High Wheeled string trimmer

We were at Sears the other night buying a couple of Garage Door Openers. We were asking about High Wheel String Trimmers. They had gone up in price a bit to about $350. When we went around back we notice they had a couple of the trimmer in the "clearance" section. These are basically returned for some reason or another. They had one used for $217 and one that didn't looked like it had been used for $236. I went back Saturday and bought the $236. Here is what it is: High Wheel Trimmer It was missing the oil that came with it, so I put some oil and gas in it. Tried to fire it up. Couldn't get it to start. So I gave up and figured that is why it was returned. Went in the house grab something to eat and was going to take it back. Thought I would try one more time. Pulled the string, fired up on one pull. So I started using it. That sucker is probably the best running little B&S engine that I've seen in awhile. It was fairly smooth - not Honda smooth, but pretty smooth. I used it on our front road ditch. Normally it would take me a little over 2 hours with a handheld trimmer, with this I was just over an hour. Though it was a bit difficult getting it up and down the ditch. I'm not sure if I will keep using it there, but I can see using it next to the creek on our property. I tried to use it next to a tree - that was a mistake. That sucker sucked itself into the tree and before I could get it off it had almost cut the tree down. So it won't be used next to buildings or desirable trees.

Those are great.

I got mine at a great price from the clearance section at Sears too. There were several sitting in a puddle of oil. On this one the muffler wasn't scorched so I expect it was returned right after the first owner put oil in it.

I found the defect was the tube going down from the oil filler to the crankcase didn't seal well. Tipping the machine back on its hind wheels spilled lots of oil. I set it up tighter but the back of the machine has always been moist.

That was the first power tool I bought to start getting things under control here. An advantage you didn't mention is that it won't be damaged when you run into junk in the high grass. That was my specific problem, Dad had accumulated so many yard sale bargains that it took me a couple of years to dig them all out of the weeds and haul much of the stuff to the dump before this place looked decent. I also discovered he wasn't kidding when he said he had put bricks down a few gopher holes to protect his garden. I even encountered random abandoned pier blocks nearly buried. And rebar stored on the ground next to several building foundations and fence lines. Hitting this junk would have destroyed an ordinary lawnmower. The string trimmer worked great, worst case it just ate a lot of string as it encountered these objects.

Now with things cleaned up, I use it for edging where the rotary mower can't reach the last few inches next to walls and fences.

These are more powerful than a similar lawnmower plus they clog less. It is great for attacking unwanted blackberry bushes - it chews the tough stems into junk I can handle at arms length with a pitchfork. High weeds likewise.

I couldn't be without it.

Mine ate the bearing in the nose after a couple of years of abuse. After I replace that it has run several years without problems.

I bought a used DR version on CL two years ago. I don't use it that often but it is pretty darn handy when I do use it.