Polycut head for Stihl Trimmer

[GLS]

Does anyone use a polycut head on their trimmer/brushcutter? I have a Stihl FS 85 with an autocut 25-2 (string head) and an 8-tooth blade for brush. Every few weeks I cut down the grass/weeds in a hilly revine...the blade is a little bit too slow, and the string works ok (.105"), but I have to tap it quite a bit.

Is a polycut head the answer?

Thanks,
Ryan


Here's a pic of one if you don't know what i'm talking about:

[wxmn6]

I tried it with other person's trimmer and I hated it immediately after the first few minutes I used it. Polycut head is a terrible thing for trimming. I could not get it to trim along the edging, sidewalk, fences, wherever I have to trim. The polycut head kept on jamming up the blades together and it eat up anything that is wood like trees and wood fence posts. And it is hard to change the polycut blades when they break or wear out. The reason they are out there is for people, especially lazy homeowner who don't like to spool the trimmer string to the trimmer head when they run out of string.

[Alan]

From what I read in Ryans post, he's not looking to trim or edge along anything, just hog off vegetation in an open area. I used one of these heads years ago for that same purpose and it seemed to work good.

[Just Turned Pro]

Im not sure about the Poly Cut Head.

About once a month I "trim" an area of mostly weeds and small plants. (blackberries, ferns, nettles, elderberries, etc) and I just switch to a spool that I keep loaded with Stihl Square trimmer line. (.095). It does a great job of tearing through all of the growth and it is more durable than the standard "round" trimmer line that I use for trimming yards.

The downer about the square line is that I have found that it is more likely to hang up on itself on the spool. The trick that I have found is not to put too much on the spool and keep it loosely wound.

[rick_reno]

Yes, I use one but not often. It's on my Stihl FS 106. Couple of thiungs to watch for - make sure the screws that hold the blades are very tight. You might want to use locktight on them. My Stihl dealer charges about $7 for one of those little screws/bushing and nut - when it comes loose you'll usually lose the everything. Given the hassle of losing the hardware that holds the blades in and the rate at which the blades wear down I usually use something that looks like one of thos Ninja throwing stars attachement. I have no idea what it's called but it works great.

[Brieldo]

We've used them quite a bit because alot of the ditches we maintain along quarries have tons of dense weeded material all over the place. They work well for that kind of application, but suck for trimming around homes, trees, etc. We also use nothing but .105 and .130 Echo Crossfire line and to be quite honets, it does just as well as the Tricut head. The .130 stuff is bombproof...it takes down anything. I'd look into trying it out. If you do and you're using a Stihl bump feed head, be sure it's the largest one they make...it'll let you get more line on the spool!! :D

[Jimbo]

Oryano,

I only use Stihl products and I have tried just about all the head attachments. I own the FS80, FS85RT, and FS200R.

For the past 4 years I have been cutting a similar property, and I have got my set-up down.

The Poly-cut head wont work for you application. Its a good idea but the plastic blades just dont hold up. As soon as you hit someting like a stick or even the ground the blade tip will break off and the thing will vibrate horribly until all the blades break off to the same short length. (Then its back to the truck)!

What you need is the Larger spool head (Not the small spool), and .105 diameter wire (try another brand) believe it or not Sears Craftsman line seems to be pretty good. I don't think the FS85 really has enough guts to pull .105 diamter line through heavy brush. If this brush is heavy you need the FS200R (Woa baby this ones got some power)!!
I use .105 diameter line, the large line spool, and I made a custom bracket which extends the debris guard back about 4". This gives me an extra 8" cutting path over stock. (This will only work on the FS85 if you are using .095" wire) If the line is too big it will bog the engine down.

If you have any other questions I can help. Been there done that!

Jimbo

P.S. Thats one old trimmer you have in the photo...how old?

[Jason_S]

Our company also has to cut a ravine that goes down to a stream every so often..

We got a head with the metal blades instead of the poly ones and it lasts a lot longer

Using this setup has drastically speeded up our time to complete the project, otherwise it would be done by hand which is no fun at all!

This hill is very steep and a brush mower would not work on it.. it is hard enough to find a way to get up and down some spots!

[gene gls]

oryano:

I have used the poly blades for years trimming.You need the large head for overall trimming, 40-3 in Stihel brand. Beaver Blade has come out with a comparable head that has 4 blades and is cheaper and easier to change blades.

For your application I would use the 3 pointed steel Ninga type blade. Just watch out for rocks. For saplings 1" and larger I use the Beaver Blade. Its a round steel disc with a section of chain saw blade fitted to it.

Gene

[bart may]

I have two for my fs 85's and love them. They aren't intended for trimming around houses or your usual trimming with the string trimmers. There made for taller stiffer stalked grasses and work great for that. They are not made for trimming any woody type shrubs thats for the metal blade. I use them all the time on tall ditch banks and to knock down field grass. If you use them properly the blades will last quit a while ie.. stay away from rocks, trees, fence posts ect.... A little hint is to cut while swinging it to your left. This prevents the grass from winding up around the head. With a little practice you'll see what I mean. I make quit a bit of extra money with it because I don't have to rent one now.
Oh another trick is to flip the plastic blades over as they begin to wear it ads a little more life to them. good luck:) :D

[Jason_S]

The swinging motion is key to get these things to work well. Like bart said, you will know what he means! If you figure out the technique, the brush will fall like mad!

[Jimbo]

I find it hard to belive that anyone would think the blades are difficult to replace on a poly-cut trimming head. Its only one bolt on the bottom (and the nut is fixed in place). Whatever.

Jason-

Where did you get steel blades for the Stihl trimmer head? It sounds interesting, but I wouldn't want one to come off at about 6000RPM. Let me know.

Also, the problem with using the 3 blade knife and other grass blades is that the grass tends to wrap around the guard (and the cutting path is small. The only way to keep this from happening is to remove the guard, and that is dangerous.

If you really want to move fast do the following.

-Buy a bigger trimmer FS200R or larger.
-use minimum .105 or larger string.
-Make a bracket to extend back the guard 4"

If you want to use your current trimmer.

- Try the 3- blade brush knife
- or buy the large auto-cut spool head and good .095 diameter
line.

:angel:

[Jason_S]

What we had was a universal plastic head with steel blades locked in the head (3 of them).

Not sure what it was called, but it was used on a homelite (doesn't matter if it is abused compared to a Stihl) and should also fit the Stihl.

[GLS]

Thanks for all of the replies.

Right after I posted, my grandpa called me up and hired me to trim grass in a cow pasture so the grass isn't touching the hot wire (electric fence). It is a huge area to do. I brought out my fs85 with the string head. My grandpa said that it worked 100 times better than the polycuts. This could be because his trimmer is 15 years old (stihl) or that they really don't work. He said that the blade fold in in thick grass. He is going to see if the dealer has a string head to fit his trimmer.

Now after reading the replies, some of you recommended them. I might just have to try one and see how it works.

Thanks again,
Ryan

[Got Grass?]

The steel blades are great.
Use String for normal trimming when mowing.
3 point steel blades are great for tall grass & weeds, like ditches, creek sides, etc..
The more teeth steel blades that look like circular saw blades are great for small trees & bamboo but do not work well at all for grass & weeds as thay cant dig in as well.

[Jimbo]

Oryan0,

The Polycut should have cut good for your Grandfather (Except that the blades break easily).

I think that if the blades fold over in thick grass that the Trimmer has lost some power (15 years old). The polycut actually works good in thick grass (excet for blade breakage when you hit something).

It sounds like your Grandfathers machine has lost the power to keep the head spinning fast enough.