Strimer heads with no locking pin

[drinksloe]

Alright.

 

Just wondering if anyone has any tips on chaging blades etc on a strimmer head with no locking pin hole? (And it definately doesn't have any hole at all, on a stihl fs450 if that makes a difference)

 

Must admit not done a lot with strimmers but it's the 1st time i've seen one with no hole for a screwdriver/4" nail to lock the shaft to change cutting blades.

 

Is there any tips for doing it?

 

 

I bought it at a plant auction, by engraving would say ex council dept, runs ok aprt from this.

To me it looks like the bolt for greasing the head looks pretty well worn as if they have been taking it off and sticking something into the gearbox/shaft itself.

Doesn't seem a very good idea but can't see any other way of doing it

It won't get an awful lot of work now, and not that many balde changes but still nice to be able to do it with out damaging the machine

 

 

Cheers

[Richard 1234]

On the Stihl they are normally on the opposite side to the grease point

 

The hole to the top right of the spindle on that picture.

If it's not original it could go in from the side

 

Edit top left of spindle!!

[Haironyourchest]

It definitely has a hole for inserting a screwdriver or "pin" it's in the top of the protuberance next to the grease nut, might be blocked with crud. Google Stihl FS450 manual and download PDF - it shows where it is.

[David R Barras]

I have just had a look at the safety brochure for FS450 online and if the relevant diagrams on page 23 are correct the locking pin hole should be on the right of the gearbox.

 

The manual should be attached to this post.

 

It does strike me as unusual if there is no hole for a locking pin as all the big stihls that I have used have one.

STIHL_FS_300350400450480 manual.pdf

[Stephen Blair]

It's missing the plate with the hole in it to correspond to the 1 built into the head.

Take a hacksaw to it and a chisel to get it off and order the rights part and a new head, they are £22 from Stihl with auto feed.

If tou go to a lawnmower shop their might be an old head that's seized and you could get the plate.

[drinksloe]

There definately is no hole to stick anything, the few strimmers i've owned/worked all have had a hole where u described.

 

I actually picked up a couple of saws this avo and a strimmer head for this machine from a local garden shop, he had a look a while back when i ordered the strimmer head, but i lifted when he wasnae in.

And i had a good look before i took it in as didnae want to look an idiot.

 

Anyway spoke to him this avo and he reckons he has put on similar heads/gearbox's onto stihls before with no pin hole, 1 time ordered 2 at same time all in stihl packaging 1 had a hole 1 didn't.

 

I'm guessing being an ex council strimmer it may have had another head/gearbox put on it at some point.

The only thing he suggested was sometimes u can get a screwdriver in next to the blade but thought the same as me that how well worn the grease bolt head is they have been taking it of with combi spanner and sticking something into shaft to secure it

 

He reckoned it would be a new gearbox it needed but looking around the 100ish quid mark, which is wot i paid for the strimmer anyway. So a cheap enough strimmer i can afford to spend a bit on it if i have too

If it keeps on running fine might be worth putitng it on, but like i said it won't get a lot of use really

 

Just wondered if any other folk had came across similar problems?

[GardenKit]

I have never yet seen a head with no hole, but they can be difficult to spot at times if you are not used to the machine and the hole is blocked solid with crud.

 

But I often get machines assembled without the locking flange. One way getting the head off is, as Stephen says, to take the hacksaw to it. But a neater method is to remove the gearbox from the tube.

 

Take the drive shaft out of the tube and insert it into the head, then clamp the shaft tight in a vice. Next, find a way of also locking the gearbox to the vice, or at least stop it turning, so that the shaft and gearbox are effectively locked.

Then you can undo the plastic head quite easily.

 

With the head and flanges off you can clean, and inspect for locking holes and notches.

[Stephen Blair]

I never thought of that, I lost patience and just attaked mine. The head was knackered so I wasn't fussed. I will have the same problem when this head wears out at the bottom but at £22 and something I use for 20 mins a fortnight throw the summer I can live with that!

[GardenKit]

I never thought of that, I lost patience and just attaked mine. The head was knackered so I wasn't fussed. I will have the same problem when this head wears out at the bottom but at £22 and something I use for 20 mins a fortnight throw the summer I can live with that!

Believe me Stephen, I destroyed several until I took a step back and thought about it a bit more.

[drinksloe]

Is that not sort of the same as taking the grease bolt out and sticking something into the gear box while the head/gearbox is still attached to the shaft?

When gear box still on shaft its anchored so just have to try and get the srewdriver to 'bite' without causing any damage

 

But even doing it the way u describe Garden kit won't be ideal for shaft or gearbox for damaging them or are they pretty sturdy really?

 

Mibee getting my terminiolgoy muddled up to sort of calling the 'head' and gear box the same thing as got a blade on at moment.

 

With the blade its not so bad when just the final tighten but is worse when blade is slack but the locking nut is still on the nylon so needing a bit of pressure.

So outside the box thinking

If i replaced the locking nut with a non locking would the blade stay on or would it just go slack immediately. Got feeling it would be a disaster waiting to happen but would the direction of spin keep it tight?

 

I'm the same as u stephen doesn't do thst much work to justify better 1, a couple of 20min bursts and a few half day efforts althou cutting some pretty thick stuff scrubby type stuff at times.

Most powerful strimmer i've had and been impressed with it so far