Grass cutter ( strimmer )

[monsieurhappy]

I was going to put this question in the farming section but I thought it would get more light here!

I am wanting a grass cutter to cut up to the edges of my lawn and around my trees. We always called them (strimmers)

Anyway, I am not new to cutting grass, I've been doing it here in Thailand for over 20 years but I still haven't got to find the perfect machine!

I think I've bought 4 up to now!

The first one was a Thai made electric (mains) which sliced through a whole coil of string (plastic cutter material) every time you tapped the end to eject a small amount for use! It also had the problem of stopping due to the brushes on the motor getting jammed. ( Poor workmanship )

There might have been another electric in there but it's now lost in time!

I then bought a 2 stroke Matsu<deleted>a or something similar which worked IF you could get it to start!

My last one was another of the Matsu<deleted>a ilk.

Again it refuses to start even after I've had it in the shop for repairs that cost more than the machine did in the first place!

Looking on Lazada I see machines with 2 stroke motors similar to my own but costing much less but wonder if I bought one would I have the same problem?

I see battery powered ones but wonder how long will the battery last before I have to throw it away because I cannot buy new batteries that fit?

I just want an electric mains one that I can cut pieces of plastic string and thread them into the cutting zone instead of the machine devouring whole reels of the stuff!

I don't mind the mains cable being there!

I just want a machine that's going to work!!

[Woof999]

lol @ the forum nasty word deleter that means you can't type Matsush$ta.

[giddyup]

I've been using the same  B&D electric line trimmer (GL300) for 10 years. It does tend to be a bit finicky about releasing new line with it's bump feed, sometimes it's necessary to pull out by hand, but for a price of around 700 baht it's not too bad.

[EVENKEEL]

I bought one of the auto feed stringers but had bad luck so on Lazada I bought an attachment which holds 4 pieces of cut string. Works great.

 

Now I'm using a 2 stroke 2000thb model which I've had to the shop a few times, my next whacker will be a 4 stroke Honda in the 8-9000thb range.

[Crossy]

Forget the 2-strokes.

 

bite the $$$ bullet and get one with a 4-stroke Honda engine (even the Chinese copy Honda), start (almost) first time, every time and no need for mixing oil and petrol.

 

We gave up long ago on the "auto-feed" heads, they either don't feed at all or feed out half a mile, we now use a simple head with 2 or 4 cut lengths of string, less wasteful of both string and time.

 

We actually have two. Our first lasted 10 years before it became difficult to start, so I bought another whilst re-building the earlier one. It turned out that the starting issue was the electronic magneto, easy fix (parts from the local farm shop).

[Eff1n2ret]

I hate those strimmers, they're more trouble than they're worth, I have one but don't bother with it any more. Instead I got one similar to this:-

เครื่องตัดพุ่มไม้ IMAX IGS-72V(สั้น) | Lazada.co.th

The downside is that I have to bend over to use it, but I don't have a huge garden, the edges are done in about 45 minutes. It does a very neat job, and there's an attachment which trims hedges as well. I only have to charge the battery every three or four times I use it. After I bought it I think I saw one with a long handle, which would have saved the bending down.

From memory I bought mine on Shopee, but I can't find it any more.

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

Forget the 2-strokes.

 

bite the $$$ bullet and get one with a 4-stroke Honda engine (even the Chinese copy Honda), start (almost) first time, every time and no need for mixing oil and petrol.

 

We gave up long ago on the "auto-feed" heads, they either don't feed at all or feed out half a mile, we now use a simple head with 2 or 4 cut lengths of string, less wasteful of both string and time.

I find that if you're cutting grass up to an edge like bricks or concrete, that string will wear out pretty quickly, so replacing those pieces of "string" regularly would get to be a pain.

[Eff1n2ret]

1 minute ago, giddyup said:

I find that if you're cutting grass up to an edge like bricks or concrete, that string will wear out pretty quickly, so replacing those pieces of "string" regularly would get to be a pain.

Yes, that's why I went off mine.

[UWEB]

Have a 4 Stroke Honda GX35, never have had problems except regular maintenance.

[EVENKEEL]

12 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I find that if you're cutting grass up to an edge like bricks or concrete, that string will wear out pretty quickly, so replacing those pieces of "string" regularly would get to be a pain.

The auto feed I used in the US worked fine, no problem. But the one here I had here  was a pain to fill with string so switched to the cut 4 pieces of line attachment. I change the string on  mine everytime I use it, a small inconvenience but for me it's worth it.

[giddyup]

Just now, EVENKEEL said:

The auto feed I used in the US worked fine, no problem. But the one here I had here  was a pain to fill with string so switched to the cut 4 pieces of line attachment. I change the string on  mine everytime I use it, a small inconvenience but for me it's worth it.

All my lawn has both brick and concrete edging, I have to feed out new line at least 6 times during a cut, and the lawn isn't that big.

[KhunBENQ]

30 minutes ago, Crossy said:

We gave up long ago on the "auto-feed" heads

So did I. Seems I was always too stupid to fill them

Ordered 60 m of a 3 mm strong string and have a simple disk. But I only do a bit of edge trimming and cutting.

The half meter weed jungle at the sister in laws plot is a job for the son (4 stroke Honda, saw disk).

 

[billd766]

2 hours ago, UWEB said:

Have a 4 Stroke Honda GX35, never have had problems except regular maintenance.

I have a Honda 4 stroke GX35. It is used with a steel blade for open areas and a disk like the one above using 2 x 60cm lengths of 2.5 mm/sq square nylon for around the rocks, trees and edges etc. I run the nylon straight across rather than side to side as this one is.

 

I also have a 4 stroke on wheels that does the same thing but doesn't cut such a wide area at a time.

[Denim]

I have an electric mains strimmer and use it to cut the whole lawn not just edges etc. I don't bother with autofeed. I just take out the spool and tie the right length of nylon thread around the middle then poke the two ends through the holes. To cut the lawn I use a thin gauge ( 30 baht a spool from local shop.)  For thicker work I use a heavier gauge . This works for the one cut. Next time I need to cut the lawn I repeat the process.

[Guderian]

I've had a Black & Decker electric strimmer for over a decade and it still works fine. Admittedly, I have gardeners who do most of this stuff with their own tools, but sometimes they can't come when I want them to, and other times the grass grows faster than expected, so I always tidy it up myself as needed. The strimmer I use mainly for the heavy duty stuff like trimming back long grass, the plastic cord tends to snap easily if you use it against the path edge, so to keep the edges looking nice between gardener visits I bought a battery operated tool like this one from Lazada 2 years ago.

 

 

It also has an extension handle with wheels so you can use it while standing up. Works great and the battery is more than enough to do both my lawns. 

[xtrnuno41]

In my last period in Thailand, was working with a Makita, a smaller one and a 2 stroke. My wife bought it and probably said in shop this was a good one. She didnt ask me about it. OK, I know Makita is a respectable brand. But sure "I" will not buy it again.

With line and auto feed, a drama. Breaking a lot at the housing and then i had to open and manually  put it out again, a real drama. As I had to do lots of time, I become more handy it but ^&$#&^.

So mostly did with iron blade. With blade, no matter how I really tightened it, it could get loose. No safety pin for nut. You notice,as it will not cut anymore as it spins.  

Nowadays you have saw blades and also spinners with a chain and knifes on it.

 

While cutting on a "easier part", I had a snake flying about half meter high in front of me. It landed and did an attack instantly, and then sat down. I could see it clearly, though i kept my distance. Didnt see blood or wounds, so still in tact and maybe thinking "wtf happened to me?."

The machine hit it quite well to let it fly through the air.

I put it on a rake and put it on other side of wall. Snake was probably still thinking. This is in the south of Thailand, so i was aware.

Specially after earlier the family dog had found a tiny cobra in moms house. Mom never ever had a snake in the house and she lives there long time .

Later seeking on internet and yes It was the Malaysian pit viper.

So I was happy my machine found it first instead of me.

 

Have to find another machine, as there is a piece of land about 5000 sqm, full with grass and weed. Family decided to kill the palmtrees and that had quite an impact on the land, all sorts of weed, 4 butts high completely overtaking land. 

maybe 2 wheeled tractor with cutting blades?

[Mutt Daeng]

6 hours ago, Crossy said:

Forget the 2-strokes.

 

bite the $$$ bullet and get one with a 4-stroke Honda engine (even the Chinese copy Honda), start (almost) first time, every time and no need for mixing oil and petrol.

 

We gave up long ago on the "auto-feed" heads, they either don't feed at all or feed out half a mile, we now use a simple head with 2 or 4 cut lengths of string, less wasteful of both string and time.

 

We actually have two. Our first lasted 10 years before it became difficult to start, so I bought another whilst re-building the earlier one. It turned out that the starting issue was the electronic magneto, easy fix (parts from the local farm shop).

Totally agree @Crossy. I've had a Honda 4 stroke GX35 for about 10 years now. I also couldn't get away with the bump-heads. I normally wind 3-4 metres of nylon on the head and when it does break, I have to stop and feed the string manually through the head. No big deal. Also, one of the guys I know has a motorbike repair shop, so when I have a problem that I can't resolve, he sorts it out for me. My first strimmer was a 2 stroke, but I got sick of piss-farting about with mixing the petrol & oil. 4 stroke is the way to go IMHO.

[sirineou]

I also have a four stroke honda,  I have it for several years and it still starts at the second pull. sometimes the first. The trick is to drain the gas. It gums up the carburetor and dissolves the fuel lines. 90% of the time why those small bore engines don't work it's because the carbutrator is gummed up . Either the float or, the jet or both. I have replaced the solid widowmaker head with a 3 mm string similar to the one  billd766 has in his reply. The bump heads were designed by the devil as practice for when we go to hell . I had more luck solving a   Rubik's Cube than rewinding one.  

[monsieurhappy]

Thanks for the replies guys, I didn't realise you can get a 4 stroke until I looked on Lazada!

I did find the plastic string with metal wire inside a couple of years ago, but it still breaks along the way!

[billd766]

3 hours ago, Denim said:

I have an electric mains strimmer and use it to cut the whole lawn not just edges etc. I don't bother with autofeed. I just take out the spool and tie the right length of nylon thread around the middle then poke the two ends through the holes. To cut the lawn I use a thin gauge ( 30 baht a spool from local shop.)  For thicker work I use a heavier gauge . This works for the one cut. Next time I need to cut the lawn I repeat the process.

It really depends on the area and type of scrub to be cut.

 

We have 5 rai which is not always flat. Some has rocks sticking out, trees, shrubs and scrub grass. I would need perhaps 250 metres of cable buried underground and popping up at perhaps 20 or 25 metre intervals. which will also need to be carefully cut around with an electric strimmer. There are 2 drainage ditches outside to be cut as well.

 

Some of the slopes I cannot climb anymore but fortunately we have a reliable Thai guy who uses all my protective gear and does more in 2 full days than I did in 15 x 1 hour days. I think we paid him 1,200 thb for 1 day and 2 half days.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, xtrnuno41 said:

In my last period in Thailand, was working with a Makita, a smaller one and a 2 stroke. My wife bought it and probably said in shop this was a good one. She didnt ask me about it. OK, I know Makita is a respectable brand. But sure "I" will not buy it again.

With line and auto feed, a drama. Breaking a lot at the housing and then i had to open and manually  put it out again, a real drama. As I had to do lots of time, I become more handy it but ^&$#&^.

So mostly did with iron blade. With blade, no matter how I really tightened it, it could get loose. No safety pin for nut. You notice,as it will not cut anymore as it spins.  

Nowadays you have saw blades and also spinners with a chain and knifes on it.

 

While cutting on a "easier part", I had a snake flying about half meter high in front of me. It landed and did an attack instantly, and then sat down. I could see it clearly, though i kept my distance. Didnt see blood or wounds, so still in tact and maybe thinking "wtf happened to me?."

The machine hit it quite well to let it fly through the air.

I put it on a rake and put it on other side of wall. Snake was probably still thinking. This is in the south of Thailand, so i was aware.

Specially after earlier the family dog had found a tiny cobra in moms house. Mom never ever had a snake in the house and she lives there long time .

Later seeking on internet and yes It was the Malaysian pit viper.

So I was happy my machine found it first instead of me.

 

Have to find another machine, as there is a piece of land about 5000 sqm, full with grass and weed. Family decided to kill the palmtrees and that had quite an impact on the land, all sorts of weed, 4 butts high completely overtaking land. 

maybe 2 wheeled tractor with cutting blades?

I think that Kubota used to do a small 2 wheel drive tractor with a grass cutter mounted on the back of a PTO. A second hand one would be cheaper as it won't get that many hours work in a year.

[billd766]

18 minutes ago, monsieurhappy said:

Thanks for the replies guys, I didn't realise you can get a 4 stroke until I looked on Lazada!

I did find the plastic string with metal wire inside a couple of years ago, but it still breaks along the way!

You can usually buy petrol strimmers at the local village hardware shop. If you get the chance go for a Honda GX35 4 stroke. They are reliable, strong and long lasting and if you get one there is always someone in the village who can fix them.

[GreasyFingers]

41 minutes ago, billd766 said:

You can usually buy petrol strimmers at the local village hardware shop. If you get the chance go for a Honda GX35 4 stroke. They are reliable, strong and long lasting and if you get one there is always someone in the village who can fix them.

But you do not have to pay the full price of a complete Honda brushcutter. My local supplier sold me one at half the Honda price with the GX35 engine (absolutely great)  but with shaft and head not branded. As it turned out the head was made in Japan so might have been close to Honda original.

 

As has been said many times above, stay away from the 2 strokes unless you are a mechanic. They might be cheaper and lighter but cannot compare to the GX35.

[bunnydrops]

Again the 4 stroke is the way to go. I have a Honda, my brother in law bought a knockoff that looks just like mine but weights quite a bit less, he has had it 2 years now, seems to work fine. A couple of things I have learned. When you buy the string, soak it in water overnight, it will soften and break less. For the bumpers, you need to wind the sting very tight. Why they don't work is that the out feed string gets pulled tight and wedged between the strings in the layer below it.

[In the jungle]

Another vote for Honda.  Mine is a UMK435T.

 

Like others I do not use a bump feed head. 

[Rimmer]

Many years back we bought a Honda four stroke one day it would not start, took it to the shop and the guy stripped it down and re assembled it, never ever was able to start it again, I think it was an OHC and that confused him, we gave it away.

 

Bought a two stroke strimmer, difficult to start gave it away

 

Bought an expensive back pack model with a flexible drive two stroke strimmer, too heavy for my wife and even too heavy for me after five minutes carrying it around and stumbling with the weight of it, sold it on for B1500

 

Bought another 2 stroke model, every time we used it had to take it to the shop because it would not start , still have it but don't use it because we....

 

Bought a cable electric Black and decker strimmer, forget model number they are about B800 on Lazada, burnt it out after six weeks, threw it away.

 

Ditto the above

 

Ditto the above

 

Ditto the above

 

Went back to the two stroke strimmer still would not start and very tired of of the small B&D burning out so looked at DeWalt cordless and Black and Decker cordless strimmers.

 

Finally settled on B&D 18v cordless from  MegaHome with a free spare battery.

DeWalt batteries around B2500 vs B&D batteries B1200

 

I like it, it is light, battery lasts 30 minutes it strims everything you throw at it, and the string feed works all the time every time, love the rotating facility to cut edges as well.

 

Would never go back to the petrol strimmers too hard to start, too heavy and too temperamental.

 

I think cordless is the way forward now, having tried them all I feel anything else is pretty much obsolete and on the way out.

[billd766]

57 minutes ago, Rimmer said:

Many years back we bought a Honda four stroke one day it would not start, took it to the shop and the guy stripped it down and re assembled it, never ever was able to start it again, I think it was an OHC and that confused him, we gave it away.

 

Bought a two stroke strimmer, difficult to start gave it away

 

Bought an expensive back pack model with a flexible drive two stroke strimmer, too heavy for my wife and even too heavy for me after five minutes carrying it around and stumbling with the weight of it, sold it on for B1500

 

Bought another 2 stroke model, every time we used it had to take it to the shop because it would not start , still have it but don't use it because we....

 

Bought a cable electric Black and decker strimmer, forget model number they are about B800 on Lazada, burnt it out after six weeks, threw it away.

 

Ditto the above

 

Ditto the above

 

Ditto the above

 

Went back to the two stroke strimmer still would not start and very tired of of the small B&D burning out so looked at DeWalt cordless and Black and Decker cordless strimmers.

 

Finally settled on B&D 18v cordless from  MegaHome with a free spare battery.

DeWalt batteries around B2500 vs B&D batteries B1200

 

I like it, it is light, battery lasts 30 minutes it strims everything you throw at it, and the string feed works all the time every time, love the rotating facility to cut edges as well.

 

Would never go back to the petrol strimmers too hard to start, too heavy and too temperamental.

 

I think cordless is the way forward now, having tried them all I feel anything else is pretty much obsolete and on the way out.

The strimmer you buy depends on how big an area you need to cut, The type of ground, flat, rocky, humpy, full of trees, shrubs etc.

 

IMHO for a simple flat lawn around 40 to 50 sq/mt then an electric or battery type is Ideal.

 

I have 5 rai around the house that needs cutting once a month and another 4 rai that the Pu Yai Ban has rented, and an electric/battery mower simply is not big enough or powerful enough. Since 2009 I have used about 4 x 2 strokes and in the end I dumped the lot and went to the Honda GX 35 4 stroke backpack model which starts 2 nd or 3rd pull and simply runs all the time. This is my second one and the first lasted about 12 years before it started to cost more to repair than replace.

 

It started as a genuine Honda and over the years I replaced the original parts with copies.

[EVENKEEL]

7 minutes ago, billd766 said:

The strimmer you buy depends on how big an area you need to cut, The type of ground, flat, rocky, humpy, full of trees, shrubs etc.

 

IMHO for a simple flat lawn around 40 to 50 sq/mt then an electric or battery type is Ideal.

 

I have 5 rai around the house that needs cutting once a month and another 4 rai that the Pu Yai Ban has rented, and an electric/battery mower simply is not big enough or powerful enough. Since 2009 I have used about 4 x 2 strokes and in the end I dumped the lot and went to the Honda GX 35 4 stroke backpack model which starts 2 nd or 3rd pull and simply runs all the time. This is my second one and the first lasted about 12 years before it started to cost more to repair than replace.

 

It started as a genuine Honda and over the years I replaced the original parts with copies.

Buy some cows instead

[Rimmer]

10 minutes ago, billd766 said:

The strimmer you buy depends on how big an area you need to cut, The type of ground, flat, rocky, humpy, full of trees, shrubs etc.

 

IMHO for a simple flat lawn around 40 to 50 sq/mt then an electric or battery type is Ideal.

 

I have 5 rai around the house that needs cutting once a month and another 4 rai that the Pu Yai Ban has rented, and an electric/battery mower simply is not big enough or powerful enough. Since 2009 I have used about 4 x 2 strokes and in the end I dumped the lot and went to the Honda GX 35 4 stroke backpack model which starts 2 nd or 3rd pull and simply runs all the time. This is my second one and the first lasted about 12 years before it started to cost more to repair than replace.

 

It started as a genuine Honda and over the years I replaced the original parts with copies.

 

I have three rai and use a Rover Lawn Tractor for most of it but we have a stream, a large pond and rocks and trees so a LOT of edges that all have to be cut around.

[KannikaP]

21 hours ago, Guderian said:

I've had a Black & Decker electric strimmer for over a decade and it still works fine. Admittedly, I have gardeners who do most of this stuff with their own tools, but sometimes they can't come when I want them to, and other times the grass grows faster than expected, so I always tidy it up myself as needed. The strimmer I use mainly for the heavy duty stuff like trimming back long grass, the plastic cord tends to snap easily if you use it against the path edge, so to keep the edges looking nice between gardener visits I bought a battery operated tool like this one from Lazada 2 years ago.

 

 

It also has an extension handle with wheels so you can use it while standing up. Works great and the battery is more than enough to do both my lawns. 

Why are you bending down to cut grass which would be easily cut with a standard lawn-mower?