming up to your feet when the cutting disc encounters a hard obstacle.
• Gasoline engine clutch provides optimum RPM acceleration. And when the blade hits a hard surface, it can absorb some of the impact.

Thus, gasoline grass trimmers with a metal blade installed are best used on large areas. They are good not only for tall, coarse grass, weeds, burdocks and nettles but also for brushwood and young trees.

The blade shape of the blade put on the trimmer for the grass has no effect on the quality of work performed. The speed does not depend on them either. Triangular, trapezoidal, rectangular shapes are a marketing ploy by the manufacturers.

If you are planning to make hay, it is best to use a brushcutter with more blades. Look for discs with eight teeth or discs with four big blades and four extra ones. Two- and three-blade blades will shred the grass hard.

Changing the coil on the knife, Izhmash Industrial Line GT 4350

The main material for the production of trimmer knives you like plastic as it is also called metal. The implementation of such consumable parts is almost all dependent on the two characteristics:

From the judgments of safety domestic manufacturers are not advised to put on the electronic grass trimmers iron knives. All electronic and battery powered trimmers are equipped with plastic blades. Depending on the manufacturer, they may be of solid disc design, with several blades or a special type of mowing head that provides for installation of detachable blades of plastic.

A straight bar in a gasoline grass trimmer and a curved one in an electronic trimmer

To put an iron blade on the electronic grass trimmer does not allow its design features.

• Curved boom reduces the distance from the working part of the machine to the mower’s legs. For which the design of the blade collides with a rock as it is also called another rigid object, the grass trimmer is thrown to your feet.
• The highest torque, which we mentioned above, if the passage of the iron blade collides with a rigid object, transmits a huge load on the flexible shaft of the grass trimmer and its engine. What causes their early failure.
• The handle of an electric brushcutter in most cases does not have a stop bar. Which does not preclude injury to the feet.

These features use only plastic blades on trimmers with electronic motors. When the blades collide with the obstacle, the blades collapse, thus protecting the mower’s legs from possible injury.

Plastic blades are good for cutting overgrown and dry grass. They can mow nettles and burdock trunks.

How to Change the Blade on a MotoGP Mower

The use of iron knives only on gasoline trimmers is also justified by design features.

• Flattened boom design adds legroom for complete safety.
• Comfortable U-shaped and J-shaped handles let you hold the tool firmly. The D-handles of the brushcutter are fitted with a stop that rests against the leg of the mower to prevent the cutting head from coming into contact with a hard obstacle.
• The clutch of the combustion engine allows a smooth acceleration to a rational level. And when the blade hits a hard surface, it can absorb part of the impact.

Thus, gasoline grass trimmers with the installed iron blade is ideal for use on large areas. They successfully cope not only with the highest coarsened grass, weeds, burdocks and nettles, and bushes and young trees.

the shape of the blade of the disc supplied to the grass trimmer does not affect the quality of the work done. They do not depend on the speed. Triangular, trapezoidal, rectangular shapes are what is left to our customer pre-sale preparation manufacturers.

If you intend to make hay, it is much more reliable to put on a brushcutter blades with a huge number of blades. Look at discs with eight teeth or otherwise discs with four big blades and four extra ones. 2- and 3-blade blades will shred the grass very much.

Putting a blade on the grass trimmer is not so difficult. The manufacturer equips its tools with a special pin to lock the gearbox and a wrench to unscrew the bobbin with the fishing line. The main thing is to follow the safety rules and the sequence of disassembly when changing cutting parts.

How to remove the spool from the grass trimmer and extract the line for the trimmer

Initially, the line must be removed from the grass trimmer reel before it can be tucked in. The reel or lead is a device that is located inside the mowing head, reel or drum. There are different types of heads (depending on the manufacturers), but the principle of changing the line on the spool is the same in all. The first thing to understand is how to remove the head from the tool, as well as how to get the reel with the fishing line out of it.

That’s interesting!Changing the line can be made directly on the tool, but if you do it for the first time, it is still recommended to remove the head, and learn the detailed process of winding. After the technology is mastered, you can perform the replacement work on the trimmer brushcutter or gasoline mower. The instructions on how to unwind a manual head on a trimmer are as follows:

Turn the tool over with the head facing upward, and if necessary clean it of dirt. Grasp the cover latches (on the mowing head) with two fingers of one hand, which are positioned symmetrically to each other. After gently pressing them inward, remove the protective cover from the drum

This process is not difficult, and as you can imagine, there is no need to remove the entire head if you know how to do the replacement. Consider these nuances when disassembling:

• Periodically removing the head is recommended to prevent corrosion of the threaded joint. If you never unscrew the screw, it will be difficult and sometimes even impossible to do so if necessary
• If a screw has a square drive head, a screwdriver or suitable size bit must be used when removing the screw to prevent the facets on the drive head from slipping
• When reassembling the system, the threaded seating should be coated with a lubricant such as solidol or machine oil
• If the facets on a screw have worn off, special tongs can be used to unscrew it
• There are drums that do not require prior disassembly. To remove them, you should take hold of it, and rotate it in the opposite direction of the clockwise direction

Knowing how to disassemble the drum, you should continue to figure out the process of replacing the grass trimmer fishing line. The video below shows a detailed process on how to open the grass trimmer reel and disassemble it.

Replacing the fishing line with a disc or knife

When beautifying a homestead plot, park areas and other places where you need to mow different kinds of plants, it is often necessary to change the cutting tool in the trimmer. This is because the standard cord installed in the mowing head can only handle grass. But when a bush or young growth of trees appears on the path of the worker, the line for the trimmer can not cope with such a task, and it is required to change it for a more effective cutting tool.

Trimmer manufacturers have foreseen such situations, and supplemented their products with a mass of nozzles in the form of knives with several “petals” or in the form of discs, similar to circular saws.

If you replace the line for the trimmer with a knife with several “petals”, then such a tool can mow both tall grass and plants with thick and dry stems. And swapping trimmer line for a disc gives you the brushcutter owner the option of cutting down bushes or small trees.

Blades and discs are installed according to the following algorithm.

The first thing to do is to remove the mowing head by locking the shaft (turn it clockwise) or the nut and sleeve, if the machine has not yet been used.

For a better understanding of how to change the tool, you can watch this video.

Putting it to the test

For safety it is necessary to wear a protective helmet with a transparent visor to protect the face and gloves on the hands.

At first we try to remove thin dry branches, gradually moving to larger ones, and finish the test by cutting dry and semi-dry tree trunks 7-8 cm in diameter.

We make sure that a grass trimmer with a diamond disk works quite effectively, reliably and safely. Both cross and diagonal cuts are very smooth. They do not show crumpled and torn wood fibers.

Mowing grass with a diamond disc is also quite comfortable, efficient and productive, regardless of its height, density and degree of dryness. So, the grass trimmer with circular saw blade not only perfectly performs its direct function (mowing the grass), but also extends the field of application (removing knots and branches from trees, and sawing thick trunks).Attention! You should not be keen on installing large diameter and thickness saw blades on the grass trimmer, as this will cause an increased load on the gearbox and motor, and possible premature breakdown. Also reduce the safety of work with such a tool, which should not be allowed in any case.

Grass trimmer blade installation. video

Here is a video on how to change the blade on your STIHL petrol trimmer. Recall that the installation steps may vary slightly depending on the model. So don’t forget to look in the manual!

If the disc on the trimmer is used regularly, it needs to be removed from time to time and sharpened or replaced with a new one. This part can be made of metal or plastic, have a different number of blades, but the replacement process remains the same. over, this procedure is similar for equipment from different manufacturers, whether Carver or Huter, but there may be minor differences. Changing the knife on the trimmer is simple enough, if you follow the safety precautions and know the correct order of actions, the description of which can be found in the user manual. The whole process of replacement step by step, as well as the method of independent sharpening of knives, will be described in this material.

When the use of blades is relevant

When using brushcutters on dacha plots, the most popular attachment is a line for the trimmer. It is inexpensive, suitable for different trimmer heads, and safe to use. The disadvantage of using a fishing line is that it is only good for mowing low-growth growth. In other situations, the string is immediately clogged, regardless of whether gasoline or electric grass trimmer model is used. In addition, vegetation winds up on the spindle, which creates significant resistance to the shaft and leads to its failure. It can also provoke the failure of the piston system in gasoline mowers or motor burnout in electric trimmers.

That’s why different attachments are used for mowing tall or tough grass. So, to clean tall and rough grass, thin shoots of trees and bushes it is better to install and use a disc. This nozzle clogs much less often, which contributes to a more wear-resistant technique.

But on a side note! Due to the fact that the engine of electric trimmers and cordless models is less powerful than on petrol mowers, so the use of discs is more relevant for petrol mowers.

When to use knives

When using a brushcutter on dacha plots, the most popular attachment is a fishing line for the trimmer. It is inexpensive, suitable for various trimmer heads, and safe to use. The disadvantage of using a fishing line is that it is only good for mowing low growth. In other situations, the string is immediately hammered, regardless of whether the gasoline or electric model of the trimmer for grass is used. In addition, vegetation gets wrapped around the spindle, which creates considerable resistance to the shaft and leads to its breakage. It can also provoke failure of the piston system in gasoline mowers or burnout of the motor in electric trimmers.

That is why different line attachments are used for mowing tall or stiff vegetation. So, for cleaning tall and rough grass, thin shoots of trees and bushes it is better to install and use a disc. This nozzle is clogged much less often, which contributes to the greater durability of the equipment.

To Note! Due to the fact that the engine of electric and battery-powered models is less powerful than that of gasoline-powered mowers, the use of discs is more relevant for gasoline-powered mowers.

Special features for brushcutter blades

Blade discs are available in plastic and metal, as well as in different shapes to perform a variety of tasks.

• Two, three and four-blade blades with distinctive blades for cutting grass and brushwood. However, they are not suitable for making hay, because they shred the shoots by shredding them several times.
• The solid four-blade discs are not just for clearing the ground from the grass, but also for cutting hay. They avoid repeatedly cutting the shoots, making them better suited for storing for the winter.
• Discs with cutting edges on all sides. especially useful for cutting reeds and rushes. Such blades are very heavy. a necessary quality to cut thick stems.
• Professional sawtooth blades for brushcutters and brush cutters allow you to cut small trees and bushes.

Plastic blades are used as an alternative to metal discs. The discs do not need to be fastened tightly in the head and rotate as a result of centrifugal force. Durability of plastic blades is high, so the service life is long enough.

Just a side note! The advantage of plastic discs is that if they hit an insurmountable obstacle, they bounce and there is no renewed contact.

Grass trimmer spool design

Trimmer mowing heads for trimmers can be of different designs. both simple and complex. The illustration below shows a semi-automatic trimmer head from a Husqvarna brushcutter (Husqvarna) disassembled.

This type of head is present in the equipment of most gasoline mowers and electric trimmers, such as STIHL (STIHL), Patriot (Patriot), Champion (Champion), Bosch (Bosch), Huter (Huter) and others. The design of the mowing head is simple enough. It includes the following parts:

• The base of the mowing head;
• button for semi-automatic cord feed;
• Bobbin (spool), in which the line for the trimmer is tucked;
• spring;
• eyelets. through them the line for the trimmer goes out;
• trimmer head cover;
• line for trimmer (cord).

There are also simpler trimmer heads, shown in the following photo.

All these nozzles do not allow changing the length of line in semi-automatic mode (after pressing the button). In case the cord breaks, you have to stop the mower and change it manually.

Preparing for replacement

The mowing head (bobbin) was removed from the brushcutter for clarity. No need to remove it to change the line, everything is done in place. It does not take much time.

Dismantle the grass trimmer bobbin. it is held on the latches-catch. Remove the lid by pushing on the latches. If there is not enough force to do it with your hands, you can use a screwdriver.

The bobbin consists of the following:

The range is as follows. Pressing the button, the bobbin presses on the spring and comes out of the fixing grooves in the cover of the bobbin. Holding it in this state, you can twist the reel, thereby adjusting the line length. When the button is released, the body spring returns the bobbin to its original locked position.

Range of chain saw repair machines

A special chain saw chain riveting machine is included in the work equipment list of specialized workshops. The assortment offered includes several budget and brand-name models of imported manufacture

STIHL, Husqvarna, and Champion brand riveting machines offer increased capability and a comfortable level of operation.

Technically perfect devices provide high quality of rivet joints, saving time and money.

Conclusions on performance

To summarize, it is worth saying that manufacturers do not just use a special line for the trimmer. It is optimal for working with this tool: it mows the grass well and does not overload the mechanics of the device. If it has run out, and there is still a lot of work, it is better to buy a new one. For temporary use, of course, you can install a metal rope, but at the first opportunity it should be replaced, with a special line for the trimmer. Otherwise, it will be detrimental to the technical condition of the tool.

To choose a line for the trimmer not only by thickness, but also by shape, you have to do this why: the cord does not cut the stem, but breaks it. The rotating string repeatedly strikes the surface of the stem and, in the end, separates its upper part. For this type of work, the shape of the cutting edge is an important technical feature.