Bump-Feed On Weed Wacker Questions

[Robert11]

Hello:

Have recently bought a Homelite Weed-wacker. Works just fine, but that "Bump-Feed" mechanism they have is just driving me crazy. It's an inexpensive weed-wacker, and by now I figure I should bave spent another $ 30 or so and gotten a Sears with the individual strings. This bump-feed is a real horror.

Anyway, I would like to aske the following, please:

a. I saw some replacement "heads" that take individual pieces of already cut string, that presumably would fit my Homelite. But they all seems to be around $35 or so. Since the complete unit only cost me $ 65, this doesn't make much sense. Can't imagine why they are so expensive; it's a relatively simple part. They probably make all their profit in selling the individual cut line string.

Are there any available heads that would be in the $ 10- 15 range ? Do these replacement heads work, ginerally, well, and is replacing the head a good idea, or... ?

b. When replacing the string on the bump feed, it says to wind in a ccw direction. Is this ccw direction while looking down the shaft from the engine to the spool direction, or upwards at the spool from the cutting edge ?

They aren't too clear on this.

c. any "tricks" in getting this thing to feed fairly reliably, that perhaps others have learned ?

Much thanks, Bob

[Dennis Turner]

Should have an arrow on the spool showing you which direction to wind the line. In gneneral, the bump feed heads, though not perfect, work fairly well. The trick is to make sure you feed line before you have to. If the line breaks off near the head, it will fall inside rather than feed, and you will be forced to take it apart to thread line back out through the little hole. Bump it more often than you think you need to, and it should work most of the time.

[Ralph Mowery]

The line needs to be wound in the correct direction. Maybe yours has an arrow on the spool somewhere. You can wind some line on the spool and with the trimmer not running use your hand and push down on the head and try to pull the string out. You should be able to pull out a short length. If not, reverse the winding and try again. The line should be wound parallel to each other and not cross over the strands. You may be able to find some line that has two parallel lines slightly stuck together so you can wind them parallel to each other.

[Kevin Ricks]

Never used one but I think you can cut your own.

I would think it would be as you are looking at the spool. Look carefully at the head and/or spool, they probably has arrows showing which way to wind.

Bump at full throttle -Very important! Don't bump in high grass. Make sure you are using the proper diameter string. Try different brand string. The string that came on my Troy Bilt trimmer was horrible. I used some bulk Echo string and it was much better. Don't try to put too much string on the spool. Maybe a foot or 2 less than specified. Don't try to lubricate the string/spool with anything. Kevin

[Robert Barr]

It's tempting to try to get as much line on there as you can. Don't get greedy! Don't wrap as tightly as the new spool was wound.

[Nick Hull]

Also wet the line before you wind it.

[twfsa]

When I rewind my spools I do so in the direction indicated on the spool, and I also wind it on the spool in the direction it came off the bulk line spool, it winds on easier feeds better when the head is taped.

I learned thiswhen I used tore-wind the string on my bait casting fishing reel.

Tom

[TPutmann]

Bump feeders NEVER work !!! No matter what brand of saw you have, it will NOT work !!!! I threw away the head and took a piece of an old lawnmower blade, sharpened it well, and attached it to my weed whacker. It cuts everything. Just keep it away from the house siding and anything else you dont want to wreck. But look at it this way, it's supposed to chop weeds, not the house. I like finding the big burrdock stalks that are 2" dia, It takes them down in a second. That string dont do shit to them except break the string. I have even taken down a 3 " tree with my modified whacker.

[Pop]

===> Wrong, mine's worked near perfectly for ten plus years. Use it right, it works right.

===> Wrong. Mine works, my sister's works, my nephew's works: ALL different brands. ALL work well also.

===> If it'd work, that would be good advice! Feet too! But look at it this way, it's supposed to

===> And that's a lie unless the tree was long dead and very brittle.

Kaners abound at times.

[Mort Guffman]

I guess I'm lucky. My old John Deere (Echo) works pretty good. It gets to be a pain when it's down to the last few feet of line on the spool, otherwise it works perfectly. The machine is 16 years old. If they could make it work in 1989 why can't they make one now? I blame the Republicans.

mort

[NoBush]

There is a good solution. Take your weed whacker and whack down all the Bushs. Or make it easier on yourself and use a chainsaw!

[G Henslee]

$30?? You've wasted more than that in time, frustration and 'exoert' answers from ahr. It's a cheap POS and you'll always fight that bump feed. Spending dough for a replacement head for the POS is throwing good money after bad.

So get used to fighting it, or throw the thing in the garbage and buy an Echo.

[TPutmann]

It's easy to spend other people's money. I'd like an Echo too. How about you coughing up the cash and buy me one. After all, you're wealthy !!!!

[G Henslee]

Bullshit. That is good advice ya cheap ass. Buy cheap shit you end up buying it 2-3 times. Some eventually learn or actually have the common sense to buy quality products. Some never do and just buy junk and ask the same stupid questions in ahr about why does it run like shit? or why doesn't it work right? or won't start? or whine whine whine...

I suspect you're one of those...

[NJTrout]

I have a Craftsman weed wacker with the bump feeder and it works fine for the last 5 years. Trick is in the line winding as others have pointed out.

1. Use the correct size refill line
2. Wind in the direction of the arrow on the spool
3. Wind each strand parallel to the other. Don't cross strands
4. Don't wind too tight
5. Bump more often than you think.

NNTrout

[Blue]

To know when to bump listen carefully to the motor rpm. When is noticeably speeds up it is time to bump. If you neglect this the line may disappear back into the spool housing giving you a aggravating repair problem.