Can anyone recommend a petrol machine that reliably feeds line to the head?
I've tried various bump action without success and even manual feed (also deadly).
Of course a lot depends on what/how you're cutting - I'm definitely not taliking lawns! Hence the reference to "brushcutter" ............. I expect the 2.4 line to break where I have to work - so what I'm asking about is a machine that works well to deal with this.
Can I please say, with great respect, I am not dealing with a back garden here!
Would appreciate hearing of anybody's practical and successful experience in such environs
Kind regards
Adrian
For strimming heavy undergrowth I use a 3 bladed metal disc. If it looses its cutting edge I use a file to sharpen it. For lighter work I use a head where the line is threaded through and clamped in place. It effectively gives 4 cutting lines. I don't use nylon with a circular cross section instead with a more rectangular cross section. I find this cuts better and will cut quite thick scrub. Hope this helps.
Honda with a metal blade. What your describing is beyond what I would expect to use a line cutter on.
My normal weapon of choice is a Honda UMK 425 LE
Not used a metal headed cutter in my job only line feeds. However all my machinery is Sthil, certainly not cheap but reliable. I think they do a metal bladed jobby for £380 odd quid!
Another one for Sthil, when I was working in the Hire Industry we used the 3 bladed type but ours were dual purpose machines where you changed the heads over for corded work. All were powered by std Sthil 24" Chainsaw engines so as an industry we had the best of both worlds. However they were not a cheap option.
Thanks to everyone for their prompt and helpful input.
I do use a three bladed steel head for the stubborn stuff and interchange with the nylon line head where circumstances allow.
Certainly agree with the leaning to Stihl, Honda and Husqvarna - I own machines made by all three
My query then is not really how best to do the job but rather what machine colleagues might have used that reliably fed line to the head.
Apologies to all if my request wasn't expressed well enough and again thank you for the interesting comments so far
Adrian
Buy a straight shaft with a clutch. Don't know the laws in UK now, but if looking at a 2 stroke, then buy a fully supported crank - assuming you can still buy 2 strokes!
A clutch unit allows you to change cutting heads between the various types of blade and the more traditional line heads. The multi faceted "star" line does last better than the traditional round. If you don't like bump feeds, why not? You do need the revs well up for them to work effectively, could that have been an issue. Good bump feeds are great and are frequently (not always) used by the pro's as well as the home gardener. However, if you want line but not the bump, then go the fixed heavy line option as suggested above by Mito.
Stihl do have a good reputation, but so do Honda, Kaaz, Echo etc. Just avoid the cheap Asian versions or the built to price units such as the modern McCulloch, Homelite and similar. Hurts me deeply to lump Homelite in there, as I used to work for them years ago when they were owned by Deere and built in USA, but such is life.
Cheers, Bill.
The only issues I have had with the bump feed on the Honda is when the line has not been loaded correctly. When loaded correctly the bump feed works well.