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Line trimmer options

13 years ago

My three yer old Craftsman line trimmer has died. I'd like to buy a new trimmer, but am having issues in choosing the right one. My trimmer used attachments, and I used the tiller attachment quite a bit. However, none of the good trimmer brands such as Echo or Stihl would take the attachments.

So, I either have to buy another disposable trimmer or buy a good trimmer and a separate hand held tiller. My lot is only a quarter acre or so, but we will move to something bigger in a few years. I was thinking about an Echo 225 or so.

I did look again at the Craftsman ones and they look to be built different than my current model They are full crank and made by a Husqvarna subsidiary, AYP. The cost would be around $120.

So, should I gamble again with a revamped Craftsman and use my current accessories, or spend all that extra money on two separate machines?

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Comments (7)

skyssx
13 years ago
Stihl does indeed make a split shaft trimmer line with a full range of tools, as does Husqvarna. The Stihl line is built with uncompromising quality, but you pay for it. I would recommend the Stihl KM90 power head and such attachments as you need. Look under the "multi-use tools" section of the website, it's called the Kombi system.
pacochu
Original Author
13 years ago
I looked up the Stihl system a while back and the combo of the motor, trimmer head and tiller head was over $550. I was hoping not to have to go that high.
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skyssx
13 years ago
I can directly compare the quality of the Husqvarna and Stihl split shaft offerings, because I own one brand, and my parents own the other. The shafts on the Stihl are the same across the whole spectrum of powerheads. The coupling on the Stihl is cast magnesium, and the drive shafts are solid steel. On the Husqvarna, the drive shafts are a spun steel flex cable, and the coupler is stamped steel welded to the drive tube. With a Husqvarna, probably being purchased at Lowe's, you will get a line head. However, all the attachments Lowe's sells are MTD, and not even up to Husqvarna's quality, let alone Stihls.

With the Stihl, every attachment is professional quality. With MTD, you're looking at light homeowner use only. Stihl sells attachments for every task, but you don't actually have to purchase them individually. For instance, the only difference between the Stihl line trimmer and brush cutter heads is the debris shield. The gearhead and drive tube are the same. So if you get the line trimmer, you can convert to the brush cutter head in about 5 minutes for $20. Same thing with the tiller attachment. You can physically stick any of the YardBoss multi-motor attachments on the tiller gearbox. This gets you the powersweep for about $100 off if you wanted that.

If you tell me what attachments you need, and what you intend to do with them I can recommend you the least expensive route to get there.

Oh, and the Stihl blower attachment is not even a comparison to the MTD job. The MTD will struggle to move grass clippings, the Stihl blower will throw wet leaves across your yard.
pacochu
Original Author
13 years ago
The only attachments I see myself using currently are the line trimmer and tiller. I already have a blower that works well for clippings and drying my car after washing.
ewalk
13 years ago
Check out the Echo Peoduct Line very competitive pricing and excellent product .
brandman
11 years ago
www.yard-tamer.com

Problems solved.
andrelaplume2
10 years ago
buy one of each...skip the multi tool things...

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