I picked up a new Fs 111 4mix at the beginning of the season, it runs great at part throttle and I rarely find the need to give it full power, Maybe the valves need adjusting or the carb needs a tune, love the torque and sound of the 4 mix, I have nearly 2 acres of meadow and this just eats through the heavy stuff that you can’t reach with a tractor, great piece of kit.
Good points. I have the km130 4mix and it's wicked powerful. Valve adjustment is easy and helps the mid-range. Even so, I use my 22.5cc maruyama 2-stroke for trimming. It's feather light and like you said the throttle response is smoother for sure.
I use the FS130 wich has the more comfortable, two arm handle. It will throw shit at my face but never stop cutting. It has a knife attachment and lots of torqe. Sometimes after standing in the cold for a longer time it had a hard time to start, but it is very nice.
I maintain a fleet of both 4 mix and 2 cycle Stihl trimmers. The 2 cycles are rarely in the shop. The 4 mix trimmers are in randomly for spark arrestors and occasionally a spark plug. I have always attributed it to the guys feathering the throttle to keep a lower head speed when needed. I keep telling them they need to be run wide open. Basically, they open the throttle which shoots fuel to it and before that can clear out, they shut the air off to it when they let off. After hours and hours of this, the spark arrestors plug up and plugs foul over time as well. To fix them, I take the arrestors out and burn them off with a propane torch, put a new plug in them, and then fill the gas tank up and with the arrestor out of it, I set it outside with the string and full length and ziptie the throttle wide open. There is normally a few sparks and an occasional puff of black smoke as the engine is burning itself and the muffler out. Once the fuel runs out, I put the arrestor back in it and send it on it’s way. The operator will almost always comment on how much better it runs. Since telling the guys to run them hard, my work on them has dramatically decreased. I personally like the 2 strokes better myself. They run much smoother in my opinion.
Rusty Shackleford that makes perfect sense about the 4 mix’s. I’ve actually heard something about that before. In all my equipment I run NGK spark plugs and I actually take the spark arrestors out of the mufflers in everything I run too. Seems to help me a lot with the breathing and power of the engine. I have two 2 strokes (Stihl FS75 and Stihl fs80r). I have three 4 mix’s (fs90r, fs111, and fs131r). Love all of them. 2 strokes definitely are smoother and better for more average trimming but I wouldn’t trade my 4 mix’s for anything. Running different gearbox attachments and blades with them and trimming thicker stuff, they have more torque than anything and are awesome. Thanks for the comments!!
@@dougbittner6075, we run NGK as well. I work for a municipality so we really can't modify any safety features like a spark arrestor. Sometimes the operators go into areas of dense and dry brush. From my experience, the 4 mix's are noticeably more fuel efficient. And they just sound cool!
Proffitt's Drone Service yeah they are definitely torquier which can make them faster and ultimately more fuel efficient. They definitely do sound good too!!!
I got a fs80 string trimmer. New fuel filter, new spark plug, new ignition module, new air filter, fuel tank. Starts and runs good trim and edge front yard turn it off go out back to trim and edge and it's hard to start but it does start back up I'm told it's blown top end thanks
Could be something with carburetor. If it is a blown engine, that will be determined on the psi of the engine. Normally on smaller two strokes anything below 80psi is about done (getting really weak) as new they come with anything from 110-130/140 depending on motor and size of course.
Having used both as well as echo, the 4 mixes, in my experience, have been tough as nails. Using them all day wide open, we have managed to burn up a few echos. The idle to wide open thing with the 4 mixes does kinda suck. It seems to be centrifugal clutch related. Anyhow, good video
yeah I agree, I have ran echo and husky and obviously stihl, just my personal opinion nothing is better than a stihl. very tough and reliable and I feel easiest to work on too. thanks
To be honest, I didn't know that the feathering of the throttle wasn't supposed to be doing. It's the way I've learned it... 🤔 Would be weird if I get a 2 stroke with middle throttle. 🤔 😅
The issue you are describing with the 4 mix should not be happening. That’s some kind of issue with your unit, most likely a carburetor issue, but could also be a valve lash issue
Big Texas good way to do it! I run my fs80r for most of my lighter trimming and my fs90r and fs111 for brush cutting and heavy trimming when I need more power and wide open throttle. My fs90r I run an edger gearbox attachment on it too as well as a 145* hedge trimmer and pole pruner and it works great with those
@@dougbittner6075 Yessir, I have the fs80 also from 1999 and it still looks and runs like it did in 1999. That was when stihl really built their equipment to last. I also have the hl75 180 degree hedge trimmer from the same era as the fs80 and it too runs like new and looks excellent as well. I have an fc75 edger also that I replaced the fc110 with that's in perfect condition and I'm going to put it on offerup and sell it soon since I don't need 2 edgers but this fc75 has been very reliable and it too is from the same era as the fs80.
Big Texas yeah my fs80r I got from a buddy it needed a bunch of parts, I work on stuff on the side so I took it and put everything it needed on it. New gearbox and cutter head, clutch, carb, fuel lines, CDI and spark plug (it was stripped for parts when the old carb when bad he didn’t wanna put a new carb on it so he used it for parts. Why I don’t know). But after sitting for 3-4 years and all new parts (it’s a 2007) it started second pull!!!! Great trimmer
@@dougbittner6075 All of the parts are cheap on ebay for those. I got my fs80 on offerup for $50, ordered a new carb kit on ebay for like $13, new orange plastic engine cover for $22, and a new speed feed 450 head and now it looks and runs like new and I only have around $85 total into it.
Big Texas wow that’s a pretty good deal! I can’t remember exactly what all I got into mine I think around $150. But I got the trimmer for free and got a lot of parts of eBay and what I couldn’t I got from dealer that I work with really well they take good care of me. It’s been running over 3 years strong for me no downtime on me at all! Great trimmers.
Stihl is way overpriced and they make their equipment difficult to work on, Echo is superior to Stihl. They are better value and much easier to work on, and are just as powerful. The only minus is Echo doesn’t have as many models and options as Stihl
Maybe that was true in the past, but echo has sold their soul and gone into the domestic market and are now blurring the line between domestic and commercial and no longer building the pure long lasting commercial quality they used to. Not only that they are now re-branding their "domercial" machines into their shindaiwa range, which they have taken over. The only high end commercial alternative to stihl is now marayama which are built the old fashioned way.
Why burn 2-cycle oil in a 4-cycle engine? Why sacrifice superior lubrication of a 4-cycle engine for the inferior lubrication and expense of burning 50:1? Seems like madness to me. I've been running a Honda 4-cycle trimmer for 5 years. It burns regular gas and uses 10W-30 in the crankcase. Makes more sense to me.
@@OutdoorWalker I don’t think so. I want a high revving, lightweight, engine with a good hp/weight ratio with minimal maintenance. 2 stroke all day long.
I picked up a new Fs 111 4mix at the beginning of the season, it runs great at part throttle and I rarely find the need to give it full power,
Maybe the valves need adjusting or the carb needs a tune, love the torque and sound of the 4 mix,
I have nearly 2 acres of meadow and this just eats through the heavy stuff that you can’t reach with a tractor, great piece of kit.
Thanks a lot...greetings from SPAIN (Barcelona)
Good points. I have the km130 4mix and it's wicked powerful. Valve adjustment is easy and helps the mid-range. Even so, I use my 22.5cc maruyama 2-stroke for trimming. It's feather light and like you said the throttle response is smoother for sure.
My 4 mix did the same cutting out at mid throttle until I adjusted the valves on it. Now it is smooth at all RPMs.
how much did you adjust the valves. Ive heard that works and thinking about trying it for next season
Explained very well!
Thanks for the input!👍🏻
2 stroke is louder than 4 mix
I use the FS130 wich has the more comfortable, two arm handle. It will throw shit at my face but never stop cutting. It has a knife attachment and lots of torqe. Sometimes after standing in the cold for a longer time it had a hard time to start, but it is very nice.
I maintain a fleet of both 4 mix and 2 cycle Stihl trimmers. The 2 cycles are rarely in the shop. The 4 mix trimmers are in randomly for spark arrestors and occasionally a spark plug. I have always attributed it to the guys feathering the throttle to keep a lower head speed when needed. I keep telling them they need to be run wide open. Basically, they open the throttle which shoots fuel to it and before that can clear out, they shut the air off to it when they let off. After hours and hours of this, the spark arrestors plug up and plugs foul over time as well. To fix them, I take the arrestors out and burn them off with a propane torch, put a new plug in them, and then fill the gas tank up and with the arrestor out of it, I set it outside with the string and full length and ziptie the throttle wide open. There is normally a few sparks and an occasional puff of black smoke as the engine is burning itself and the muffler out. Once the fuel runs out, I put the arrestor back in it and send it on it’s way. The operator will almost always comment on how much better it runs. Since telling the guys to run them hard, my work on them has dramatically decreased. I personally like the 2 strokes better myself. They run much smoother in my opinion.
Rusty Shackleford that makes perfect sense about the 4 mix’s. I’ve actually heard something about that before. In all my equipment I run NGK spark plugs and I actually take the spark arrestors out of the mufflers in everything I run too. Seems to help me a lot with the breathing and power of the engine. I have two 2 strokes (Stihl FS75 and Stihl fs80r). I have three 4 mix’s (fs90r, fs111, and fs131r). Love all of them. 2 strokes definitely are smoother and better for more average trimming but I wouldn’t trade my 4 mix’s for anything. Running different gearbox attachments and blades with them and trimming thicker stuff, they have more torque than anything and are awesome. Thanks for the comments!!
@@dougbittner6075, we run NGK as well. I work for a municipality so we really can't modify any safety features like a spark arrestor. Sometimes the operators go into areas of dense and dry brush. From my experience, the 4 mix's are noticeably more fuel efficient. And they just sound cool!
Proffitt's Drone Service yeah they are definitely torquier which can make them faster and ultimately more fuel efficient. They definitely do sound good too!!!
Just take the screen off
@@proffittsdroneservice1537 haha true my Makita mm4 sounds like a Pitt bike , it sounds like I'm doing burnouts in someone's yard lol
Thank you for sharing.
I got a fs80 string trimmer. New fuel filter, new spark plug, new ignition module, new air filter, fuel tank. Starts and runs good trim and edge front yard turn it off go out back to trim and edge and it's hard to start but it does start back up I'm told it's blown top end thanks
Could be something with carburetor. If it is a blown engine, that will be determined on the psi of the engine. Normally on smaller two strokes anything below 80psi is about done (getting really weak) as new they come with anything from 110-130/140 depending on motor and size of course.
Interesting about feathering throttle. I'm looking at the 131 combi with slightly bigger motor, wondering if that will be more tolerant?
I’m actually picking up a fs131r not the KombiMotor (but same thing basically) I will do some videos on it in the future.
How do I fix the spring under the pulling rope
Having used both as well as echo, the 4 mixes, in my experience, have been tough as nails. Using them all day wide open, we have managed to burn up a few echos. The idle to wide open thing with the 4 mixes does kinda suck. It seems to be centrifugal clutch related. Anyhow, good video
yeah I agree, I have ran echo and husky and obviously stihl, just my personal opinion nothing is better than a stihl. very tough and reliable and I feel easiest to work on too. thanks
@@dougbittner6075 Stihl weed eater 250
How does the spring attach
To be honest, I didn't know that the feathering of the throttle wasn't supposed to be doing. It's the way I've learned it... 🤔 Would be weird if I get a 2 stroke with middle throttle. 🤔 😅
6:16
9:32
The issue you are describing with the 4 mix should not be happening. That’s some kind of issue with your unit, most likely a carburetor issue, but could also be a valve lash issue
I have a 4 mix fc110 edger since edging requires full throttle anyways. Everything else I use is straight 2 stroke.
Big Texas good way to do it! I run my fs80r for most of my lighter trimming and my fs90r and fs111 for brush cutting and heavy trimming when I need more power and wide open throttle. My fs90r I run an edger gearbox attachment on it too as well as a 145* hedge trimmer and pole pruner and it works great with those
@@dougbittner6075 Yessir, I have the fs80 also from 1999 and it still looks and runs like it did in 1999. That was when stihl really built their equipment to last. I also have the hl75 180 degree hedge trimmer from the same era as the fs80 and it too runs like new and looks excellent as well. I have an fc75 edger also that I replaced the fc110 with that's in perfect condition and I'm going to put it on offerup and sell it soon since I don't need 2 edgers but this fc75 has been very reliable and it too is from the same era as the fs80.
Big Texas yeah my fs80r I got from a buddy it needed a bunch of parts, I work on stuff on the side so I took it and put everything it needed on it. New gearbox and cutter head, clutch, carb, fuel lines, CDI and spark plug (it was stripped for parts when the old carb when bad he didn’t wanna put a new carb on it so he used it for parts. Why I don’t know). But after sitting for 3-4 years and all new parts (it’s a 2007) it started second pull!!!! Great trimmer
@@dougbittner6075 All of the parts are cheap on ebay for those. I got my fs80 on offerup for $50, ordered a new carb kit on ebay for like $13, new orange plastic engine cover for $22, and a new speed feed 450 head and now it looks and runs like new and I only have around $85 total into it.
Big Texas wow that’s a pretty good deal! I can’t remember exactly what all I got into mine I think around $150. But I got the trimmer for free and got a lot of parts of eBay and what I couldn’t I got from dealer that I work with really well they take good care of me. It’s been running over 3 years strong for me no downtime on me at all! Great trimmers.
So I can use the same gas I use with the 2 stroke with the 4 mix
William Freeman yeah I always do. 50:1 with STIHL HP Ultra fuel mix and I use 89 octane gas
Stihl likes to cover the whole engine with plastic. Echo dont do that crap
Stihl is way overpriced and they make their equipment difficult to work on, Echo is superior to Stihl. They are better value and much easier to work on, and are just as powerful. The only minus is Echo doesn’t have as many models and options as Stihl
Maybe that was true in the past, but echo has sold their soul and gone into the domestic market and are now blurring the line between domestic and commercial and no longer building the pure long lasting commercial quality they used to. Not only that they are now re-branding their "domercial" machines into their shindaiwa range, which they have taken over. The only high end commercial alternative to stihl is now marayama which are built the old fashioned way.
Why burn 2-cycle oil in a 4-cycle engine? Why sacrifice superior lubrication of a 4-cycle engine for the inferior lubrication and expense of burning 50:1? Seems like madness to me. I've been running a Honda 4-cycle trimmer for 5 years. It burns regular gas and uses 10W-30 in the crankcase. Makes more sense to me.
@Timms MC
But there are valves and a camshaft
@@scottythebody0811 you’re missing the point
@@OutdoorWalker
I don’t think so. I want a high revving, lightweight, engine with a good hp/weight ratio with minimal maintenance. 2 stroke all day long.