4 cycle or 2 cycle weed eater?

shootist16

shootist16

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I'm in the market for a weed eater. I am going to spend about $200. What are the pros and cons of 4 cycle versus 2 cycle?
 
I didn't know that they made 4 cycle weedeaters. I've got a 2 cycle Echo that I bought 7 or 8 seasons ago. It's still going strong. It was around $200 or maybe just a shade more. Great dependable machine.

Razz
 
I own a 2 cycle and recently used a 4 cycle(at work). The 4 cycle is definately quieter which is worth the extra $$$ imo
 
4 cyc you do not mix oil just add gas and go. 2 cyc you need to mix oil and gas. Also 2 cyc are more pollutive, louder and stink. 2 cyc also require more maintenance due to plug fouls faster due to dirtier burn. I would go with 4 cyc
 
Ya learn something every day. I'd never heard of a 4 stroke weed eater. One plus for 2 strokes in general is that they normally produce more hp from a physically smaller / lighter motor than a 4 stroke. For example, after a 10-20 year swing to 4 stroke outboard boat motors, the outboard industry is moving back to 2 strokes as they seem to have the 2 stroke emission problem under control these days (at least in outboards). Check out the new 2 stroke Evinrudes for example. Went out in my brother's bass boat recently and his 2 stroke Evinrude 225 is quiet, smaller looking (compared to same HP 4 stroke outboards), doesn't smoke, starts immediately and is incredibly powerful.

I dunno about the spark plug fouling comment. I've got a 2 stroke leaf blower, weed eater, small outboard, and chainsaw all 6 plus years old and have never fouled a single plug.
 
Spark plug fouling varies from engine to engine. There are a lot of variables that can make a 2-stroke foul faster then a 4-stroke but, a 2-stroke built and carburetter properly will do fine.

Noise and emissions can be dealt with if you have enough money or R&D and don't mind the higher price of manufacturing.
 
With regard to fouling plugs, the only variable is the ratio of the gas / oil and how fresh the gas is. Most companies that sell 2 cycle engines call for 40:1 or 50:1 these days and sell a tiny bottle that you dump in a measured gallon of gas. You can also measure it yourself if you prefer a particular brand of 2 cycle oil. I personally use Mercury QuickSilver. Carbs can go out of adjustment, but most of the small 2 cycle engines that go on weed eaters, etc, sold these days have screw stops that eliminate plug fouling (which generally is caused by less than fresh fuel or ... an incorrect gas / oil mix .. )

As you can likely surmise ... I like 2 cycle / stroke engines ... Had a stacked 6 Mercury 90 2 stroke on a Bass boat a few years back that ran like a bat out of hades ... Sounded like a bad mo...$$%%$$#% at idle too.

Had a Suzuki GT250 in college too ... Ran like you couldn't believe when it was on the pipe... (higher rpms), poor low end torque though....
 
I've got a 2 stroke Echo that really does a great job. I'm very happy with it.
 
After working for a few landscapers many years ago I learned one of the secrets of the two stroke. Run it full blast all of the time. Either full rpm or nothing. Never let it idle for an extended period. The hotter they run the less they foul the plug. They always ran better when hotter.
 
I just got a 2 cycle Shindaiwa on the recommendations of the pros in my area. They are supposed to run forever with little maintenance.
 
2 strokes will outperform 4 stroke engines of the same size/weight. If you are getting one that you carry backpack style you can probably handle the extra weight of the 4 stroke engines - otherwise, I'd go with the 2 stroke.

You already know that 2 stroke engines are louder and smokier. Mixing the oil into the gas is no more difficult than mixing half-and-half into your coffee. I keep a 3 gallon tank of gas and a separate 1 gallon container for 2 stroke mixture.

edited to add: What the heck was I thinking about anyway? Leaf blowers are either handheld or backpack style - string trimmers are always handheld. What a maroon! :rolleyes:
 
You could go electric - Toro has a nice electric one that actually has a decent amount of power.
 
2 strokes are simple and reliable. I have used a cheap $89 Ryan from the Sam's club for 17 years now to handle 2 acres of lawn. I only broke the shaft once over the years and it was cheap and easy to replace. Nice light unit.

For brush cutting I use a Huskavarna 50 cc and it will handle small stuff up to 3 inches in diameter.
 
superduty truck said:
4 cyc you do not mix oil just add gas and go. 2 cyc you need to mix oil and gas. Also 2 cyc are more pollutive, louder and stink. 2 cyc also require more maintenance due to plug fouls faster due to dirtier burn. I would go with 4 cyc
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dude. 2 strokes don't stink, premix smells amazing. More pollutive? Hippie. Louder? hell yeah. 2 strokes for life.
 
I've been using my Homelite 2 stroke for many years now.
Still has the orig plug and runs like a champ.
I do agree with what somebody else said that 2 strokes run better at full throttle.
And STINK?
I love the smell of premix exhaust.
Reminds me of my dirt bike days.
Lenny
 
shootist16 said:
I'm in the market for a weed eater. I am going to spend about $200. What are the pros and cons of 4 cycle versus 2 cycle?
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why not a battery one?? I bought a black and dector 18volt and it is really good. you get two batterys and a charger with it. I paid $125.00 for it at home depot.
 
I've had several 2-bangers. A Ryobi, which had a very good trimmer head but it blew up.... A Troy-Bilt which has a dreadful trim head but ran reasonably well but rather cold-bloodedly. (took forever to warm up).

I got so cheesed at the constantly-malfunctioning bump-feed head I decided to go with something new. I read a bunch of online reviews... The new Sears Craftsman line was pretty well-reviewed.

I looked at the 2-stroke and the four stroke. The two stroke was 2 pounds lighter... Noticeable. However... the balance point at the throttle area was way off... It was engine heavy.
the four-stroke model was only 20 bucks more and it balanced right at the throttle... Both had the same trim head.
I bought the four-stroke and just used it over my days off... Well satisfied. Less vibration than the old Troy-bilt, quieter, plenty of power, and the cutting head is great.
No bump-feed, no wrapping line around annoying little spools... You just use a piece of their proprietary pre-cut line and thread it into two little holes... Zip, you're done. Stuff lasts a long time... It's supposed to be much tougher than the standard line.
 
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