Rapid Load Trimmer Heads

[wave~life]

Hello,

Was wondering how many people use the new Echo Rapid Load Trimmer Heads.Do they save time or are they a pain?

I was thinking about buying one next week but if its not going to save me time I will just stay with the spool feed.

Thanks for your input.


Rich

Lawn Service
Marietta Georgia

[springman26]

I don't have the rapid loader but I have a new Echo head. I got it from my uncle who is an Echo dealer. I think its some type of prototype. When you wind the string on you wind it on in two different halfs. Its tough to explain but the bottom of the spool has a groove through the middle that splits the line top and bottom. I'll have to take a pic. This system seems to work very well. Its a little tricky at first but it never tangles. I've been curious about the rapid loader also. Give it a shot.

[drobson]

I use the Echo rapid loader. I love it. It doesn't necessarily save time when you need to add line (I think a self feeding or tap type is faster), but it does save time when you would need to re-string the head when it runs out.

Also, what I like is that I can change line sizes quickly without changing or re-stringing the head.

And, if you have a new person, the learning curve for changing the line is much smaller than with a traditional spool.

[LB Landscaping]

I bought one about a month ago and LOVE it. It's so much easier to use and like drobson said its a breeze to change trimmer line size. I pre-cut a bunch and leave them in the truck, it takes about 2 seconds to change.

[dobehap]

I bought one about a week ago,

I run it with 155 line, and it does go a long way before change is needed.

I like it so far.

[Tomt]

I have been using one about a year now and I like it. I precut various sizes and carry some in my pocket while working.

I was having a problem with .095 line not staying in place. I bought a replacement head, but before replacing the old one I took it apart and it had a little dirt and grass in it. A few taps on the work bench, back together and good as new.

Home Depot carries the head for about $20.00.

[wave~life]

Thanks for all your feedback guys,I plan on going out to home depot today and buying the new head.Had a bad experence yesterday with my old spool head,took forever to thread yesterday when I was tring to finish a job.

Rich

Lawn Service
Marietta Georgia

[Pecker]

I hate to bring to life an old post like this but I have a question and there is no sense in making a new thread. Anyhow, here it goes.

I bought a new Echo SRM 210i and it came with the Rapid Loader head on it. I haven't used it yet, but I don't think I'm going to like killing the engine, turning the unit upside down, fishing two previously cut lines out of my pocket, inserting them in, the head, and starting it back up - as opposed to simply bumping the head for the same effect. It just seems like a major pain the butt to me.

I tend to have great luck with a spool because I'm good at winding it and I like the extended period of time I go without re-stringing.

I know, I know. . ."Why'd ya buy it in the first place!!!" Cuz I got a good deal on it!

The question: Should I get the "tap-for-string" head or give this this Rapid Loader a fair shake??

[wave~life]

Hello,


I think its all depends on what your most comfortable with and the size jobs you have.If you doing just a quickie small yard then the rapid load is the way to go.

I used the rapid loader head alot last summer,it does'nt take long to load and can save time,but that depends on the thickness of the string your using.I would give it a whirl so to speak and see if you like it better.No harm trying something new.The reason I switched was caus I Just got tired of constantly running out of string when a job was almost finished.

Let us know how you like it.

Wave~Life

[proenterprises]

i personally hated it.

i always trim with the guards off and liek to run a little extra line. the concept of having the line shorted down in 10 seconds and then being letf with only a smaller stub is not efficient. also, my head would always fill up with dirt and crap and i would have to clean out all the junk prior to inserting the new piece of line.

ill take a bump head any day please.

[gene gls]

I run 3 of them and buy the line pre cut in 10lb bags.

Gene

[Pecker]

Ok. Thanks for the input.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

i had um ans did not like um i had the 3 line ones i thought they sucked
maby u will have better luck

[walker-talker]

How are they different from the bump heads? I am having a hard time visualizing this. Anyone have pics and are the only made to fit Echo trimmers or will they fit a Shindiawa also?

Thanks
MATT

[wave~life]

Hi Matt,

They have two ports on each side on the bottom of the timmer head.The only difference is that its open at the bottom.Cupped out so you can pull the used thread out when it wears down to the out side surface of the spindel.

It should fit the Shindiawa,it has a universal adapter for just about all trimmers,but check the box to make sure.They sell the head at most home depots and lawn shops that cater to the industry.The cost is round $20.00 - $26.00.

Only thing that bothered me is that because its cupped out on the bottome grass and dirt gets caught in the little space that the trim line goest through.That means some times you have to dig out the dirt and debri before the spent line can be pulled through.

Wave~life

[gene gls]

There are 2 different size heads,2line head for smaller cc engins and a 3 line for the larger engins.The heads are universal for most trimmers.They may not fit a Sthil with out makeing special shims or bushings for the shaft.Sthil is made for only Sthil products.I would not recomend trying to use larger line than what is called for.I over streched the spring clips that hold the line in place and now the smaller line won't hold in place.

Gene

[Grass Master]

The Rapid Loader head is awesome if you know how to use it!!

[edgit]

Originally posted by proenterprises
i personally hated it.

i always trim with the guards off and liek to run a little extra line. the concept of having the line shorted down in 10 seconds and then being letf with only a smaller stub is not efficient. also, my head would always fill up with dirt and crap and i would have to clean out all the junk prior to inserting the new piece of line.

ill take a bump head any day please.

This is one of the more important points about these heads. Its difficult to observe but bump heads are much more productive than rapid load heads because the operators spend too much time trimming and edging at reduced cutting diameters. If the operator changes to new string once it reachs say 14" (most operators I've seen let them go to 12" or less) that means they're average cutting productive diameter is 16". Whereas a bump head can maintain an almost constant average cutting diameter of 18" or more, which is what the trimmers are desinged for. At the end of the day the bump head will have trimmed and edged a lot more property.

To avoid wasting time by operators who can't properly wind bump heads, buy extra spools (or even whole heads) and have someone wind them that knows how and tape the ends. Operators then simply pop in the full ones and go. Labor costs lots more than these parts. This will make you more money.

[lightninboy]

I bought an Echo GT-200i with a Rapid-Loader on 7/12/05. The salesman said you could put up to .155" line in it. He even suggested trying 9-gauge wire in it. The 8" 0.80" strings left something to be desired. I took off the debris shield to allow longer strings. The .155" line seemed to take too much power and be too stiff to cut shorter grass well. I decided that about .115" line would be a compromise. The rest of the story is that this year the centrifugal clutch broke and Echo said it was abused. My friendly Echo dealership gave me a deal on a trade for a new SRM-210i, though. But it came with a Rapid-Loader. I swapped the Rapid-Loader for a bump spool head. It was a nuisance to carry pieces of string anyway. And the constant stopping and starting the engine.

[mike lane lawn care]

i got my echo with the rapid loader, i love it, it's so easy. i bought the bump head and it doesn't work half as good.

[DuraCutter]

Edge it, you're right. For someone who'll trim for hours on end it's a terrible waste of time. We had the quick load and I found my guys were taking a smoke break as they changed the line and that was once every 5 minutes sometimes. Not very productive!! :cry: Also we found that the line would break often, a lot more than a tap and go.

Anyways, if you do 5 minutes of trimming and then you're off and you do it yourself, not an employee, yes the quickload is your puppy, otherwise, forget about it....

[DLCS]

i got my echo with the rapid loader, i love it, it's so easy. i bought the bump head and it doesn't work half as good.

Why doesn't the bump head work, don't know how to spool the line?


The only ones I see running the Rapid Load heads are homeowners. I like a constant 17-18" cutting width, I can't get that with a Rapid Load head.

[brucec32]

Tip: If you have newbies trimming who have trouble with respooling a trimmer head, buy a few spare spools and pre-wind them so that half of the battle is already done before the work day starts. Then they just have to insert it on the trimmer head. I found they always wound them up wrong or too tight and had problems. IF they're really dumb, buy a few spare heads and have them just unscrew the head and replace the whole thing.

[weldah2002]

what happened to supporting your local dealer ? big box stores are killing small guys. STOP SPRAWL-MART!!!

[mrbray101]

I think the rapid loaders are great. I use the thickest dia. echo line and pre cut a bunch of pieces. Just load a few in the pocket and good to go.

[lawnboy dan]

these things are not the answer.

[lazer9284]

try the shidaiwa speed feed head. works great and can fit an echo as well.
Thats what I have on mine.

[topsites]

i personally hated it.

i always trim with the guards off and liek to run a little extra line. the concept of having the line shorted down in 10 seconds and then being letf with only a smaller stub is not efficient. also, my head would always fill up with dirt and crap and i would have to clean out all the junk prior to inserting the new piece of line.

ill take a bump head any day please.

I like bump heads myself, I bought a few extra spools over the years so whenever I have time, I pre-wind the spools and snag the string in the two holes so it stays in place, and set them carefully in the truck box. Then when I run out, I switch spools, if this is any slower than rapid load, a spool lasts me quite some time, I got pretty good at skimming around paved areas so it doesn't eat my string so fast.

That, and like yourself I run without guards and let out some string too. Worst part is when I let out so much it wraps around the head, I hate that part but if I'm careful it is ok.

...........
As far as switching the engine off, back in my early days I set my idle high so the head would never stop spinning - This was to train myself to never leave equipment running when I set it down, which now that I 'got it,' I turned the idle back down and find no need to always turn it off when switching a spool, it is that fast to do with pre-wound spools.

[Daner]

I would never use anything other than the Bump heads
If your guys have trouble winding them... teach them how...Make them do it 5 times in a row ...Then they will have no problem with the whole deal