2-cycle engines are the enemy!

[Mike.357]

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.

 

 

 

spray the hell out of it with Killzall or Groundclear,  In a couple of weeks you ought to be able to deal with it  

 

Killzall is good stuff,  a quart makes almost ten gallons of spray.  A quart cost ten bucks.   Once it is dead it is not overwhelming to deal with.

[btq96r]

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. 

 

Since 97% of it is overhang, the roots on the other side of the fence.  I wish I could just have this pain in the ass uprooted.  The best I can do is spray it until it's dead and hack away.

 

Once I have it cleared, I can just do maintenance sweeps when I mow the lawn and that should do well enough.  I'm in a rental while I go to MTSU, so this isn't a permanent problem to me, I just want to get it past hideous looking and not be a pain in the ass to mow around.

 

Looks like I'll be gracing Lowe's with my credit card tomorrow!  Thanks for the suggestions all.

[Tedro2022]

If you're in a rental your land lord should be taking care of that, no?

[Ugly]

If you just want to trip it back and since its a rental, I would get an electric (plug in) hedge trimmer and hack away. We picked up a black and decker hedge hog (I think it is) and it works great.

 

Death by spray is better but you'll have to deal with clean up either way. Or do as I like, throw it over the fence :)

[btq96r]

If you're in a rental your land lord should be taking care of that, no?

 

I'd toss this in their lap if I could, but lawn care and landscaping are tenant responsibilities per the lease.  I'm fine with that since my rent is more than a fair price.  I've seen other townhouses on my street with similar square footage for go for about $100-200 a month more in rental listings.

[Tedro2022]

I'd toss this in their lap if I could, but lawn care and landscaping are tenant responsibilities per the lease. I'm fine with that since my rent is more than a fair price. I've seen other townhouses on my street with similar square footage for go for about $100-200 a month more in rental listings.

I'd argue that that's not a landscaping issue, but if the rent is fair I can see where you're coming from.

[Sam1]

Since 97% of it is overhang, the roots on the other side of the fence.  I wish I could just have this pain in the ass uprooted.  The best I can do is spray it until it's dead and hack away.

 

Once I have it cleared, I can just do maintenance sweeps when I mow the lawn and that should do well enough.  I'm in a rental while I go to MTSU, so this isn't a permanent problem to me, I just want to get it past hideous looking and not be a pain in the ass to mow around.

 

Looks like I'll be gracing Lowe's with my credit card tomorrow!  Thanks for the suggestions all.

 

If they don't have that ground clear stuff or killzall  (never heard of it) check out the round up 365.  we needed to kill off some thick bushes where blackberries used to grow, sprayed that 365 on there and the next day that entire patch was literally brown.  Never seen weed killer work that fast, especially on bushes.

 

Spray it on the leaves on your side and up under the fence as much as possible at the bottom, that crap will kill anything that has roots below where you spray.

Edited July 30, 2014 by Sam1

[peejman]

Since 97% of it is overhang, the roots on the other side of the fence.  I wish I could just have this pain in the ass uprooted.  The best I can do is spray it until it's dead and hack away.

 

Once I have it cleared, I can just do maintenance sweeps when I mow the lawn and that should do well enough.  I'm in a rental while I go to MTSU, so this isn't a permanent problem to me, I just want to get it past hideous looking and not be a pain in the ass to mow around.

 

Looks like I'll be gracing Lowe's with my credit card tomorrow!  Thanks for the suggestions all.

 

 

Be aware that if you spray it and it kills the entire plants on the neighbor's side, they might be pissed.  Have you talked with them about it at all?  I believe you're legally allowed to deal with foliage that over-hangs your property, but I think that's restricted to simple pruning.  Being in a rental may add further complication.  I can't tell the condition of the fence from the pics, but keep in mind that the fence might fall down if you cut all that stuff back.  It's good that you've got pictures of what it looks like now.

 

A little googling tells me that if you do spray and kill the plants that are rooted on his property, that'd be bad.  I'd just take a pole saw or chainsaw and hack everything on my side. 

[Sam1]

Be aware that if you spray it and it kills the entire plants on the neighbor's side, they might be pissed.  Have you talked with them about it at all?  I believe you're legally allowed to deal with foliage that over-hangs your property, but I think that's restricted to simple pruning.  Being in a rental may add further complication.  I can't tell the condition of the fence from the pics, but keep in mind that the fence might fall down if you cut all that stuff back.  It's good that you've got pictures of what it looks like now.

 

A little googling tells me that if you do spray and kill the plants that are rooted on his property, that'd be bad.  I'd just take a pole saw or chainsaw and hack everything on my side. 

 

Not sure what you mean, we are talking theoretically here... if all of those plants die off, it will probably be due to that new outbreak of the ebolavine virus that only infects intrusive overgrowth.  Nothing btq could do to stop it!

[vontar]

no bigger then my yard is, I might just consider an electric weedeater.  Much cheaper and no more trimming then I need to do here it should be fine.  Already have 100 foot cord that will reach anything I would trim.

[Mike.357]

I had never heard of Kilzall either.  A clerk at ACE Hardware who I trust recommended it to me.  Way cheaper than Round Up brush killer and every bit as effective.

Just spray what is on your side and then wack it back after it dies off.  I would guess that the other guy won't ever know what happened.  Obviously he doesn't take care of it anyway.

From the one bottle of the stuff I used it will kill the plant even without saturating his side of the fence.

[Wingshooter]

btq, I think I would just lay a tarp down and lop off the bigger vines. Then I would take an elec hedger to it, then drag the tarp to the road. Killing it is a better, more permanent option, but you may kill (i.e., have to clean up) more than you want to. Plus, once it's dead, I'm guessing the leaves will drop all over.

For Heaven's sake, spray yourself for ticks before you tackle it!! Been there, done that Edited July 30, 2014 by Batman

[Wingshooter]

I had never heard of Kilzall either.  A clerk at ACE Hardware who I trust recommended it to me.  Way cheaper than Round Up brush killer and every bit as effective.
Just spray what is on your side and then wack it back after it dies off.  I would guess that the other guy won't ever know what happened.  Obviously he doesn't take care of it anyway.
From the one bottle of the stuff I used it will kill the plant even without saturating his side of the fence.

I'll have to try this stuff. I have some areas to kill and RoundUp is expensive

[Guest Broomhead]

I have also experienced the bane of the 2-cycle. I picked up a ~2001 Poulon Pro Heavy Duty 31cc, straight-shaft, gas trimmer from Goodwill for 12.99 (should've bought the Shindaiwa for the same price). It was bone dry as far as fuel is concerned, so I had no way of knowing if it would run. So I took a chance. After a bit of disassembly I found that everything was clean as a whistle except for broken fuel lines and a dirty spark plug. After another 20 bucks in fuel lines/filter, a spark plug, and carb cleaner, I had her running like a top...until I tried to restart it hot...No Go!

 

Well after scouring the web, I meticulously disassembled the carb, cleaned it, and even more meticulously reassembled it. I put it all back together and it was good...until I tried to restart it hot...again. I fiddled with the idle and throttle screws and I managed to get it to restart consistently, every try...Now there's a damn fuel leak and I have no clue where it's coming from. None of the fuel lines have a hole, they're all tightly sealed at their attachment points, I sealed the holes where they enter/exit the fuel tank, every screw on the damn trimmer and carb are tight, the diaphragms are all good, etc. There is no reason for it to be leaking fuel, but it'll drain the tank whithin 24 hours.

 

I have put probably 15-20 hours into this thing and it keeps popping up with different problems. Screw it! I bought another used 25cc Homelite Easy-Reach straight-shaft from an online auction site in Clarksville that had tested it. While well used, it runs like a damn top every freaking try, hot, cold, inverted, you name it. I did have to replace one fuel line and the filter. It needs some cleaning and a little TLC, but it was taken care of by the former owner. It came with a back-up head too.

Edited July 30, 2014 by Broomhead

[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.

 

 

 

 

Much better now.  Still have to trim a bit more and get the mower down in the ditch, but I'm happy with the weekends work.  :D

 

 

Pardon my ad hoc panoramic cropping skills.  Batman, sorry for making your thread about my backyard.

[Guest ab28]

You may want to try this starting sequence.......

 

1. Full choke, full throttle. Pull it till it burps. 

2. Immediately go to 1/2 choke, full throttle. Pull it till it starts.

3. Immediately take choke off and rev it and you're good to go.

 

Normally it's about 3-4 pulls before I have to go to 1/2 choke. then a couple a more and it's running and if yours has 

the lil thumb pump on top of the carb I pump mine around 10X before I begin the start sequence.

 

Crazy as it sounds over the past 25 or so years I've had 3 of the things and every single one of them started that way.

 

Hope it helps ya.

I've used this same method, with few problems.

[Lowpower]

I use a capful of sea foam which seems to keep my gas can from turning during the winter months. 

I usually run my weed eater and power leaf blower out of gas at the end of each season. Nothing more.

A quick sniff of the gas can in the spring and I pour some fuel into the WE and LB and fire them up.

[Wingshooter]

Much better now.  Still have to trim a bit more and get the mower down in the ditch, but I'm happy with the weekends work.  :D
 

 
Pardon my ad hoc panoramic cropping skills.  Batman, sorry for making your thread about my backyard.

Haha, no worries at all. I hope the thread helped out. You did a lot of work on that brush, and you probably feel like you gained some yard space. What did you use on it?

I did finally get my chainsaw and one weedeater working again thanks to all the great advice.

[tnguy]

Not many things in life have frustrated me like 2-cycle engines. I have 3 that may experience tannerite very soon!

I couldn't get the weedeater started last year, so I got frustrated and bought a new one. It won't start now... not on gas, not on ether starting fluid. Nada. Got a new plug... Nope. Quick cleaning of the carb... Nope, not gonna run.

Before I got too fed up, I went to another project requiring the chainsaw. I just got this thing out of the shop last month and put a fresh chain on it. It's been garage kept and serviced. Won't start. Not on gas, not on ether. I cant even use it to cut the weedeaters in half. I have always been diligent about using non-ethanol fuel except the last can was not. Arrrh

Sorry about the rant. Does anyone else have my luck with small engines? Any suggestions? The fuel can sat outside... would water in the gas keep it from running even after fresh fuel was added?

I guess I'll just stare at the TV for a while this afternoon. I don't dare attempt to start my lawn mower right now.

 

Keep ethanol gas away from those things. Biggest killer of engines (especially two-stroke) I know of.

[tnguy]

I gave up and bought a battery weed eater. Does just fine for what I need.

 

+1. Have one and it's a lot nicer than the old gas one. Besides avoiding the agro with starting, there's also less agro with stalling when it gets tangled. Just bought an extra battery though as it doesn't last quite long enough.

[Guest ab28]

Keep ethanol gas away from those things. Biggest killer of engines (especially two-stroke) I know of.

Ethanol is fine for car engines, you lose 3% of your gas mileage with it, but it cuts down on a lot of emissions. There isn't enough there to act as an organic solvent, and the rubber is inert. Not sure what effect it has on 2 cycle engines though. I'm a chemist, and have studied it, and ran emissions tests on different gasoline additives, ethanol had the best reduction in emissions of the five we tested. This is for the regular 10% ethanol, not sure about higher contents.

 

I doubt you will be able to find "pure" gas much longer. Ethanol has many benefits, and I can't think of drawbacks, other than it collects water, but again, not enough there to do much.

Edited August 4, 2014 by ab28

[peejman]

Ethanol is fine for car engines, you lose 3% of your gas mileage with it, but it cuts down on a lot of emissions. There isn't enough there to act as an organic solvent, and the rubber is inert. Not sure what effect it has on 2 cycle engines though. I'm a chemist, and have studied it, and ran emissions tests on different gasoline additives, ethanol had the best reduction in emissions of the five we tested. This is for the regular 10% ethanol, not sure about higher contents.

I doubt you will be able to find "pure" gas much longer. Ethanol has many benefits, and I can't think of drawbacks, other than it collects water, but again, not enough there to do much.

Not enough to do much? Other than dramatically accelerating nearly every form of degradation a fuel system is subject to, that's all. Ethanol is a hygroscopic oxidizer. I can't think of anything much worse to add to an open fuel system.

Cars with closed fuel systems that were designed with E10 fuel in mind and are driven frequently don't have many problems. Putting that same fuel in small engines that may not get used for months at a time with open fuel systems that were designed 30 years ago, carburetors, and metal fuel tanks.... it's horrible.

[runco]

I grew up riding 2 stroke dirt bikes.  100% of the time, when the darn thing would not start, it was a fouled plug.  I always kept 2 new ones with me.  Now 30 years later, problem solved with 2 stokes.  I bought a 4 stroke Honda trimmer about 10 years ago, starts every time on one pull!  I do have Stihl leafblower.  Its about 3 years old, usually starts on the first crank, but does start on the 2nd crank.  No plugs changed yet! 

[Guest ab28]

Not enough to do much? Other than dramatically accelerating nearly every form of degradation a fuel system is subject to, that's all. Ethanol is a hygroscopic oxidizer. I can't think of anything much worse to add to an open fuel system.

Cars with closed fuel systems that were designed with E10 fuel in mind and are driven frequently don't have many problems. Putting that same fuel in small engines that may not get used for months at a time with open fuel systems that were designed 30 years ago, carburetors, and metal fuel tanks.... it's horrible.

Yeah, wasn't gonna use that term, figured no one would understand it. The reduction in emissions is worth it though, especially on tiny engines that are horribly polluting.

[tnguy]

Yeah, wasn't gonna use that term, figured no one would understand it. The reduction in emissions is worth it though, especially on tiny engines that are horribly polluting.

 

Hah, yeah. My chainsaw isn't polluting at all sitting in bits in my shed. Meanwhile I have branches hanging down in the yard :rolleyes:

 

How much emissions from the 5 gallons of bad gas I had to get rid of a while back also?

 

How much emissions from the manufacture of the carb cleaner, gasket set and fuel lines I'll need to get it all running again?

 

How much emissions from the long motorcycle ride I'll need to take to clear my head of the anger caused by government stupidity?

Edited August 5, 2014 by tnguy