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How to change the line in the trimmer

The trimmer is the most common unit used for cutting grass and cutting small shrubs. This device is distinguished by its ease of maintenance, simple operation during operation, and thanks to its low weight, even women can handle it. It is no secret that for the quality performance of grass mowing, the correct selection of the cutting tool is required. As the latter, the trimmers use special cutting attachments (discs, knives) or trimmer heads with a fishing line inside. Nozzles and fishing line are consumable tools, but if the knives can be sharpened, then when the line is used up, it must be replaced. In this article, we will tell you in as much detail as possible how to properly replace the fishing line.

The grass mowing head is a cylindrical body in which a spool (bobbin) is inserted with a fishing line (cord) tucked into it. This design can be installed on both gasoline and electric trimmers. The heads differ in the way of filling and feeding the cord and there are 3 types.

Automatic. Line feeding is performed after the user slows down the engine. Although automatic line feed is convenient if large volumes of work are performed, such bobbins have one drawback - high thread consumption.
semi-automatic. The use of this type of heads does not require the user to perform complex manipulations. The principle of their work is arranged in such a way that the cord lengthens automatically at a time when the device is running at full speed. It is enough to lightly hit the trimmer head on the ground (this removes the blockage of the cord), and the fishing line is pulled out of the spool due to centrifugal force, after which it is cut to the desired length with a knife located on the protective cover.
Manual. To lengthen the cord, the apparatus must be stopped, after which the fishing line is pulled out manually.

Based on the above, semi-automatic bobbins are the best option. It should also be borne in mind that trimmer coils are single-string (used only for trimming grass) and two-string, which are used for mowing tall grass and small, thin-stemmed shrubs.

How to remove and disassemble the coil

Trimmer users need to remove and disassemble the spool before proceeding with the cord replacement process. Let's see how to do it.

The mowing head of the trimmer consists of several parts: a casing, a spring (not in all models), a cord spool and a cover.

Attention! Before proceeding with any maintenance of the electrical unit, it must be disconnected from the network.

In trimmers, 2 options for attaching the mowing head are most often used.

Option number 1

To remove the trimmer head, you will need it. complete disassembly.

Option number 2

In this embodiment, the head is screwed onto the gearbox shaft. To remove it, you need this fix the shaft. To do this, in similar trimmers, for example, in Huter and Champion devices, a hole is provided through which you can insert either a thin screwdriver or a metal rod.

So, to remove the bobbin, follow 2 simple steps.

Insert a screwdriver into the hole and lock the shaft.
Grasp the head body and start turning it clockwise. It should be turned in this direction for the reason that the thread cut on the shaft is left-handed.

Line winding algorithm

Depending on which trimmer model is used, the type, thickness and length of the fishing line is selected. The cord diameter can be from 1.2 to 4 mm. It is not difficult to guess that the thicker you fill the cord, the more tough and thick grass it is able to cut.

In most cases, a universal fishing line with a diameter of 2 mm is used.

There are 3 ways to find out what diameter line can be used on your mower.

The line is wound on a reel located in the mowing head. Therefore, you must first open it (this was discussed above). There are 2 ways to wind the cord.

First way

In order to correctly determine how many meters of fishing line will be required for a particular reel, it is necessary to wind it onto the bobbin so that the skein does not exceed the diameter of the sides. If the line sticks out of the spool, you will not be able to insert it into the casing. After you have decided on the length of the material, it must be threaded into the bobbin, so do the following.

Second way

Some spools provide a second way to secure the cord: you can charge 2 pieces of thread, instead of one folded in half. The replacement of the fishing line occurs according to the following algorithm.

For mowers brand Shtil there is a very simple and quick way to replace the fishing line without disassembling the mowing head, which you can familiarize yourself with by watching this video.

The ends of the cord sticking out of the holes in the casing can be cut to the required length, already when the part is installed in the trimmer. You can do this in two ways:

by turning on the trimmer (during rotation, the ends of the fishing line will be cut off on a knife fixed for this purpose on a protective cover);
cutting off the excess ends with scissors so that they do not touch the casing body.

The second method is used if you had to put a large diameter cord, and the trimming knife cannot shorten it.

If the thread was loaded into the mowing head, but the length of the protruding ends of the cord is insufficient, then before starting the machine they must be lengthened - this applies to the head with manual adjustment. However, there are cases when using a semi-automatic mowing head, when due to the insufficient length of the protruding ends of the cord, they do not automatically lengthen. In this case, it is necessary to turn off the unit (on an electric device, it is necessary to unplug the plug from the socket), manually press the button located at the bottom of the part, and pull out a little fishing line. After this procedure, the cord will again be able to advance due to centrifugal force, if you set the maximum spindle speed.

No matter how thick the fishing line you put, you should remember: in order not to constantly interrupt work and not change the cord, you should avoid areas where the working tool can touch hard surfaces (stones, curbs, thick dry branches, etc.).

What can be used instead of fishing line

Many trimmer users are wondering: what can replace the cord that is used by default in this kind of device? They begin to conduct unsafe experiments by installing metal or copper wire, metal cables or strings, as well as ordinary fishing line in the mowing head.

If installed instead of fishing line metal cable, then the trimmer turns into a dangerous device not only for the user, but also for others. This fact is explained by the fact that during the operation of the unit, the steel cable will gradually wear out, its ends will unravel, and small pieces of wire will scatter in different directions at high speed.

A similar thing happens when using steel or copper wire, only with the difference that the pieces that come off will be larger and can cause significant injury.

And if you accidentally hook your or someone else's leg while working with a steel cable (wire), then a strong and deep tissue incision, and in some cases, amputation of the toes is provided to you. It is not in vain that the manufacturer uses nylon for these purposes, since it is quite light and durable, and when torn off, it does not fly far and cannot cause injury.

Use fishing line in a trimmer instead of the standard one, of course, you can, but this will add extra trouble to you, because it wears out quickly, breaks, mows slowly and is not suitable for cutting hard grass. In addition, during the work, a lot of time is lost to replace a broken tool more than once.

In practice, the installation of a conventional fishing line is justified if the user is going to mow the grass near the fence, especially if he is from a chain-link mesh. In this case, in order to protect the standard, and sometimes expensive cord from wear, it is changed to a fishing line, which is not a pity. Usually, in order to change the cord to a fishing line, it needs to be selected with the greatest thickness - 2-3 mm.

Replacing the fishing line with a disk or knife

When ennobling a personal plot, park areas and other places where it is required to mow various kinds of plants, it often becomes necessary to change the cutting tool in the trimmer. This is dictated by the fact that the standard cord installed in the mowing head can only handle grasses. But when a bush or young growth of trees appears on the worker's path, the fishing line cannot cope with such a task, and it needs to be replaced with a more efficient cutting tool.

Trimmer manufacturers have foreseen such situations, and supplemented their products with a mass of nozzles in the form of knives with several “petals” or in the form of disks similar to circular saws.

If you replace the fishing line with a knife with several “petals”, then with such a tool you can mow both tall grass and plants with thick and dry stems. And by changing the fishing line to a disk, the user of the lawn mower has the opportunity cut down bushes or small trees.

Knives and discs are installed according to the following algorithm.

For a better understanding of the tool change process, you can watch this video.

Line problems

Users of trimmers, both gas and electric, sometimes have problems with the line. “Advanced” mower owners can easily cope with the difficulties that have arisen, understanding why this happens, and for beginners, this is a problem that does not have a rational explanation. But in fact, everything is solved quite simply. The most common problems that happen with fishing line are as follows.

Cord breaks

If the fishing line often breaks, this may be due to the following reasons:

there are stones, small branches and other hard obstacles in the grass;
the user mows the grass close to the fence, and if it is mesh, then it cuts off the “antennae” even faster;
poor quality of the cord (it is recommended to purchase a quality one);
the exit holes in the mowing head are worn out, due to which the line is rubbed against the sharp edges of the bushings and breaks (a complete replacement of the part will be required).

High cord consumption

Basically, the cord ends quickly if frequently pounding on the ground with a semi-automatic head or push it down hard. The reel is unlocked, and the fishing line, lengthening, is cut with a knife. Another reason that the cord ends quickly is the incorrect operation of the machine with an automatic head: the user often slows down the engine when mowing. But as we remember, the automatic head is designed in such a way that it is with each decrease in speed that a new portion of fishing line is supplied, so it is quickly consumed.

Thread does not hold

It happens that the thread unwinds if the semi-automatic head weakened spring. The fishing line is constantly extended and cut off with a knife mounted on the casing, which increases its consumption. To check this, remove the cover and turn on the unit. If the fishing line “climbed”, then a spring replacement will be required.

Fishing line flies out

The reason that the cord unwinds after starting the unit can also be the weakening of the spring inside the head. In addition, there are cases when, when the unit is turned on, the mowing head scatters, and the spring installed in it is lost. Inexperienced users do not notice the absence of a spring and assemble this assembly without it. Therefore, the cord does not hold, and flies out under the influence of centrifugal force.

Cord does not feed, reel does not turn

An automatic or semi-automatic head must feed the line without stopping the unit. But if it does not come out, then the reasons may be the following:

the fishing line in the reel is wound incorrectly, because of which the latter does not spin;
the cord is wound unevenly, and the thread may get stuck between the turns (the thread must be wound carefully, turn to turn, without distortions);
too short ends of the thread come out of the holes, as a result of which there is not enough centrifugal force to extract them, and the fishing line is not fed (it is recommended to always adjust the length of the cord before starting the unit, pulling it up a little);
the fishing line stuck together (to be discussed later).

The thread sticks together

This problem is most often due to use of poor quality cord. During the operation of the device, the trimmer head heats up, and low-quality fishing line melts in it, sticking together. Also, the sintering of the threads occurs when the fishing line meets a solid obstacle. In this case, there is a sharp braking of the cord, after which it is pulled into the head, where it sticks. Some owners of the units recommend lubricating the cord with mineral oil or spraying it with silicone spray after winding it on the bobbin. Others advise winding less thread on the spool. But it is better to immediately buy a quality product, in the manufacture of which the manufacturer took into account the overheating factor of the head, and the thread will not stick together.