Ego String Trimmer Will Not Wind String In (ST1521S, ST1520, ST1520S, ST1524, ST1510T, ST1511T) 

You saved me so much frustration and neighbors didn’t have to hear my sailor’s mouth. Thank you.

My husband was ready to buy a new trimmer because the string wouldn't load. I found this video and he had it fixed in 5 minutes. Thank you so much! Your video was clear, concise, and exactly what we needed!

Thank you so much....It worked!! Now this 75 yr. old woman is back in business with the trimmer!! The hard part was getting that nut off but I had my son here to help me. Thanks again.

Thank goodness for people like you on RU-vid. I was ready to throw this trimmer to the curb, but thanks to you, it lives to trim another day. Thank you for the very helpful video!!!!

I live in Wales, part of the Uk and you are the only guy who has been able to sort out my problem , followed your instructions and yes my machine was just as clogged as yours was. Your video was brilliant. Da iawn wir a diolch yn fawr iawn ( just in case you don't understand Welsh ..... well done you and many thanks.

Mine (1520s) exhibited that exact symptom. I disassembled but found no debris. I did go ahead & use a toothbrush in that black main housing area where you found the netting. Mine had a fine 'silt?' around the circumference of housing & I cleaned that up . Also found a greasy slippery coating between the green part and the black spool which I cleaned up. Reassembled & it worked fine. Thanks for posting & pointing me in the right direction!

I owe you a million thanks. First indication of trouble was when the bump feed wouldn’t work. Took the line out and tried to feed new line in. No way…..fiddled for ages, then took the cap off and hand threaded through. But then the power feed wouldn’t work.Just about to put it in the truck to take it to the dump, when I thought to do a web search. Looked at lots of sites with no luck, but then found yours. Brilliant! Ten minutes later I was cutting. That’s what I call real help.🙂👏

Thank you from Alaska! My 82 year old father was beside himself when his whacker wouldn't wind. Found exactly what you described and he's back in action.

For the last 18 months I've not let the lawn crew edge or use a weed eater in my back yard. ru-vid.comUgkx_rBCFuDW1zD6blTGhLkvAkxU657uR_lG I didn't like the fact that they just kept cutting the edge of the lawn further and further from the rock lining the flower beds and leaving bare ground. And the grass was trimmed or scalped several feet around trees, etc. It was a constant battle with them so I told them to just mow and no trimming. I have Zoysia grass so it grows pretty slow. Obviously after a while it could use some trimming. I'm in my 80's so I can't do much of it myself.Finally I decided that if I could find a lightweight battery powered trimmer I might be able to do some light trimming. I decided to buy the LST201 20V trimmer. And it works great for my needs. I have back yard with about 150' of flower beds and several trees to be trimmed. I can lightly trim the whole yard with a single charge! The grass I trimmed was only a few inches high but the trimmer was more powerful than I expected.

You are a life saver. There was no debris in mind but just by taking it off like you did then putting it back on it started sucking in the line properly again. Thanks!!!

THANK YOU!! I Was afraid my expensive EGO trimmer was toast. With your instructions it was an easy fix. Thanks for providing me the instructions on fixing the problem. I really appreciate your help.

Thanks for the video. In my case there was no debris but it still wouldn’t load. This is weird because it is fairly new. I’m pretty sure the clicking is a ball detent torque limiter in the motor that is tripping because of too much friction as at tries to push against the spring to load the line. I put some brake grease on the splines and where the black cartridge and the green bottom piece slide against each other. It now works again! I hope this additional tip helps others.

Thanks from Australia. I was about to travel 50 km to ask the retailer for advice. Very kind of you to post this video. Who would have thought a little infiltration of green matter would cause such problems.

Thank you! This was driving me nuts trying to figure out what was preventing my Ego ST1520 string trimmer from winding string onto the head.

My line would not load, watched the video and I had the grass wrapped around the teeth preventing the auto feed from winding in the line. As other commenters mentioned, the hardest part was getting the 13mm nut off. Thank you for the video, the trimmer is working fine now. You are appreciated!

Suggestion: Put this in the text, just under the video: Tools: 13 mm socket, possibly requiring a 1/4 inch impact/driver to take the nut off. Also, my trimmer “naturally” ran out of string and misbehaved, as shown in this video, but I found NO debris of any kind after I took it apart. Side note: It was difficult to unloosen that nut, good thing I had a long socket wrench and simply imitated an impact driver when “cranking” away at the nut while using a thick leather garden glove to hold the plastic piece still. Anyway, I put it back together and fed the string, but that dog STILL wouldn’t hunt. Then I simply took the outer cover off and rotated it once, then replaced it -- I simply switched the press-fit tabs. This time, the orange string fed more smoothly through the entire head when I inserted it and “coaxed” it through its internal workings. Then, I evened out the string and held my breath and hit the power button to auto-restring. . . and it worked! I’m still not sure why, since again, there was no internal debris build-up, yet, when my initial (installed by EGO) run of string ran out and I fed it exact specs, EGO brand replacement string, the auto-restring mechanism behaved just like you see in this video -- pretended to re-string but really just laughed at me. And I’m not sure precisely what “fixed” it here, then. All I really did was simply take it apart and put it back together again. And yes, I was careful to firmly fit the outer piece on, hearing both tabs "click" to make sure I firmly seated that sucker. But I’m taking the time to explain all of this because EGO’s engineers need to further refine this thing, ESPECIALLY when it comes to taking it apart: Like others, I almost gave up trying to get that nut loose, there’s just no easy way to stabilize the plastic piece while cranking the nut with a 13 mm socket wrench. Otherwise, it's easily the BEST trimmer I've ever owned and it makes me very happy -- when it works!

Great video. Unfortunately this was not my problem. I took off the head and there was no obstruction. I cleaned all the parts and put back together and it still will not load. Without string, the unit rotated and clicks as usual. When I load string, it does not click as it rotates. It just goes around and around.

Thank you Dirty Buffalo! This doesn't happen to me every time I load, but it's gradually getting more often. There are a few good people on You Tube. you are one of them

Let me add to the many comments of THANKS...a great to the point video that was extremely helpful. EGO you need to put this in your owners manual!

Thank you so much! I had the exact same problem. The center nut was so tight I had to hold the spool with a strap wrench to get it loose, but otherwise the process was very smooth. Excellent video.

Great video. Did all this, removed the grass that was clogging it up ... but still not winding. Have disassembled/assembled a couple of times to make sure it's all OK, but no self-load. Any ideas?

My first reload had the same problem . Thank for the clear and concise fix .The video was excellent .

Thanks for your video. I'm considering getting an Ego line trimmer but reports of failing Powerheads scared me. Now I know how to solve the problem if and when it occurs.

These things have such stellar reviews, so it was really disappointing when 5 minutes out of the box the line was jammed (had to pull it out), and then I ran into this problem trying to reload it...

My husband could not get the SOB nut to budge! Will have to take it to our car mechanic for an impact wrench. For a regular consumer product, this should have never been so difficult to loosen.

Ugh! I had to do this on my second string change. If this is needed that often I’d prefer not to have a self winder.

Absolute unhinged GENIUSES! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, San Diego checking in. Total life savers, works like a charm!

Thank you very much. I called them and they said I needed a new head. So I sent them $60, still didn't work. Now it is fine, found all sorts of plastic tarp edges, netting, etc. on the gear. You saved me $300! Also, use a screwdriver sticking in the upper groves to hold the head.

thank you so much!! i was just about to jetison this weedwhacker into the sun!! 5 minutes later ,and its finally working! thank god it survived getting whipped into the side of the shed last weekend!! god i feel stupid!! lol thanks again!

Wow, thank you so much. I was about to give up, but,...... of course there is You Tube. Such a simple and obvious issue, and so easy to fix Thank you again.

You saved me from buying a new one. 5 minutes and it was fixed. Thank you

The city just lay down some of that mesh in one of our ditches a few months back. That was definitely the problem. Thanks so much for the solution.

Thank you!! We haven't had our EGo very long. Really like the power but when it wouldn't reload new string, first thing I thought was "piece of junk". Pulled it apart per your instructions and there it was, a little tangle around the shaft. Removed, cleaned and now we're back to trimming. 😀 thanks again.

Mine doesn't vibrate up and down all it does is spin and twist line up .

Thanks for posting this! Super helpful. That nut can be a little recalcitrant so WD-40 will handle the resistance.

Thanks a million times! Mine would not work the very 1st time I tried to reload it. I even called EGO support, they sent me a replacement bump head cap. After many attempts I finally got it to reload 2 times then it refused to load anymore. Then I found this video. Once I managed to get the cap off there was some woody weed wrapped around inside there. Put it all back together and it loaded the way it is supposed to.

Bro. Genius. Exactly my problem too. Bunch of landscape netting and string stuck in there. Could not see it. Thanks. All fixed now.

Plain and simple you are the best brother! Wow i did as you suggested and it worked great and Thank You ,and may the Lord bless you !

Excellent video, 5 minutes to fix, like new….thank you!

Perfect. Thank you. That identified and resolved the problem I had. The hardest part was getting the locking nut off. CRC eventually freed it.

Thanks, I spent half an hour try to troubleshoot this myself and your five minute video solved it!

Thanks! I had a lot of trouble getting the nut loosened as well. Don't have an impact wrench, but kept at it and was able to muscle it loose after many tries. Using work gloves help to steady the spool. Applying liquid wrench and giving it some time would help as well.

Thanks for this. It helped me get mine sorted. Even though I didn’t find anything clogging up the base when I took it apart, the mere process of taking it apart and putting it back together seemed to serve as a form of reset. Dunno why. A tip to make it easier to get the nut off is to insert the blade of a small (say about 6”) Phillips head screwdriver into one of the line feed holes on the black reel and lay it down on a table. When you lever the socket the reel will turn until the screwdriver handle jambs down on the table and acts as a kind of brake. Do the same when you put it back together.

thx very much for the video…went to purchase this trimmer today at my local Lowes….they had them in stock, but due to computer issues, they couldn’t get them into their inventory and told me to come back tomorrow !!….but if i have this issue, i now know how to rectify it…..THANKS

I have a ST1510T. Two years old, just used up the original spool of string. When I went to restring, it would not respool. I called tech support, but they said I needed a new head. I watched your video (and everyone else's videos too) and the explanation was terrific. It explained a lot. I tore it down like you said, but there was no dirt or debris in the housing - motor even turned nicely when I hit the rewind switch. When I put the housing back on, it still would not rewind. It would tat-tat-tat like it was supposed to. It rewound for a split second and then stop rewinding...then no more rewinding at all. With the housing off - I hand fed string into the spool and hit the switch, and it rewound...but with the housing on, it wants to respool, but just not quite doing it. Is there a tolerance issue with the green housing and the black spooler - where the "teeth" are not engaging ? Any ideas????? Chuck B.

Respect for the video, I can’t remember anything being so simple for me 👍🏻

Just what I needed. 5 min job. Easy fix. Thank you!

Thank you for this excellent video. I had maybe a few blades of grass in mine but I blew them out and reassembled the unit and it slowly came back to live. Thank you for saving me from swearing off this brand forever.

Thanks for the vid! Was trimming some running trails and the line stopped feeding. This fixed it, nettles had jammed things up. Super easy fix.

Nothing is happening when I press the button to draw the line into the head, help please!

You saved me a ton of headache! Thank you!

Thankyou sir 🙌 Was trying to show a family member how easy it is using the power load !🤣 Gonna clean mine now🤙

Perfect video! Fixed mine as soon as I got hone from work I was so excited 😂 kudos!

Mine wouldn't load because the nut was loose. Thank you for the guidance so I could see what I was getting myself into.

thanks for helping me fix the problem, Best Ego string problem video on youtube. Thank you

Just had a customer come in with this issue and the video helped us troubleshoot it for her. Appreciate the concise, informative video!

You are an absolute superstar. It would not load and at the beginning of a bank holiday weekend so no long weekend strimming. Took your advice and its perfect. THank you so much.

Thanks so much. This happens so frequently Ego needs to work on a design solution. Or at least explain it in the trouble shooting instructions.

Many many thanks!! I was able to follow your video to repair this issue. Wasted very little time.

Watched the video and was able to fix my string auto feed in under 5 minutes. Thanks

Dude, this is exactly what was wrong. Same mesh and everything. Did what you said and it works like it should. Thank you so much!

Thank you. I had a strip of weed fabric in the area you described.

excellent, thanks, just saved me from "kicking the dog", was very frustrated......

Thank you , my dad was getting really aggravated. This really helped and it worked

Great! Accurate right down to the socket size. Never would have figured this out on my own

We just got these at our golf course and had this very problem, thanks so much for the video it saved me a ton of time trying to figure it out!

You’re a bloody legend! Thanks for creating the video and posting with such clear instructions!

Even told me what size socket to get!!! Thanks for the tip.

Easy fix thanks. Was thinking I would need to get it fixed professionally

You need a grip like a vise to hold the spool while loosening the nut holding it in place, especially if a lock nut is in place.

Top notch video on the power load system, thanks a million.

Also, I used strap wrench by Kobalt 4 in (100 mm) to hold the black center part from moving.

Thank you SO much! Had this exact same issue and could not figure it out. Sure enough, the city had put down some of that netting and it was caught up in there. Your video saved the day!

I had the same problem where the line wouldn’t feed. However, when I dismantled the head there wasn’t any debris in there. I put it all back together and it kinda worked a little better than before, but not perfect.

excellent and concise,, ...now do you have a video about difficulty threading the string through the head...official Ego videos make it look automatic

Be careful not to dump spacers from shaft, study their position as you disassemble. Thanks for the video, aggravating to be in yard and line not load.

Thank you! Now to run outside and give this a try!

Perfect. This was the exact problem and this video got me back to 100% operational. Thank you so much.

Thank you ,thank you.Very well done,if I found out you were a n instuctor of sorts I would not be surprised.Excellent instuction.

Just about to buy the new telescoping version. Great to know how easy it is to disassemble if needed! Subscribed!

thank you for the quick fix, I was planning on bring this trimmer back to the big box store

This is excellent guidance for a problem that was driving me mad. Thank you so much. Why doesn't the manual cover this? Hello. Ego?

Thank you very much! 1st time reloading and have a netting from the sod clogging up. Works great now thank you.

Thank you, I just bought one. Very helpful.

Thank you so much for this video!! I was totally stymied by this problem and you provided a wonderfully clear path to success.

Awesome thanks so much, clear and concise and saved me a service fee.

You saved my bacon (a whole lot of time, inconvenience and frustration). Thanks for posting!

Thanks for video! It was quicker than digging out tanerite to blow it up and fixed my problem!

Thanks for doing this video. It saved me a lot of headache.

Thank you for this short, simple explanation. Exactly my problem, and it's fixed !

You are a lifesaver. I can't thank you enough!!!!

Thanks. Fixed my problem straight away.

Great how to video. Thank's for doing it for us Ego owners.

This worked like a charm for me - thanks for the video!

That was it thanks. I had fibers from an old tarp wrapped up inside ans it was driving me nuts

Clear, concise video! Saved me a lot of headache!

Thanks, I thought I was going to have to buy a new trimmer.

Thanks. Similar problem happened to my brush vaccum cleaner head recently.

Thanks for the much needed video! Explanation was clear and worked perfectly to fix the problem. Would that all my problems were that easy to solve!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!