How To Wind The Line On The Trimmer Spool

3rd August 2020

How do I wind the line around the Patriot trimmer reel?
How do I wind the line around the Patriot trimmer reel? What are the rules for changing the line? How to properly thread the line? What are the refueling errors? What to consider when threading the line into the trimmer spool?

How do I wind the line around the Patriot trimmer reel?

how to wind the line on the trimmer spool

Almost every beginner when using a trimmer is faced with the problem of changing the line. While changing your line is easy, you need to learn how to do it right. Changing the fishing line with proper skill will take no more than five minutes. You just have to constantly practice it. This article will walk you through changing the line using the Patriot trimmers as an example.

Instructions

In order to change the line, you need to remove the old one (if it was).

The reel is the part of the trimmer structure that is located inside the mower head, drum or bobbin. Heads vary depending on the manufacturer. But this article only covers Patriot, although their mechanism is used by many other companies.

Instructions on how to unscrew the manual head on the trimmer are described below.

First of all, you need to clean the head from dirt and adhering grass, if it is dirty. To do this, lift the mower with its head up and, grasping the cover, remove the special protective cover on the drum.
The next step is to remove the spool from the drum. The reel can be easily removed even with one hand, because it is not fixed in any way inside the drum.
The drum itself is fixed in the trimmer with a bolt. This bolt must be unscrewed, after which you can easily pull out the drum. To do this carefully, you should support the drum with the spool, while unscrewing the screw counterclockwise.
Now you can pull the coil out. As mentioned above, it is not secured by anything, except for a hook with a metal shaft, so it does not need to be pulled out with force. Carefully, in a circular motion, pull the spool out of the drum.
Now it remains to remove the old fishing line and follow the next instructions.

The installation of the spool and drum in their original place is performed according to the reverse algorithm.

Before threading the line, make sure you have purchased the correct thread for the trimmer. In the event that the thread is not suitable, the fuel or energy consumption increases, as well as the load on the engine of the lawn mowers.

In order to replace the thread itself directly, you need to prepare a piece of thread of the required size. Most often, this requires about 4 m of line. The specific figure will depend on the parameters of the thread, for example, its thickness, as well as on the parameters of the spool itself. If you cannot accurately determine the length, you can do the following: insert and wind the thread until the coil is fully charged (the line level will be compared with the protrusions on the sides of the coil). Make sure that the line sits flat in the spool.

The instructions for threading the line into the spool are described below.

The prepared thread must be taken and folded in half. It should be ensured that one edge is 0.1-0.15 m longer than the other.
Now you need to take the ends in different hands. The one that is smaller must be pulled up to the larger one so that it becomes 2 times shorter. When bending, maintain an offset of 0.15m.
Find the notch inside the coil baffle. Gently thread the loop you made earlier into this slot.
To continue working, it is necessary to determine the direction of winding the thread in the bobbin. To do this, it is enough to inspect the coil. There should be an arrow on it.
If the arrow-pointer could not be found, then it is quite possible that there is a written designation. An example is shown in the photo below. Inspect the coil head. It has a direction indicator. However, this is the direction of travel of the coil. To get the direction of winding, you need to wind in the opposite direction.
Now you need to load the spool with line. It is worth noting that there are special guide grooves inside the coil. Follow these grooves when winding the thread, otherwise the trimmer may be damaged. At this stage, you need to charge the coil very carefully.
When the user has wound up almost the entire thread, take the short end (do not forget about the 0.15m protrusion) and pull it into the hole located in the wall of the reel. Now you need to repeat this action in the same way with the other end (on the other side).
Place the reel itself in the head of the reel, before passing the line through the holes inside the drum.
Now is the time to put the drum back in place. After that, you need to take the ends of the line with both hands and pull them to the sides. Then you need to put the lid back on (here you can safely make efforts until a characteristic click is heard).
Remained to do the “cosmetic work”. We need to see if the thread is too long. You can start the trimmer and check in practice if everything is comfortable. If the thread comes out a little long, you can trim it with scissors.

Frequent mistakes

Although winding the line is a very simple task, many beginners can wind the line incorrectly. Below are the most common mistakes.

Many people, when measuring the thread, think that 4 m is a lot. Because of this, people often measure less and, accordingly, they do not have enough line. Do not be afraid to measure out a lot, because you can always cut off the excess.
In a rush, some people do not follow the threading grooves inside the spool and wind the thread randomly. This will cause the line to come out of the reel and may even cripple.
For winding, use only the appropriate line. This error is the most common. You need to monitor not only the thickness and volume of the line, but also its type. You should not use the first line that comes across for wrapping, which will not meet the goals. For example, you do not need to use a thread on young grass if you need to mow dead wood.
Do not turn on the device until fully wound and collected. While this is obvious, some people do it in order to check if everything is done correctly.
In no case should you confuse the direction of refueling, as this will overload the engine, and it will soon come out of working condition.

It is quite common for beginners to make mistakes, so you must follow the tips in this article.

See below for how to replace the line on the Patriot trimmer.

Winding the line to the trimmer

Measured and neat dismantling of the spool from the spit coil makes it possible to go directly to winding the line. The design features of the head, the number and location of the fixing holes dictate the sequence of actions when performing this operation, and also determine the methods used. Today there are several types of reels, depending on the number of line antennae and the methods of threading it:

Trimmer head with one working mustache;
A bobbin with two line antennae;
Auto-winding reel.

Trimmer head with two antennae

Double flute head

After removing the spool from the reel body, we determine the number of strands for winding the line (1 or 2). There is no fundamental difference between bobbins with one and two grooves, but if carelessly threading into the twin groove, there will be operational problems. Due to the likelihood of interlacing adjacent lines of the tool, a situation may arise when, after wear of the working antennae, it is impossible to remove new ones.

Regardless of the number of streams, a fishing line with a length of 1.5 to 3 meters is taken for refueling. Winding must be done in the opposite direction to the rotation of the head, since winding in the direction of travel will lead to the fact that the line will not be removed from the reel. After the fishing line is tucked into the trimmer coil, thread the free ends (15-30 cm) into special holes. Next, we assemble the head in the reverse order of disassembly and check the operability. Do not worry if the ends of the two antennae are very different in size, because when you start the trimmer, the knife installed on the protection will cut off the excess.

Preparing to wind the line

Before the winding process, it is necessary to remove the spool with line from the body. Depending on the manufacturer, power and type (electric or gasoline), there are three design types of trimmers:

Compact electric trimmers.

Straight bar trimmer

This model provides the ability to install a knife. Removing the coil in such models is done by means of two keys recessed into the coil body. To mount the trimmer knife, it is necessary to align the hole of the reel and the rod, and then insert the device in the form of a steel pin (screwdriver, iron bar). After fixing the coil, the body can be easily twisted clockwise by hand.

Features of the use of trimmers

A trimmer that mows grass with a fishing line can be used near: houses and other buildings, fences and hedges, trees and shrubs, beds and flower beds, row spacing in a garden plot

Such a convenient, and most importantly, effective device like a trimmer exists in several variations:

Petrol;
Rechargeable;
Electric.

As the names suggest, trimmer types differ markedly from one another. But regardless of the type of this instrument, its the cutting element can be a line. Of course, the line tucked into the trimmer reel is not endless. And sooner or later you will need to replace it with a new one.

Line consumption directly depends on the frequency of use device and scale of work performed. The more grass is cut and the more often it is trimmed with the trimmer, the more active the line is used in it. And, accordingly, the faster it will end. In this regard, the question arises: how to thread the line into the trimmer spool?

Not everyone knows the answer to this question. But winding a fishing line on a reel plays an important role in trimmer operation. For the device to function properly, it is very important to properly wind the new line onto the reel. How to change the line on the trimmer, and will be discussed in this article.

Which line to choose

Before you stock up on this material for refueling in the trimmer, you need to decide on the choice. After all, the usual so-called round fishing line is far from the only existing species. How to choose the most suitable one? First you need to determine the working conditions.

Selection by type. Round line is the most common. It will fit any coil with very few exceptions. This type of consumable is suitable for cutting fresh, juicy grass. But with the mowing of the so-called dead wood, this type may no longer cope. It is pointless to mention attempts to mow bushes with this thread.

In addition to the usual type, there are others, sharp-edged. Usually they are made with an asterisk or a square. Sharp edges are the main feature and key difference of these threads.

It is thanks to this feature that the threads of these types are able to mow dry weeds. But the sharp-cut threads are not without drawbacks, the main of which can be called rapid wear and durability noticeably inferior to the round type.

In addition to the already mentioned types of woods, there are also interesting and common varieties. Especially among them can be noted the fishing lines, inside which stretched metal wire. This type of thread is often used in gasoline-powered tools with an engine over 1.5 horsepower.

Metal core threads are with a round cross-section and with sharp edges. Regardless of the type of section, such threads are the best suited for overcoming difficult-to-cut plants. Threads of this type can easily mow not only dry grass, but even small bushes.

Filament with wire inside compares favorably with other types of consumables in its incredible durability. Unfortunately, this feature has a more than noticeable impact on the price of this type. The cost of cored yarns significantly exceeds the cost of other types of yarns.

The first way to wind the line

The required amount of line has been cut off. Now you need to carefully examine the bobbin in order to understand what type it belongs to. It depends on how the line is to be wound on it.

There are two types of bobbins. In general, they differ slightly from each other. Regardless of the type, the coil is divided into two compartments. Upper and lower. In the first type, the dividing edge does not close into a ring and has a depression.

In the second type, it is solid, but near it on the sides on both sides there are small through holes. The method of winding the thread needs to be studied depending on which of the above types the coil belongs to.

The previously prepared six-meter segment must be bent in half. It is best not exactly in the middle, but in such a way that one half is about fifteen centimeters longer.
Then the place of the fold must be inserted into the recess in the dividing face. One half of the line should be at the top of the reel, the other half at the bottom.
Now you can start winding directly. You need to wind in the direction of the arrow on the bobbin. When winding, you need to keep the threads so that they do not intertwine and the upper half winds up in the upper part of the spool, and the lower half in the lower part. Each half should have about fifteen centimeters free from the end.
There are small indentations (or, in other words, grooves) in the upper edge of the bobbin for securing the consumable. The ends of the threads must be inserted into these recesses so that they are fixed against each other.
The final stage of threading the consumables into the tool. The ends fixed on the bobbin must be threaded into the corresponding holes in the trimmer head.
That’s all. The winding process is complete. Now all that remains is to assemble the head into a single whole. The spring fits neatly back between the bobbin and head. Then you need to insert the bobbin into the head and press them together.
It is recommended to pull the free ends of the thread out more. To do this, pull the ends of the consumable one by one so that they are removed from the grooves in the bobbin. You can make sure that the cutting element is removed from the retaining grooves by trying to pull the threads a little. They should freely exit through the holes in the head.
While pressing the bobbin down, you need to put the cover over it. The cover must be screwed to the head so that all the grooves on their bodies are aligned and the bobbin remains fixed between them.
Finally, in the very last step, the head is screwed back into place at the bottom of the tool.

The process is complete. The line is tucked into a reel. The trimmer is ready for further work.

Removing the coil from the trimmer

On small, bottom motor electric trimmers (when operating near the ground), the reel usually has two buttons on the sides. Click on them and disconnect one half of the coil body from the second, which remains on the trimmer. Together with the first half, the inner part is also taken out, on which the fishing line is directly wound. When disassembling, be careful: there is a spring inside that can fly out and get lost.

On electric and gasoline trimmers with a curved bar (there is still no way to put a knife on such trimmers), you need to wrap the coil body itself with one hand, and with the other hand you need to start rotating the lamb on it counterclockwise. It is he who attaches the coil to the trimmer bar. Having unscrewed the lamb, carefully remove the entire coil, trying not to lose the spring inside.

On electric and gasoline trimmers with a straight bar and a gearbox at its end (on such trimmers, in addition to the fishing line, you can also install a knife), we look for a hole under the coil, insert, for example, a screwdriver into it, quietly rotate the coil until the screwdriver crawls even deeper, and the coil will lock. Now we turn the whole coil clockwise (since the thread is left-handed) and remove it from the trimmer. Then we disassemble the coil. It can be assembled with latches or twisted with a lamb. If the coil is latched, then press on the sides on the base of the latches so that they bend and release one half of the coil body from the other. We just unscrew the lamb. There may also be a third type of connection of two halves of such a coil: with it, you need to grab the lower part with one hand, and the upper part with the other, and start turning them in opposite directions. When disassembling such a coil, you must also make sure that the spring inside is not lost.

How to properly wind the line on the trimmer spool

Many, having worked out the factory line on a recently purchased trimmer, try to wind a new one, but cannot, because they do not know how to properly wind the line on the trimmer spool (bobbin). It seems that there is an instruction, but it still does not work. Let’s try to deal with this issue in this article.

So, in order to wind the line, you first need to remove the coil from the trimmer. This will be more convenient. Removal method will depend on the type of trimmer.