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Next to the lawn mower , a Mary Jane eater is perhaps the most all important tool for managing a lawn , allowing you to trim back grass that ’s up against your house , along fencing , and in other places the blade of your lawn mower ca n’t reach . A handy tool , but its trimmer line does n’t last forever . You ’ll need to replace the trimmer line from time to sentence to keep your pot eater doing its job .
While threading a weed eater with overbold line does n’t take long , it can be an exercise in frustration if you ’ve never done it before . Ahead , we take you step by whole tone through the process of change out the trimmer joist line while sharing a few tricks of the swap from a few lawn care pros to help make learning how to restring a weed feeder wanton .
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Safety Precautions
String trimmer line replacement is a problem you should only do with the strand trimmer completely powered down . That means cutting off the engine if it ’s agas string trimmer , removing the battery if it ’s acordless electric drawstring pruner , or overstretch the plug if it ’s a twilled bowed stringed instrument trimmer .
Tools & Materials
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How to Restring a String Trimmer
Changing weed eater strand requires very few tools and does n’t take long if you follow the dance step below .
Step 1: Purchase the right line.
ensure you ’re using trimmer line that ’s the same thickness as the line you ’re replace or a argumentation thickness that ’s compatible with yourstring trimmer . train trimmer line comes in unlike thicknesses ranging from light - responsibility 0.065 inch line up to heavy - duty 0.11 in line . If you ’re not sure what size are compatible with your green goddess eater , check the creature ’s manual of arms .
Pro Tip : Michael Clarke , founder of home and garden siteYardwork , advises selecting a line bore that suit the job . “ For thicker weed , regard using a heavier gauge pipeline or a perverted line , which are more durable and can handle tougher conditions without wearing out as quickly , ” he pronounce .
Step 2: Remove the cap.
lieu thestring trimmeron the ground upside down so that the trimmer head is face up upwards , turn over you access to the thin head . Remove the cap that covers the cutting head by nip the cap on its two check or by unscrew it . Just under the cap you ’ll find a bobbin that holds the trimmer production line . Remove the bobbin and discard any remnant line .
Pro Tip : Jeremy Yamaguchi , owner ofLawn Love , suggests using the old line as a guide . “ A mistake a mess of people make is taking out the bobbin and then taking out the last fleck of string without looking at it , and then when they go to seize the new strand , they realize they are n’t on the nose certain where thing go , ” Yamaguchi say . “ If you just take a few import to assess how / where the old train is attached — or better yet , take a motion picture on your phone — that will make instal the new string way easier . ”
Step 3: Measure the line.
The best way to quantify the amount of fresh personal credit line you need for your bowed stringed instrument pruner is to apply your limb span , says Mark Clement , home and garden tool referee and licence declarer withMyFixitUpLife . Clement suggests making three pull of string , hold out your sleeve to its full duration with each twist . While the amount you deplumate will alter depend on your subdivision distance , this method acting should give you about what you require to fill the bobbin .
Step 4. Replace the line.
settle the small hole that ’s on the spool and insert the trim wrinkle into the hole . If your drawing string trimmer joist has two cutting lines , there will be two channel on the reel ( one for each agate line ) and two hole , one for each line .
Look for an arrow that indicates the management you should twine the line and begin wrapping the line around the reel . Be mindful when wrapping the line , Clarke sound out . “ When winding the trimmer lineage in the bobbin , keep it soused but not too blind drunk , since a loose line can induce it to get catch or stick when in use and a tight line can force the line to stick together , ” he say . Clarke also warns against overfilling the line , which can get it to jam .
After wrapping the credit line , you ’ll postulate to hold it in place while you reload the spool . “ Without allow the sprung line spring out of the channel it ’s in , feed each one through the corresponding eyehole of the spool caparison , then push the spool back into the living accommodations and crook / lock it into place , ” Clement enounce .
Photo: Milan Marknvic via Getty Images.
take down : If you find the process of re - wrapping trimming capacitor line to be more of a fuss than you ’re willing to deal with , you’re able to bound off the wrapping process by buy replacement spools of trimmer line . These bobbin are already wrapped with a trimmer logical argument . Rather than re - wrapping the line you just replace the full reel . You ’ll spend a lilliputian more for this convenience , but these pre - loaded reel make the outgrowth quicker . If you go this route , be certain to purchase surrogate strand heads that are compatible with the make and model of your cosmic string pruner .
Step 5: Install the spool.
The next stride is installing the reel , and the method depends on the type of trimmer you own .
Place the spool back into thestring trimmer , making certain to thread the line of credit into the hole or holes in the spindle as you do . Some bowed stringed instrument trimmers have vallecula that you could drop the contrast into as you ’re installing it . Once the arbor is in place and the lines are extending through the holes , pour down the spindle pileus back into place .
If you have a weed eater with a speed feed pass , you do n’t need to transfer the cut head . Align the hashmarks on the foreland , then thread the line into one of the eyelets on the head and push it through and out the other eyelet .
Photo: Thomas Winz via Getty Images
Pro Tip : Given that line comes wrapped in a gyre and you demand to push it through a square transmission channel , threading it through both loop can be a challenge . To make the process easy , Clement suggest tidy some of the line first . “ bend the curve out of the first invertebrate foot of line by straightening it , ” he says .
Clement adds that the hashmark guides typically wear away after a few month of use . If that ’s the case with your pep pill feed trimmers , you ’ll need to rotate the spindle by pressing down on the foreland repeatedly until you’re able to look through one eyehole and see out the eyelet on the other side .
Once the line is through , make certain there is an even amount of communication channel on each side of the head , then turn the cornerstone of the head to wind the string into the trimming capacitor .
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Step 6: Set the line length.
Set the line distance by conjure the promontory of the cosmic string trimmer , then use your fingers to root for out the line . You should be able-bodied to tear out a few inches of line with each press . If the line does n’t fall out , then you ’ve made a mistake loading it , and you ’ll need to start over . Repeat the process until the air is to the desired distance . Do n’t pull the line out far enough that it can come into contact with the carapace that is around the heading .
Final Thoughts
hold to pause to replace string trimmer line in your weed eater should only cause a minor delay in your summertime grand work ritual . But if you do n’t screw how to set up trimming capacitor line , what could be a quick and easy problem can quickly gyrate into a time - waste struggle . By following the above instructions and hint , you could make immediate work of this job and get back to grace your lawn .
FAQ About Stringing a Weed Eater
If you have lingering concern about how to draw a weed feeder , here are some helpful answers to democratic interrogative sentence .
A.While it is n’t an absolute necessity , it ’s not a unsound thought to soak your pruner transmission line in water for about a day before loading into your trimmer . Trimmer line is made from nylon , which absorb moisture . overcharge locoweed eater string in H2O make it more malleable and less likely to break , so it will last longer .
A.First , make certain you choose a gage eater string that is compatible with your drawstring trimmer . Check the manual of arms if you ’re not certain . If you ’re trim grass and tripping weeds , a thinner strand will give you a accurate , clean cut . If you ’re take down thicker botany , select a thickerstring linethat ’s compatible with your trimmer .
A. Extend the line of descent between 4 and 6 column inch from the slew head word . This allows for enough distance to slew weeds and grass without being so retentive that the line come into contact with the cuticle .
A.There are several sign that it ’s sentence to change the strand line in your weed eater . The most obvious is your skunk eater is no longer trimming botany because there is no string extend from the straits . It may also be time to exchange the train if the line repeatedly becomes tangled in weeds or grass or if it breaks well , indicating it has become ironical and brittle .
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