Hi All, Just bought myself a J.C.B. strimmer from Argos for £49.99. at £35.00 off. Quite cheap for a new petrol strimmer I think. I really needed one as all I've been using are garden shears (my poor back). They also offer 3 years replacement cover for under a tenner :).
Just thought I'd pass it on for anyone looking for one. At this price I think they'll sell out quickly.
:) :) :)
Ooh thanks for that I'm going to try and reserve one.
That's darned cheap for a petrol strimmer!
i got a petrol strimmer again for fifty quid at b&q that was redused from £89 give that a look
matt
;D
Some fancy prices around for petrol strimmers. My B&D electric has packed up so I'm looking to get a petrol one. Just how good are these cheaper ones?
well ours has cleared the plot with ease
it is really good ;D
Quote from: kenkew on May 28, 2005, 12:00:58
Some fancy prices around for petrol strimmers. My B&D electric has packed up so I'm looking to get a petrol one. Just how good are these cheaper ones?
Ken are you trying to start another Honda type thread ;D ;D
Why not Roy, still seems to be going strong on that one. I think a few peoples eyes and bank balances have been opened. ;D ;D ;D ;D
mine was grrrrrrrrr what a help they are
Thanks for your tip Waggi :D :D :D
Finally found one at B&Q, as all the Argos's round us have sold out.
I'm going to try it out now.
Thanks again
di it start for you as i found that if you start it in full choke it floods
start it on run
Yeah, had to play around with it for a while, but once you have the knack then it's easy ::) ::)
Cheers ;D
Quote from: waggi on May 29, 2005, 21:13:56
di it start for you as i found that if you start it in full choke it floods
start it on run
The instructions for my Ryobi petrol strimmer (smallest version, basically the same model as the JCB one in Argos) say that to start from cold you press the primer bulb eight times, pull the starting cord 4-6 times on full choke (it won't go, but it lubes the engine), switch to half choke, hold it on full throttle and pull until it starts. Quite lumpy at first, but wait for 10-15 seconds then open the choke fully and
whoosh - you're off. If you start it from cold with the choke open there will not be enough 2-stroke oil in the engine to lubricate it fully, and you'll decrease the life of the piston.
My strimmer is great - copes with everything the plot can throw at it (apart from trees!) and helped at the weekend when my folks needed a 60 foot section of canal bank clearing for their new narrowboat mooring - it took down the 3-4 foot high grass and big weeds with ease!
Quote from: SpeedyMango on May 31, 2005, 13:07:47
Quote from: waggi on May 29, 2005, 21:13:56
di it start for you as i found that if you start it in full choke it floods
start it on run
The instructions for my Ryobi petrol strimmer (smallest version, basically the same model as the JCB one in Argos) say that to start from cold you press the primer bulb eight times, pull the starting cord 4-6 times on full choke (it won't go, but it lubes the engine), switch to half choke, hold it on full throttle and pull until it starts. Quite lumpy at first, but wait for 10-15 seconds then open the choke fully and whoosh - you're off. If you start it from cold with the choke open there will not be enough 2-stroke oil in the engine to lubricate it fully, and you'll decrease the life of the piston.
Now I'm confused - you say that if you start it from cold with the choke open, you'll knacker the piston, but isn't that exactly what you're trying to do by pulling the starting cord 4-6 times on full choke?
Took our Argos jcb strimmer to the very overgrown lottie on Saturday. Hubby did most of the work than I had a go. Scary things at first aren't they. I can't quite get the knack of starting it by myself. will need more practise. It shifted everything nettles and all. Looks better now. Well worth the money!!!!! :) :) :)
Quote from: wivvles on May 31, 2005, 14:02:55
Now I'm confused - you say that if you start it from cold with the choke open, you'll knacker the piston, but isn't that exactly what you're trying to do by pulling the starting cord 4-6 times on full choke?
You're only turning it over (relatively slowly) when you pull the cord at first on full choke. Essentially you're squirting in fuel and oil mix, lubricating the inner workings before it starts. If you manage to start it from cold, at full throttle with no choke, you're forcing the engine to function at huge rpm with little or no lubrication.
It probably won't knacker the piston in the short term, you're just causing more friction/wear in the engine than is necessary, which is likely to decrease it's life.
Quote from: SpeedyMango on May 31, 2005, 15:06:02
Quote from: wivvles on May 31, 2005, 14:02:55
Now I'm confused - you say that if you start it from cold with the choke open, you'll knacker the piston, but isn't that exactly what you're trying to do by pulling the starting cord 4-6 times on full choke?
You're only turning it over (relatively slowly) when you pull the cord at first on full choke. Essentially you're squirting in fuel and oil mix, lubricating the inner workings before it starts. If you manage to start it from cold, at full throttle with no choke, you're forcing the engine to function at huge rpm with little or no lubrication.
It probably won't knacker the piston in the short term, you're just causing more friction/wear in the engine than is necessary, which is likely to decrease it's life.
Thanks for the explanation. Not very mechanically minded me!
do you know the code for the argos strimmer anyone??
cheers ;D
I am a bit late in hearing about this but I checked in my Argos catalogue and online and couldn't find a petrol JCB strimmer. Could you let us know the model and Argos catalogue number. It may already be too late for me as all the A4A members without a petrol strimmer will have innundated Argos.
KeithR
Hi Keith R here's the code for Argos strimmer
JCB PLT25 Petrol Grass Trimmer 721/7494Â
  Â
Just got one today! Can't wait to try it this weekend as the long grass and nettles are shooting up and I've been cutting them down with hand shears up to now. I didn't find it in the catalogue but put the item number in the phone ordering system and reserved one at my local Argos. Thanks for letting us know.
If anyone finds a cheap McCulloch Trimmac 210 then I can say I've not regretted buying mine (even at full price which isn't that much!)
I got it during the year my back was awful, as I couldn't bend to use shears. And yes, they do take some getting used to starting! My destructions said to put on full choke, pull until it turned (maximum of 6 tries) then switch to half choke and give it good pulls until it fires (max of 6 tries). If it's not going by then, you've probably flooded the carburettor and you need to clear it. I usually get it going before then, even with my pathetically weak arm strength.
But do get good eye protection and hearing protection. And don't strim with shorts or sandals on - always wear STOUT trousers and shoes you don't mind going green!
And don't forget to use the right kind of fuel. Mine's 2-stroke so it's easy to make with a mixer bottle, unleaded petrol and 2-stroke oil. I'd also advise emptying the fuel reservoir when you finish using the strimmer, back into your mixer bottle. It can go gooey and clog up the works if you don't use it regularly. Either way, at the end of the year, after your last strim, turn it off, empty the fuel then start it up again while the unit's warmed up. Leave it going until it dies for lack of fuel, then it's ready to store overwinter. Get it serviced if you have trouble (though a clogged spark plug is a likely culprit if it's not been used for a while).
moonbells
Yes, definitely long trousers and LONG SLEEVES required when strimming. Apart from getting hit by flying bits and pieces some weeds have very nasty sap, and it goes everywhere. I would go as far as having full-face protection (i.e. a visor) if you're clearing a very overgrown site.
Last weekend when I was clearing the canal bank of weeds where my folks have their new narrowboat mooring, the nettles were so vicious they were stinging me through my trousers! Lucky I had a spare pair so I ended up wearing both for extra protection.