How to remove Ryobi trimmer spool head to fix jammed string
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- Опубліковано 29 кві 2023
- Did your weedeater string jam? Get cut off on one side? Other problems? Easy solution to that problem!
Pre-wound Ryobi-brand spools: amzn.to/44E23yf (paid link)
Large roll of string: amzn.to/3PpBoRp (paid link) - Навчання та стиль
If you have weak hands or arthritis DONT'T BUY!!! I finally got it apart, (only my 2nd time using) and now I cant get it back together. If it was not for this gentleman's video, I would have believe that I was doing something wrong or missing a step!! My old homelite I had, I just unscrewed the bump stop, simple and efficient!! Will add 30 mins to an hour to your lawn chores!!
You're right, this is a really poor design and many of these are very difficult to open. If you already have this weedeater and want to fix it so it can be opened and closed easily, I made a video on how to do it: ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
I experienced the same issue... I did find a good video on using a screwdriver to brace the botton ring from turning while you could use both hands to try and rotate the top part.
The arrows on the upper and lower string housing may not easily align with a simple twist as illustrated, especially if you have used it like myself. It is just difficult to get a good purchase on the lower string housing. Lacking a strap wrench (like an oil filter wrench) I used a 5/16 inch slotted screwdriver to loosen between the upper and lower housings (completely around-it took two tries) until the bind finally broke free. The arrows then aligned with a simple twist. The housing plastic is sturdy and pliable, not brittle, so don’t worry about breaking the housing if you use light to moderate force. I’m not certain whether my solution will ultimately damage the head if the problem is a recurring one. Actually, if it happens again I might just remove the head, give it the Hillary Clinton BlackBerry treatment, mail the thoroughly smashed parts to Ryobi and blame Russia, Russia Russia! 😂
Thank you so much. I got it. It worked so well it was just a tad bit that I took off. Oh my gosh, you’ve saved me hours of pulling out my hair and hoping my son was here to help but they’re never around when I need them.🎉🎉🎉🎉
Glad this helped!
Ours was brand new and would not turn at all. We used a couple little squirts of WD40 to get it to finally get it to go. That was after my husband called it a MFPOS and wanted me to return it. 😂
Good tip!
Thanks for the advice. I’m having the same issue.
I made a video on how to fix it once and for all if you have one of these that just won't open/close. Takes 10 minutes or so.
ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
Awesome video super helpful. Thank you if I would’ve not gotten this fixed before my wife got home she would’ve screamed at me for breaking something. Lol.
Ha! Glad I could help!
thanks! I needed the visual instructions!!!
Glad to help!
Concise and clear. Thank you!
Thanks!
Thank you so much. I finally got mine together
Excellent!
Thank You! That's what I needed to know. 😁
YW!
If you guys still having trouble with this, use a air compressor or leaf blower to get all the dirt out in the inside of the head and where the head going to be attach to. That's what i did and it worked. I hope it'll work for you guys as well.
That's my problem. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you so much! I had this exact problem & couldn't figure out how to put it back together.
You're welcome!
Go Phillies great helping video Thank you
Awesome. Thanks.
Great Content. Perfect instructions
Thank you!
This new head cover design is beyond horrible. I have the older version which is simple to remove and reattach. #Ryobi won’t even respond to a complaint, probably because they are likely inundated with complaints about this same issue. I believe this is a serious design flaw and many will not able to remove the cover. I’m back to using my older version, which also had far fewer issues with jammed string than the new model. No one with arthritic hands, or smaller hands, will be able to remove the new cover, especially after heavy use. #ryobi what were you thinking?
Yeah, this is a really bad design. Mines brand new (not yet used at ALL) and I can't get it open. Probably will return it and go a different route. The old powerhead RY40002 was great. Mine lasted 10 years with heavy use and no issues. This new one I have serious doubts about now that I just unboxed it. Seems very "cost reduced" vs the old design.
If you have this weedeater and want to fix it so it can be opened and closed easily, I made a video on how to do it: ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
Am trying to open up the housing by hand, twisting counterclockwise, almost impossible, want to open up to clear out a possible string jam, any suggestions, have added wd-40 and ready to send it back?
You're doing all that can be done. Other option if you have some large pliers is to grab the very top piece (the one with arrows) with one pair and grab the very bottom piece (the one with the 'Lock' symbol) with another pair and turn them that way. Unfortunately, this is just a bad design and some of these are really hard to open.
thanks@@FixEverythingYourself
I just posted a video (below) on how to fix this condition. I consider this a design flaw and just bought a Hart weedeater (exact same head) that was nearly impossible to open. After receiving so many similar comments, I decided to fix it and post a video.
ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
Thank you very much!
👍🙂
is everyone's string getting stuck inside? i had the older model and it never had this problem, this one has done it now every time the string gets low !! Also its very hard to remove that cap, you made it looks easier then it is, at least mine .
My cap removes easily but is hard to lock back in place.
Mine is brand new and I haven't been able to rotate the string housing to remove it. It's going to require a bench vise or strap wrench or other method to get it open apparently. Poor design...
I am unable to get the arrow back to the unlock position to reattach the head, it seems like it's off track. Not much debris, hardly used and it's in the locked position with the head removed, when trying to turn back to the arrow for unlock it gets stuck half way. Any tips appreciated. Just keep pouring water? WD40?
With the head/cap off you should be able to see the inner hub that spins within the outer casing. Take the cap and engage the tabs in the slots at least a little bit, then turn counterclockwise until the inner hub turns and stops. You have to get thr inner hub back to the original position (as far counterclockwise as it will go) in order to get the outer cap installed so that you can then turn it clockwise to lock it.
Is there a trick to it?? Does the bump knob need to be pushed in or unscrewed? I've applied quite a bit of torque, as shown, and it's not opening...
No, it just needs to be pulled apart. Perhaps it has some yard gunk in there and that's what's keeping it from coming out.
@@FixEverythingYourself I have the same issue, and the tool is new out of the box.
Absolutely useless video.
New tool and head will not turn.
Thanks for nothing
@@TheTravelingTim Me too. It's a bad design. Hard to grip, hard to get leverage and probably poor manufacturing tolerances on the parts making it too tight as well. From the comments here, its clear it's a very common problem.
mine won't seprate. Ie ven took it off the main body so i could try to line up the arrows and will not turn. Any help?
Here's a video I made for this problem: ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
Wow thanks
🙂👍
Mine won't lock into place. I can't get it to shift from arrows to locked.
I've found that you have to press down very hard when turning the head to get it to turn. If that doesn't work and you can't get the tabs to even engage when trying to insert the head, see my response to another user yesterday.
Precise comments without all the bells and whistles, only negative point is the "Phillies" shirt, go with the Mets
😂😂
Para los que no pueden alinear las flechas, el mío estaba igual por que estaba usado. Le di golpes con un trapo hasta que el polvo y pasto seco saliera. Después salió sin problema. 0:20
could not get the cap to turn back to lock it
Same here but after long time I got it
If you have this weedeater and want to fix it so it can be opened and closed easily, I made a video on how to do it: ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
I lined it up and tryed many times to lock it but it whont turn to lock
I had difficulty, too. It required a lot of force pushing it and turning it before it finally went. I tried wiggling it back and forth (in a clockwise-counterclockwise motion) to get it to finally engage.
@@FixEverythingYourselfit took me a long time and was about return it but then I got it
I’ve tried over and over and looked at advise here but nothing is working. Taking it back
How do you turn it so easily? I cannot turn it at all, I think mine is stuck or something 😭
Many of these are really difficult to open, I've found out. I even have one. So I made a video on how to fix it. ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
We can’t get it to go back on after restringing. Everything is in position & It will align but will Not twist to locking position. Any suggestions?
One person sprayed WD40 on the surfaces to make it rotate and lock in position more easily. Try that. For whatever reason, the design is such that it takes a lot of force to twist it into position.
@@FixEverythingYourself I am having the exact same problem. Went to re-string and had a heck of a time getting it to twist off and now i cannot get it back on no matter how hard i try. Our's is only a few months old.
Yeah, that's a bummer that Ryobi made it like that. Have you tried WD40 or something like that?
@@FixEverythingYourself yes. WD-40 fixed the situation
Great
It's very hard to get the string housing to rotate open. Mine is brand new this morning, unused. I have not been able to remove it so far by hand. I'll likely stick it in a vise or get some kind of grip on it with a strap wrench or something to try to be able to turn it. Very stupid design in that it's almost impossible to get a good grip and get leverage and it may also be bad quality control on production tolerances causing it to be extra tight. Someone below called it a MFPOS because of their similar issues. I would tend to agree. We can see through the comments on this video it's a common problem.
Other observations on mine that make me agree with that comment: The handle now is held on with a PLASTIC wingnut. I can see from videos that it used to be a metal wingnut. One more cost reduction that is sure to break.
And when installing the grass shield, you slip the metal tab into the slot on the shield, then put a screw through the shield on the other side of the pole, and it should clamp down. On mine, that metal tab was not flat, so as soon as I tightened it down, it snapped the piece of the housing off (the part over the tab.) It's still secure and I doubt it matters, but again...quality control issue. Haven't even used it once and I"m about to call customer service to send me a new metal tab and new grass shield, or process the return.
So yes, it's a POS. The older generation power head was awesome and mine lasted about 10 years of fairly abusive and heavy use in California's long mowing season with no issues and no repairs required. But it finally died. I couldn't get parts on a timely basis to repair it from Ryobi, and the parts dealers want more than the cost of a new unit for the motor for the old unit. So I bought the new power head as I have a bunch of attachments in addition to the string trimmer...ugh, the new one seems to suck right out of the box. I saw quite a few reviews where the batteries caught fire or the motor got so hot it melted the housing of the tool...hope that doesn't happen on mine. My advice to anyone considering this power head if you don't already have a bunch of attachments is RUN the other direction! Buy something else.
I don't disagree with you. One thing you could try to get the head apart is a little WD40. Others say that had worked for them. But certainly shouldn't need it. Interestingly, the Hart brand (Walmart) is this EXACT same weedeater. But that head opens easily.
I can not for the life of me get the spool head from lock to arrow. 40 yr old healthy male and impossible to get open
Try this solution: ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
DO NOT TAKE THE STRING HEAD APART! You will never get it back together and locked back in place. I have been messing with mine for a week and A) it takes three hands B) you line everything back up the way it should be and the head will not turn to lock into place. Last year I went to Walmart and they sell a brand called HART. $99 so I bought one, third use the battery went dead and won't take a charge. New battery is $108 plus tax. So I pitched that into the garbage, and went to Home Depot and bought a Ryobi but it ran out of line last week so I had to open up the head to get the last bit of line out and respool more, now I have worked and worked and worked on it and it will not go back together. I have come to the conclusion that these machines are just one enormous scam, and it would at this point be cheaper to hire a service to come do my weed eating than continue to throw good money after bad with crap weedeaters.
If you have this weedeater and want to fix it so it can be opened and closed easily, I made a video on how to do it: ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
This unlocking mechanism is actual crap and needs returning
If you have this weedeater and want to fix it so it can be opened and closed easily, I made a video on how to do it: ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
I own one, and I have to use 2 hammers to get it to unlocked... and it takes me about 4 days of trying to get it to lock back once I put the new line in. lol
HORRIBLE design. And I like Ryobi products - but their weed wacker system is a nightmare.
I can only imagine people with hand problems.
It's no big deal brand new - but they should have tested it out after a season's wear on it.
I 100% agree, it's a really bad design. I've got 3 units with the same type of head and one of them is nearly impossible to open. So I figured out a way to fix it and posted a video about it (see below). If you're stuck with this weedeater, this fix will make it so you can open/close it easily in the future.
ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
@@FixEverythingYourself Awesome. Thank You!
DO NOT BUY! I have gone into Home Depot three times with this trimmer I've probably used a total of 10 times since purchasing late season 2023. The Ryobi rep took 1-1/2 hours to fix this trimmer; had to call his boss. He replaced the head only to have the same thing happen to me again. In this video, it shows as if it's super easy to lock/unlock the head. WRONG! I do not have arthritis, but apparently you have to have the Midas touch in order to remove and replace this head. I now have to go back to HD for a fourth time to have a Ryobi rep put this head back on. I will NOT ask my neighbor's husband to waste two hours of his time to try doing this (he's already done it once). I bought a bundle so I'm screwed. I will NEVER buy Ryobi again. Tapping does not release the string. HD replaced this trimmer already once because three employees could NOT get the head off the first one. That should have been my clue. Now the same with the one they replaced. I've managed to get it off and now I cannot get it back on.
You're right, this thing is a terrible design. However, if anyone bought it a while ago and can't take it back, I made a video on how to correct the problem so the head is easy to take off/on: ua-cam.com/video/uNXtOfnku34/v-deo.html
I now have 3 weedeaters with this head and the first two were completely fine. The third one was incredibly difficult to open and I finally realized why so many people were complaining about it.
@@FixEverythingYourself you are so wonderful! After venting here -- lol -- thank you for that -- I carefully watched your video and did what you said. I also thought maybe some silicon would help. Voila! For the first time ever I was able to thread as well. I was able to put back on the head. My hope is I will not have any problems in the future. I'm still thinking of calling Ryobi. Horrible design, and not everyone is as tenacious as me to figure it out by finding you :)
Great! I'm glad this story has a partially happy ending for you, but what a hassle you've had to deal with.