Battery dying on a long fence line
A battery that dies before you finish a long fence line is usually being asked to handle excessive cutting load, a dirty or restricted…
Troubleshooting
Practical help choosing a string trimmer and solving line, head and power problems.
Troubleshooting
Bump head will not feed line
If your string trimmer bump head will not feed line, remove the spool and check for stuck, crossed, overheated, or incorrectly sized line.…
Cordless trimmer bogging in thick grass
A cordless trimmer usually bogs in thick grass because the line is too long or heavy, the head is clogged, the battery is weak, or the…
Gas trimmer flooding
A flooded gas trimmer usually has too much fuel and not enough air. Use the correct starting position, let the engine clear, then inspect…
Head hitting concrete and mushrooming the line
If your string trimmer head is scraping concrete and the line is mushrooming, the usual causes are excessive line contact, an incorrect…
Line exploding out of a poorly wound spool
If string trimmer line is exploding out of the spool, the line is usually wound in the wrong direction, too loosely, too tightly, or beyond…
Line too short after a bump
If the line is too short after a bump, the head may be empty, wound incorrectly, clogged, damaged, or not designed to feed by bumping.…
Line welding inside the spool
String trimmer line usually welds inside the spool because heat, friction, incorrect line, or overly tight winding fuses adjacent wraps…
Primer bulb and a stale-fuel gas trimmer
A primer bulb that will not fill or stay firm is often connected to stale fuel, clogged fuel lines, a blocked filter, or a damaged bulb.…
String trimmer line keeps breaking
String trimmer line usually breaks because the line is the wrong size, installed incorrectly, routed through a damaged eyelet, or being…
String Trimmer Not Starting: Troubleshooting Guide
A string trimmer that will not start may have a simple fuel, battery, switch, or jammed-head problem. Use these checks to identify the…
Tap-to-feed that dumps all the line
A tap-to-feed head that releases all the line usually has a spool, cap, spring, or winding problem—not a motor problem. Use these checks to…
Wet grass wrapping the head
Wet grass commonly wraps around a string trimmer head because it clumps, bends the line, and blocks the guard. Stop the trimmer, disconnect…
Auto-feed wasting line in sparse grass
Sparse grass should not make an auto-feed head release line continuously. Check that the line and spool match the head, inspect the feed…
Guard Throwing Clippings at Your Legs: Checks and Fixes
A string trimmer guard may be loose, damaged, incorrectly matched to the head, or simply positioned on the wrong side for the trimmer’s…
Line welding after sitting in a hot garage
If trimmer line has fused into a stuck lump after being stored in a hot garage, remove the spool and inspect it. Replace any melted or…
Shaft Vibrating Badly: String Trimmer Checks
A string trimmer shaft that vibrates badly may have uneven line, debris caught around the head, a damaged attachment, or a bent shaft. Stop…