Cowracer
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# Posted: 31 May 2022 03:49pm - Edited by: Cowracer
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So I needed a weed-eater. I have a battery powered one at home that does the 'home' job nicely. But at our lake property, it just wont cut it (pun intended). The previous owner let some parts of it get overgrown, and I wanted to see if I could find one that would help me reclaim it.
I researched for a while and almost popped for a Stihl FS65. However... My buddy has one and while it's called a brush cutter, it's pretty lame as one. Its a kick-ass weed-eater, but its under powered for really getting in the brush.
I stumbled upon a Chinese one called a Huyosen on Amazon. As a rule, I buy American, but I can't find one with more than the 27cc that the Stihl had. The Huyosen is a whopping 57.1cc, and I took the chance and ordered one for about $250.
First off, throw the manual away. Its worse than useless. It assembles easy enough for anyone who ever seen a weed-eater. While you are trashing items, discard the shoulder harness. It might fit if you are 110lbs and 5'2". I am neither. I fashioned a shoulder strap out of an old tool bag strap and it worked well enough, though I will make/get something permanent.
On putting it together, I realized that this unit is pretty high quality. The castings look nice and finished. The plastic covers fit well and were substantial. The controls felt good. The engine is rubber mounted. The shaft connector has a positive engagement pin that I appreciated. It came with a rather complete set of tools in a zippered carrying bag. A nice surprise, for sure.
There's no primer bulb, so it took a bit of yanking to finally pick up fuel and start. Holy hell, this thing sounds like a Stihl Farm Boss with a trimmer head. A few minutes idling to break it in and warm up, and I hit the knee-high+ grass/weeds on the clear part of the property (I have not had a chance to mow yet this year). Seeing how I am a man of danger, I decided to forego the safety cover over the line. If you do so, have a full on face shield ready. Safety glasses aren't enough. I had trimmings in my nose, my mouth, my ears. Basically every exposed orifice of mine got grass in it.
This thing is an absolute BEAST. I am used to regular weed-eaters that can only let out about 4 inches of string on either side. Without the guard, this one easily will let out 8 inches on either side, and it has the power to swing it at the proper speed. It chewed thru the weeds so greedily, that I just mowed the whole lot with it, rather than just knocking down the weeds so I can use the push mower. It took a couple times to get them right, but once adjusted to my frame, the trimmer is very well balanced and easy to control. It's controllable enough that you cant tell I mowed with a weed-eater, other than the long scrim left on the grass.
It came with a steel 3-blade brush cutter which I have yet to use. I ventured into the lighter brush with the string trimmer head on it, and it did well, but the supplied string is pretty flimsy and I went thru it quickly in the brush. Reloading the string was easy, and required no tools. I have no doubts that the 3-blade head would take down branched to about 2". I'm sure an actual chainsaw head would take out 4" trees without breathing hard.
Any downsides? just a couple. It's loud. Wear hearing protection. Despite the rubber engine mounts, it vibrates noticeably. It's pretty heavy. You'll get a workout. And it's hungry. Its a fuel hog, but I guess that's to be expected with nearly double the engine size compared to what I am used to. Also, it does not come with any oil, and it states use 40:1 at minimum, but recommends 25:1 for best engine life. All I had was 40:1, and it seemed to be fine.
Overall, I am pleased with the initial quality and build of this unit. If I get 3-4 years out of it, I feel it was worth the money.
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