Which Fishing Line For Trimmer Is Best To Mow

Publication date: January 25, 2016.
Category: Articles.

A beautiful lawn is the face of a summer cottage, so most gardeners prefer to plant special silky grass on their land, which not only pleases the eye, but also replaces annoying weeds. In addition to top dressing and watering, lawn grass needs care, so it needs to be mowed periodically. For these purposes, you can choose an electric trimmer or lawn mower. Many prefer a trimmer. The reel with fishing line is the main tool of this device, it allows you to quickly cut off overgrown grass with an even layer. In addition, with the help of a trimmer, you can level the lawn in the most inaccessible places: on sections along paths and fences, around bushes, trees or a well.

Regardless of whether you use an ordinary tool equipped with only a fishing line, or an electric trimmer with a knife and fishing line, sooner or later you will have to change some elements of such a device. Unfortunately, at this point the instruction from the portable lawnmower, where all the necessary requirements are indicated, is already lost and many are faced with the question of buying the “right” fishing line.

Trimmer line specifications

To understand which fishing line for the trimmer is needed for your mower model, it is enough to determine its main parameters: thread thickness, section shape, composition. Consider all the components in more detail.

The thickness of the thread (cord)

You can find out the required thickness by looking at the characteristics of the trimmer or by reading the inscriptions on the universal bobbin. Most often used cords with a diameter of 1.2 to 4 mm. Moreover, for each individual model there is a diameter of fishing line for the trimmer. The fact is that if the thread is thinner than necessary, then you will increase engine wear due to the increased number of shaft revolutions. If, on the contrary, it is too thick, then the rotation resistance will increase, and the engine will begin to overheat and ultimately fail. To determine the exact diameter of the thread, it is best to focus on the type of trimmer motor. Thus, the following is obtained:

• For an electric trimmer with a lower position of the “engine” with a power of less than 500 W, a thread with a thickness of 1.3 mm is required. If you did not find one, then you can use a thicker fishing line 1.6 mm, but no more.
• For an electric trimmer with an engine top position of about 1 kW, select a thread with a diameter of 2 mm.

It doesn’t matter what type of electric trimmer the shaft type is, bent or straight (allows you to install knives).

Advice! If initially a 1.6 mm diameter fishing line is installed in the tool, then you can put the thread at 2 mm, this will not affect the operation of the engine.

If we are talking about a gasoline model, then in this situation it is necessary to determine which shaft the mower has. For bent, the most commonly used threads are 2 mm thick. But on a tool with a direct shaft, a fishing line for a trimmer of 3 mm or 2.4-2.5 is installed. The thickest fishing line is usually placed on more powerful tools (from 1.3 kW).

If we talk about which fishing line copes better with young grass or perennial dead wood, then we can conditionally divide the cords into the following categories:

• Fishing line from 1.2 to 1.6 mm. This is the thinnest thread used to trim the lawn.
• 2 – 2.4 will allow you to cut both young grass and harder. Suitable for periodic use.
• A thread from 3 to 3.2 mm will allow you to mow grass and thick stems of weeds or dead wood if you rarely travel out of town.

Less commonly found is a fishing line for a 4 mm trimmer. This is due to the fact that rarely anyone has to deal with such serious thickets. However, if you are the owner of a powerful gasoline “mower” and have not appeared in the country for several years, then a 4 mm fishing line will be the best option.

Sectional shape

There is a large selection of cords with different cross sections, depending on which the trimmer will be able to mow this or that grass:

• Cords with a round cross section are the most popular, while such fishing lines are cheaper than the rest, from 68 rubles (12 m). They mow fresh grass well, but do worse with deadwood and shrubs. The disadvantage of this fishing line is a fairly strong noise, which resembles a rumble from a running machine engine.
• Spiral (twisted) cord makes less noise, but does not differ in high strength. Therefore, such a fishing line is suitable only for thin young grass, which you constantly care for. Such a fishing line costs from 100 rubles.
• Square, rectangular or star fishing line allows you to more smoothly mow the lawn with low noise. True, such products also can not boast of durability. Such a thread will cost about 147 rubles per 12 meters.
• Jagged cord with sharp edges is used for large weeds in neglected areas. At the same time, the fishing line will not make much noise, and due to the increased aerodynamic properties of the mower, additional power will be given. Such a thread, costing from 200 rubles, is suitable for a powerful trimmer. Serrated cord is considered durable and reliable.
• A two-component, round-cut inner core fishing line is considered the strongest of all. Thanks to the core made of another material, even small shrubs can cut the cord. True, such a fishing line is suitable only for gas trimmers. Due to the high cost (from 250 rubles) of such a cord, it is impractical to use it daily.

The composition of the fishing line

The composition of the fishing line directly depends on how long it will last. Most often, the threads are made of nylon. This material wears out more slowly and is characterized by high performance in conditions of high temperature and heavy loads. The duration of work also does not affect the properties of nylon.

Coaxial fishing lines are considered the strongest. They can be distinguished by a dense core, due to which such cords wear out longer than nylon. It is difficult to cut such a fishing line with a knife, and during mowing it produces a minimum of noise.

Video: Which Fishing Line For Trimmer Is Best To Mow

The most expensive fishing line is the one that contains aluminum, or rather, its inclusion. Such a cord appeared on the market relatively recently, but it can already be said with confidence that it is the most durable.

In custody

After you have chosen the correct cord, you just have to remove the worn part, clean the trimmer from dirt and grass, refill the fishing line and you can begin to improve the summer cottage.

A beautiful and well-groomed lawn in front of the house or a neat lawn framed by ornamental shrubs largely speaks not only of the attractiveness of the artistic solution, but also of the industriousness of the estate owner.

And these are not empty words, because systematic lawn care requires not only compliance with technological cycles, but also hard work.

Created and brought to perfection, tools for lawn care simultaneously with the need for skillful handling also require a high-quality selection of consumables, the quality of which largely determines the success of an ideal lawn.

How and which line to choose for the trimmer?

The means of small-scale mechanization offered today for small areas and for the maintenance of large areas with complex terrain, and these are mainly electric and gas trimmers, have a working body in the form of a universal head, in the drum of which a synthetic fishing line or vein is wound, as it is sometimes called.

Basically, all manufacturers of this kind of technology in the instructions for use indicate the parameters of the fishing line – diameter. There is a similar indication on the spool, which indicates the direction of winding the fishing line and its diameter.

However, today there are several types of fishing line for the trimmer, which not only differ from each other in color, diameter and shape, but also have completely different characteristics.

The main parameters of the trimmer line

Manufacturers most often indicate the diameter of the fishing line, and this is partly correct – the mowing head has holes with metal inserts of a certain internal diameter, into which it is impossible to insert a fishing line of a larger diameter.

Thus, one of the parameters of the fishing line is:

The thickness of the thread.

What nuances should be observed during the work?

As with the start of operation of any equipment, it is recommended that you read the instructions before starting to work with the trimmer, just read and not run your eyes, it is simple and extremely useful, in any case, if you are not experienced with this kind of equipment, you can avoid damage at the initial stage .

Already in the future, when experience appears, this largely compensates for the high consumption of fishing line, but nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that initially you must adhere to the manufacturer’s advice.

The second important point is the knowledge of the main parameters of the fishing line and their accounting for work:

• Thickness;
• Section shapes;
• Composition of the thread.

Thread thickness

Given that the trimmers have different power, and the destination manufacturers are trying to recommend different thicknesses of fishing line for different models of trimmers.

For small electric machines designed to care for small areas of the lawn, the main buyers of which are housewives, and older people, manufacturers recommend fishing line with a diameter of 1.4 to 2.4 mm.

For electric braids and gasoline trimmers of medium power, which are needed to care for fairly large areas, manufacturers recommend fishing line from 2.4 mm to 3 mm.

Professional units capable of working for several hours in a row, mowing grass in areas with difficult terrain, with shrubs and dry grass, it is recommended fishing line with a thickness of 3 – 3.2 mm.

Sectional shape

In many ways, the result of the trimmer also depends on the cross-sectional shape of the fishing line. Conventionally, all types can be divided into two types – a fishing line of circular cross section and a fishing line of complex section – square, rectangle, star.

The most common type of fishing line is a fishing line of circular cross section.

This is caused by several factors:

• Round thread production is much cheaper than the production of complex sections;
• Round thread withstands heavy loads – during mowing, the tip of the fishing line is sharpened and, thus, an even regular cut is obtained, similar to the cut of a hand braid;
• Round fishing line is spent less than other types of fishing line;
• Round section is available in all types of diameter products from 1.4 mm to 3.3 mm inclusive.

Disadvantages of a round cross section of fishing line:

• Makes noise during work, therefore, for particularly tender consumers who do not like to wear headphones, the manufacturer offers a round spiral line with reduced noise during operation;
• Despite being present in all kinds of sizes, round fishing line is not suitable for mowing shrubs and dead wood, its main purpose is young green grass.

Fishing line of square or rectangular section:

• The main purpose – professional trimmers for haymowing on tall grass;
• The cut is made by the edges of the rectangle, as a result of which the mowing is smooth, without crushing the stems.
• Sizes – from 2.4 mm to 3.3 mm.

Of the minuses:

• High consumption when working on rocky areas, near hedges, trees – the fishing line is quite fragile;
• Mainly used on powerful electric and gas trimmers.

Asterisk-shaped fishing line:

• The main purpose is dry grass and small shrubs;
• Sizes from 2.4 mm to 3.0 mm;
• Some manufacturers for reinforcing the fishing line make it two-component when there is a metal core inside the fishing line;

Of the minuses it should be noted:

• High and very high cost (fishing line with a metal core);
• Requires a special coil for a trimmer or special disc;
• When mowing with such fishing line, the use of mowed grass in the form of livestock feed is not recommended.

The composition of the fishing line

However, basically, the service life of the fishing line does not depend on the shape or diameter of the thread, but on what composition it is made of. Most often, domestic manufacturers use nylon as the main material.

It is quite flexible, elastic, strong, and can be deformed by stretching. Relatively easy to withstand heavy loads and high temperatures.

Nylon fishing line in the price range is the cheapest, but this does not mean that poor quality, given the price / quality / performance ratio, the nylon fishing line will show a very decent result.

Coaxial, two-component fishing line can withstand the most stress and is considered the strongest. Its secret is simple – a dense, even rigid core and a rather elastic outer layer.

This combination allows the fishing line to retain its properties for a long time and wear out gradually, much more slowly than a nylon fishing line.

The line with a metal central core was originally intended for professional work – mowing grass along the freeways, cleaning steep slopes, working on rocky areas.

And therefore, it has an appropriate price, which is not entirely suitable for working on a personal plot.

Selection tips

The main criterion for choosing a fishing line should be the correspondence of the diameter of the fishing line to the trimmer, its power, and capabilities.

It is not necessary to put the entire skein of fishing line in a reel, a small length is enough to prevent spontaneous scattering of the working head, especially since to work with the trimmer it is necessary to select the fishing line in the size range specified in the instructions – a light thread of small diameter also harms the tool, as well as a thicker thread .

Overview of the best brands of manufacturers

Among branded threads for trimmers, the greatest authority and popularity among professionals are fishing line Makita, Black&Decker, Husqvarna, Bosch. These are well-known brands that have been setting the bar for quality and innovation for more than a year.

The most common on the market, and quite affordable to the average consumer (both for the amateur and for professional use) are Forte, Intertool, Master Tool, Sturm, Verto, Sadko, Werk, Team leader.