Lawn mowing is one of the favorite activities of countless hobby gardeners. Once the surface has been trimmed, it's time for the far less popular secondary work, above all edge trimming. A lawn trimmer provides valuable help and saves laborious manual labor on your knees. However, to ensure that you enjoy it in the long term, you should know how to change the thread easily and safely and what is important when adjusting the thread. Our guide explains.
Grass trimmer thread
A lawn trimmer with line is great for trimming the lawn edges. But even such a thread wears out over time. Often the thread only has to be readjusted. But once the spool is empty, you should change the entire thread. Here you can find out how to adjust and change the line of the grass trimmer.
adjust thread
First, let's look at how to make sure you always have enough trim line while you're mowing. The nylon thread used is very resistant, but a lawn trimmer also has a lot of power. If you add the resistance of grass, weeds and thin branches, it is easy to understand why the cutting line wears out over time and becomes shorter and shorter. In order to be able to feed additional cutting line without great effort, the devices usually have an easy-to-use mechanism. Since any power-driven device, regardless of whether it is petrol-powered or electric, always poses a risk to the user, this mechanism is designed in such a way that direct contact with the line spool is not required:
- Release the throttle so that the line spool comes to a standstill
- Press the edge trimmer with the line spool firmly on the ground to activate the automatic tracking
- Operate the gas lever so that the released cutting line can be fed out of the spool by centrifugal force
- Length limitation of the suture to working length over the protective cover of the suture circle facing the operator
Causes for faulty adjustment function
Adjusting a thread that is too short is therefore basically very easy to do. However, it can happen again and again that the automatic function does not work or only works insufficiently. There can be different reasons for this. They are usually very easy to fix yourself:
1. Pollution - Line spool or tracking mechanism clogged with lawn clippings, soil or dirt
Remedy: Open the bobbin, unwind the nylon thread, clean the components and rewind the thread
2. Thread output jams - this can be the case if the bundle of threads is wound up too tightly, or if the thread winding is too loose (then mutual blocking of the loops slipping over one another)
Remedy: Unwind the cutting line and wind it up again
3. Thread diameter too thick - causes it to get stuck in the mechanics and not run out cleanly
Remedy: Determine the thread size according to the instructions or the manufacturer's information and install the correct size
4. Coil damaged - Mechanics damaged by stones, wear and tear or similar
Remedy: change the coil and replace it with a compatible new part
danger: Before carrying out any work on the grass trimmer, make sure that the device cannot start up unintentionally. It is necessary to interrupt the power supply, i.e. to pull the plug or remove the battery. In the case of petrol-driven devices, on the other hand, the spark plug socket should be removed to prevent unintentional starting!
change thread
At some point when working with the lawn trimmer, there comes a point where it is no longer possible to readjust the line despite the automatic tracking system. Then the limited supply of the coil is used up and must be replaced. There are now two different approaches that depend on the grass trimmer used:
Changing the disposable spool
It is particularly easy to change by hand if it is a device with a disposable coil. Then the entire coil is simply removed and replaced with a new one:
- De-energize the device or pull off the spark plug connector
- Press in the opposite buttons on the side of the line spool
- Remove and discard the old coil
- Put on the new coil and press in until the retaining tabs or pins snap into place
- Check the coil for correct seating
- Remove any protective covers, foils, etc. over the thread outlets
- Put the grass trimmer into operation and set the line head on the ground
- Check correct thread ejection
Refilling the line of a reusable spool
It is a little more work if the lawn trimmer is equipped with a multiple-use coil. Then the old coil is not simply exchanged for a new one. Instead, the existing coil is "refilled":
- Pull the plug, remove the battery or pull off the spark plug connector
- Open the line head by pressing the opposite buttons on the side
- Remove the cover and remove the empty spool
- Take the new trimming thread twice and kink at one end (corresponds to the middle of the thread).
- Hook the kink of the thread into the guide of the thread spool
- Wind the double thread clockwise with the thread ends guided parallel
- Insert the line ends into the corresponding slots or openings in the line head and guide them outwards
- Reinsert the coil and close the cover
- Put the device into operation and check the automatic tracking
tip: Do not leave more than 10 to 20 centimeters of cutting line protruding from the spool at the end. Excess thread is cut off anyway and is lost for use. If too much thread is cut off, the flying piece of thread can cause painful injuries.