5 hours ago, Crossy said:

We have the same head, attached the same way. The strings that came with it were only long enough to have one side protruding so that's how we run it (4 strings).

 

Yes, at noted earlier it's a left-hand thread ????

 

When I change the nylon cords on mine I prop it up at an angle with the back of the engine on the floor. I use a parallel pin punch to lock the head and use an 11/16 socket on a ratchet handle to take the nut and spring washer off, followed by the outer splined holder and the disc. I run 2 x 50cm nylon cords at 180 degrees ton each otherand then replace the other bits in reverse order.

 

Quite often the locking cover hasn't centred properly as with the nylon running across it gets a bit fiddly but it goes on eventually.

 

I also have a Kasei 2 stroke on wheels which is easy to push around. Unfortunately the head and spline is a fraction larger than the Honda which makes interchanging of blades and discs difficult. You have to bore out the blade and disc a little to make it fit. The locknut is that fraction bigger as well.

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

When I change the nylon cords on mine I prop it up at an angle with the back of the engine on the floor. I use a parallel pin punch to lock the head and use an 11/16 socket on a ratchet handle to take the nut and spring washer off, followed by the outer splined holder and the disc. I run 2 x 50cm nylon cords at 180 degrees ton each otherand then replace the other bits in reverse order.

 

Quite often the locking cover hasn't centred properly as with the nylon running across it gets a bit fiddly but it goes on eventually.

 

I also have a Kasei 2 stroke on wheels which is easy to push around. Unfortunately the head and spline is a fraction larger than the Honda which makes interchanging of blades and discs difficult. You have to bore out the blade and disc a little to make it fit. The locknut is that fraction bigger as well.

That's a bummer about the lawn mower. I was thinking of getting one of those but bought another mower instead.

2 hours ago, carlyai said:

That's a bummer about the lawn mower. I was thinking of getting one of those but bought another mower instead.

The one I bought came with 3 wheels, which is great if you have a nice smooth lawn to cut. Unfortunately the 2 rai I have to cut is not smooth but full of rocks, stones, bits of pruned buchered tree and the odd hole to catch me out. Some of it is regularly shaped but a lot is not. Some hides under the trees where red ants are waiting for me.

 

OTOH it gives me satisfaction when I have completed the part I was working on, I get exercise from it and it keeps me busy for 6 or 7 months of the year.

 

I suppose that I have been doing it now for about 16 years. I came back from working a year in NZ back in 2009 and nobody had done anything for the year I was away. You couldn't see the house from the road. 

 

I nipped down to the village and bought a 2 stroke and attacked the bit out the front. After a hour I had cleared perhaps 4 square metres. The scrub was over 2 metres tall and when I cut it there was nowhere for it to fall.

 

I have used a 2 stroke straight shaft, a couple of 2 stroke flexi shafts which were helpful on slopes but not much use otherwise. The big Honda engined monster on motorbike wheels which was great until the blade fixing bolts shear and it tries to shake itself to death if you don't shut it down quickly enough. I fixed that in the end using old pickup leaf spring as blades abd big nuts and bolts to hold it on. In the end I retired it because it was too heavy to push.

 

Now I am down to ther 4 stroke Honda which must be 8 or 9 years old and has normal fair wear and tear plus an engine rebuild, and my 2 stroke Kasei wheely whacker.

For crossy and carlyai attention.

 

If you follow this link   https://www.diyspareparts.com/parts/

 

You can find spare parts list for the Honda umk 435 4 stroke strimmer and probably other items you don't need. I downloaded the spatres list and split it into drawings and part lists and put them into a folder, but I can't post the complete folder for some reason.

 

I would have to post some 36 pages which would take some time and be a PITA.

Every week I grease the head by takng off the splined screw on the left of the head, replacing it with a grease nipple and using a grease gun.

 

Sadly there is no part number for the grease nipple and they way I got mine was to take the head off completely and wander around engineering shops to get one that fits. I bought 5 as when I was an engineer I always carried spares.

 

Unfortunately while my Kasei wheely whaker has a similar system the grease nipple is a different size which resulted in another wasted trip only to find mymate had 3 of the correct size he wasn't using.

17 hours ago, billd766 said:

For crossy and carlyai attention.

 

If you follow this link   https://www.diyspareparts.com/parts/

 

You can find spare parts list for the Honda umk 435 4 stroke strimmer and probably other items you don't need. I downloaded the spatres list and split it into drawings and part lists and put them into a folder, but I can't post the complete folder for some reason.

 

I would have to post some 36 pages which would take some time and be a PITA.

Tooooo organised for me. ???? Spose you have an outside beer fridge full of cold beer as well?

Thanks for the link etc.

37 minutes ago, carlyai said:

Tooooo organised for me. ???? Spose you have an outside beer fridge full of cold beer as well?

Thanks for the link etc.

After a few years you learn what you need and what you really need. 

 

What I really needed was the Honda 4 stroke, which with some TLC just keeps on going  forever. The 2 stroke wheely whacker is fine if I am in need of exercise because it only cuts about 16 inches wide and I have to walk more to cover the same area, The Honda using a 16 inch blade cuts over a metre wide but only about 30 cm ahead.

 

I nicked a water pipe this morning and it is a <deleted> to fix. It has been there for years and the sun has made it brittle. The first fix didn't work so I capped it off.