Mowing ..

[Rallye Sport]

A bit of an update for me aswell.

I've moved from a public golf course to quite an exclusive, championship, private course. No more crinkle cut King Gee shirts straight from the washing line, I turn up resplendent in my sponsored polo shirt, tucked in and wearing a compulsory belt (no visible **** cracks allowed)

I'm feeling better for it physically and mentally. At my previous course everything was done with machinery.
We mow greens and rake bunkers by hand at the new one and the feeling of being exercise sore not machinery sore is much better.
After lunch I spend my time with the apprentices. I'm far more stimulated with the teaching and mentoring process.
The clubs pretty supportive for me to go back (again) to tafe next year to do my training and assessment qualification.
I'm much more inspired in my work now.

[MDS69]

After some suggestions on my line trimmer issue.
Still 2T bent shaft FS45 about 20 years old and has been super reliable.
The problem in the last two times I have used it it won’t go full throttle. If you do it bogs down and will stall. You need to feather the throttle to get even 50%.
I cleaned the spark arrestor by burning it with a gas torch, checked the plug gap (by eye), ran it with no air filter. The plug is burning a light grey. One thing I haven’t tried is fresh fuel. Not sure how old the fuel is but the mower is running fine on the same oil ratio.
Any suggestions on where to look next.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by MDS69

After some suggestions on my line trimmer issue.
Still 2T bent shaft FS45 about 20 years old and has been super reliable.
The problem in the last two times I have used it it won’t go full throttle. If you do it bogs down and will stall. You need to feather the throttle to get even 50%.
I cleaned the spark arrestor by burning it with a gas torch, checked the plug gap (by eye), ran it with no air filter. The plug is burning a light grey. One thing I haven’t tried is fresh fuel. Not sure how old the fuel is but the mower is running fine on the same oil ratio.
Any suggestions on where to look next.

My first though was going to be the exhaust screen but you have looked into that. Stale fuel will also make it run crap. Another thing I would do is to take the entire muffler off and make sure there is no built up carbon in the port of the engine itself and the muffler.

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by MDS69

After some suggestions on my line trimmer issue.
Still 2T bent shaft FS45 about 20 years old and has been super reliable.
The problem in the last two times I have used it it won’t go full throttle. If you do it bogs down and will stall. You need to feather the throttle to get even 50%.
I cleaned the spark arrestor by burning it with a gas torch, checked the plug gap (by eye), ran it with no air filter. The plug is burning a light grey. One thing I haven’t tried is fresh fuel. Not sure how old the fuel is but the mower is running fine on the same oil ratio.
Any suggestions on where to look next.

I had a similiar problem where my FS 45 wouldn’t rev first start for a while.Emptied the tank and refilled with a new mix and away we go.This year found the primer bulb had a split which was also causing a revving problem.Again new bulb and all is well again

[janddbone]

Originally Posted by MDS69

After some suggestions on my line trimmer issue.
Still 2T bent shaft FS45 about 20 years old and has been super reliable.
The problem in the last two times I have used it it won’t go full throttle. If you do it bogs down and will stall. You need to feather the throttle to get even 50%.
I cleaned the spark arrestor by burning it with a gas torch, checked the plug gap (by eye), ran it with no air filter. The plug is burning a light grey. One thing I haven’t tried is fresh fuel. Not sure how old the fuel is but the mower is running fine on the same oil ratio.
Any suggestions on where to look next.

No idea, because the same one I have, has never given a seconds trouble and I have never had it apart! Ha ha. Catch22.

[Citroënbender]

Bore wear, even maybe the flex drive whipping around and binding.

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by Rallye Sport

Congrats on the new customer, glad to hear you're doing well.

The spray pack looks nice, haven't seen the Stihl ones before. They're never comfortable are they, if I'm spending alot of time using one I've taken to only half filling them. The extra refilling time is a small trade off to compared to a sore back and bruised shoulders at the end of the day.

I bought a couple of cheap seat belt covers from SCA to pad the straps, I’ll see how that goes. I would only half fill it, but it sprays so quickly, that would be 5 mins of spraying at a time.

[FTE217]

I reported earlier my old ryobi + battery blower gave up the ghost.
I’d say the impeller gave up from years of use and hundred odd bucks it wasn’t it’s keep.
I have a petrol blower that I swear by but for small jobs a battery one is useful.
I ended up upgrading the next size up ryobi + battery blower.

https://www.ryobi.com.au/products/de...only-obl1800bl

It works damn great - comes with a charger and large battery $200.
Bonus is my previous model batteries fit as well so have 3 batteries now.
Being brushless it’s pretty quiet and has a trigger to control how strong a blow you need. Far better than off on switch.
Recommended for that quick no fuss job.
I give it thumbs up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[danzvtil]

I bought another BG86C stihl blower today, my old one has been making crunching noises and wouldn’t turn over by pulling the starter. I think it’s 2-3 years old. If it is salvageable with a service I’ll keep it as a spare.
My HRU196 mower I find is very sensitive to old spark plugs, they get to a point then start running crap until you change it even though it’s not fouled up. Mine had a miss while idling, did the plug, and realised the air cleaner foam was completely filled with crud, washed out in petrol, runs good as new. Now if I can only get the bloody catcher to stay on the thing it will be a lovely mower!

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

I bought another BG86C stihl blower today, my old one has been making crunching noises and wouldn’t turn over by pulling the starter. I think it’s 2-3 years old. If it is salvageable with a service I’ll keep it as a spare.
My HRU196 mower I find is very sensitive to old spark plugs, they get to a point then start running crap until you change it even though it’s not fouled up. Mine had a miss while idling, did the plug, and realised the air cleaner foam was completely filled with crud, washed out in petrol, runs good as new. Now if I can only get the bloody catcher to stay on the thing it will be a lovely mower!

I can almost guarantee that is a loose crankcase bolt. I have had this happen a few times and it is very common on BG series blowers. It feels like the engine has locked up or broken a rod. It's as simple as a bolt working loose and preventing the flywheel from turning.

To fix, remove the orange starter cover.



You then need to remove the flywheel to gain access to the three or four bolts behind. I can't find pics of this but it will be pretty obvious which one is fouling against the flywheel. Tighten the offending bolt, checking the others too while you are in there. It could also be worthwhile putting some lock tight on if you have some.



If you get it running again, you then have a spare unit on hand. This happened to me and I did the same as you, thinking the unit was locked. I then put a vac kit on the older machine which always comes in handy.

As for the Honda catcher coming loose, it happen on mine too. Extremely frustrating.

[DFB FGXR6]

For those interested, this is the connecting rod used in the Stihl 27cc engine, used across various line trimmers, hedge trimmers and blowers.



Not much too it, leading me to think I had bent or broken one on my blower.

[danzvtil]

As for the Honda catcher coming loose, it happen on mine too. Extremely frustrating.[/QUOTE]
After I made the comment I hit the edges of the flap with a hammer, it now appears to grip the catcher tighter. I will report back when I use it next.

[DFB FGXR6]

Let me know how you go with the blower.

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

I bought another BG86C stihl blower today, my old one has been making crunching noises and wouldn’t turn over by pulling the starter. I think it’s 2-3 years old. If it is salvageable with a service I’ll keep it as a spare.
My HRU196 mower I find is very sensitive to old spark plugs, they get to a point then start running crap until you change it even though it’s not fouled up. Mine had a miss while idling, did the plug, and realised the air cleaner foam was completely filled with crud, washed out in petrol, runs good as new. Now if I can only get the bloody catcher to stay on the thing it will be a lovely mower!

I am a Stihl man and have purchased a lot of gear from them over the years. I have not been happy with the last couple of blowers; BG 75 and BG 86. So I have jumped ship and recently purchased a Husky 525BX. It runs great as you would expect, so I am interested to see how long it lasts.

While I was going over to the dark side I also purchased a Husky i520HE3 battery hedge trimmer kit. Oh my giddy aunt, what a great machine! I am unsure how I have worked in this game for so long without them! Have only had them out on a few jobs but; so quiet, so light, so powerful and so quick! I actually look forward to using them, but I suspect that will wear off.


https://www.husqvarna.com/au/product...nly/967915811/

This guy does a good review; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eStwncH8HU

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

I am a Stihl man and have purchased a lot of gear from them over the years. I have not been happy with the last couple of blowers; BG 75 and BG 86. So I have jumped ship and recently purchased a Husky 525BX. It runs great as you would expect, so I am interested to see how long it lasts.

While I was going over to the dark side I also purchased a Husky i520HE3 battery hedge trimmer kit. Oh my giddy aunt, what a great machine! I am unsure how I have worked in this game for so long without them! Have only had them out on a few jobs but; so quiet, so light, so powerful and so quick! I actually look forward to using them, but I suspect that will wear off.


https://www.husqvarna.com/au/product...nly/967915811/


This guy does a good review; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eStwncH8HU

Now i have been running the new one for a day, I’m disappointed, it doesn’t wake up and rev out like the old one. I might give it a week to loosen up, then play with the max rev setting.
Shouldn’t have been hasty and bought a huski instead 😧

[ford12]

How often do you guys sharpen your mower blades and what are you using to sharpen them ?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Now i have been running the new one for a day, I’m disappointed, it doesn’t wake up and rev out like the old one. I might give it a week to loosen up, then play with the max rev setting.
Shouldn’t have been hasty and bought a huski instead 😧

Which nozzle are you using? For whatever reason, when the round nozzle is fitted the engine doesn't seem to rev as much as when the flat version is on.

Otherwise, run the machine in then give it a little tweak.......

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by ford12

How often do you guys sharpen your mower blades and what are you using to sharpen them ?

When they look like this?

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Now i have been running the new one for a day, I’m disappointed, it doesn’t wake up and rev out like the old one. I might give it a week to loosen up, then play with the max rev setting.
Shouldn’t have been hasty and bought a huski instead 😧

New machine so yes get a few hours up on it and see how it runs then.

The Husky was about $100 more than another BG86C so only time will tell if I have made the right decision to jump. My excitment was mostly for the new hedger which I love and will review here once I get the hang of it.

I will add my 2 cents to DFB FGXR6 review of the Husky 525BX

[DFB FGXR6]

To be honest, I found the Husky 525BX to rev less than my previous BG86's, so maybe this is a new emissions thing on two-strokes? I gave my 525BX a little tweak to bring it back up to the BG86.

[Work Horse]

I will just add my 2 cents to DFB FGXR6 excellent review

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Went out and bought the new blower this morning before I started, put to work immediately.

image

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I ended up getting a small discount, every bit counts right? The first thing I noticed using this machine was how Husqvarna have a better anti-vibration system. The Stihl is great is this regard but this is a step beyond. The engine doesn't seem to rev as hard as the Stihl but I don't believe it wants for power. I agree and would add ;My First impression was the husky was not as powerful as the Stihl, but as I used it I realised it was every bit as powerful it just felt different. The differance I believe is the design of the outlet, which has a slight S bend at the engine end. This simple change means the force at WOT is in the center of the machine, balanced. The Stihl outlet is to one side so you get a bit of torque steer at WOT, constently fighting the blower to keep it straight. This small diffeance means a lot when you operate a blower for as long as we do.
With the fan tip attached (as pictured) it also seems to have more better sense of finesse when trying to get corners clean. That last point is hard to explain, I guess there is a certain technique to using a blower so as to not be just chasing debris around, but rather controlling the flow of air so as to be quick and efficient. The Husqvarna seems a tad better at this. I agree the air is my be'ache!

After using the same basic blower design for the last 19 odd years, moving on to a different brand and model is going to take some time to adjust. I know the BG series Stihl basically inside out so I guess there is going to be some learning to be done on how to maintain them and adjust to their differences. For example, I kept thumping down to turn the thing off, like I always have, when the kill switch is mounted on the top of the handle. The machine is made in China, but so are my Makita drills which are the best I have ever owned. So Chinese manufacture is not a deal breaker, only time will tell how well the husky lasts. The hedges I bought at the same time are made in Sweden. With the 2 machines next to each other: the build quality, plastic fit and texture are noticably better on the Swedish machine. (A proper DFB FGXR6 review would include photos to assist here!) I am still hopeful my new husky blower will justify the expence and move to the dark side!

Anyway, fun and games.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

I will just add my 2 cents to DFB FGXR6 excellent review

How have you found the fuel use / economy of the 525BX?

I initially found it to be guzzling fuel compared to the Stihl but has settled down now. I run all my small two-strokes on Stihl fully synthetic oil at 50:1, the Victa's get Formula V at a smokey 25:1.

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

How have you found the fuel use / economy of the 525BX?

I initially found it to be guzzling fuel compared to the Stihl but has settled down now. I run all my small two-strokes on Stihl fully synthetic oil at 50:1, the Victa's get Formula V at a smokey 25:1.

image

image

I definitely have to add fuel more often to the husky. I also run Stihl fully synthetic oil at 50:1. I suspect the tank on the husky is 10%-15% smaller than the Stihl but I am yet to confirm that. (despite the fact both machines are here at my house!). But if Husky are listening, a bigger tank would be an improvement at this early stage!

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

I definitely have to add fuel more often to the husky. I also run Stihl fully synthetic oil at 50:1. I suspect the tank on the husky is 10%-15% smaller than the Stihl but I am yet to confirm that. (despite the fact both machines are here at my house!). But if Husky are listening, a bigger tank would be an improvement at this early stage!

Stihl BG86 - 440ml
Husqvarna 525BX - 450ml

[ford12]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

I will just add my 2 cents to DFB FGXR6 excellent review

I use a Honda, how does it compare to these .

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by ford12

I use a Honda, how does it compare to these .

The 4 stroke?
I have not tried a Honda blower, which is odd because I really rate the lawnmowers.

How do you find the Honda?

[ford12]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

The 4 stroke?
I have not tried a Honda blower, which is odd because I really rate the lawnmowers.

How do you find the Honda?

Yes the 4 stroke.
I think it's great, no mixing petrol and starts every time.
I've never used a different make before so don't know how it compares.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

I am a Stihl man and have purchased a lot of gear from them over the years. I have not been happy with the last couple of blowers; BG 75 and BG 86. So I have jumped ship and recently purchased a Husky 525BX. It runs great as you would expect, so I am interested to see how long it lasts.

While I was going over to the dark side I also purchased a Husky i520HE3 battery hedge trimmer kit. Oh my giddy aunt, what a great machine! I am unsure how I have worked in this game for so long without them! Have only had them out on a few jobs but; so quiet, so light, so powerful and so quick! I actually look forward to using them, but I suspect that will wear off.


https://www.husqvarna.com/au/product...nly/967915811/

This guy does a good review; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eStwncH8HU

I've been really impressed with the Husky electric gear myself.
We had a demo polesaw for a while. The power head is at the saw end as opposed to the Stihl's which are still shaft drive. What a great machine it was! Smooth, quiet, powerful and well balanced. I'd say the shaft drive saps some power, therefore battery life aswell, this thing seemed to go for ever. I'll definitely be aiming for the Husky at change over time.

[hayseed]

Originally Posted by ford12

Yes the 4 stroke.
I think it's great, no mixing petrol and starts every time.
I've never used a different make before so don't know how it compares.

I've got a Honda Blower as Well. & agree with everything above..

[danzvtil]

Picked the blower from service, was the crankshaft bolt as suspected. Told them about the poor revving on the new one, they said to bring it back, they will adjust it. I notice the adj screws are no longer PH and now some small hex head I couldn’t get to.