How to Restring a Weed Trimmer

Weed trimmers are the scalpel to the lawn mower's ax. The mower makes cutting large grassy areas easy while the trimmer makes the job look good. Weed trimmers use high speed, spinning, plastic polymer strings to quickly cut down patches of weeds and cut areas along sidewalks and driveways.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Find the diameter of the string that your trimmer requires--incompatible lines could cause an internal burnout in the trimmer's motor.

2. Twist and pull the head cap from the spool holder away from the trimmer. After the head cap is removed, slide the old spool off and discard any remaining string. Clean the inside of the trimmer. If you are using a pre-wound spool, place the new one onto the head. Pull a couple of inches of string away from the spool and secure it between one of the grooves on the side of the spool. Replace the head cap.

3. For string only replacement, replace the old spool onto the head on the trimmer. Stick the string into one of the grooves running the circumference of the spool and then begin winding it tightly. The string direction must follow the direction indicated on the head cap--stringing it the wrong way will lead to frequent breaks. If you struggle with fitting the string through, you may be using the wrong gauge--reference your manual for string sizes.

4. Wind the string until it reaches a snug fit. Leave about four inches un-wound. Snap the excess string into one of the notches on the side of the spool and then screw the head cap back onto the trimmer.

Tips & Warnings

• To release more string, tap the head of the weed trimmer on the ground and it will release a small amount more.
• Use weed trimming polymer string only.

Resources

• Restringing Video