2-cycle engines are the enemy!

[Wingshooter]

 
OP - you didn't mention brand names.  I'll always be the first schmuck to say that it matters.  Redmax and Shindaiwa are high-performance tools... they will outperform most everything else, ... but they won't last as long.  Stihl products can easily last a homeowner a generation.... (if they don't get stolen).  Echo may not last as long as stihl, but it has a lower entry point and will do pretty well for a homeowner.   Every fall when our 20 mature hardwoods drop leaves, I lament that I did not buy a Redmax blower.   Every spring when I pull my BR600 out and it cranks right up, I am glad I bought a Stihl.

The chainsaw is a 20" Solo (running again) :)

One weedeater is a "WeedEater" the other is a Homelite :/

[Mike.357]

all of my two stroke stuff is Stihl.  Been using it for years.  Weedeater, backpack blower and chainsaw.    Always run.

 

The key,  100% gas, Stabil,  keep the air filter and exhaust clean.

[Peace]

all of my two stroke stuff is Stihl.  Been using it for years.  Weedeater, backpack blower and chainsaw.    Always run.

 

The key,  100% gas, Stabil,  keep the air filter and exhaust clean.

 

Alright, that's the second reference to 2-strokes and exhaust.  What am I missing?  are you guys saying always run them wide open? ... or is there something else?

[Ugly]

Wide open is the way they work, ever ride a 2 stroke dirt bike?
Runs like crap till it hits the power band, right rpm then screams like a banshee.
Wide open! After a brief warm up of course :)

[Wiljo05]

Weed eater? I forgot what that is...mine is now in the form of a sprayer mixed hot with some glyco!

[Wingshooter]

Weed eater? I forgot what that is...mine is now in the form of a sprayer mixed hot with some glyco!

I take that approach in all the beds.

I keep telling my wife I'm just gonna get some goats. Either that or nuke all the grass, cut it like I want and then paint it green, lol

[Guest 04 Rocko Taco]

Stop by AutoZone and pick up a gallon can of Berrymans carb cleaner. It's in a paint bucket. Will probably cost you $35, but it will last forever. Only get the Berrymans, not the Gunk brand. Disassemble the carb and drop it in for 24 hours. Take it out and rinse it with hot water then blow out with compressed air. Put it back together and see what happens. Small 2cycle carbs are hit or miss on cleaning this way. For larger carbs Berrymans can be a miracle cleaner. Forget the spray stuff, soaking is the only way to go.

 

Wear gloves, the berryman's smell has to wear off and it takes about 3 days :D

This stuff is great, and I can attest to the smell taking some time to go away. 

[Mike.357]

Alright, that's the second reference to 2-strokes and exhaust.  What am I missing?  are you guys saying always run them wide open? ... or is there something else?

 

 

I learned about the exhaust by the blower running like crap then shortly after not running at all.  There is a screen type thing in the exhaust tube.  It is a spark arrestor  It was totally gunked up.  I keep it clean and have no trouble anymore.  You gotta give the exhaust somewhere to go.

 

I basically run the 2 cycle equipment wide open.

 

I also find it helps to not leave fuel in the them.  When done for the season the blower and weedeater get emptied and then run til dry of fuel.  The chainsaw I empty it after each use.   My fuel mix has always been one little bottle of Stihl brand mix to one gallon of 100% gas.  I put Stabil in my unmixed 5 gallon cans before I fill them

[monkeylizard]

I take that approach in all the beds.

I keep telling my wife I'm just gonna get some goats. Either that or nuke all the grass, cut it like I want and then paint it green, lol

 

There are times when I miss my Arizona yard; Just rocks with some scattered cacti.

Edited July 29, 2014 by monkeylizard

[peejman]

I learned about the exhaust by the blower running like crap then shortly after not running at all.  There is a screen type thing in the exhaust tube.  It is a spark arrestor  It was totally gunked up.  I keep it clean and have no trouble anymore.  You gotta give the exhaust somewhere to go.

 

I basically run the 2 cycle equipment wide open.

 

I also find it helps to not leave fuel in the them.  When done for the season the blower and weedeater get emptied and then run til dry of fuel.  The chainsaw I empty it after each use.   My fuel mix has always been one little bottle of Stihl brand mix to one gallon of 100% gas.  I put Stabil in my unmixed 5 gallon cans before I fill them

 

 

Exhaust... yep.  WFO (Wide Friggin' Open).  Honestly I don't run my weed eater wide open all the time, the vibration gets to my hands after a while.  What I do is use it normally, then when I'm done I hold the throttle wide open for 10-15 seconds then cut the ignition.  I have removed the exhaust and cleaned the carbon build-up out of it once in about 10 years.  But it was running fine at the time, I had it apart anyway as I learned that cleaning the engine with a pressure washer was a bad idea....  :doh:

 

I don't drain the fuel for storage, I fill them all the way up.  Gasoline breaks down in the presence of air so if the tank is completely full, there's very little air present to cause the gas to degrade.  And that's with 100% gas and stabil. 

 

Newer equipment will necessarily have smaller orifices in the carbs than older stuff.  The new stuff runs on a leaner oil mix 50:1 and run leaner in general for emissions reasons.  Older stuff has bigger holes and is less likely to gum up.   In addition to the Berryman carb cleaner recommendation, an ultrasonic cleaner can help a lot to clear gunk from the tiny holes.  Just be aware that ultrasonic cleaning will erode the aluminum housings so be judicious with how much you use it. 

 

As for using wire to clean the holes.... do that very carefully.  If you push a wire that's 0.011" in diameter through a hole that's 0.010", you've just enlarged the hole by 10% and that will have an effect on how the engine runs.  I prefer to use carb cleaner and compressed air (and safety glasses!).  A bristle from a nylon brush is much less likely to do any harm. 

Edited July 29, 2014 by peejman

[jhc77]

I went with the 100' extention cord and electric weed eater and blower. Had the fuel lines on both pieces just dry rot and make a mess in the garage.
Need to find the 100% gas somewhere still for my mower. I almost burn a tank when I'm finished with the lawn so it sits just about empty between cuts. The newer engines aren't keen on this 10% cut stuff.

[Sam1]

I have the Kobalt battery powered lawn mower.  I can't say I would recommend it for large lawns, but it serves the purpose quite well for my needs.  Not having to deal with gas, oil, storage of it and all that jazz was worth the extra money.  I'm seriously considering the hedge trimmer and chainsaw for some clean-up work in my backyard if the landscaping companies don't return my calls.

 

That kobalt battery powered hedge trimmer is awesome!  I thought it was going to be complete crap and expected to return it, but it ran for over an hour on a singe charge, only weighs 6 or 7 pounds and cut pretty much all new growth with zero issues.

 

The only thing it would not do is that we have two rows of hedges that are pretty tall and I went to cut them down about a foot on top and it would not cut that growth... but then again our 2 cycle power head wouldn't even cut it with the trimmer attachment, I had to go buy a 4 cycle ryobi to cut it down.

 

Anyways, the kobalt trimmer really surprised us on what it could do and how light it was.

[Wingshooter]

I learned about the exhaust by the blower running like crap then shortly after not running at all. There is a screen type thing in the exhaust tube. It is a spark arrestor It was totally gunked up. I keep it clean and have no trouble anymore. You gotta give the exhaust somewhere to go.

I basically run the 2 cycle equipment wide open.

I also find it helps to not leave fuel in the them. When done for the season the blower and weedeater get emptied and then run til dry of fuel. The chainsaw I empty it after each use. My fuel mix has always been one little bottle of Stihl brand mix to one gallon of 100% gas. I put Stabil in my unmixed 5 gallon cans before I fill them

Well, my blower runs but has been running like crap for the last couple of years. I'll check the exhaust pronto on them all. Never thought to check that. Edited July 29, 2014 by Batman

[btq96r]

That kobalt battery powered hedge trimmer is awesome!  I thought it was going to be complete crap and expected to return it, but it ran for over an hour on a singe charge, only weighs 6 or 7 pounds and cut pretty much all new growth with zero issues.

 

The only thing it would not do is that we have two rows of hedges that are pretty tall and I went to cut them down about a foot on top and it would not cut that growth... but then again our 2 cycle power head wouldn't even cut it with the trimmer attachment, I had to go buy a 4 cycle ryobi to cut it down.

 

Anyways, the kobalt trimmer really surprised us on what it could do and how light it was.

 

How do you think it would handle low hanging tree branches?  There is a tree that hangs over the fence to the townhouses behind me and is almost touching the ground.  I want to clear everything out as high as I can reach.  I figured I might need a chainsaw for those, but do you think the hedge trimmer would work?

[Mike.357]

 

 

How do you think it would handle low hanging tree branches?  

 

pole saw

[peejman]

pole saw

 

 

Yep.  Or a bow saw and a ladder.  An  $8 bow saw will cut through stuff up to 3-4" in a minute or two.  I trim one of my neighbor's trees routinely.  When I have to duck to keep from whacking my head while mowing, it's time to prune again. 

Edited July 29, 2014 by peejman

[Sam1]

How do you think it would handle low hanging tree branches?  There is a tree that hangs over the fence to the townhouses behind me and is almost touching the ground.  I want to clear everything out as high as I can reach.  I figured I might need a chainsaw for those, but do you think the hedge trimmer would work?

 

We have all of our trees umbrella'd (if that's what it's called) up to about 7' and it has no issues trimming multiple 1/2" branches at the same time. I think it says up to 3/4" is the max size that will fit in it, but I didn't really try to max it out.

 

Another great thing about that one is that it has a 5 year warranty, and 3 year on the battery no questions asked (or no hassle whatever the verbiage was).

 

Oh, and the fact that it makes very little noise and not having to worry about hearing protection is great too.  I wish they would figure out a way to make about a 1000cfm battery powered back pack blower cause I would get one of those too.

 

Here's how much stuff we have to trim, this is just on one side of the house lol... the bushes go all the way around behind me blocking out the pond and that's not even the biggest task... on each side of the property line there is a row of some kind of hedges that are about 40' long, 6 feet tall and 4-5' wide all trimmed up.

 

Edited July 29, 2014 by Sam1

[Ugly]

Well, my blower runs but has been running like crap for the last couple of years. I'll check the exhaust pronto on them all. Never thought to check that.

My blower started bogging down, it turned out to be the fuel filter, a lot of years of oil built up. Took it out and cleaned it, runs like a champ now.

[Sidewinder]

Batman, back before we had the scourge of ethanol, I was a partner in a decent sized general rental store. We rented everything from jumper cables to backhoes. I also worked on everything we rented, and got a pretty good education on not only 2 cycle engines, but on all small engine equipment. One of the big problems I ran into, was people not using containers designed for gasoline storage. People were using milk jugs, soda bottles, and other small containers. These cause the plastic to "leach" into the fuel, and clog up the small screen in the carburetors.

 

To fix this problem, I just pulled the screen, and blew in the opposite direction of the fuel flow... drain all gas...put fresh "uncontaminated" gas in the tank, and they would start right up. Not making any accusations, but if you've ever loaned your equipment, someone else may have put contaminated gas in it. Believe me, it will "never" start, until that carburetor screen is blown out, or replaced. Hope this helps.

[btq96r]

This is what I'm up against and am considering getting something to deal with.  I want the tree tamed, and anything coming over or under that wood fence gone.  Would I need a poles saw, hedge trimmers, or both? 

 

Of course, if anybody knows a landscaper who can come get rid of this flustercluck and haul off the debris at a reasonable rate, I'd take that too...the local companies either don't return my calls or tell me it's not big enough of a job for them.

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2014 by btq96r

[Ugly]

This is what I'm up against and am considering getting something to deal with. Would I need a poles saw, hedge trimmers, or both? Of course, if anybody knows a landscaper who can come get rid of this flustercluck and haul off the debris at a reasonable rate, I'd take that too...the local companies either don't return my calls or tell me it's not big enough of a job for them.

That's nasty! You can only eat the elephant one bite at a time. If I were you I'd start at one end and start cutting it back then try to get the vine root balls out. Unless you want those. Cut and yank, you'll eventually make progress. I'd use a lopper or hand trimmer. Edited July 29, 2014 by Ugly

[btq96r]

That's nasty! You can only eat the elephant one bite at a time. If I were you I'd start at one end and start cutting it back then try to get the vine root balls out. Unless you want those. Cut and yank, you'll eventually make progress. I'd use a lopper or hand trimmer.

 

Most of it is overhang from what's behind the fence, there are only a few things where the root is on my side.  And honestly, I can handle that when I get enough room to roll my mower down in there.  Raking and bagging it would be a pain, but that's life.

[enfield]

Groundclear, 1 qt to a gallon of water, spray as needed.

[Sam1]

That's nasty! You can only eat the elephant one bite at a time. If I were you I'd start at one end and start cutting it back then try to get the vine root balls out. Unless you want those. Cut and yank, you'll eventually make progress. I'd use a lopper or hand trimmer.

 

I'm with this guy, trimming those back will only last a little while, you have a problem that needs to be addressed by unrooting the stuff or as enfield said, something that will kill it off completely.

 

As for the trimming, I don't think a battery powered anything is going to help that. 

[frankmako]

what i have found when my two strokes stop running and/or had loss of power i cut/drill a hole in the exhaust.  problem solved.