Mowing ..

[LG17]

My old Toro Wheelhorse is powered by an 18hp Tecumseh. It's extremely old and I may not use it for a year, it's fitted with a bucket,but it always starts and runs.

[Interceptor]

Meanwhile, I continue to do well courtesy of the local tip shop.... picked up a MS260 minus clutch cover & bar, took it home, pulled the string...... and it started!

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

After multiple teasers, I've been waiting for this video to drop on the Stihl 028. Interestingly, the story behind the saw is similar, that the owner wanted it running again for sentimental reasons.



In this case, it turned out to have a leaking crank seal and general old age on various components. I got lucky with mine, most replacement parts were for perished rubber parts, a new plug and filter. I also requested a new bar and chain, but mostly for cosmetics.

While it's much heavier, I can't help feeling my 028 AV Super runs stronger than my new MS 271. Some of that would be down to the 271 still running in, but I also find the 028 is better balanced. This makes sense when you take the overall construction into account.

The older saws, and the current pro level Stihl's, have a full metal case. The case is split in two and houses the crankshaft and connecting rod, as well as the oil tank, and sometimes the fuel tank. A cylinder and piston then bolt down to the case.

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Modern Stihl saws, at least the homeowner and landowner versions, are very different. The case of the saw is plastic and is basically a sled for the contained power unit. The sled includes the oil and fuel tanks, rather than being cast with the lower part of the engine. The engines themselves can be removed as a single assembly from the sled, rather than having to disassemble the whole saw.

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Which is better? I'm not sure to be honest. The full metal case would be more durable in professional use, but the plastic case seems to be a more logical layout and offers lighter weight.

This video shows a new MS 162 being torn down. In particular, the 21.50 mark shows how a modern consumer-grade Stihl has a standalone engine unit rather than the crankcase being integral to the chassis/fuel/oil tank of the saw.

[DFB FGXR6]

This morning, I sold off my Stihl KM56 RC-E Combi powerhead, along with the line trimmer, hedge trimmer and edger attachments.



I've had this for many years, bought mainly for the extended reach ability of the hedge trimmer attachment. The edger only got used once as I picked up an Atom Edger for cheap shortly after. The line trimmer was used for a while as my main trimmer, my first foray into straight-shaft trimming.

The main problem with this machine was the weight, even with the basic line trimmer attachment. In hedge trimmer mode, it took a lot of upper body strength to balance.............while standing stretched out on a ladder.........not nice! The line trimmer was poorly balanced, that metal sheath with the locking screw lever put too much weight in the middle of the shaft, so it never felt natural and again caused a lot of upper body strain. This is not unique to Stihl, all multi-tool units are like this.



I stopped using this machine when I bought a Husqvarna 522L, THE BEST lawn maintenance trimmer on the market, powerful enough but extremely light and with an anti-vibration handle. Prior to the 522L, I was getting pins and needles in my hands during and after using a line trimmer, but that stopped after getting the Husqvarna. I was also less fatigued in my shoulders after a day on the tools.



Hedge trimmers were also giving me the pins and needles, including my old Stihl HS 45 (which will be up for sale soon too, just have to refresh the fuel system) and the above-mentioned pole hedger. This stopped after going battery powered.





I kept the KM56 RC-E mainly as a backup line trimmer, but other than the occasional run on my own lawns, or lending it to my father, it was just sitting taking up space. While I sold it off cheap, I'm happy to have purged a rarely used tool. And..............I have some spare cash to buy something else....................

[DFB FGXR6]

I'm also planning to sell off the above-mentioned Stihl HS 45 hedge trimmer, it has sat unused since I got a battery powered HSA 56 in November 2018. Couldn't be happier about that because petrol powered hedge trimmers suck!

I'm also going to sell off my Bushranger 53AH6IMSP mower.







While I'll be sad to let it go, I haven't used it since getting the Victa Commercial. I'll miss the efficiency and smoothness of the Honda GXV-160, the 3-speed gearbox made it more versatile, and it was built like a tank! But it was a beast to manhandle, and the narrow discharge chute was its main limiting factor. While it was fine in most cases, on thick summer growth Kikuyu, it really struggled in terms of chute blockages. At the time though, it was the best available to me.