Lawn Mower Fishing Line: How to Choose And Wind Up?

With the advent of spring, summer cottages become the main place of stay for many of our compatriots. However, with the advent of warm days, there is such a problem as fast-growing grass. Constantly mowing it with a manual scythe is inconvenient, and not all types of grass lend themselves to this old working tool. It is much more convenient to use modern lawn mowers for these purposes. Especially popular among them are devices with fishing line, which is easy to change if necessary.

How to choose a suitable fishing line?

For trimmers that work both on electricity and on gasoline, nylon fishing lines are suitable. This consumable can be used for both hand tools and lawn mowers on wheels. It is important to choose the fishing line correctly, as this directly affects both the result of the work and the service life of the unit. Of course, in the proposed assortment of woods it is very easy to get confused, especially for beginners. However, there are many tips from experts and those who have already tried various options.

For an electric trimmer with a power of less than 500 watts, a thin fishing line with a diameter of 1 to 1.6 mm is suitable. She will perfectly mow lawns with low grass. If the power of the tool is in the range from 0.5 to 1 kW, then it is better to give preference to fishing line, the diameter of which will be 2 mm or a little more.

This will be enough to cut thin grass or weeds that have grown, but not too thick.

For gas trimmers, as well as motokos, you can not take fishing line less than 3 mm. This thickness will make it easy to cope with any weeds, dry stems, dense grass. A diameter of more than 4 mm is exclusively suitable for high power mowers. It turns out that a thick fishing line is necessary for powerful equipment. It is not recommended to be used for low-power trimmers, otherwise it will work poorly, constantly winding around the coil and create additional load on the engine.

As a rule, up to 15 meters of fishing line is in the standard package. However, to replace the string on the coil, a length of approximately 7 meters is sufficient. It also happens that fishing line is produced in bays of 250-500 meters. Be sure to specify the date when it was produced when choosing a string. Too old nylon can dry out and become too brittle. If this happened, then you can soak the fishing line for a couple of hours in the water, but it will not become completely the same.

When choosing an important parameter is the cross section of the string, which can be of several types.

The round section is universal. It is used for mowing grass of medium thickness and density. When working, it can make excessive noise, but it is not used too quickly.

A square or polygonal section is more efficient than a round one. Thanks to the sharp corners, the stems of the plants are cut at a faster speed and better.

Ribbed, twisted and star-shaped section is the most effective. Such fishing line manages to mow grass very quickly. And its main disadvantage is quick wear.

The fishing line for the trimmer is made of nylon, which is durable, lightweight, low price and wear resistance. To make the cost of the material even cheaper, polyethylene is added to it, but then the fishing line overheats faster. Thick strings have a rod of graphite or steel. Sometimes they are reinforced, which increases strength and durability.

It is worth noting that the prices for two-component strings are higher than for standard nylon strings.

Mower device

In the trimmer, the element on which the string is pulled is very simply arranged. It is called the "coil". Usually it consists of the upper and lower parts (grooves), between which passes a partition with a recess. It is on these grooves that you need to wind the line. However, before it is pulled through the recess.

Before pulling out the coil, unscrew the special button located directly on the mower body. Before changing the line, it is necessary to remove the reel from the mower.

It is not difficult to do this, but there are some peculiarities depending on the configuration of the trimmer and the coil itself.

Video: Lawn Mower Fishing Line: How to Choose And Wind Up?


In small electronic mowers, the motor and coil are located at the bottom, and buttons are located on the sides of the bobbin. If you click on them, then the upper groove of the reel and the part where you want to wind the line.

In lawnmowers with a curved bar, on which a knife is not provided, the coils have special two-horned nuts. In such tools, you need to hold the bobbin so that it does not move, and at the same time do not turn the nut clockwise. It is she who holds the entire bobbin, which after that is easy to remove.

Straight-bar mowers on which the knife can be mounted have a hole directly under the bobbin. To remove the coil, a screwdriver is inserted into this hole, the bobbin is fixed. After that, turn the coil clockwise and remove it from the unit.

Sometimes latches on the coil in the form of latches can be found. They must be pressed to disconnect the parts of the coil. It is also possible that the top and bottom of the bobbin are connected by thread. In this case, it is enough to hold the upper and lower hands, and then twist in different directions until they are loose.

How to reel?

Knowing how the reel is disassembled can speed up the process of replacing fishing line. It all depends on what design the coil has and how many antennae. Filling the thread into a bobbin with only one working mustache is quite simple, especially if you follow a consistent plan.

Depending on the parameters of the bobbin and the length of the fishing line installed initially, it is recommended to choose a string from 2 to 5 meters.

First you need to remove the bobbin from the tool, and then open it.

One of the ends of the fishing line must be installed in the hole inside the bobbin.

Next, the string should be wound on a drum. over, this is done in the direction in the opposite direction from the usual rotation of the spool. Typically, there is an arrow on the trim tabs on the inside of the reel that indicates which direction you need to wind.

Part of the fishing line must be pulled out and secured in a special groove located on the inside of the reel. Its purpose is to hold the winding while putting the bobbin in working condition.

The end of the string must be threaded into the hole located on the outside of the bobbin.

At the last stage, you need to collect parts of the reel and put on the mower bar.

The installation of the fishing line on a reel with two mustaches takes place in a slightly different way. First you need to determine how many grooves extend along the inside of the reel on which the fishing line is worn. There are options with one groove, and then both mustaches must be wound together. There are also models with two grooves, when each of the mustaches goes separately.

For all coils with two whiskers, it is recommended to use a string from 2 to 3 meters long.

In the model with one groove

The line must be pulled into the hole, and its mustache folded together and straightened.

Then, winding is performed in the opposite direction to the rotation of the bobbin on the mower. Often there is an arrow inside the reel indicating how to put the fishing line on.

The ends of the string are fixed in special grooves or simply temporarily held by hands and pulled into the hole located on the outside of the reel.

After that, the spool is closed and mounted on the bar, after which the mower is ready for operation.

In the version with two grooves

The fishing line is first folded in half to determine where the middle of the fold is.

Next, the loop formed at the fold is threaded into the groove that forms between the two grooves.

After that, both ropes can be wound in a separate groove.

You can fix the mustache and collect the coil in the same way as described above.

For the first time, opening the reel and winding a new line is not always easy. Over time, this procedure becomes almost automatic and will not take much time. Some reels have an automatic system that automatically winds the line. As a result, it remains only to correctly set the end of the line, and you’re done. In such models, the string must be put on in the hole that is on the outside of the case. Next, the bobbin is collected, and when the winding rotates, then fishing line is put on it.

The convenience of such coils is that it is impossible to make the winding incorrectly, since the fishing line will always spin only in the right direction.

Safety precautions

Compliance with safety regulations will allow you to quickly and safely insert a new line into the reel on the mower. Be sure to turn off the device before starting the replacement and removing the coil, especially for electric lawn mowers. It is important to constantly remind yourself of pressing a special lock button. On each mower it can be located in different places, but this must be indicated in the instruction manual.

Keep in mind the adjustment of the cutting element. Otherwise, the work will be unstable and of poor quality. Most often, there is a button on the unit itself that allows you to configure this. If nothing happens when you click on it or the string loosens its tension, then you need to hold down the button and pull the fishing line out of the reel with effort.

Winding fishing line is a very responsible process. It is important to follow all the steps correctly in order to pull the fishing line well. Do not use materials other than special nylon strings. It is worth remembering that it is impossible to put metal wire, rod or iron cable instead of fishing line. This is dangerous, since snap-in can very easily cut shoes even out of coarse material and injure someone who uses the braid. Before putting on a new fishing line, it is important to carefully read the instructions for use of the device, as some models of lawn mowers may have their own structural features, which are important to consider when replacing.

You can find out how to replace the fishing line on the trimmer from the video below.