How to replace a trimmer line on a trimmer. Testing the homemade in action

How to wind a line for a trimmer on a grass trimmer

To wind a line for a trimmer on a gasoline or electric trimmer for grass, you do not need to have any special skills. To begin with, it’s important to decide on a suitable consumable, and then choose the best way to. There are two different ways to thread fishing line into a trimmer reel.

The main element of the trimmer is the mowing head, which is a cylindrical body with a spool (bobbin) inserted inside. This is where the line for the trimmer (cord) is threaded. The heads differ from each other in the way of filing and threading. In total, there are three types of heads:

• Automatic. The filament feed is performed after the user reduces the engine speed. The automatic cord feed is very convenient when a large amount of work needs to be done. the main disadvantage of this head is the high consumption of thread.
• Semi-automatic. Using such a head does not require the user to perform any complex manipulations. The principle of its work is arranged so that the line for the trimmer begins to extend automatically at a time when the trimmer for grass works at full speed. It is only necessary to slightly knock the head of the device on the ground (this will remove the locking line), and the cord due to the centrifugal force will be put forward from the bobbin. Then the line for the trimmer is cut to the required length with a knife, which is located on the protective cover.
• Manual. To lengthen the cord, you need to stop the machine. After that, the line for the trimmer will need to be pulled by hand.

You will need

By the way, there is more than one way to tuck the line for the trimmer into the reel, but this, I assure you, is the easiest and most reliable.Let’s begin. For convenience, remove the mowing head from the grass trimmer. Use a rag to clean off any grass residue.Wind off the necessary amount of line from the reel. This distance depends on many factors: the manufacturer of the grass scythe (namely, the volume of the spool), the thickness of the purchased line. To begin with, take a section of length of 2-3 meters. And bite it off with a wire cutter.

Next, bend it in half so that one end is larger than the other by about 15 centimeters.Put the middle on the spike between the grooves.

We will wind it simultaneously in both directions. Coil the line for the trimmer and fix it temporarily in the grooves.

The winding direction is indicated on the spool by an arrow.Then put the whiskers through the holes in the top cover. Put it on the base and snap it into place.

Place the reel on the grass trimmer and start mowing.If the edges of the fishing line are too long, they can be bitten off with the wire cutters to the desired length.

Making the tether cord holder

Using a ruler and a marker, mark two marks on the outer edge of the cup-shaped sleeve at right angles to the diameter of each other.

Then, orienting on the first four marks, transfer them to the middle of the side surface of the cup-shaped sleeve strictly vertically. We clamp the cup-shaped sleeve in a bench vice and mark the points of drilling in the marked places with a core and a hammer, and do it with a drill. There should be two opposing holes, each at perpendicular diameters.

Grind the metal around all four holes, working them in turn with a hand file. Over each of the four holes on the outside, place and weld a nut with a rounded top.

Clamp the two bolts in a vice and drill through holes with a diameter of a bit more than two millimeters directly under their heads.

Screw the nuts onto them and place the two bolts with the tightened nuts in the annular recess of the cup sleeve with their heads inward symmetrically between the two holes facing each other.

The bolts should be positioned so that the nuts on them can be freely tightened and unscrewed from the head to the top of the holes drilled in them. After checking once again that the bolts are positioned correctly, weld them to the sleeve on both sides.

Uncoil a 2 mm rope and run one end of it through any of the side holes in the cup sleeve toward the bolt. Pass the rope through the hole in it and pull the end of the rope out through the hole in the sleeve on the other side of the bolt, helping yourself with the wire cutters.

Set the necessary length of the stretched wire rope and after measuring the same length from the other side, bite into the rope at the planned position with the wire cutters. Proceed in the same way with the second “tendril” and tighten the nuts on the bolts with the open-end wrench with enough force to firmly fix the “tendrils” in position.

In general, working high speeds rope whiskers quickly become frayed, lose their strength and begin to break under the tremendous centrifugal force. This impairs the performance of the grass trimmer, but even more dangerously, they can injure the feet of the operator or people in the vicinity. So it is necessary to make a solder jacket using a soldering iron over the entire length of the “tendrils” of rope. Soft solder is very flexible and when it comes into contact with grass stems and small bushes it absorbs most of the impact force and thus protects the wire from breakage. So, the homemade working body of the grass trimmer is ready.

Cut the line for the trimmer to the right length

To replace the line for the trimmer in your trimmer, rewind and cut the necessary amount of line. The necessary length depends on the diameter of the bobbin and the construction and refer to the manual.

Tuck half the length of the fishing line into the slit on the bobbin’s baffle. Now wind both parts of the line onto the grooves of the spool, leaving 15-20cm of length. Insert the remainder of the fishing line through the holes and coil it carefully so the coils do not overlap.

Common Mistakes

Even though winding line is a very simple task, many beginners may wind the line incorrectly for the trimmer. Here are the most common mistakes.

• Many people think four meters is too much when they measure it. Because of this, people often measure too short, and fall short of the line accordingly. Don’t be afraid to measure too much, because you can always cut off the excess.
• In a hurry, some people don’t observe the thread grooves inside the spool and wind the thread as if it were right. This causes the line to “fly out” of the reel and can even cripple.
• Only use the proper fishing line for the trimmer for winding. This mistake is the most common. It is not only the thickness and amount of line, but also the type of line. You should not use the first available line for the trimmer for winding, which will not fit the purpose. For example, you should not use the line on young grass if you want to mow dead grass.
• You should not turn the machine on until it is fully wound and harvested. Although it is obvious, some people do it to check if it is done correctly.
• On no account should you confuse the threading direction, as this will overload the motor, and it will soon go out of service.

READ Gasoline Ratio for STIHL Grass Trimmer

It is not uncommon for beginners to make mistakes, so follow the advice given in this article.

On how to replace the line for the trimmer on the Patriot trimmer, see below.

The process of winding the line on the spool

• After all the preparatory steps, we need to properly determine how exactly the line will be wound on your device for the trimmer, by turning the cover or in the opposite direction.
• We measure about 7 mm of the cutting material and with one end we insert it into the hole of the bobbin. It is worth noting that the line for the trimmer is winded exactly on the mower style models with two sides. The winding direction of the line on these models is indicated on the bobbin itself.
• Line for trimmer is derived to about 17 cm freely, so the ends can be cut weeds. We’d like to add that it is not necessary to wind the line for the trimmer on the spool of a huge length. Leave about 5 mm distance from the line to the edge of the bobbin.
• The two ends of the line are inserted into the holes of the bobbin. Both of these ends should be securely attached to the main body of the machine.
• Remove the springs (if any) from the spool and put them in the same way as they were taken out, i.e.е. Into the bobbin and the head housing itself.
• To determine whether you have correctly inserted the line for the trimmer in the trimmer for grass, you need to have the element itself (the bobbin) easily inserted into the head housing of your device. If necessary, remove the loose ends of the line to the outside. To achieve this, you need to pull the trimmer line sharply out of the slot through the holes in the bobbin.

So, let’s assume you’ve figured out how to quickly, and most importantly correctly, wind the line for the trimmer on the STIHL grass trimmer spool. All you need to do is insert it correctly into the slots and fasten the main cover on the machine. After that, you can press the bobbin itself and make counterclockwise movements until you feel the stop. If you do not feel the stop, then most likely you trimmer line you tucked it wrong and you’ll have to start from scratch.

Oregon 110980 dural trimmer head with fixed line

When purchasing Champion trimmer heads and other models, you should be guided by the purpose of using the unit. For a large area with a smooth lawn surface is better to use lightweight is not very massive modifications. If you intend to treat an overgrown garden plot, it makes more sense to take a model with the highest performance indicator.

Why the trimmer line won’t come out of the trimmer head

Trimmer heads contain a cutting element, special boom, propulsion and control mechanism with a handle. The unit is designed for grass clippings in the yard and garden areas. Compact size and ease of operation allow you to do a great job in the most inaccessible places. When using this unit, it is possible to carry out pruning of bushes and young garden. Adjustable elements allow you to set the desired height of grass on lawns and grounds.

In the process of selecting trimmer heads evaluate the following characteristics:

Husqvarna trimmer heads are divided according to the method of filament feeding, to be specific:

• Manual type. The line feed in this variant is by mechanical method. To extend the cord will need to pause the device and pull the edges of the cutting part by hand.
• Semi-Automatic. These units allow the filament to be changed without the head touching the ground. This function is realized by using a special button and an anchor mechanism that allows you to lengthen the working part of the line by applying a centrifugal force. The basic principle is that the whole procedure is carried out with the machine switched on.
• Automatic trimmer heads differ in the fact that in their operation, the cord is lengthened in automatic mode after lowering the speed of the motor. The line feed is usually.

Of the above devices, the manual version is not quite comfortable and convenient. Automatic variants are also not popular because of the huge consumption of fishing line. A good version will be an automatic execution.

Preliminary preparation

First of all, winding the fishing line requires removing the spool (bobbin, bobbin) from the grass trimmer. the specific steps will depend on the complexity of the configuration and the type of the product itself:

• Small electric grass trimmers with the working arrangement of the motor and spool in the bottom, as a rule, have on both sides of the reel side keys. Pressing them at the same time disengages the top part of the spool with the internal contents for winding the line, while the bottom part remains on the trimmer. Disassemble the bobbin, it is desirable to produce on a flat smooth place, so that the spring included in the design is not popped out and lost;
• electric and gasoline grass trimmers with a curved boom without the possibility of installing a knife, as a rule, have a spool with a special wing nut: in such designs, one hand should hold the bobbin in a stationary position, and the other counterclockwise rotate the fixing bobbin on the boom wing nut. After unscrewing the nut, the entire spool can be removed.
• STIHL electric and petrol grass trimmers with a blade option on a straight shaft (e.g. STIHL grass trimmers) have a hole under the reel. To immobilize the boom, a screwdriver or other suitable object is inserted into this hole and slow rotation achieves a mutual arrangement where the screwdriver enters the hole and the bobbin is fixed. Then the spool body is turned clockwise (left-hand thread) and removed from the grass trimmer.

For the second and third case, the spools, depending on the design, are disassembled in different ways. With spools with a wing nut, unscrew the wing nut and with spools with catches, press the catches and remove one end of the spool from the other end. If the bobbin threads are joined by threads, it is enough to turn them by hand in opposite directions until they are loosened.

What else is important to know

Now that you know how to disassemble the grass trimmer reel and refill the trimmer line, here are a few more tips for operating your gasoline or electric mower.

A worn or damaged grass trimmer head at high speeds can fail and even cause serious injury. Before and after use, inspect the brushcutter to determine its condition. Always check the integrity and serviceability of all parts of the mechanism.

Before winding the line for the trimmer on the grass trimmer spool, it is worth putting it in water for a day or a full day. Nylon thread is hygroscopic, that is, it absorbs liquid. This makes the mowing line softer and more flexible. First, it will wind more tightly on the reel. But the important thing is that in the process, the line for the trimmer will not be as brittle as if it were dry. This will considerably increase the operating time of one set of shavings.

Before starting work, always check that the cutting lines are the same length on both sides. At the beginning of mowing, the cutting ends are shortened to the desired size by the knives mounted on the blade guard.

Algorithm for winding line

Depending on how you wind the line, with one or two cord wires or automatic cord loading spool.

On a spool with a single tendril

It is easy to wind fishing line onto a single-tag reel. In such designs, depending on the brand of grass trimmer, fits from two to five meters of cord. The edge of the line in the bobbin should be tucked into a special hole or groove, then the string is reeled in the opposite direction to the rotation of the spool during operation.

Tip! To understand which way to wind the thread, you should look at the body of the bobbin. usually there are markings on it indicating the direction of the bobbin’s movement when working.

After the line for the trimmer is wound, you need to leave a small piece (15-30 cm), put it through the bobbin outlet and reassemble the head.

On a spool with two antennas

With this type of bobbin, you need to examine the inside of the spool and determine the number of grooves for winding the cord provided in it.

Important! If the spool has one groove, both tendrils must be wound in a common groove, if two. in separate tracks.

For reeling it is required to take a piece of line length of two to three meters. For bobbins with one groove, you should tuck the line for the trimmer into the through hole, align the whiskers, align and wind it on the spool in the direction opposite to its rotation during work. If there are fixing grooves, you should put the ends of the cord in them, then pull them into the outlet hole, then close the spool and put it in its previous place.

For double-stranded bobbins, the difference is that the string section has to be folded in half. Next, you need to charge the middle of the bend in the groove between the grooves, and then wind on his track each of the pieces of fishing line, fix the tendrils and reassemble the spool in the same way as the bobbin with a single track.

On a trimmer head with automatic threading

For heads with automatic threading, all you need to do is start and clamp the edges of the line, and the tool will do further winding on its own when it is turned on. It is impossible to make a mistake here, because the spool itself recognizes how the tendrils should be positioned.

For your information! The advantages of trimmers with this head include the convenience of laying the cord, and the disadvantages. expensive and difficult to repair.

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

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

• The cover should be installed until it clicks into place. This is 2 or more clicks depending on the number of latches. If one of the latches does not click, when you start the tool, the reel may jump out and injure a person
• Do not reel in your trimmer line with too much drag or more line than can be reeled in. It is better not to wind up more fishing line than necessary, because this will lead to negative consequences in the form of inability to unwind it when necessary
• If you own the tool not with two leads of fishing line, but with one (usually these are low-powered units), then the winding process is performed 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 changing the material you need to check the working capacity of the tool before starting to cut the grass. If not checked beforehand, the line can unravel and injure a person

This is interesting!Choose the correct quality material to avoid injury when working with chain saws, trimmers and brushcutters. While mowing grass, small stones and other materials fall under the rotating parts, which can fly long distances, so, despite the fact that the line for a trimmer is not a knife, work with the tool should be carried out in special protective gear. The result of the work done is the following. after the new material has been replaced the normal material covers up to 600 square meters, but taking into account the presence of a reinforcing layer on the line. Conventional nylon materials last less, which is important to consider when working. Do not try to mow thick-stemmed grass with a fishing line, as special metal discs or knives are available for this purpose.