Planned Obsolescence?! Why Would STIHL and ECHO Do This?!
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- čas přidán 20. 06. 2023
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My name is Bre. I took two years of small engine repair at the local college. When I left school, I fell into a wonderful job at a local small engine shop where I worked the counter for a couple years. In 2010 my husband and I opened up our own small engine shop in central Arkansas where I am able to work alongside my family and best friends. We see over 2,000 pieces of small engine equipment every year, and answer 1,000's of small engine questions. We specialize in brands such as Briggs and Stratton, Kohler, Echo and Shindaiwa, but work everyday on MANY other brands like Stihl, Husqvarna, Honda, Craftsman, Remington, Red Max, Troy Bilt, Scag, Bad Boy, Hustler, World Lawn, Poulan, Mantis, Etc.. Hopefully, my experience I share, will save you Time, Money and Frustration in the future!
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Can almost guarantee it was not the Engineers that wanted this change, it was the bean counters. My experience in the auto industry, is that the bean counters win more than the Engineers.
If the company is asking for it they prob have to fo it, I'm n guessing at this though.
High! 😊
American consumers are demanding manufactures build cheap tools so they can stay comfortably blind to the devaluation of the US Dollar
Bean counters cost companies more money than they save.
@@dennislaws5187 Especially when it ends up costing them a fortune in warranty work.
I am a retired small engine technician.I sometimes work on equipment from my friends and when I run into something I have not seen I check your site for an update. You are a straight shooter and I appreciate it.
So that they throw it away and buy a new one
Simple preventative maintenance goes a long way on any piece of equipment. Thanks for sharing all the information you do.
Good video, I removed the grease plug on my two Shinduawa trimmers, drilled and tapped them for zerk fittings. One or two pumps from the grease gun periodically has worked well. They are about 20 years old and still going strong. I’m working on 5 acres which has to be cleared each season. Keep your great videos coming. Randy
I like that idea; sounds pretty simple to do, so I'm going to try it with the trimmer I bought last year. What's the worst that can happen? I'll need to buy a new lower shaft like she says? Worth a try. Thanks!
@@d.e.b.b5788 The worst that can happen: You blow out the seals on your hub. Mechanisms that have zerk fittings to allow you to pump grease in must also have a vent to let the old grease out on the other side. A hub like these does not have the vent, so when you pump grease in under pressure, it will have to find a way to let the old grease out.... thus damaging your seals. That is why these hubs do not have zerk fittings, you are supposed to just press the grease in with your fingers or a spoon, not under pressure.
Then why did older trimmers have zerks which worked without problem? If a missing vent hole is the problem (did the old trimmers have vents?) then it seems simple to drill a small hole in the appropriate area. None of my lawn equipment's zerks have vents--you pump grease into them until a little peeps out the seal. Presumably that's where the old grease eventually escapes anyway.@@JamieTransNyc
@@rcnelson Bushing (what I assume you are talking about greasing) and gearboxes are a bit different. You could do like you said and drill a vent hole, but you might still end up with too much grease in there and have it come out the seals once things heat up, or in a worst case, push a seal out of its bore.
I have never seen a trimmer with a zerk, just a plug you remove and stuff grease inside manually.
@@JamieTransNyc I assume they use lip seals to seal the shaft, they will work like a vent most of the time. Not ideal though.
When I get one of those without the grease plug, I simply drill a hole and install a typical grease zerk. Keep up the good work, I really enjoy most videos.
Exactly what I was thinking! That sounds like a simple fix.
That’s what I had to do on my own
Now I started drilling every one that comes in shop and zert installed
I really see our American companies are totally against US American people 😢
Same here.
Never mind, coffee just kicked in and realized they must be pipe thread tap. At least that's what the zerks look like that I have laying around.
Buying the units without the grease plugs only tells manufactures to keep building more of them. Vote with your Dollar and stop buying those units, and manufactures will stop building them without the plugs.
Probably a reason was they found out almost no one was greasing it, so they got rid of it to save a nickel.
Everything nowadays IS DESIGNED TO FAIL so they can FORCE YOU to buy a brand new one and keep their profits rolling in. If you want to know when an item will fail, look at the warranty, they have tested to the point they KNOW within a couple months the exact failure date and so they warranty up to just before that point. They were teaching designed obsolescence in the 80's in all colleges, this is not news.
And how, pray tell, do you believe they managed to determine this? It's not as if they are surveying customers or repair shops with questions about maintenance of their products.
Exactly what I was thinking.
@@Rotorhead1651 Well, the two units she showed were residential units. If it's an X Series it may be a different story.
Warranty claims go back to the manufacturer for tracking. No claims, no need for the grease plug.
Words can't express how much heart ache you saved me with my mower.
You should be very proud of yourself for always keeping it real! Great content.
I bought a pole saw and was so impressed with it that I bought 2 more for other properties I maintain. Basically I used the heck out of them until one jammed and made a horrible grinding sound. I took the unit apart and found the clearance between the ring and pinion of the drive gear was really large. Then ring and pinion was now dis engaging under load. This was mainly because the housing where the bearing seated was shaved so thin (possibly to save 1cc of plastic) that the hole eventually wore out. So I cut a piece of tin can to fit the hole an zeroed out the slop. Been using it for a year. Take that you bean counters!
As a manufacturing engineer, that is what is required of almost everything made. It's called: designed obsolescence. In college we had an entire course on designing for obsolescence after a specific time.
That's some immoral garbage to waste money and fill the world with more garbage...
@@DieLuftwaffel world is a business
@@DieLuftwaffel
It's not immoral, it's unethical. It's also been going on for many decades. My father taught me about the concept one day when we were out looking at new cars. That was back in the 70s, and manufacturers have been utilizing this since well before then. It's how they ensure that, sooner rather than later, folks will need to replace their product.
People should be ashamed for some of the junk they design now. Lubed for life stuff is a joke. Who's life, what life are they talking about. I recently bought a new pickup, I still have my old Ford. If I would of had the time I would much rather had my old truck totally refurbished than had a new one. The quality was much better .
@@Rotorhead1651 Designed obsolescence (or planned obsolescence, which is the more familiar term) to me is something engineers should not be taught. This is one of many reasons companies like Apple, Samsung and John Deere are getting a push back from customers for the right to repair the devices they bought.
My experience with universal joints is that the well sealed, non greaseable, OG, factory joints last 10 years. When people insist on greaseable replacement joints, they're never greased and they're back for new joints 2-3 years later. Introducing dirt and the wrong type of grease doesn't help the gear set.
A great point. I've seen this on my own vehicles even though they did get greased.
Had my Toyota Tundra for 12 years, 390,000 Km’s Greasable U-Joints. Never touched one, other than to grease them! New truck has them all sealed.
I don’t want sealed U-Joints
One of the reasons for NOT using greaseable U-joints is, Non greaseable u-joints are much stronger! As much as twice as strong, because of the hole that runs through the middle of them. I worked in race car prep shops when I was young and was told by factory reps., and an engineer. I asked, it seemed to make sense.
In this application where there is no void in the metal of the gears, it doesn't make sense to not have a way to conveniently grease the gears inside.
@@drummer0864 Your story makes no sense.
1 - How many broken U-Joints have you seen?
It’s a very rare occurrence, normally
damaged from lack of lubricant.
2 - Have you ever seen a gear in a U-Joint?
If you have, please send us a picture.
@@davehudson4607 Greaseable u-joints are cross drilled for the grease to get to the bearing caps. There for, they are not as strong as solids u-joints are. You can still grease them just have to take the out and put them back in. If gears were cross drilled they would not be as strong for the same reason. You brought up u-joints and I did not intend to confuse anyone making that comparison. Back in the 60's and 70's, I saw a lot of broken u-joints, as I worked in a speed shop that repaired and built drag cars. lots of muscle cars back then. I also worked in a repair/ gas station right on an interstate and saw a few there too. Those were mostly from lack of maintenance. Having a gearset that is not readily service with some kind of lubricant is defiantly a set up for failure. Just so you don't think I'm some nut job, all you have to do is be able to get the lub in the case and the gears will distribute the grease where it needs to go. They don't have to be drilled. Are we ok now?
No grease hole is needed. Remove the gear head and add grease through the hole used by the drive shaft. In addition, pull out the drive shaft remove the old grease and grease it up real good too.
One of my professors in a econ class was a lead engineer for GE ... I remember the lecture vividly . He talked about how GE designed refrigerators ... As an engineer they would start with a cardboard box, then they would ask themselves, what is the bare minimum that it would take to make this cardboard box into a refrigerator . He said, they would slowly add the bare minimum to the cardboard box in order to make it into something that resembled a refrigerator . He openly admitted that it was that absolute minimum at the least cost to GE . I think the same thing still happens today. Granted, I listened to this lecture 30 plus years ago .
Jack Welch who ran GE starting in the late 60's early 70's invented the MBA program to keep his many middle management people busy so they wouldn't think about the zero chance of getting promoted. I worked with several Ex GE managers who worked with Welch and none had anything good to say about him.
"Ben" the appliance guy, also on U-tube, said he met an engineer, whose job it was to deliberately skimp on quality, so the appliances would die. (I'm surprised he didn't belt him------I would have the impulse).
Every engineer wants to make that one awesome thing they can brag about. As a result, if they're not held in line, they'll make really neat things that no one will buy due to price and that will have lots of problems due to the complexity.
interesting.this probably applies to all products tbh sadly
Except that's not true, refrigerators made over 30 years ago when he worked there, lasted a lot longer than what you buy today, so they were not actually doing what he claimed, not very well/badly yet anyway.
However, even that is nonsense. He didn't "openly admit" as if you interrogated him, rather you are fabricating part of the story.
Further, no, "start with a cardboard box" is a concept for high school kids. Engineers designing appliances don't ever need to devolve that low in concept because they've already had experience working on appliances, so the more I think about your post, the more I think there's little if any truth to it at all.
For example, using the chassis as the frame to mount everything is a key design parameter, not at all like thinking in terms of a cardboard box. Maybe he wasn't really a lead engineer, or whatever the case, your account is implausible.
Greed never goes out of style. Take care of all your equipment. Don't give these companies a dime more than you have to.
Most of my equipment is more than 30 years Old, so when things break, I use my other Good Old Tools to repair everything I own. My craftsman tools were given to me in that gray Box, 50 years ago for Christmas. Kathy gave them to me. LOL and big smiles....
Except when you need new parts. Don't trust the knockoffs.
If these companies don't continue to chase pennies like this they go out of business. Free market IE globalist crapitalism for you.
I got an antique sythe sickle with two foot blade still works and sharpen when needed 😜🤔
Large land tracts no lawn mower 🤔
I just found your channel last night and I have learned so much in watching a few of your videos. Love how you describe what and how you repair equipment. You know your stuff. I do have a question but I want to make sure you get this message before asking it. Ty for posting and I love your channel
I can smell your store. Really! I was a customer service guy for the local small engine shop. The shelves, the inventory, the machines... What awesome memories and a beautiful video. Thank you very much for sharing this with me! Always, Andy
I figured out planned obsolescence years ago. Went to tech school for computer engineering and electronics. Doing all the different maths required it didnt take me long to figure out that you can literally design flaws into EVERYTHING. This is why things seem to start falling apart AFTER the warranties expire. Through math you can determine how long different materials will last under certain conditions. Doing this allows them to get folks to just replace an item when that time comes cause many will see the cost of trying to get parts and figure it just saves TIME as well as many just to buy new. Creating more sales in the long run. Vicious cycle for the consumer, a laugh all the way to the bank for the manufacturers.
Our society is built on the belief that there must be constant growth but now it's all crashing down. Whether it outdoor power equipment or car and trucks or human population growth, it's not going as planned. Companies will eventually not be able to have increased sells each year and company stocks won't always grow next year!!!
Why I became mechanic and fabricater
@@fastinradfordable
Old houses were built in the best manner possible. We can no longer be wasteful so quality will become more important again.
Could Chickanic punch a hole to add lube?
Consumerism was a mistake.
i've never bought a single thing based on the warranty, if your shit lets me down i'm just not buying it anymore. i don't need another garbage product to replace the garbage that just fell apart on me.
The grease plug was probably eliminated for all the reasons everyone is citing. However, the gear head is still removable and can be re-greased once removed...Maybe a little more cumbersome, but for those who do take care of their equipment, it shouldn't be a big deal. To be totally transparent, I've owned an Echo Trimmer for 20 years and never once greased the thing, but after watching these videos, I'll be getting at that task this weekend for sure!
Clearly you did not put many hours on it, BUT time by itself causes the grease to loose the oil base and become too thick. Now that the grease is 20 years old, you'd be best off taking the whole gearhead off, flushing out the old hardened grease with gasoline soak and a toothbrush, then doing a fresh fill.
I assume it happens quicker to commercial users.
Great tip regarding the grease head, I’ll be sure to look out for them. Also a great tip on just replacing the whole shaft
(love your channel) Cynical question...have they cheapened up the engines to the point their expected lifetime is equal to an unmaintained gear head?
Many years ago I was working a summer job at North American Rockwell, one of the guys I worked with, his wife was a secretary for one of the higher ups at Ford told me that the reason that Ford stopped putting grease plugs in u-joints was that they saved $0.15 per car, over the many cars they produced was a substantial savings for them. I'd say that the grease plugs were eliminated 1 for savings and 2 to sell more gearheads.
i absolutely love the way you explain many of these items, you have helped me a good number of times! Thank You!
I discovered the Stihl trimmer head pricing trick several years ago. I figured they would have figured that out by now and closed the loophole. Great videos.
I love your honesty and practical approach to companies efforts to stick it to the customer. Myself, I have had to fab grease fittings where they didn't exist. A lot of folks may not want to drill and tap, or have a shop of their own. I usually buy used, and go from there. Thank you for helping people deal with "The Man" .
Interesting about grease points. As you say grease points are good for long life of gears etc. For strimmers I have found that grease can be too solid to keep flowing between surfaces so I use the grease type that is supplied for constant velocity joints on cars. This grease is much more liquid and has a moly content to minimise friction. Only a small amount is needed.
I use my Stihl Trimmer and Blower at one (1) Residence Only and had a Variety of Issues over the past 12-15 years with both. Some were Replaced Under Warranty. 🤔
Smart young lady. Thanks for the truth so freely.
I like my old Green Machine that has a grease fitting in the gear head. Not just a grease plug a actual grease fitting. The whole trimmer is made by Zenoah in Japan. They sure don’t make them like they used too. Over 30 years old and still runs like new.
My Dad had a Green Machine. I used that thing WAY more than I wanted as a kid. Throttle on the handle, and gas primer sent gas straight in the ground.
Really good information. Something important, there are new greases being used. Electric motors are used in high dirt, dust environments and they last for decades. They use a special grease in all electric motors now, called "Polyurea" waterproof grease, not lithium grease. Polyurea grease lasts forever, it basically doesn't separate and dry out like lithium grease, so it's considered a permanent grease. If you combine Polyurea grease with proper Nitrile seals or some other really durable rubber seal, it would probably last forever, provided you're not in the desert with dry rock dust.
Thank you for both your knowledge and your honesty.
Great info! This is why I watch every one of your videos. Thanks for sharing.
My Stihl dealer/mechanic explained to me that the reason they went to non-serviceable gear heads was because people were over greasing the gearbox. They would try to squeeze in an entire tube when only a small amount is required. For lack of a better term, the gearbox would hydro lock and then grease would ooze out around the bearing seals which would lead to warranty repairs. That’s why they went with “lubed for life” design.
I was in industrial maintenance. Over greasing (over packing) bearings can easily shorten their life.
your stihl dealer/mechanic is just towing the company line. most people don't grease anything.
I grease and oil my shaft on my Echo every season. Never have problems. It's now 17 years old. Great video 👍
I’ve been greasing my shaft for most of 52 years and you better believe it still works😂.
@@andybecker2693 you'll go blind from what I was told lol
@@andybecker2693 You beat me to it (no pun intended). I was going to say the same thing, even have the age right!
Planed obsolescence started hundreds of years ago with lightbulbs.
Never visited this site without learning something. Great work and... Thanks!
Agree on the Speed Feed head. I fit them to all of my trimmers, not just the Echos.
What about a 40v ryobi? I bought one a month ago so it is the electric battery carbon fabric.
I replaced the problematic OEM trimmer head on my late Uncle's Honda trimmer. I liked the idea of these heads that I had a smaller copy variation on my MTD and other similar trimmers.
Bubba was going to the local convenience store for a 12 pack of Miller Lite, on his mower. As was mentioned in another comment, planned obsolescence = more new equipment sales and parts sales. Like the grease points on chainsaws, most owners don't know about the grease point on the trimmers. Or greasing the drive shaft.
Grease point on a Stihl chainsaw? Do tell!!!
Bubba probably was going for a 12 pack of Miller Lite..probably used to drink Bud Light, but not now!...😅
While I am just a home owner, I weed eat at least an hour a week, sometimes more. I have a Stihl trimmer from1998. Still runs, same head, never been greased. The only service was adjusting the carb maybe 3 times. I just don't see an issue. I have never greased my chainsaw bar either. I have ruined a couple bars getting pinched, but never replaced a sprocket. I grease my equipment, just not those parts.
I watched the video on the speed feed head and bought one for my Stihl FS55. Wow it’s the best! I’ve cut 12’ lengths from a larger spool and have them ready for the reloads. It has to be one of the best improvements anyone can do for a string trimmer! After over a year of use it works perfectly. Thanks for that great tip! ❤
I would try installing a zerk fitting like some of the others have suggested, With that done and adding a speed feed
head it should be smooth operating from then on.
In my local parts store I asked for grease zerk, He looked at me like I was crazy! I then said a grease fitting …. He could understand that.
I am 62. And still in the fight( Thanks To You) You are awesome
So happy to have discovered your site! Thank you!
OH YEAH! She hits nail on head - the industry, industries, are constantly busy looking for ways to "save costs"; only NOT necessarily for customers, but for the companies' bottom line, the CEO's, the management, and stock holders' pockets.
We oughta be mighty grateful for your advice on these matters, Chickanic. A little bit of "Uff da!" to the manufacturers for their shortcuts, too.
You made the old consumers' crusader Ralph Nader smile, on this one. 😉👍
They're not only cutting costs for them, but making more money at the expense of the consumer by making us have to keep replacing the crap we buy. They win twice and we lose because of it. Not only that, but all those shitty broken products end up in a land fill somewhere. It's bad for the consumer and the planet, yet they have the audacity to call themselves eco friendly, and feed everyone the lie that their new redesigns are improvements and helping the planet. It's bullshit and they're making things worse for the planet just because they want to make more money from us consumers. The sad part is that the masses of people are complete suckers dumb enough to believe whatever those greedy corporations tell them in their endless ads while they're in the process of ripping you off and destroying the planet. And yes our taxpayer dollars are also being handed over to them constantly. That's how dumb and clueless everyone is. It's absolutely absurd what our society has come to these days. Nobody seems to be able to pull their head out of their ass enough to wake up and smell the bullshit. Everyone is too distracted and divided by all the shit in the news and media that seems to repeat everyday. Nobody is focusing on the real and bigger issues while the greedy find more ways of milking us.
This is not done to save costs especially for the consumer, it is done to make more money off of parts sales, over and over and over. They are unashamedly screwing everybody for every penny they can get.
Greetings from Europe!🙋
I used to work for a STIHL dealership for 7 years and we were told that the lower range home trimmers (FS 55/56/70) should be serviced every year or so. Our workshop greased the gearheads by extracting one bearing. I think STIHL used the removal of the grease plugs on the lower range of trimmers either to promote their semi-pro (FS 89 onwards) range or to make more cash for their dealerships.
Could you/we not just install a service grease nipple?.. Anywhere in the housing,.. And we would be back in the good servicing track for these equipments?.
@@gorgon9786 technically, yeah sure, it's possible, but the regular Joe who's gonna buy the cheapest tool in the range usually lacks the knowledge, motivation and funds to improve it; at best they'll maintain it by the book (in most cases not).
It’s like with the Briggs “Just Add Oil”. The reason they do this is that 90% of people do zero maintenance so the bean counters saved $0.35 per unit. This also ensures that 100% will be dead within 5 years and don’t expect to get it covered under warranty. More planned obsolescence. I understand Stihl doing this but Come on Echo!
They saved more money than that. The biggest cost was probably due to having to scrap hundreds of parts every time the tapping machine's got out of adjustment(yeah, pipe threads are awesome until you're putting them into castings). A lot of money was lost due to having to recycle parts that passed QA after being cast but were ruined by the tapping machines. Another thing is that just-in-time manufacturing really doesn't like it when there's a random chance that thousands of parts that were supposed to be made in one day end up being delayed due to problems with a tappper.
I change my lawnmower oil every season and i put in husqvarna premium fuel for winter storage..... I've had it for 9 years now and it still runs like new.
@@ryelor123 : Production thread tapping is very different to hand tapping a one-off job. Factories use spiral flute taps that self-clear, and the machines are more consistent in speed and force than any human.
There's not much QA done in mass production factories now. Human process workers have been replaced by robots, so there's a lot less variation. In the 1960's and 1970's factories did a lot of check measurements at every step, and employed an army of QA chaps and their statistical tables of Acceptable Defect Rates and whatnot. If they were supplying to the military, the checking cost more than the making.
But when Japan lost the War and the USA had to move in and run Japan for a while for humanitarian reasons (and keep the communists out), they saw that Japanese factories were 40 years out of date and were making crap. So they brought in experts, and one of them taught the Japanese that it is better to design a production process that makes no defects, rather than use a process that has some randomness and you waste money on scrapping and fixing. The Japanese really took that onboard and by the 1970's were outcompeting the West by low cost defect-free manufacturing, even though their wage rates had got pretty high. This thinking has now spread throughout the West.
You may have heard an old story that did the rounds in the late 1970's. An American company decided to contract a Japanese firm to make a large quantity of widgets. The Americans in accordance with normal US practice wrote into the contract a clause that said that the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) was a 0.05% defect rate. When the first shipment of 10.000 widgets arrived, the Americans found that 5 widgets had been packed separately, with a little note ""These are the 5 defective items that you requested."
@@keithammleter3824 Thanks for the stories about Japanese manufacturing after WWII. My favorite was the last one about the 0.05% defect rate. 🤣
I did not know those were grease plugs. I learn from you! I appreciate you! I have phillips heads on my Ryobi equipment. I am going to try to grease it now. Thanks to you. I live and learn daily.
The Stihl Kombi I bought last year also has a grease plug, and the local dealer also had the grease for it in stock.
It didn't seem to be adequately serviced when I bough it, but a little grease was easily added.
I would guess that part of the reason for eliminating the grease plugs is that the majority of people never use them. Love the gray, by the way.
My first thought, too. Manufacturers do polls of both consumers and service techs. When they find that a feature is not being used, they eliminate it, especially if it saves them money. And if eliminating it results in more parts sales down the line, more's the better.
STIHL, and echo are not in business to sell parts they want to sell whole goods, Stihl Vowed to never sell out to box stores yet. I see it every day now.
Any thing they say is just like Putin word
Never seen Stihl in a box store and you can't buy them from their websites so not sure what you're talking about.
If no one sells, them except speciality stores, how did they "sell out"?
@@feliciasbeard just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean that it’s not happening. Do some research before you start bumping your gums.
😂 I literally pulled the ad for Stihl for this video from the Ace Hardware web site. Guess I shouldn’t had cut out the edges. 😂
Or was it Atwoods? 😆
That's what I love about this channel. She tells it like it is.
Have a Fs55 and could not find any grease plug, so after about 2 years, i took the gear down to grease it in the old way. Little bit of work, but i do that every 2 years. It took me like 15 min or so. Thanks for teaching, greetings from Germany 👍😘
I recently tried finding a fuel tank for an FS 108 brush saw, needless to say it's obsolete. I'll admit it is an older brush saw but hey she still runs like a champ. (no more air filters available either so I just made one out of a cheap sponge made from similar material)
I think they started this MANY years ago, now that you mention the fuel tank..ALL the manufacturers, from WAYY back when, decided to make the fuel tanks on trimmers from a material that CANNOT be repaired satisfactory with ANYTHING when they crack or a hole wears in them..nope, nothing works for long..JB weld, epoxy, even plastic welder, nothing..they always leak...then they charge you out the ears for a new one(I remember a new tank for a Green Machine was over $50 WAY BACK IN THE 1980's!)..then, when they become obsolete, you can't get a new tank, can't really repair the old one, and a used one off another model won't fit-not even close..so...time for a new trimmer!....
@@dyer2cycle You might try plastic welders again. I've repaired many small engine "plastic" gas tanks with a $12 Harbor Freight plastic welder...in just a few minutes. Granted...you need to learn how to use the plastic welder...there is a learning curve. Have used this plastic welder on MANY other plastic projects too. Oh..remember to wear gloves while using the HOT welder.
Haven't tried a HF plastic welder..might have to try that...used to try plastic welding with soldering irons, etc...I think most of those older tanks were nylon, seemed nothing would bond with them. I will say, glues, epoxies, JB Welds, etc., etc. are a complete wasted effort..they will NOT hold leak-free long term...@@thinking6307
@@thinking6307 good tip
@@dyer2cycle Have you tried Seal All? It is intended to be used on plastic fuel tanks
I sit in dismay after checking my brand new FS56RC only to find that she's right--no grease plug. Well as bad as that may be, it certainly illustrates why Chicanic is one of my two most important sites. Guess I'll just run it to the end and buy the fix if needed. Thanks yet again, Bre!
Drill it and tap in a grease zerk. I've done it to mine it's not hard to do
I wonder if you could take it apart and drill a hole to add a zerk fitting?
@@JimDean002 Nice to know that option is available. Thanks!
Surely since you bought some MotoMix when you bought your trimmer that 2 year warranty will keep you in gear heads 😄
OMG, I'm glad I stumbled onto your video (It was just a suggestion). I've had trimmers for 40 yrs and never knew there was a grease plug. Admittedly most engines died before the head so never was an issue. This time tho I got a 'expand-it' Stihl about 6 yrs ago so I'm going to find some grease. I also recently got a brushless Ryobi trimmer that has worked well so far and it has a grease plug also!! Gotta say THANKS!!
So I just learnt something new today. That little bolt on the head of my Husqarne line trimmer is a grease plug. Thanks!
Most 4 1/2" angle grinders use a pinion and bevel gear arrangement but I've never seen one with a grease port on it.
True but they tend to get fewer hours continuous use than a string trimmer in a commercial application. Either way, yes eventually you should take the head apart and grease it.
@@stinkycheese804 I dunno 'bout that. Grinding welds in a fab shop that grinder is going half the shift
My guess is that the vast majority of people don't grease them anyway so they may have improved the seals and removed the grease plug so that people don't mess with it. There are plenty of other applications where geared devices aren't readily greasable. Off the top of my head angle grinders are the most similar that I can think of.
As long as they're properly sealed there's no place for the grease to go. This is kind of like sealed wheel bearings. Unless a seal fails the grease will stay in there for the life of the bearing. And if the seal fails then filling it with more grease isn't really into you much good because the grease that's in there is likely contaminated and whatever you put in is just going to go back out through the failed seal.
Angle grinders fling the grease to the outside of the grease cavity unless the cavity is fully filled with grease.... and they never are. Always pays to open the gear box on the grinder and add grease.
Awesome help!! Thank you!
Thank You for sharing👍
Time to drill a hole where the grease plug is supposed to be and add either a short bolt for a plug or toss a grease zerk on there 😉
I am extremely impressed with your discussion of the missing grease plugs on new gear heads. I think if I ever really work with small engines your site will be a must-watch for my own education and understanding of current practices. I did watch this video to the end and it looks like you had some really scary moments. My suggestion is to never work alone and after dark in your place of business. Always have one or two others in the shop with you. I know you have to pay them, and perhaps as overtime compensation, but having others with you is really best. Never answer the door to a stranger after closing hours as well. Perhaps by appointment with someone you know, and with some helpers also in the shop with you, it is okay. But never alone. Never with a stranger. I once saw a sign on the back door of a Starbucks warning the reader to never, ever open that door during the hours of darkness for anyone knocking on it. I think that is good advice for any shop employee. There is much safety in a group. I apologize for seeming so lecturing.
That’s not even lecturing, that’s projecting your fears.
She's probably got a shooty thing anyway
Cool content . My brother had an Echo trimmer and that thing was a friggin beast ! It was a great trimmer .
A fellow Arkansan here, from Russelleville area. Really glad to find your channel. I’ll be going back and watching all your videos. Great stuff!
Good video. What I was hoping was an extension of the rant against no grease plugs was how to grease the ones that do have grease plugs. I see some comments below that speak about drilling it out and putting in a zerk. This is good but a 2 minute segment in your video on how to do this would have really been helpful. Some of us don't have tap and die sets in our toolboxes. Without the drilling and tapping, how do others grease their gear heads? I take out the plug, clean all the surfaces around the edges thoroughly, then just force my grease gun against the opening. I keep turning the head so that the cavity will accept more grease, or use a small screwdriver to tamp in the grease. With a well engineered piece of equipment like my FS94, why such a stupid way to grease the gear head?
For Stihl trimmers, their tubes of grease are made so that the tube simply screws onto the grease port. Squeeze the tube, done. Some folks object to the cost of a tube of Stihl grease. But if you grease your head once a year, that 80 gram tube of grease will last years and years and years. BTW, while you squeeze the tube of grease, make sure to rotate the head to help the grease work is way into all the nook and crannies of the gear head.
I pick up a 60cc syringe from a local farm or garden store and fill it full of grease. Usually the tip where you'd attach the needle is enough to get thru the hole so I can squeeze the grease in more directly than with just a grease gun. I've also at times used a short length of vinyl tubing that fit snugly over the tip of the syringe.
You can also buy various gauge syringe tips (not needles) to get into smaller holes. And in fact you can buy various attachments for your grease gun to serve a similar purpose.
@@Sylvan_dB Thanks for the suggestions.
@@MrLuigi-oi7gm Thanks. I did not realize Stihl had tubes of grease for this purpose. I've been using Stihl products for over 20 years and have not seen any tube grease products on the shelves.
I know where I live, most repair shops regardless of what is wrong charge 50% of the cost of the item needing repair. I think they figure that some will pay it others will opt for a new tool. I think most people shop price, and if they get a few season out of something and there's a problem with it, they just go buy the latest and greatest and go about their lives. I am blessed to have worked on thousands of pieces of small equipment where I worked, and that I have resources like you to keep me up to date. I buy better models for myself and because I can service them myself the overall cost is really low and the stuff lasts almost forever. But many others that have purchased the better stuff, but depend on the local shops for maintenance and repairs get a bad taste in their mouths because they get about the same amount of use before it and the cheap stuff needs attention the first time, so they take it in over winter when the places are looking for work and they get the special tune up special. $59.95 and all the shop does is blow the dirt off and stick a new plug and air filter in test run it and send it. Well if you have a cheaper unit that might as well be half or almost half of the price of a new one. So they buy a new one and leave the old one behind. The shop turns around and sells the old one and makes money on it and the sale of the new one. The person who buys the better equipment and pays to get it serviced each year ends up spending more over the life of the equipment because like I said the shops around here, no matter what is wrong try to charge about half of what a new unit costs. I sent someone in with a leaf blower that had a clogged exaust screen and that was all that was wrong with it. The unit itself was only 5 months old. I wanted to see what they would charge for. They got a bill for over half of the price of a new one. They replaced air filter, fuel filter,fuel lines, sparkplug, exaust screen, readjust the ecu and carburetor. They were beside themselves. I don't have the space to time to repair all the stuff that people ask me to do. I didn't realize how the local places were treating people. I wish I knew of a place near me to send people to that, does honest work. I am just glad I can still do my own stuff.
I work in this industry. Yes there are some shops like you say, but there are far more that are not that way. What many people who buy this stuff don't realize is the ethanol in the fuel. It destroys the fuel systems in these units and that is why all those parts need to be replaced. I have seen many a customer come back on year 2 complaining about running issues and come to find out they stored it with regular gas for 8 months. The dealers aren't doing this to screw a customer, its the reality of ethanol based fuel and poor maintenance by people who don't understand that yearly service is just one part of keeping a unit in good order.
Thank you so much for the second options. I will pass them along
If you ask you'll probably get the "party line", it's to prevent anyone adding an incompatible type of grease. Auto manufacturers did that years ago, eliminating grease zerks on ball joints, u-joints, etc. but a lot more work comes in to replace those parts when they wear out from not being able to be lubricated periodically.
Love that corvette,I had the same one when I was a kid,loved it
Thank you!
Very informative as always!!
I just got a new Stihl FS131R trimmer. It has a grease plug where you take out the screw and screw on the grease, like a toothpaste tube which is very convenient. My old trimmer was a straight shaft Bannerman BW-3 trimmer powered by a Kawasaki KT12 engine. I worked that trimmer like a dog, even clearing brush and trees up to 2-3 inches. I took regular care and greased the head with a screw in nipple to attach the grease gun. The Bannerman trimmer served me well as it lasted 40 YEARS! Your advice to grease the gear head is critical!!! Sadly, I needed parts that were extremely hard to come by so I made the decision to get a 4 mix that is better for the environment and quiter. The old trimmer needed a fuel mix that was 16:1. Thank you so much for your excellent channel and the candid advice that you promote!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I'm not a subscriber - yet, but I appreciate everyone of your videos that I watch as a former US Navy Seabee heavy equipment operator.
Thank you Bre,Again great content....................................................Fort Worth,Tx
I’m still push mowing the trim in my yard with a Honda from the early 80’s. It was freely given to me 15 years ago when a relative bought a new one. I’ve spent about $30 on it over the years. It is slightly older than I am, runs like a champ, has almost no rust where it matters. My relative has purchased 2 more mowers since I received it and I have at least double the grass to cut.
Great video i have a STIHL FS 70 R and the same non greaseable gear head was on it so i got a gear head for the FS 91-131 and changed it out and it looks way better than the one that was on it but i do still use that gear head on a cheaper unit.
Years ago I discovered the tracks and trail markings of an entity I’ll call Mister Q. He has the authority to visit upon any manufacturer’s design department and to go deeply into the schematics, where he deposits his form of scat.
Thank you for important information.
I love the redmax. The grease plug is right there you can’t possibly miss it.
Terrific video. Thank you.
Thank you for information. Was not aware of grease plug. Enjoy your videos 😊
Thank you...
That reminds me i need to grease mine! Already have the stihl grease just haven't done it! Thanks Chickanic
Had to go out an check my Echo after watching this. I have the split shaft with the edger and brush cutter. The line trimmer does not have a grease plug, but the brush cutter and edger does. That makes even less sense. Thank you for all your tips, I already bought the speed feed trimmer head!👏👍
Thanks. I have an echo srm2501. I just cleaned the echo. It does have a grease plug. I cleaned around the plug and added grease. I took off the speed head and also got out all that old stringy grass. Thanks again.
Call them out. I sure do. You keep being awesome.
You are a straight shooter, much RESPECT ❤
Just found this channel. This point reminds me of my fatherinlaw's beef with Stihl over the chain bars lacking the grease ports. He's got an older saw that is going strong, and a newer one without the nipple port that he's already replaced the bar on. We even toyed with stop-drilling a bar to accept the grease, but haven't tried it yet...
Shows you have our back and haven't sold out thanks
Great Video. One of the items we cover when we sold our string trimmers was to show the customer the grease plug. When a string trimmer came in, we would grease the heads, just to help keep our customers. How unfortunate that Stihl and Echo have changed their gear head.
Cant you just run the power head in a drum of grease once a month? Easy fix.
I had a budget weedeater that had no grease fitting as well. The unit had sealed permanent bearings in the drive assembly. When I seen the unit was wearing out I took the unit a part and replaced the bearings. If the sellers of the product don't choose using a grease plug they need giving the option of replacing the bearings. It's kinda like the bearings in the idler pulleys used on the drive train of riding mowers etc. If they start making a noise, replace them before they fail. Bottom line is keeping maintenance regularly on the equipment. All my weed trimmers have grease fittings on the end and I grease them regularly, but soon of later they will fail. I agree they need grease fittings. The operators needs a owners manual with very good information.
Not surprised at all the manufacturers eliminated grease plug. I'd be tempted to disassemble the head, drill and install a grease fitting and put in a small threaded port to allow the grease to fill then put a screw in it. Now it's old school serviceable.
You already answered your question. Most people don't know there's a plug the manufacturer's probably noticed this and decided to annex the cost of drilling and tapping the gear head
My kid says I modify everything, its true.
If their is no grease head, drill a hole and add a zert. I have added zerts to many things. Just last week the brakes on a older quad did not work, brake pedal was frozen up, no grease. The only way to add grease is remove panels, foot pegs and such, then remove brake pedal clean and grease. Simple fix, drill tap and add a grease zert. I have done this to several dirt bikes swing arms as well.
Thanks for producing another interesting, thought provoking video. I discussed with the local ECHO dealer about it. He'd been in business for ~40 years (because I don't have permission, I won't name him). Even he didn't know about the sealed head. He also stated that he may have had to replace 10 trimmer heads in all those years. Mainly due to breakage from abuse. From my own experience, I had a Ryobi trimmer for 30 years. Used it as a homeowner. Never gave second thought to the head. However, thanks for the tip on replacing the head, just in case.
Man you lucked out with the Ryobi!
Love your channel and content❤❤❤❤
Glad you covered this I wondered why I could not find grease plug on my Stihl. Now I know.
Wondering if you can drill and tap for grease plug.
Great video.
Good vids :) Just bought a 56 Rc Stihl weed wacker and of course no grease fitting, found you can drill a hole in the middle of the triangle that's cast on the head, tap it to the size of your choice and squeeze some of that echo red dragon queen grease ( no grease gun required) , seal it with a short screw and your off to the races.
I bought my trimmer and a tube of Stihl grease 23 years ago. Every spring I top off the gear head and have never looked back.
Great stuff.