Yes it will fit MF - any new attachment will - blower, chainsaw, hedger, etc. However, don't know how well the engine would power them - the ryan having the different torque characteristics to the newer 25.4cc screamers
I love the Ryan engines - I think I have about 10 of them
I loose track of the names - lawn hornet, grass scorpion, grass wasp, etc but from memory - 2x 1984-5 RGH600 Grass Hornets with clutch, 1989 Green clutched (issue with reed valve), 1990 grey clutchless, 1991 clutched, 1991 Stihl fs36 (same engine but is being a P.I.T.A), 1998 MTD clutchless LT31CS, early 2000's Bolens straight shaft bull handle brushcutter, and a similar Yard Machines brushcutter with AST spring start
Plenty of toque down low and easy to start - only 3 or 4 goes most times - except for the AST one which can be annoying
I got this email from Ryobi when I inquired a year ago - just wanted to see if they had any of the old manuals etc - I suppose we should call them MTD Ryan Engines
I remember when I first saw these green Ryobi trimmers in the 1988/89 period there were three main levels. The Lawn Hornet which were everywhere, including Target which had the least flashy engine fairing with the on off toggle switch attached to the engine block and no primer bulb, bent shaft. Then we had the Weed Hornet with bent shaft also, but more bells and whistles which I liked, and subsequently got my mum to buy. It had a metal J handle with comfy foam grip instead of the inner inferior simple plastic ring handle of the lawn hornet. The J handle made the machine very well balanced to handle. The feature which made me want to go to this model was a primer bulb (even though I find the lawn hornet I now use no problem without it on a cold start). The WH also came with a three prong brush cutter blade (which I never really used) and a more ornate and substantial looking engine cover with the on off switch attached to a more convenient location on the plastic cover. Then there was the straight shaft Scrub Hornet with an even more elaborate bar handle with the throttle control on the tip with a shoulder strap. The mid and upper tier models as well as the entry level Lawn Hornet were sold in more major department stores like Grace Bros (Myer equivalent). So many of these Ryobis were sold that years later, it was common to find them abandoned everywhere, often with minor issues to get them going. There were three abandoned in a lane way for years until recently without anyone grabbing them! Our Weed Hornet never failed to impress anyone who saw it in action with the abundance of apparent low end power and torque for them to see as it devoured the weeds on pathways in front of them! It was almost like showing of your latest car purchase!! I loved the looks on their faces when they saw it in action.
Since getting my professional grade Kaaz straight shaft 26cc machine, I really appreciated it's more high end power delivery and luxury smoothness, not to mention astonishing fuel economy.
The Ryobi is an absolute guzzler in comparison and the low end torque isn't ideally suited to weed wacking duty anywhere near like the Mitsubishi TU26. But the old Ryobi Lawn Hornet I have is much nicer sounding than this crude later build MTD whipper snipper I used one time. It was seriously crude and noisy compared the the TU26 Kaaz I had recently got at the time.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
The green lawn hornet is the one I have - issue with reed valve so whistles when running and pain to start.
The grey versions are still the most common at the tip still - mostly clutched with primer, some clutchless
I like the clutchless ones as I can use the low down torque to carefully trim at 3000 rpm around the garden beds without worrying about clutch burnout.
My experience with the later model 25.4cc FC Ryobi from 2015 is similar to your experience with your tu26 - fuel efficient, smooth, and the only trimmer I have ever used that will consistently start first pull from a cold start
Hi Tyler, I have never taken any notice of these Ryobis I have always just thrown them in the whipper snipper pile probably 10 of the Ryobi ones there. I started having a bit of a play and the motors don't seem to be the problem with them it seem the big thing that gets these dumped is the bump heads fail and they are rendered useless. Have you or anybody else tried fitting one of these manual type heads? I have ordered one to see if there is some way of fitting them. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Univers...Brush-Cutter-Brushcutter-ST/283529301084
Norm, I have seen some at the tip fitted with the manual feeds (Homelite type), but have never done it myself - the ones without the ramp in the middle can be a pain
Hi Tyler, the heads I am looking at use cut to length cords and then you just screw it back together and it clamps the cords. Has to be a million times quicker than trying to untangle the cord every time the bump doesn't work. I now have at least 6/7 running snippers but all have buggered heads and I believe that is why they were all thrown out, but with motors that were fine.
I now have 10 of these snippers running but I don't know how I can fit a manual head to them. The head problem is obviously why they were all dumped. I'm thinking I might be able to thread the shaft end and use a nyloc locknut to hold the head on. Just not sure if that will be good enough because the original heads have a hex socket end so it doesn't slip on the shaft
The beefy bump head on my Kaaz works like a champ and is much more convenient and less wasteful than manually changing pieces of line. I couldn't do it!
I know someone who's Dolmar bent shaft failed in the shaft, rendering an otherwise excellent engine dead weight! It's always straight shaft for me. It looks the business too.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Mf, Problem is I have all these running snippers , just without heads. I constantly get asked if I have any and I always just say no they are too much trouble and I won't mess with them as they look at the snipper pile and as if I can get one running for them. What I can't believe I have left a lot of them out in the weather never expecting any of them would run and now I have a pile of running ones all sitting here. Somehow I have to be able to fit a head to them
I hear that a lot around here; bent shaft trimmers going bad in the shaft, can anyone break that down for me? I have only had two trimmers in my life so far, both bent, and none have had any issue with the shafts.
Hey Norm, make sure those heads fit well. Wouldn't want one flying off through the neighbours window at high velocity haha.
Sapper - part of the issue is people confuse brushcutter with whipper snipper and flog the hell out of them - slam them into 3 ft high grass - head slows down then the engine puts too much torque on the flex line (effectively braided wire) and twists it - kink or snaps it.
The flex line has to turn in the curved shaft - extra heat, friction, wear. should remove it occasionally and regrease for long life really - usually 1, 2 or 4 bolts holding the shaft on.
Straight shafts have solid drive rod that drives the gearbox. Some have the flex line (like cheaper Ryobi), but as it is straight through there is less friction
I have a Talon here with one of the orbit trim metal heads - owner used it 2 times and kinked the cable, then a victa tornado which just plat out snapped - would take a photo to show you but it went in the last tip purge (the shaft that is - kept everything else).
By the way, the bolt thread on the bump heads is designed to tighten under turning of the shaft - so straight shaft bump heads unscrew the other way (as the gear head reverses direction) - so the likelihood of flying off is less. Something Mcculloch should have known - their blower almost killed me when the mulching blades shot out due to the bolt undoing when revved.
Norm, I can help with the fitting - I remember I have a Homelite HLT26 which has had a yellow aftermarket manual feed fitted - it has a sort of spacer cone with a simple bolt and washer holding it on - holds strong.
Will look for it tomorrow
In the mean time, the speed feed come with these things that screw into the ryobi thread, then you could screw the nylock onto the end - maybe use something like that.
Hi Sapper, What I am hopeful of doing is file a hex in the head to fit the hex on the end of the shaft then fit a grub screw through the head to lock it to the hex, then thread the long end to 3/8th whit and fit a nyloc on it. If all this goes to plan it should not be able to come off. Have to wait till I get a head so I can have a play with it. Hi Tyler, Not sure how all that goes together
Norm, this is the homelite I have. They have retained the top of the old bump feed (for a spacer, and just used a regular thread bolt to hold it on (with washer)
