String Trimmer Woes

I have a new Sthil string trimmer with one of the tap and go heads that are supposed to dispense new line. I hate it. It hasn't worked from day one. You push or tap the head and nothing. When you go to pull the line out it gets all jammed up and you have to take the reel apart and untangle the mess. My old trimmer had a manual string head. You would put on one piece of line at a time. This line was very heavy and lasted a fairly long time. I want to trash the tap and go piece of junk and go back to what I used to have. Have any of the rest of you had this much trouble with these?

OTJ
 
If it worked the first time, you might have wound the string on the spool the wrong way. I did it twice on 2 different trimmers and became vary aware of that issue. Jim
 
I've had tap and go heads on my trimmers for many years. I have an idea that something is wrong with the way the string is wound or possibly you just got a bad head. I wouldn't give up on the mechanism just yet. I think there is probably a resolution to your problem.

Good luck with your new trimmer.

Tom in TN
 

What Jim said about direction , as well as this the speed of the head has a lot to do with the feed out of new line . When winding it on try not to cross the windings too much , when using it make sure the head is at a fast speed before bumping it .
I have three of them , stihl, echo and husqvarna and they all work well .
 
I've had good success with the auto feed heads.

As said, be sure you are wrapping the line the correct direction.

One problem I did encounter, when trimming along chain link fence, the fence would grab the line and jerk it tight inside the spool, sometimes tight enough to melt the line to itself. Then it would not feed until it was unwound and separated. Being aware and keeping my distance from the fence, and using premium line solved the problem. Also using the largest line that will fit through the head helps.

If it still won't feed, take it back for an explanation.
 
My Stihl tap trimmer head has worked fine for a quarter century. I try to wind it fairly tight, making sure to weave the line back and forth on the spool as I wind it to prevent jams. And I don't try to get as much line as possible on the spool.

Regarding the proper direction to wind, after you insert the end of the line in the hole in the spool you need to bend it back in the opposite direction.

Note that straight shaft trimmers turn in the opposite direction as bent shaft trimmers, likewise the line is wound on the spool in the opposite direction.
 
My older Stihl works fine, and so have most of the better units I've used--some of the cheapies are problematic but the basic design has, as has been noted, been out for many years and works well. One thing that can help is a bit of silicone spray on the line after it's wound--helps prevent the melting and tangling issues. Beyond that, use good line--cheap line is false economy--and I've had better luck with round profile lines feeding than with the various other profiles that are available.
 
(quoted from post at 18:00:10 05/21/22) I have a new Sthil string trimmer with one of the tap and go heads that are supposed to dispense new line. I hate it. It hasn't worked from day one. You push or tap the head and nothing.

It's likely the line.

I bought a cordless string trimmer few years ago and, as it was different size string from the walk-behind, I bought some aftermarket string. The original that came with the unit worked well, but not much of it. Tried the new string, but would not advance. The way this string head was made, I was able to clearly see that the windings had actually fused to itself, preventing advancement of line. Bought a different brand and haven't looked back since!

You gotta watch for lots of aftermarket stuff these days. Can't even bet on getting decent trimmer line anymore! Here's what I got that I've been VERY happy with. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JQEABO
The other junk was called Vortex Trimmer Line. It has pretty good reviews, so maybe I just got a bad batch? But the Maxpower brand has been great so far.

Let us know if changing the line brand works, OK?
 

Lubrication really does help Tim . I haven't used silicon spray so I'll do that sometime to try it . Talcum powder is good and I've used that on the odd occasion where I've had a bad batch of line .
 
New to you or new as in still under warranty? If under warranty, why not have the dealer check the head before anything else. If defective, they should replace it. If it is a string problem, they might see it. Also is the string you are using the right one for that head?
 
I have a auto tap head and do not like it. I like the manual heads. It is easier for me to cut a bunch of line and carry in my pocket and push in when needed. The manual heads you can run thicker line too.
 
Something must be wrong with the head or string. I've been using a tap head on mine for years and have never had an issue.
AaronSEIA
 
You mentioned pushing the head and pulling the line. That does not work The head has to be spinning fast enough for the line to feed out itself.
 
Oregon Tractor Jack,

Probably just bound up, it happens. Just rewind it. Line rewinds opposite of head rotation.

You can also put the two lines through the head assemble the spool to the head, and wind it that way. Push in and advance until you take up the line,

Guido.
 
(quoted from post at 06:38:54 05/22/22) As a little clarification, this is the original string that came in the trimmer. I have not replaced the string at this point.OTJ

I doubt the head arrived at the dealer loaded. Maybe the dealer loaded the head incorrectly (wrong direction) or damaged it during the install.
 
Guess I must be the young guy here, my first Weed-Eater electric corded trimmer had a tap and go head about 1980, maybe '81. Replaced that with a Ryan brand gas straight shaft weed-eater made in Des Moines, ran it till it died, patched it up and ran it more. Put 5 gallons of gas thru it one day trimming grass from a half mile of woven wire fence. Tapped the head on the ground to feed the line on it too. Buddy had the exact same weed-eater, and a coworker had one too he blew up, Mine was getting worn, so I gave mine and my co-worker's to my buddy so he had spare parts, He MAY still be using it.
I went into my local Ford, Kubota, Simplicity, Polaris, & Stihl dealer to get a new straight shaft Stihl trimmer. SALESMAN asks how I felt about saving $200. I said Sign me up, came home with the top of the line ECHO and used it for about 10 years then started spraying Round-Up, would go through 4-5 15 gallon tanks of spray some days.SON bought a house and I gave it to him, think he's sold it now. Then Wife complained I didn't weed-eat right, She wanted a battery powered weed-eater so I bought the Craftsman that used my 19.2V batterys like EVERY OTHER cordless tool I own, and she didn't like it, or she would trim weeds I wasn't mowing for a reason and never trimmed stuff she should have so I'd do it so she could complain about it,, or she didn't use it so I bought a brand new top of the line ECHO. I'VE refilled it with line twice, the INSTRUCTIONS say to cut off 14 feet of line, align two holes in the cutter head, one in the driveshaft, other hole in the hub of the spool, wind it the direction the arrow points till the loose ends are 4-5 inches long, start engine cut weeds, tap head on ground occasionally to feed more line.
One thing ALL these trimmers had was an operator/instruction manual that had instructions and pictures of how to refill line, start & shut-off the engine, things that need grease or oil, and instructions how to order parts. I'd try to find that manual and read it, bet your trimmer will feed line when your done reading the manual.
 
I have three of them , stihl, echo and husqvarna and they all work well

Charles: which one do you like the best and why?
 
If it's a new trimmer, take it back to the dealer and complain. Have them show you how to make it work. If they can't make it work, they will fix it or replace it.

That's supposed to be the point or buying expensive Stihl equipment: That friendly knowledgeable neighborhood dealer that's there when you need support.

You are treating it as if you bought a cheap Ryobi from the big box store.
 
I doubt the head arrived at the dealer loaded. Maybe the dealer loaded the head incorrectly (wrong direction) or damaged it during the install.[/quote]

Stihl trimmers come loaded right out of the box.
AaronSEIA
 
Oregon Tractor Jack,

You can try this: push in on the taping head, and pull both sides of the lins.

If its bound up at the very end, a good pull may free the line up..

Guido.
 
I have a Stihl with the tap and go head, would not change back to the stick a string in every few minutes mode for anything. When loading new string it is important to have both pieces the same length and put on evenly. It sounds like yours is not on correctly.
 
(reply to post at 11:54:31 05/23/22)

Rohdog50, of the three I own my favourite is the Echo , it is the only straight shaft one I have , I bought it in 1985. It still starts and runs as well as the day I bought it despite literally hundreds of hours of use cutting blackberries , fireweed and dogwood at the farm . I generally use a blade for that work rather than line . The only maintenance it receives is grease to the head gearbox , filter cleaning and about three spark plugs in almost 40 years .
Of the other two the Stihl is the most reliable and easiest to start , both are easy to use , the Stihl a little lighter and better balanced . The Husqvarna suffered a lot from fuel issues , especially perished fuel lines and vent hoses , it also needed a new carburettor after a few seasons of work .
 
Something is not wound right here. I have two tap and go and they seem to feed out ok. Line breaks off inside at times when it hit a woody plant ot wire fence. Some line feeds out easier than others. Actually I use Huskvarna line in my Stihl Works better than Stihl brand. The round red line by Stihl seems to work better than the Stihl square bright green line does. By the way, There was a factory rep at local farm store, he says there is a shelf life on line!

FYIyou can take out the spool and use two heavy duty zip ties!, see the internet/ Google !
 
I recently bought a 18volt Ryobi line trimmer. Im impressed with it! It feeds out each time it stops spinning. 4amp hour battery. Last quit long time. .08 line
A couple years ago, I bought a harbor freight 30$ corded trimmer. Has same line feed as the Ryobi.works every time.
 

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