As a single 70 yr old women still doing her own yard work, I couldn’t reassemble the head. But thanks to your great instructions I was able to do, ty so much
Thanks for the help! Person at the hardware store took the head apart and couldn't get it back together. After seeing your instructions, I was able to get it back together and make it work!
Extremely helpful - couldn't get the head disassembled on mine - and cautious about breaking anything - the upper and lower halves on mine were EXTREMELY tight, but once confirming what to do, went ahead and got mine apart - VERY helpful video, thanks.
Some kind of lube or grease on the mating surfaces might make it easier to remove next time. I guess it's the constant spinning motion that tightens it so well. Ryobi just introduced a new brush cutting "expand it" head unit.
This video was a life saver. The manual doesn't give a lot of specific information on disassembling and reassembling, especially on how to restring. I was totally lost. Thank you👍🏽👍🏽
THANK YOU 🙏! I took off cap to reload trim line and unable to put back together… Watched this and it all made sense! Thanks for taking time to upload… saved me so much time & frustration!!
I finally got mine unlocked. No, you are not doing anything wrong. It's just a PITA. I took the entire bump head off using the pin and spinning the head off, this was very easy to do. Then I put the bottom section of the dump head on my table clamp and then used a lot of my strength with both hands to spin it to the unlock. I'm a relatively strong guy, having to do this to unlock the head is obviously a design flaw. But now that I know how to remove it, I'll keep the tool.
In addition to using tue WD40 I inserted a flathead screwdriver to lightly pry open the area along the lock/unlock area and then twisted that it finally unlocked.
Thank you so much for your help. Your explanations were very helpful. I have had this trimmer since 2021 and it has been a constant sense of irritation. I have small hands and when I try to get it off or back on, I can't grip it tightly enough especially if I am trying to line up the holes at the same time. Putting the string as you explained made was easier after watching this. Several times I have been tempted to trash it because the string doesn't feed through properly. Giving it one more try after watching your video. At last I got the head back on. Now we'll see what happens when I try to use it.
I'm glad you found it helpful. I like wearing rubber gloves to remove the cap. It seems to give me more grip and require less force. I also like to put some type of lubricant on the mating surfaces before putting it back together.
Thanks for The Tip i wasn't able to Twist mine off until i used a flat head Screw Driver and Pushed it where the Lock logo is at on Both side and Push and twist then Put WD40 and Play with it a little Push and twist until it snaps off i used Work Gloves because it get Slippery but it worked Just be patient you will get it i took about 15 minutes 😀
super helpful, thank you - i just need some more muscle to get the head back on. i’m lining up the triangles but i can’t seem to turn it other than my user error issue lol this video is very easy to follow !
Yeah it gets stuck on there pretty tight sometimes. I've found that some grip gloves to give me a little more hold will often times break it lose and then applying some lubricant will make it much easier next time. Thanks for watching.
@@accidental_relevance what do suggest doing if nothing seems to work to get the head back on? the gloves, lubricant, extra muscle - i have had 2 other people try and we can’t get it back on 😢
Very helpful. I've had this trimmer since early May, and I like a lot of thing about it, but have had issues with the head and reloading the string which your video has addressed.
I figured i had tangled line inside string housing. I had a very difficult time unlocking the housing. Finally jimmied it with a screw driver . However , couldnt get it locked. Between your instructions, viewers comments, and experimenation, I took the whole head off the trimmer and was able to easily lock it. Put the housing unit back on the trimmer, restrung the line, reassembled, and the trimmer works like new. Thanks to you and fellow viewer comments to help me succeed. Have a blessed day!
Thank you. I'm glad you found my video helpful. Obviously I don't put a lot of effort into making them 😁But I do hope that they make someone's day go a little bit smoother.
Worked fine, one thing i noticed is , i had to push DOWN on one side and push UP on the other side for it to turn so it would unlock and pop off! Hope that helps! Thanks again.
Thank you for this! I read the instructions incorrectly when I tried to reload new line and unnecessarily disassembled that part of the unit. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong when I was unable to reassemble, after replacing the line. This video showed me exactly what I did wrong and I'm back in business!
Excellent video, thanks. For me, the head was full of gunk, and it wouldn’t come off easily. I prepared it using white lithium grease and a flat head screwdriver gently twisting the screwdriver in the gap. Then I was able to keep the base from spinning by jamming the screwdriver into one of the slots on the upper side of the head , and moved the lower side with a giant pair of channel locks. Not very easy but not that hard either. While apart I cleaned and lubricated everything and reassembly was easy.
good advice. Lithium is slippery stuff. And last for a long time. I think the chlorophyl from the grass kinda melts the plastic together like glue after a while.
Hey Brother, thank you for breaking down the process! The directions in the instruction manual suck and I was getting really frustrated. Keep up the good work
SOLVED! I, too, watched your first video and was confused why the cord would not go through. I used your video here to see how to pull the assembly off and discovered that there was a little bit of cord left over which was stuck in assembly. The reason why the cord would not go through is because there was already some cord in there. A good test to know if this is the case for any of your viewers is to look into the hole. You should see light from the other side. No light? then you have a bit of cord stuck inside and you need to disassemble.
The more times you remove and replace it the easier it gets, and a little lubricant of some kind on the mating surfaces makes things go easier too. I'm glad you found the video helpful.
Your instructions are BRILLIANT! The only thing I would add is that if you're trying to load a new line, it's so tightly curled that unless you straighten one end so that it will push through the other side, you'll never get it through. I pulled the wire from one end down to about 12" across a hard edge of my desk and then where it only gently curved (still won't go through at that point), I kind of bent it with my fingers until it was straight--I also put a mark on the wire at about the 5" mark--if I pushed wire in past that point, I knew it was just wrapping around wasting my time. Good luck everyone, this little device is enough to make even a gentle soul want to pound it through the pavement! Thank you much for your great video and your great videography, everything was so easy to see.
Thank you. Straightening the end is a great idea. Another commentor suggested putting the line in hot water just before loading to relax the memory in the line.
@@accidental_relevance Arrrgh, I was able to rewind my trimmer, but every time I try to use it, within seconds it unwinds and turns off. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? In the meantime, I'll keep researching...so far the videos are about models I don't have and don't wind at all the way these do. Thank you! Trully, I've come to hate this device and wish I could have goats.
I'm glad it was helpful. This machine has worked very well for a few seasons now. The line loading just takes a little getting used to. I use the rotor-tiller attachment probably as often as the trimmer.
Maybe it's a different model of trimmer? But as you can see, I had a trouble getting mine to disengage as well. I think the constant rotation just serves to make it really tight. I would try a strap-wrench if it's too hard to break lose by hand.
Align the arrow (yellow head) to the hole while on the machine and you can see daylight; no need to remove the whole thing. Maybe worth removing the stuff once in a while to clean with water. Soak your trimmer plastic lines in water and dry it a bit (they are brittle after stored for a long time). Spray silicone spray on the rehydrated line after winding the line. This way, trimmer line not will break easily and will not get stuck in the spool.
Thank you so much for showing me how to do this. I've been trying to figure it out for quite some time thank God for you too and people like you. I don't know why it's a constant change or get more weed whacking wire rope whatever it may be all I can say is thank you very much God bless amazing video
Extremely helpful. Best video that was clear and straight to the point. My issue is I had my line in before I lined it up. So I couldn’t get it to snap back on to the head. Thank you
I had to do that a couple of times yesterday. Sometimes the wire just gets bound up in there some way. This is the first time I've used the line that was on the bulk roll and not pre-cut. So I wonder if that has something to do with it.
@@MarzNet256 I have some thinner line and a roll of the old style .092 line as well that I'm curious to try. I think it's fine to use thinner wire with trimmers, just not thicker than recommended. I plan on loading it into the head from my old gas trimmer. Then I can just swap heads when I run out of wire using the EXPAND IT feature and continue working rather than have to load string right then.
Took me hours of struggling to twist the thing off, and now I can’t get it to twist back on. Any advice? It won’t budge at all. Tool is brand new. Haven’t even turned it on yet. The line it came with was stuck inside the head.
Yeah you can see I struggle a little removing it even though mine has been removed several times. You could use penetrating oil to help loosen it up. Wear grip gloves to give you more turning power. Or maybe a strap wrench. Good luck.
@@TheZedman5000 push inward and turn it counter clock until the two arrows line up and it should pop off. Then clockwise to the lock logo to put it back on. It doesn't screw off, so it won't turn past the lock or the arrow logo.
@@accidental_relevance Wound up returning it and getting a replacement. No matter what I did that day, I couldn't get it to budge back towards the lock, and reading reviews online it seems I'm not the only one who got one that just doesn't want to twist.
@@accidental_relevance LOL! Never use silicone grease there; it says "cancer causing agents" on the grease tube. I wonder how many children watch your youtube on weed trimmer assembly. Who knows...... the mention of "weed" and "assembly" in the heading may bring a lot of American kids to this site. LOL!
I have the original unit that extends once releasing the trigger then speeds up, I haven't liked it to well but a change is coming, my motors at the bottom so 8ne unit will be changed abd the other will have the wire unit
I still use the head that came with my old Ryobi gas trimmer. That way I always have one loaded and ready to go. That's the advantage of the, Expand it ! feature.
I have the more expensive brushless head version of this with the motor at the head. The problem is that last bit where you line up the arrows and twist, just doesn't work. I thing the head is locked up or something.
I took apart the part holding the spring awhile ago trying to put together now. Think I’m missing a piece is there something near the spring and the the screw
I am not a wimpy female who has to ask men to do things for her even though I broke my spine, but my head just won't go back on by my strength. Maybe I should put parafin on it to make it guide more smoothly? I already knew how to load the line and removing the head and putting it back on is almost impossible.
It can be cranky sometimes. And a little lubricant does make it go back together easier. Sometimes it helps to just take a deep breath and give it another try.
@@accidental_relevance yes. I got it to go after trying over and over again and putting 3 in 1 oil on it. Thanks. I am considering putting the heat gun to it, but not long enough to melt it. Just long enough for each side of the seal to respect the other side. I mainly want to take a torch to it and cut the grass with scissors. Would be easier sometimes I think. :D
I've noticed you reply to new comments still, and my cousins came over and took the head off but for some reason, it's impossible to lock it back into place. I'm literally giving it all I got and it just won't twist to the lock position. What am I doing wrong?
I couldn't really see what catches the four tabs that have to fit up into the top piece but it might have been damaged when you removed the head. Fortunately, you can use any head that's compatible with the, Expand it ! feature.
Thanks. I had to brace the lower half with my boot on the ground and then use both hands to rotate the top half to get it unlocked. I have the newest version and they are tight as a MF
Wearing rubber gloves so you have a little more grip and lubricate the mating surfaces is about all you can do to help. I guess the spinning action continually tightens it maybe.
Yeah that thing can be stubborn. I think the spinning action actually tightens it. Spraying some penetrating oil on the contacting surfaces will help and make it easier next time. And wearing thick rubber gloves to give you more twisting torque. A strap wrench might also work. I have another video that shows how to load the line without removing the head. And Expand it !
It just twists off. It's difficult to remove after it's been used for a while so you might have to really work at it, or you can gently pry the mating surfaces apart. Just be careful not to damage it. I use grip-gloves when I'm removing anything that twist off.
I bought on of these and I truly regret it. The line does NOT easily go through the head because the line has a built in curve which will not allow it to go through the second hole without a LOT of fussing around. Also, on mine, I cannot for the life of me get the head back on. It WILL NOT rotate into the lock position. After one season and one attempted line reload, it's going in the trash.
spraying the mating surfaces down with some lubricant makes it go together easier. If you line up the arrows and push up while twisting it should go right on.
Just bought a new $158 +tax hart 40 Volt weed eater and only used it once with the sting in it that came in the string housing. My problem is I cannot open the string housing from lock to unlock even after alignment of the arrows. I've have three strong men to try and unlock the string housing and it won't budge either way. Are there a trick that I'm over looking to open this thing?
Some people have had good luck with gently prizing the edges away from the head. I guess sometimes the plastic gets kind of welded together. Once you have it off, just put some lubricant of some kind on the mating surfaces so they don't bind up. The more you take it off and on the easier it gets.
I had a model older than this one that I love. My sister has difficulty with tools that are too heavy and she actually loved mine and found it easy to use ru-vid.comUgkx_rBCFuDW1zD6blTGhLkvAkxU657uR_lG . This is a newer model but was even lighter which she really appreciates. She enjoys it and I no longer have to go to her house to trim as she can handle it fine. Haven't used it enough to comment on the battery life but lithium batteries last longer than the old style. Being cordless makes it easy to trim the far edges of the property. The entire yard can be trimmed with one charged battery.
It gets really tight sometimes. Some penetrating oil and breaking the seal with a prying tool might help. Just be careful. Also rubber gloves to increase your grip strength might help.
Probably not. It's just really stubborn, especially the first time you remove it. Wear some gloves to give you more grip and then apply some type of lubricant to make it easier next time. You might also want to put some tape over the cutting edge of the line cutter in case you slip while trying to remove the head cap.
On this model the only spring I know of goes on the drive shaft between it and the spool. Friction holds the spring on the shaft, but you might need to press it down with a flathead or something. If you can just put it in place before you twist the cap on it should press it on down. Good luck.
With a bit of a struggle, I got mine unlocked. I replaced the line just fine, but I cannot get it to lock. Any suggestions? I have owned numerous trimmers but I've never had this type of issue before. Contemplating returning to Home Depot if I cannot resolve this.
Several people have mentioned this issue, but no one has shared what they found out. It's really difficult to see the locking mechanism up inside there, but I would think a locking tab has broken off somehow. Probably will need to be replaced.
Thank you for your response. It doesn't appear anything is broken, but that could be the reason why it was difficult to unlock and will not move back into the lock position. I purchased this trimmer less than a month ago. This is the first time the line needed replacing. If the locking mechanism is fragile to the point that it would malfunction prior to initial unlocking, this is clearly a serious design flaw. Ryobi and Home Depot should concede to this flaw and replace the head or entire trimmer.
Help! Lol I have spent so much time trying to figure out how to put a new spool in! I got the replacement spool, not the just line that is green, I have the spring and the green knob and the top. I don’t see how the spool fits inside the top unless I’m missing a piece.
I got my line replaced, Thanks. But I have another issue. Maybe you can offer a suggestion. I haven't used the trimmer since last year, and when I replaced the line the trimmer would only run on high speed for 2 seconds at a time then stop. I tried 4 different batteries and it does the same with all. One battery was one from the charger that I had just mowed with. I doubt the battery is the issue. I can run it longer if I hold the button to about half speed. but when the trigger is fully depressed it will stop after 2 seconds. Any ideas?
I'm not a technician, but that seems like it would be an issue with the trigger switch. The tool dept guys at HD might have a fix or know where to get it replaced.
Before you load your string stick it in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes than pull it out straight. That will release the "plastic string memory". (same trick for spooling a fishing reel). You're welcome.
Why does my spring pop out every time? And there's nothing to mount it to... So far I actually am ready to build up muscles to use the gas weedeater.... It won't bump feed so I tried to start with new line.. 2 hours later...😖
String keeps coming out. No problem reloading and winding up but as soon as turn on it comes out. The green head with arrow seems to keep clicking to line up with holes instead of stay locked. Thoughts?
Great video! I have constant problems with getting a new one of these trimmer head units. It works okay for a while. Then it gets where the four tabs that seem to need to go down in these four slots on the base are blocked by these little sliding plastic pieces in the base. Once that happens there is no screwing the head back into it. What are those little pieces for? How do I keep that from happening?
@@willlowrey2840 no! 😢 I went today to buy a new one. I’m going to look at my older ones and compare it to this new one. See if I can figure out what those little
Yeah, that’s the issue I have. The tabs won’t go in all the way. The plastic tabs are in the way. I don’t understand the design at all. Good luck to you!
@@accidental_relevance yes eventually got it, greased it a little and put it in a vice and worked it in to get use to moving, and now it’s much easier.
Once your line is shortened from use, what's the best way to extend it back out? Do you have to fully open the head again? Thanks for the video, it was really helpful!
Just bump that green knob against something smooth while the machine is running and you should hear the line hit the cut off blade indicating it has extended. Sometimes the line will get bound up in the head and you might have to manually push the knob down and then pull the line out by hand until you hear it lock.
It's really stubborn the first time to remove it. Some type of grip gloves might help you get a better hold on it. And then apply some lubricant to the mating surfaces to make it easier next time.
Yeah it's pretty stubborn sometimes. You might try wearing some grips gloves to give you more power, and putting some type of lubricant on the mating surfaces once you get it off. Some people have also had luck with prizing the edges loose with a little screwdriver or something. Just be careful if you decide to do that.
