Thanks AVB, what I find is usually these things are flogged to death before people want them fixed and they expect you can wave a magic wand over them and they will work like new. I admire your patience when you were starting out on them, that is my frustration with them, I can spend many hours and in the end not achieve much. I still hate them
G'day Norm,
I don't do work on other people's machines as a rule, but if I did, I'd refuse outright to touch trimmers that aren't both of:
1. Straight shaft;
2. A 'name' OPE brand - i.e. one that has commercial/contractor duty units in their product range. Echo, Shindaiwa, Stihl, Husqvarna, for example. These ones will at least have a decent design life, in the 2000hr+ range.
I recall that was Echo's standard chainsaw design life back in the 1970s, when the 'domestic' 12" bar 'pruner' saws then coming on to the Oz market had a design life of only 30 hrs!
Basically, by the time these units had worn out a chain, the bar [no Stellite noses on these cheapos] would be stuffed as well; and a quality bar, chain and clutch drum/sprocket would cost more than the saw's new price.