Which Echo trimmer should I buy: PAS 225 or PAS 230?. Which trimmer (speed feed, rapid-loader, or pro-torque) should I buy? I also want to buy the shaft edger, either the curved or straight shaft. Which shaft is better. I will be using for 1 acre lawn. Any advice will be great. Thanks
Advice on Echo Trimmers
Darryll
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get 266PAS, pro torque trimmer but put speed feed head on it, and get curved shaft edger.
The only thing holding back the echos IMO are the emission carbs and no tamper Zama carburetors. Back in the early 90's they still had H/L jets you could tune to get everything out of one. Every single newer echo with the zama carburetor has to have the tiny brass plug drilled out so you can reach the jet to adjust it for maximum performance. Once they start bogging, and its a newer one and the diaphragms in the carb are still pliable, this is usually the case. I have a older gray style 260 that came factory with the walbro carb that actually has this adjustment readily available. That trimmer is the most reliable and can swing 2 feet of twine without bogging issues. Also, use quality 2 stroke oil at the right ratios. Seen many commercially used trimmers ruined from either of the two cases above. The exhaust ports are more than 50% blocked due to incorrect ratios or poor 2 stroke oil used. They have good compression, although they wont start or bog indefinitely. I have 5 echos that have been commercially used for years, maintained by myself, that still have compression numbers over 160lbs. As long as you fix the carbs, keep the right ratios and tune correctly, you will never have an issue. Stihl stuff is great, everyone knows that, not everyone loves the price. 2 stroke IMO is much easier to service and diagnose, less moving parts = less things to go wrong/ less money to fix. If commercial use, id go with the bigger CC's engines, you can trim thick grass as fast as you can walk without issues.
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2,422 Posts
Hi Darryll. Whatever you want brother. I am 6'4 and have run echos in the past and i'm not sure if the bump head is at a steeper angle to the shaft but when using it I always felt as though I was hunching over a bit. The hand grip in the front I usually move almost right up to the trigger so it aids in posture. If you're a taller guy Stihl might be a better fit for you. If you're short go with the curved shaft echo :laugh:
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17,351 Posts
that's one of the things i always hated about 2 stroke trimmers. the adjusting the carb with the H and L needles. i want something that is set right and stays right. that's why i use honda 4 stroke engines on my trimmers. nothing to fool around with. it just runs perfectly. has for almost 15 years now. to me the non adjustment of a 2 stroke carb would be a positive thing. it would never get out of whack. i also hate that you have to pretty much run 2 strokes wide open burning lots of gas/oil mix. the honda you can trim anything at 1/2-3/4 throttle.
i did a test my honda vs my dad's 323L husqvarna 2 stroke. 1 tank of gas in the honda lasted as long as 2 tanks in the 2 stroke. there is no comparison. it's not even close. think about how much money i've saved over almost 15 years in gas and oil.
oh well no matter. i'm sure battery power will be all that's used before too long.
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17,351 Posts
i think it's every 50hrs....similar to a pushmower engine. i do it 3 times a year. about every 3 months. (grass growing season is about 8 months long here)
i would say i use the trimmer less than 5hrs a week total. most yards i use it for 5-10min. a few maybe 15min.
i also use full synthetic mobil 1 10w30. it only uses 3oz of oil so not much at all. takes about 5min or less to do an oil change.
with fresh oil (i change it at the end of each season) i use it march-may then change it and use it june and july then change it and use it august-october. wait 3 months at the beginning and the end of the season since i'm not doing as much work since it's a slow start and a slow end to the season.
i'm always surprised at how few LCO's use the honda or husqvarna with honda engine trimmers. i think everyone is just stuck on 2 stroke. i even ask the dealers they say everyone says the 2 strokes last longer but i call BS on that. i don't know anyone that has a 2 stroke trimmer that has lasted 15 years with zero problems.
i think most people just don't take care of their equipment.
it's kindof sad because the 4 stroke was "the next big thing" that came out about 15 years ago or so. it never caught on or maybe everyone just said well we can't make one as good as honda so we're not even gonna try. :laugh:
it's kindof like 4 stroke will be overlooked and people will go from 2 stroke straight to battery in the next 5-10 years.
in almost 15 years i've only had the primer bulb and fuel lines replaced once. (just last year after 13 years)
it's still using the original spark plug. i've never touched it. i checked the valves once after 12 years and they were still set perfectly so they've never needed to be adjusted.
it still cranks 1st or 2nd pull every time.
this is why i will probably not switch back to 2 stroke trimmers. the honda has just been too good. the 4 strokes also are a lot quieter than 2 strokes. if i was gonna get a 2 stroke i would probably get the echo 266 PAS system though with trimmer and edger attachments.
for now i'm using the husqvarna 324ldx with trimmer and edger attachments. it's called the husqvarna 524LK now. they changed the numbers. the 324L is just the trimmer only. ( was called the 224L before)
my husqvarna is only 5 years old so i got at least 10 years left out of it. :laugh:
my honda will be my backup trimmer even though i used it every day this year. i figure after 15 years i should give it a break and just keep it as backup.
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