Trailoftears

No particular dog in this race! I've run dozens of 2 stroke small-engined machines over the last 40 odd years-mainly stihl and kawi machines.Often run hot and hard for extended periods commercially.Always used stihl red mineral oil @50:1 with no issues I could discern.Occaisonally had carbon breakaway shorting the s.plug intermittently at full speed on high hour stihl clearing saws-no big deal tho.As machines get more expensive and less tolerant re:E5?Changed to the semi synth stihl super green oil @40:1,again,no great differences noted commercially,I wouldnt use the stihl ultra just on price premium tbh.The super if bought at 5 litre quantity,pretty much compares to the price of a single litre price of the mineral oil anyway,and hopefully is a 'slight'upgrade.

The conifer hedge issue can have a few different causes-overspray from oil tank filling in windy conditions/slightly overdeep cutting/ harsh or salty winds.The most likely issue is dryness at the rootzo es+adelgid/aphid attacks.If it spreads along the hedge-your'e buggered.If it stays static sympathetic trimming around the area when routinely trimming the whole hedge (late Sept) will encourage eventual closure-and shoots coming thru the dead zones are precious.But it can recur/spread/pop up in other areas too.

(Bad piccies) of my pair of coloured bramleys hugely reduced.When I went back,astonished to find the couple who owned the garden had spent close to 2 full days chipping up the HUGE amount of waste with a bosch domestic shredder.V.impressed but also slightly horrified!

The little petrol makita is great,and as little as its displacement is-22.5 cc?It becomes quickly apparent that its a LOT more powerful than the makita duc 254.But both have their roles/strenghts.

Glad you like them but the weight of 2 5amp batteries sucks the joy out of the battery experience for me.One honourable exception is the 36v makita leafblower given how it sucks up/needs the 2 batts,but then, you carry that weight with a vertical extended arm,so the extra weight of 2 batts is ok.Saying that,due to my peevishness with blowing down a 600 metre drive then finding I need fresh batteries (inevitably as far from the car as poss),Has led to me buying a little 4/ mak petrol blower!

Well to be honest I find it hard to love the mak.36v tools whether that be the traditional woodwork tools or the outdoor horti tools.One of the big issues with me is if I go battery over petrol,Is I expect a meaningful weight-saving advantage,which the 2 battery system kills.I've gone down the route of buying 5ah batteries when flush/also copies so just keep about 8 4/5 amp batts in my car when working.I did buy the 36v mak.tree surgery type saw and it dawned on me it was heavier/weaker than stihls cheapo petrol saw,so sold it straight on.For up in a big bramley tho, the little 18v mak duc 254 is perfect for removing the bulk of crowns followed up using the tiny petrol makita petrol to cut your way down logging as you go.But each to their own.I'm no tree surgeon/rope guy thats for sure,but in a big bramley crown as long as I start as high as the initial cut and travel down I'm happy enough.Getting the big top branches down/out is usually the major hassle I find!

I will take some piccies tomoz if poss-follow-up visit to deal with the absolute chaos of a large lawn area left strewn with God knows what volume of large apple tree branches by my good self-more work/time to process/burn the debris than pruning 2 large overgrown trees-aint it always the way!

Its true,so,so many customers just cant be arsed to harvest/use their apples,it does my head in when you arrive to do a half hour lawn cut which turns into an hour job due to apple raking/dodging wasps and going home smelling like a confirmed alky cider drinker!

Being a general landscaper, during the earlier quiet months of the Year I've developed a round of hard fruit tree pruning from the turn of the year up to the end of March.Mostly over large bramley type Apple trees.I tend to cleanly take off the top third or so.No stubs or possible vertical growth areas left.So involving taking out 4-6" main trunks cleanly down to lower arching down branches.This spring the ideal combo strikes me as the 18v makita battery saw (duc254) for swiftly taking off the unwanted heads off the tree for say,up to 3" or so.Then to cleanly remove the main trunk areas,the makita Dcs230T little petrol saw really comes into its own-tiny/light but with patience will cheerfully cut through 5"+ gnarley apple trunks.I find the worst part of jobs like this is getting the major cut branches out of the tree canopy.The lower areas I tend to leave alone as much as possible,apart from the obvious slight shortening/spur reduction/dead/diseased removal etc.Then hopefully you leave behind an accessible reasonably lowish fruit framework for your customer with the easy future job of removing opportunistic basal shoots off while soft.

Yep,I did include stihl as a make with no real issue.But I've seen hedgetrimmers (correctly adjusted re: blade set+idle) for normal/dry conditions suddenly constantly run their blades when wet at a dangerous speed when constantly running in wet conditions.Obviously extremely dangerous.All my kawasaki branded machines will/would certainly do it regularly in wet run state.

One issue with using hedgetrimmers in the rain/on a wet hedge is that the blades will 'run on' after releasing the throttle trigger due to the rain lubrication which is potentially dangerous.Its often a good idea to temporarily tighten up the blade fixing bolts to stop the run on for safety's sake.With stihl models,they are internally spaced so cant be done.

Sounds VERY trying ☹️ Bit of a wildcard but nothing to lose,try the later recalibration- STIHL M-Tronic technology is designed to make sure that your tool delivers an optimum performance, all day, every day, by making automatic adjustments to regulate the fuel and air mix to the machine. However, there are a couple of instances where you may need to reset your M-Tronic machine. Firstly, if you carry out any work on the fuel supply system, such as changing a solenoid valve, replacing or cleaning a carburettor or even just replacing an old fuel filter, you will need to do an M-Tronic reset. For newer M-Tronic machines (such as the MS462 chainsaw) the process is different so check your Owners’ Manual to make sure that you are following the right procedure. The procedure for newer models is listed below: Remove the scabbard Ensure the chain brake is engaged (on) Put the machine in the ▲ Cold start position Start the machine and run it in the ▲ Cold start position for at least 30 seconds but no more than 60 seconds (the period marked as A in the diagram below) Do not touch the throttle or accelerate the saw during this time Disengage/release the chain brake Open/squeeze the throttle fully for at least 30 seconds (B in the diagram) Engine speed varies noticeably during calibration As soon as the engine speed drops noticeably (C), release the throttle back to the idle position When the engine is back to idle speed, engage the chain brake and switch off Your saw is calibrated and ready for operation

Basically, these 'new' stihl branded mowers are simply re-branded versions of their old sister company/subsidiary viking range which were marketed as 'high-end' domestic mowers.They at least seem to have learnt one important lesson-you can (possibly),rebrand/sell much the same mower range as you did 5 years ago but DITCH THE SHITE B&S motors.

Interesting looking 'up' into the nxt series of stihl mowers-series 4-same engine/plastic decks+a smaller cut too.Interesting 'upgrade'!

I may be wrong on this issue but gradually easing into makita o.p.e tools which are rated afaik as showeroroof-xpt standard.Personally they go under cover/into the car during lunchtime/ thundery downpours etc.Cant honestly comment on other makes in fairness.I do note all other trades equally panic on new builds in wet weather conditions re: drills/impact drivers/circular saws etc,whether xpt rated or not.

I can only refer you to pleasants earlier reply.Battery tools are basically electric tools, heavily vented due to potential overheat issues.I'm glad they work for you.Personally,I would feel no confidence in exposing electric motors exposed to heavy rainfall in hostile environments.To put it another way,leaving aside plugs/socket connection issues.Would I go out with an electric motor in a huge downpour-say a drill,or impact driver?Not a chance tbh.But again,glad it works for you.

Battery powered tools are a whole different ball game imo.In spite of owning many makita battery-powered o.p.e.which I believe are rated as 'shower proof',As soon as it drizzles,I immediately suffer a panic attack/get them straight back in the car due to not only the mech cost,but also the horror of lion battery costs too!Not an issue that those that evangelise the brave new World of battery tools tend to dwell on frankly.But given the purchase costs-you'd do well to factor it into your purchase decisions.

I'd not fret too much about the rain tbh.A decent Honda based mower has the sp.plug well-recessed so when hot will laff in the face of rain (unlike kakky briggs engines which leave the sp.plugs obscenely exposed).As to hedges when wet-rake/bash them over with a lawn rake to force them to shed rain pre-cutting.A decent stihl b/cutter wont even notice rain-well-sealed sp.plug,also the wet cools the gearhead.If you must leave them out,say over lunch-up end a bucket over your hedgetrimmer/brushcutter engine.As to your mower,place the grassbox o er the engine over lunch/work gaps-better still,just drape a tarp over the m/c.

I'd not fret too much about the rain tbh.A decent Honda based mower has the sp.plug well-recessed so when hot will laff in the face of rain (unlike kakky briggs engines which leave the sp.plugs obscenely exposed).As to hedges when wet-rake/bash them over with a lawn rake to force them to shed rain pre-cutting.A decent stihl b/cutter wont even notice rain-well-sealed sp.plug,also the wet cools the gearhead.If you must leave them out,say over lunch-up end a bucket over your hedgetrimmer/brushcutter engine.As to your mower,place the grassbox o er the engine over lunch/work gaps-better still,just drape a tarp over the m/c.

Not sure if this helps you but there's different procedures for recalibrating/resetting mtronic versions/software vers.Is yours a v.3 for instance?

Interesting debate.I have a vintage 038 dating back to say,the early 80's? And it was classed as a 'farmer/landscaper' saw back in the day-i.e. a stihl budget saw- super farm boss type.I also own a newish ms261 ' pro' saw too+a ms441 pro saw.The old 038 is crude by today's standards I guess,but incredibly robust,with a forever filter,both sides of the case magnesium.Solid metal wrapover metal handle.It will start on a sixpence even after sitting under my workbench partially filled with no use for 6 months.The 261 is lovely too,but much more plastic involved,less magnesium-plastic starter recoil cover/handle,also the air filter isnt as good/cleanable either.Progress?The ms441 weighs the same as the old 038 and is about 5cc's more powerful with various luxuries-decomp valve etc,but quite bulbous I would say.My conclusions?Stihl made effin good saws back in the day and the old budget saws can hold their own-and more with today's pro versions.Be interesting to see will my 261 still be running like a mad dog in 40 odd years time....The 038 certainly does.

Yep,the gx engine in my book is one of the finest small engine units money can buy,If you ever bought a generator-thats the engine you want to see on it.Q..shocked Honda are withdrawing in the U.S.A.,where their engines/mowers sold pretty well-environmental issues/fines I guess?

I fully agree having a honda unit bolted on your mower is a great basis for longevity.You will tend not to find the GX ohv unit on any but the top price mowers.But the domestic gcv ohc unit is tried and tested on an innumerable amount of mowers of all brands.while its always a good plan to regulary oil change,I believe the GCV engine has an internal belt bathed in oil-so v.important to watch your oil level/qualityI would imagine.

Just for anyone looking for a decent pro backup mower.Theres a lot to like about the stihl 253 t s.propelled mower.Light as a feather with a tin/steel deck,20+" cut,also a brisk forward speed.Theoretically at least it can be found for a sub £400 price which I find acceptable.Also has single point height and a readystart engine.box has full indicator-which works. (thankfully no longer a b&s.'engine').Ideal for domestic use too+useful for biz use where steps/narrow access is a problem.Its 27 odd kgs-compared to my kubota kazz mower of 63kgs its like using a childs pram! One or 2 faults-the solid box @50l is undersized,also the clip together box needs a couple of.s.tapping screws to keep it strong. Overall tho,its decent value for a budget mower.Just change the engine oil@5 hours/then 10 hours and you should get a few years out of it!