How to Change the Strings on a Gas Powered Yard Machine Weed Eater

Weed eater maintenance is important to a well manicured yard.

Property maintenance is an unrelenting and sometime mundane chore. Mowing, weeding and trimming the grounds takes time and energy, but the rewards are worth the effort. Relaxing in a well kept yard or taking a moment to enjoy the view of recently trimmed grounds from a deck or kitchen window provides personal satisfaction. Equipment maintenance is a vital element of property maintenance. Keeping your Yard Machine weed eater loaded with trimming line, for example, helps ensure the time you spend trimming the lawn and gardens is productive.

Things You'll Need

• Appropriately gauged trimmer line
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Turn off the trimmer engine.

2. Set the trimmer on a work bench with the cutting end pointing up.

3. Depress the cutter head assembly cover, pressing it in toward the shaft.

4. Twist the cutter head assembly cover counterclockwise until it separates from the cutter head assembly.

5. Remove the cutter head assembly cover. A spring and mounting bolt is within the cover. Once the cover is separated from the assembly, the spring and bolt can become loose. Keep track of these two pieces as they are essential to the operation of the trimmer.

6. Install the new trimming line. Within the assembly is a segregated cylinder with two sections, one section for each line. Within each section is a circular hole drilled on an angle to the cylinder surface. Insert the new line into the hole one section at a time, winding the line around the cylinder in opposition to the angle of the hole. When the section is full, bind the line to the cylinder housing using the notches cut into the exterior cylinder wall.

7. Trim the line. Stretch the line from each section out to the inner edge of the swath cover, and cut the line with wire cutters. The new trimming line should be just shorter than the swath cover radius.

8. Align the spring, cover and mounting bolt with the drive axel.

9. Thread the ends of the line through the holes in the cutter head assembly cover.

10. Release the line from the notches while twisting the cutter head assembly cover clockwise. Continue twisting the cover until it is tight against the cutter head assembly.

Tips & Warnings

• Different sizes and shapes of replacement trimmer line will fit your Yard Machine weed eater. The kind of line you select depends on the application. If you are cutting through thick underbrush, for example, a thicker, serrated line is more appropriate. If you are only trimming the edges of a freshly mowed lawn, a thinner, smooth line is better.

References

• Yard Machine: Trimmer Models
• Home Depot: Trimmer Line Varieties