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For years the old lawn edgers "weed wackers" would run really good when you first purchased them and then once you let them sit for various periods of time between lawn mowing sessions, it would be hell getting them started. I've seen more weed wackers tossed across lawns in my time than homelite chainsaws. The older ones had 2 cycle motors and if you didn't have exactly the correct oil/gas mixture the weed wacker would either not start, smoke the whole place up, or the motor would bog down. I have experienced all of this first hand being starting at a young age watching my father fight these evil little machines and then also myself as I grew up mowing lawns for extra money and then of course my own. There were numerous occasions where all I had left to do was some touch up around the edges after pushing a heavy mower across meters and meters of lawn and I'd spend more time and expend more sweat trying to get the damn thing started again. Even before I'd go out on jobs, I'd make sure the damn thing started before I left my house. It would still find a way to let me down once it was needed. Like a Sailor The frustration caused by the old weed wackers could make a preacher swear. Ok maybe not out loud but inside. I've called these things every name in the book and have probably set the distance record for yards thrown. Not only were the old motors an issue on the older weed wackers but the line feed mechanism on the working end of the contraption often wreaked havoc on the operator's emotions. I would venture to say that no matter what kind of weed wacker you owned back in the day, you probably had both the line feeder mechanism and/or the motor taken apart on it (except maybe a Stihl) before the first year of ownership was up. The older models made it pretty tough to change out the line or even replace it if it got stuck up inside the feeder mechanism causing much frustration and chewing up your clock. There was no youtube or internet readily available at your fingertips, you either had to figure it out or toss it. Sore Starting Muscles I can't count how many times that I would wake up the next day with a very sore and stiff upper back and then at first wonder what I did to it the day before. Then it dawns on me. Oh that's right, I tried starting that damn weed wacker by pulling on the pull starter 2000 times over the course of the day yesterday. Then it lingers for the next couple days just for good measure. For changing out the line as you can see, the line feeds in or out with the clockwise or counter clockwise rotation of the center black adjuster. At some point of course, the line will run out and you will need to refill your line. So when you buy one of these make sure you pick up another pack of weed wacker line. To access the line reservoir, you'll need to grab your flathead screwdriver and depress the two tabs that are 180 degrees from each other on the side. This will allow you to pop the top cover off. Once the top cover is off, cut yourself about 6 feet of line and run it through the hole of the back inner spindle. Then route the line through the top cover islets and snap back into place. At first this seems a little counter intuitive but follow along and this will work. After the cover is snapped back into place, push the black adjustable spindle in and spin it counter clockwise. This will wind the line back onto the inner spindle. Simple huh?
The below pictures shows and explains these simple steps. Check it out.
First I take my flathead and push in on the tabs on either side to loosen the cap.
I found it helpful to also slide my flathead under the collar and depress the tab for even easier removal.
Do the same thing on both sides (to both locking tabs) and it will pull straight off.
Cut a length of trimmer line of approximately 3 feet.
Take one end and push it through the hole in the spindle until there's enough length coming through on the other side to grab it.
Grab both ends and pull them towards you so you can visually see that they are approximately the same length coming out each hole in the spindle.
Having too much line on here makes this part a little difficult so I usually limit it to around 3 feet or so.
Now take each end and route it through the islets on the cap.
Then run the cap up the line and snap it back in.
Clamp the cap on back shut tight without crimping down on or pinching the line.
Push in the the black line tightener knob/adjuster and rotate counter clock-wise.
As you turn to the left (counter clock-wise) the line will shorten and be stored inside the rotating end receptacle.
If you leave too much line out the blade on the guard will chop it off and you'll lose those extra lengths of line so I usually tighten it until about 6" is sticking out on either end. Now you're ready to do some weed walking!
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