What makes s strimmer Head turn?

Tempted to answer "A good looking garden hoe!"

Usually just the motor shaft poking straight out of the bottom, and the head fixed to that. Are you sure the shaft is not spinning in the head in some way?

I rather thought the same. A quick search for diagrams of B&D strimmers showed the motor to be in the head, not in the handle, so I thought that perhaps the OP had a different model to the ones I saw in the diagrams. Some other makes do seem to have flexible drive shafts.

Hi John,

No, I?m not sure at all, but if the head motor is at the business end, what does the handle make so much noise? Does a fan send air down the shaft?

Chris Hogg formulated the question :

I have never seen an electric one, other that with the motor at the ground and cutter spool on the end of the motor shaft.

The petrol models have the motor at the top, driving the head via a flexible drive rod.

Our electric strimmer (GL270) has the motor in the handle. It was a USP becuase it's supposed to be better balanced.

Weak point in the one we have is the small cogged drive belt, although ours has been ok. Ours dosen't get heavy use though.

Have you got the model number so we can lookup a parts diagram?

A female strimmer with a well shaped motor?

As others have commented, in the electric ones we?ve had, the motor has been at the cutting end. A couple failed when the shaft to drum holder ( where the drum with plastic string stuff fits) coupling failed due to the plastic cracking/breaking etc. The shaft just spun inside the drum holder. I repair it with epoxy, which worked fine and we got a few more years before the motor died.

Thanks for all the comments so far.

It?s a GL701, so may well be belt and shaft drive like the GL7xx models mentioned.

Silly answer most people turn their heads when they hear a strimmer to avoid dust and pebbles hitting them in the Eye, or if its a young lady with the strimmer some might think its sexy.

Serious answer I'm assuming this is an electric one. Most of mine used motors on the bottom but I believe the move to put the motor higher was to help with the balance of the device when using it. It is not usually flexible. its a straight shaft with some kind of angled drive at the bottom. Probably crap plastic gears or somesuch. Brian

Indeed it is:

Yes, the motor's in the handle on that one. Diagram here

Yes, flexible drive shaft especially if the shaft has a bend in it. They break.

I'd probably start at the bottom end. You might find a failure on the last bit of flexible, you ought to be able to unthread the flexible from that point. The top end should be pressed into a square section to provide drive. If you just find twisted wire at the top then it has failed at that end, you will need to dismantle the top to retrieve the second bit.

Pretty obvious once you get it apart.

ok flexi shaft with motor in the user's end of things:

Hi All,

Beltus Knackerdus!

Too uk a while to get into the beast. I checked one side for a hidden screw, but it was on the other side.

Lots of comments on line that it?s not worth replacing the belt, as the plastic gear will be worn, and the new belt won?t last.

But the gears look ok, so I?ve ordered a belt.

Bit of a mare to get the new belt on, but the head is now turning.

In the words of the mortal Marc Bolan ?An I hope it?s gonna last?

Night night everyone