OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Edgers Two Stroke Edgers Poulan, Any good?

Picked this up today, a poulan edger.

I had $10 to spare, and was looking for something new to me!

Anyone know much about them?

I've had one of their chainsaws, but that is the only Poulan product I've had. The chainsaw was just about new, and it was OK - slightly tricky to tune, but otherwise good. Unfortunately I only had it a couple of months when a nearby resident decided he'd rather have it, plus all of the tools etc. on the farm - and broke in and took the lot, taking my big four-wheel trolley to convey it all away. Over the following five years the same thing happened another six times. By that time he'd taken my caravan, ag bike, backpack sprays, inverter, battery chargers, etc etc. Then when he brought his tilt-tray tow truck in and stole my front-loader/backhoe, I finally called it quits and sold up.

I had a poulan chainsaw as well, one of those $150 bigW cheapies, it was great until it grew a set of legs one night. Was awesmoe for picking up wood from the side of the road. always went on the third pull from cold and went like a soldier!

Well I'll clean this one up, and see how i go.

I also noticed a line trimmer with the same engine, but I'm not sure how many more bent shafts i really need.

I don't think I've ever seen an edger based on a line trimmer, Ty. How does the cutting head work, and does it have a wheel to roll along the kerb, to set the height and help it stay straight? I haven't yet found an edger that I find convenient to use. I have a big Alroh Imp that is great for straight lines, but eats a lot of concrete on curves, plus a bent shaft line trimmer that doesn't really cut kikuyu and takes way too long trying, and I used to have a Bosclip that used up blades like a line trimmer uses cord, but I'd rather find something simple that actually works.

Hi grumpy, slightly off topic; but speaking of edgers, you should try a Victa (full crank) Tilt-A-Cut; great for straight edging and set it on tilt for going round curves.

Deejay, I agree about the off-topic part, but I don't see the Victa edger as the complete answer. It seems like a compromise. The Imp is better on the straights, because it has the cutter at the midpoint of the wheelbase, and has a long wheelbase and a huge cutting diameter (about 18" - I haven't measured it) so it gives a straighter cut-line without trying. The Victa is better on curves, because of the small cutting diameter and the tilt, but there is a problem in tracking because it cuts up near the front wheels, and the back wheels make it difficult to follow the curve accurately except by lifting them off the ground. The Imp has very precise depth control, and I don't think the Victa does because of the cutter being way out front. Perhaps the best features of the Imp are the Briggs engine - I don't like 2 strokes - and the swing-over handle so you can choose whether to run the wheels along the concrete or the grass. One odd-ball disadvantage of the Imp is the cost of blades. They are quite durable except when you put them to work eating concrete, but at that point they shorten fairly quickly. Since you use them in pairs at $6 each, so far as curve-cutting is concerned, the Imp is just not the right answer.

Never tried either of my victa TAC's on corners, my place is all straight lines..... I have a wide disc type blade on mine, it has lasted a good couple of seasons so far but I think I would be lucky to get 5 years out of it. I do get the wobbles up though and hit the cement a bit

Is that when your having a swig on ya stubby, Joe?

During summer mowing the lawns comprises of lots of stubbies

Last time I used the edger was just after I had given up the fags and was on edge litterally! anyway

I find that an edge now and again with whipper snipping inbetween gives a good result for me

So far, i can say it certainly different to what i have worked with.

Particularly the fuel section.

Standard walbro carby sits in a box that takes air from the side, rather than fuel injection via a normal primer bulb directly to the walbro, there is a separate trigger operated pump on the tank, which pumps to little bladder housing above the carby, that is vented to the intake after the carby!

The muffler is held on by springs, and jammed into the coils of these springs is smaller springs that hold the muffler cover over.

Although an extremely small engine in a little housing, it still has a nice little centrifugal clutch, and a reasonable little tank hidden away in there.

The throttle linkage from the trigger fits carefully between the flywheel and engine, running just beside the crank.

I'll grab a few pictures when i get a chance (may not be till next week, as Elysia's grandfather has had a stroke and we are on the road to Dubbo tomorrow morning, getting home Sunday evening)

It really is an odd little engine, but interesting to work on!

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Sadly, I have now noticed the post on the side of the cylinder, that the coil bolts into, has snapped clean off, so this one is on hold till i pick up a new cylinder (i know where a few of these engines are, so i will grab one next time I'm there)

This one will be back, although the engine was badly damaged in the end, I found an older, but seeming suitable engine from a Poulan trimmer, which I got for $10 at Tiny's.

I need to do some slight modification to the drive end, as the cable tip is different between the two, but it should be able to do the Job.

I'll get some photo's up soon of the new engine, and the shaft (which is all I saved of this during the move)

Here we go, New engine, and the Edger shaft, just need to make them talk to each other now, and all will be well.

(Well, I may need to also make the engine go, but I'll get to that in good time)