GardenKit

Think we get one here in devon every year. Isn't it meant to be the full moon nearest the autumn equinox or something. It was spectacular though, especially with the clear skies that night.

Fair play Bish, and very positive comments. And don't worry about the TPH 200 hedgecutter, its fine on the TCG27.

There are a lot more dealers around than you may think Bish, but maybe not in your area, and all those who have bought from me have had hands on the product before parting with their cash. Have to agree that the documentation is a bit basic and model designations are lately confusing and not following a standard format, but that does not stop the machine itself from being brilliant. And, lets face it, the quality of the book does not really matter anyway, I will bet that 90% of the people who have bought from me have never even opened the instruction book! I have sold many thousand Tanaka machines over 28 years and have built the hand held side of my business 95% on Tanaka. It has proved ultra reliable, with a very low warranty rate and a very happy and loyal customer base. If I had my time over again I would change some of the things I have sold, but would stick solidly with Tanaka. I reckon your 2390 will grow on you and you will come to love it, especially as the performance increases over the first few uses. Keep us informed, good or bad.

Having checked the weight of the TBC2390 today, on some very accurate scales I agree with Bish's weight of 4.7kg. This is indeed a far cry from the stated 3.9kg in sales literature and the 4.1 kg in the operator book. But to be fair, it is still a nice, light and well balanced machine. I stated in the earlier post that the TCG 27 was a totally different machine and could not be compared to the TBC2390 (AKA TCG24ECP(SL). My statement was a little bit wrong as well as being a little bit right! It appears that there is another version of the TBC2390 (TCG34ECP) known as the TCG27ECP. However, this lightweight 27cc machine is not available on the UK market. The 27cc machine that is available in the UK is the TCG27EBS(SL) which, as I stated is a totally different beast. If you think these numbers are confusing, try being a dealer!

I have not yet found after market starters for these engines, although will be keen to hear if anyone does know of any. The genuine article is readily available from Mountfield dealers such as ourselves at about £121 plus vat, so as said, just under £150.

Wow!, thats a fairly deep appraisal of the machine, fair in some points and unfair in others. It must be appreciated that the TBC2390 is the smallest power, lightest weight and cheapest of the Tanaka brush cutters. But in fairness it does have the makings of a good machine and if it lives up to its predecessor, the incredible TBC230,then it will be probably the best the machine on the market. It is well put together, just as Bish says, with good plastics. The foam air filter has been used on Tanaka machines for many years, just as it has on Kawasaki, Zenoah and Makita machines and is perfectly good at doing its job. Its easily cleaned and cheap to replace, so no concerns there. The ignition switch is now a small rocker switch, and yes, it does look small and cheap compared to the earlier slide switch, but its no different to that used by Stihl on many of its machines. As yet there have been no issues with the switch, and at least when its off, its off, unlike the momentary switches which have to be held down long enough for the engine to stop. The machine is a Japanese engineered product, assembled in PRC, once again, no different to many other top brands, including Stihl, and clearly labelled on the packaging as such. The TBC2390 does indeed exist, I buy them by the pallet load. Although the Japanese designation is the TCG-24ECP, all models for the UK are labelled in the more logical format of TBC 2390 (Tanaka Brush Cutter 23.9cc) Bish's comment on weight is very interesting and I will be weighing one in the shop tomorrow. To be fair I often find errors in weights, on many brands, and usually ensure that I weigh them in their working state and only state that weight on my signage in shop, and on my website. I don't recall doing that on the 2390, so thank you Bish for reminding me. With regards to it bogging in long grass, well yes, of course it may. It is after all only 24cc. The rotary carb however need not cause concern, they are more reliable and easier to tune than any other type of carb and have been in use for decades on Tanaka kit as well as others. Max revs will be controlled by the load, and therefore vary with the type of cutting attachment fitted, as well as diameter and length of cord, so is impossible to state on any brush cutter. The TCG 27 machines are totally different, with aluminium clutch housings and tougher shafts, as well as heavier duty gearboxes, so they are a fair bit heavier. They also come with a 2yr pro warranty as opposed to the 90 day warranty on the 2390. I look forward to Bish's ongoing reports as he uses it over the next year or so. And as he says, the hedge cutter is really nicely made, with very high quality castings and Japanese steel blades.

Spray some carb cleaner directly into the carb throat with air filter off and then pull. Normally a saw will then start and run for a few seconds. This pretty well proves compression and ignition. Then it's time to work on the carb. Takes a few seconds to narrow it down like this.

The issue of 'weld fume fever', more accurately called 'zinc oxide poisoning', should not be taken lightly. OK, as said, you will not get it from a galvanised exhaust, but the effects from welding can be quite severe. Peatff is very lucky not to have been affected by it. I used to do a lot of welding and cutting of heavily galvanised materials and the effects were very unpleasant, causing the onset of symptoms like very severe flu within a few hours, literally knocking me off my feet. Full recoveries normally take place within a few days, but there are recorded deaths from severe poisoning. Take care and ventilate if welding galv, better still use a ventilated mask.

Unless its a very small tractor like an old MF135 then the scaffold pipe is going to be much too small and restrict the flow of exhaust gas, causing a back pressure which will reduce performance and increase emissions. Any joints in the pipe are going to leak gases big style and those gasses are going to be extra smelly. The exhaust gases soon cool as they expand, so feed the tractor exhaust into a large duct as soon as possible after the leaving the standard pipe using flexible hose as mentioned and keep the bents gentle. If using an extractor fan it would have to pretty large to shift the volume of gas. For example, a 4litre engine would exhaust 3000 litres a minute at 1500 rpm so an in-line extractor would need to shift more than that not to cause a pressure increase.

If the problem is truly a "misfire" rather that an erratic running then it is likely to be ignition related, and before messing with anything else I would simply replace the plug and see what happens. Failing that, I have had a few issues in the past with the camshaft lobes wearing which can cause timing issues between the valves and the spark. Not so easy to check though. Erratic running and 'hunting' are likely to be carburettor related and require a carb overhaul or new carb.

Indeed, the very early TBC2390 models were not CE plated to operate with a blade, but this was soon rectified and all current machines are CE plated to use a blade, and although they do not include a blade in the price, they do include the blade fitting kit. This is the lightest brushcutter on the market and is selling really well, particularly with the hedgecutter attachment. I think the key point here is in the wording "old tanaka". As any brushcutter ages, some wear will develop in the shaft bearings which allows the internal drive shaft to whip around causing vibration, so a manufacturer should not be branded by the condition of an old machine, but should be judged by the new machine figures. The new TBC2390 for instance, has figures of 5.2/5.9, far better than the similarly priced Stihl FS55R at 7.2/7.7 or the more expensive KM56 at 8.5/8.7

The TBC230 was an absolutely incredible machine which exceeded all expectations in terms of reliability and operation. It remained in production for around 12 years and the quality never dropped and they have been virtually trouble free. But the engine did not conform to the new emission regulations and so the TBC240 was introduced. There were a few issues with the first ones when worked hard, but these have all been attended to and the latest ones are fine, although a little heavier than the TBC230. So for those requiring a lighter machine, the TBC2390 has been introduced in the last year. Its too early to comment on its reliability except to say that I have had no problems at all yet with any that I have sold. However, the 2390 is not really aimed at the commercial market so I always try to sell the TCG27EBS (SL) to commercial users. It is a little heavier but is built to a higher standard and is supported by a 2yr PRO user warranty rather than the normal 90days. It accepts the TPH200 hedge cutter attachment. Hope this helps.

Although I agree it does not look right, and I would not be happy with it myself, I find it all a bit strange and look forward to the 'expert' opinion. It just cannot be bad steel, or bad galvanising. These trailers are not galvanised after construction. All the components are galvanised in batches and the various components will not have been done in the same batch. The heavy gauge chassis members for instance would have been dipped for longer than the thin sheet components. So if various parts were showing rust but others not, then it could be poor galvanising of a particular batch. Unless of course its just a crap galvanising company. I have certainly had some poor galvanising done in the past and had to try other companies.

Just to clarify, yes, Eddie has indeed resigned from his postition with Aspen. Eddie was the first representative employed by Anglo American Oil specifically to promote Aspen fuels to the dealer network. Eddie brought with him a wealth of knowledge on small engines having owned his own garden machinery repair business for several years, and having worked with various dealers too. He travelled the length and breadth of the country for around 3 years visiting dealers and attending shows and it is mainly due to his efforts that Aspen has become more popular with dealers and users alike. In the early spring of this year Eddie decided to leave his employment to pursue other interests closer to his home and young family. Two new reps have been appointed to cover the country and they started in April, but one of the guys has unfortunately been off work with a back problem for several months leaving some of the country without cover in the short term. Eddie took with him his wealth of technical knowledge which was helpful to both dealers and end users. To ensure continuation of technical help I have been appointed as Dealer Technical Consultant, a service I offer whilst still operating my own business. Should any Arbtalk members require assistance that they cannot get from their dealer please feel free to PM me. If its technical I will do my best to answer, or if its more general then I can confer with Axel to get you an answer.

Unlike lurkalot, and I am not trying to create an argument, I find OKO brilliant stuff and have used 100's of bottles of it over the years. I reckon on about a 95% success rate and am servicing tractors that I put this in about 15 years ago and no problems with rims or valves.(and no more punctures!) I have had problems with valves on machines where customers have used it themselves and not cleaned the valve stem out before reinserting the core though.

ASMotor also make similar machines to the Etesia, Grillo and Orec well worth a look ASMotor RideOn Brushcutters The Radio Controlled version in action

A dealer running out of stock has nothing to do with wether Aspen have a rep or not. We order another pallet by phone as soon as we are down to about 25 cans and it is always delivered in 48 hours. This is pretty well a weekly occurence. We only see a rep once or twice a year. Their time is best spent wooing new dealers.

Or try Tanaka. Excellent cut

Its just that most of the spark plug failures that I come across are on Champion plugs. Some manufactures still fit Champion as standard bust the majority use NGK.

I am right handed, so have a job getting my head around this left handed business, but I cant see why a left handed person uses a long reach on the left side of his body. When I use mine my left arm seems to be doing most of the work with my right just steering and triggering, so I would have thought this machine favours a left handed person? I have a left handed customer who insists he has to use his bike handled brushcutter on his left and then moans about burning himself. I just dont get this, his left hand is still on the left handle and his right is still on the trigger handle. But his left arm is stretched to the left because of the offset. I reckon the 90% of the population who are right handed should have a moan about RH drive cars, how the hell are we expected to change gear and use the handbrake with our left hand. Left handed people must be better drivers and have cheaper insurance.

I would expect one plug to be good for the season. Still worth trying another though. Oh, and only use NGK, never use Champion.

And.........the quality of steel in the Izzy is terrible. They rust through faster than any other mower I have ever serviced. I have had one rust out in only 6 years. It's a pity because they 're actually quite a nice mower when new. Dr

The Honda GC engines as fitted to the Izzy and many other makes of mower are highly thought of by many. I get many customers who will only buy Honda but in reality the GC engine is really no better than the Briggs alternative. In fact the Honda GC is very fussy on spark plugs and carburation, as well as diabolical choke/cable setting on the older manual choke versions. The more expensive GX engines are however brilliant and probably responsible for the great reputation that Honda engines have.

Before you get too carried away just got a new plug. These engines can eat plugs and backfiring is a classic symptom of plug failure.

This new look is really not that bad, just different. Its very easy to find your way round if you just apply logic and read the headings. The posts are neatly laid out and not too hard on the eyes. And it works well mobile. I just cannot see what all the fuss is about. Well done Steve, thanks for the effort, its a pity about all the negative comments from members who find it so difficult to use that they cannot stop posting their criticism.