Stringing the head begins at 3:00 - In this video I'll be replacing the Spiral Heavy Duty co-extruded trimmer line in a Ryobi 40 volt Electric String Trimmer. FYI, apparently it's pronounced Ree - obi.
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.
I haven’t trimmed my yard in 3 week because I was afraid (that I broke it and was missing parts) and more bummed out that I thought I messed up my new trimmer. Thanks for this video!!! I’m back in action! So glad I live in the age where videos are at your fingertips 🥴😂😂
@@halliewhite4893 I just replaced the line for the second time and still had trouble feeding it through the head. You just have to work with it until the wire is nice and straight so it can go straight though.
Excellent video. A couple of additional tips that might come in handy. The markings referred to in the video are for Ryobi's pre-cut line, which is basically 16 feet, the optimal length. It's easier to just spool the line through and make sure the two ends are of equal length. And in the future, it's more cost effective to buy uncut line. Just pull off 16 feet. Second, and this is possibly much more helpful. if you find - as I did this morning - that you cannot get the line to spool through the holes on both sides, or that it's very difficult to wind the line onto the spool, it's very possible that there is still line inside the housing that is obstructing the new line. You can remove the top cap by pressing in on the tabs (doesn't take much pressure) and it will pop off. Remove any loose line hiding inside and then reassemble (very easy to do). You'll find that the line spools through with no problem now. And the entire assembly will also turn more smoothly, making it super simple to wind the line around the internal spool.
Thank you. Good advice. I made a video on how to disassemble the head which makes a lot of this much clearer. I'm going to get it edited and uploaded as soon as I can recover from my struggle with Covid 19.
@@SteveinJersey1234 Thank you again. At 62 years old with preexisting asthma, it's hit me pretty hard and is really hanging on. But I think I'm on the way back.
I just take the line which is curved and run is over a marker or something to reverse the bend. 1st shot every time. Mine came with .080 line. Still great line. This thing is worth every penny. The battery never wants to die. I put mine in storage for about a year. Took it out and used it. Still strong after that.
@@THEATREofPAIN270 I'll have to give that a try. I use mine as a rotor-tiller thanks to the, EXPAND-IT, feature and I get a good run out of the battery even in hard clay soil. ( whip-ish )
Thanks for the video, kept me from having to read the directions. Yep, the line should thread thru without too much difficulty. I did have to twist it a bit to get the proper alignment. Instead of using the pre-cut lengths of line, if you are using bulk line, per the directions: do not load more than 10' (feet) because if you do, the line may jam-up.
I did finally find the winding tool that's included with the trimmer, and several people have commented that it makes winding the cord easier. And extra trim line was also included with it, so I didn't really need to buy more line yet. I got to get more organized.
Bought these lines yesterday from Home Depot, same prize as amazon and had them the same day . Worked like a charm. All my old trimmers i had to spend more time unscrewing the line holder and trying to feed it in. This makes it so easy .
Thank you. I should have pointed out that all I had to do to get the line to feed properly into the cutting head was make sure it wasn't curved as I fed it in.
@@opentospirit22 they are a good value. My neighbor was so impressed with my trimmer / rotor-tiller he purchased one for himself, and the matching cordless electric mower.
Thanks for the video. The wrench tool (as you called it) makes this job super-fast. It’s actually the money of this design. Once it’s through, you can wind it at lightning speed. Thanks again!! 😺😺
Just look through the hole you're feeding it in and you can see light on the other side, shove the line in then once even on each side then you start cranking it(remember to have the arrows lined up)
The string should be fed through the head until the line is the same length on both sides. So if you can mount the head like I have in a vise or get someone to hold it for ya, you can just walk back with both ends of the line until the two ends of the line meet and are the same length. If you wind it then there should be no way that it wouldn't grab the line and pull it in from both sides. Hope this helps.
Dude, thanks. Before this video I took the head apart and getting it back together was like a Chinese puzzle and took me an hour. Great sound affects...better than most commercials.
I keep havin an issue. I turn the head but the line doesn't wind up. I've watched several videos and I'm fairly confident I've assembled it correctly but the string just doesn't wind up. My biggest suspicion is the silver bolt. I've haven't read or seen just how tight it's supposed to be. I've played with enough that I should've found the right tension but no luck yet. The frustration got to be to much so I left it and the work unfinished. Got any idead?
Lining up the arrows is the part you don't want to miss. I was almost surprised when it threaded correctly. I tried a few times without aligning the head properly and even had disassembled the cap a few times needlessly. The plastic cap turning tool does make winding quicker.
Reloaded mine like this last summer when I became a homeowner and complete forgot how to over the winter. Now I remember and I’ll definitely be making the same sound effects when I use it! Thanks! 😂
Thank you so much for the video. Since the line comes out on both sides my hubby was curious on how to replace the line so he took it apart and spent the next 30 minutes putting it back together lol.
At first I was wondering why the video seemed to deliberately cut out when you couldn’t get the string to go through and then it magically went through after the skip. But I decided to try one more time and despite failing all previous attempts, the string fed through easily! Can’t believe how much time I wasted on this! And as an added bonus I now know how to properly advance the string which was something I was doing entirely wrong previously. Thank you for the video. Showing you struggling helped me realize mine wasn’t faulty somehow.
I glad it worked out. I'm about to make a follow up video on dissembling the head and showing why it's a little tricky to get it to feed sometimes. If you rotate the head from the lock logo to the arrow and pull the bottom off, you'll see that the line holes going into the spool have to line up vertically as well as horizontally. So just moving the bump knob up and down a little can make the difference in the line going right through and having trouble.
Dude! Your style and simplicity is crazy funny but also extremely useful. I was reading the instructions and thought, WTF! My arrow line in the bumper is worn off. Haha! But I just rotated it until it lined up so I could feed the line straight thru. Like you, I tried one side and then the other. The second try worked perfectly just like your video instructions. I appreciate the knowledge you shared.
I think the reason it is hard to feed and then suddenly goes through easily has to do with the alignment holes that allow the line to pass through the spool. If you remove the bottom of the head to expose the spool you can see what I mean. The holes have to line up both horizontally and vertically. So just bumping the knob slightly can make it feed through when it's stubborn.
Thanks!!!! was trying to spool it the old school way and something told me to check out youtube.... This was the first and ONLY video I needed to watch.
Because the bump knob is so thick do you find that you can’t take weeds or grass right down to the bare ground if you wanted to? I have heard others complain about this issue. The line is easy to reel on but it being so thick places the line way too high. Any advice you could give would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.
I like the height of the bump knob because it allows me to use it like a lawn mower without scalping. But if I'm not careful and don't keep the head level it will still easily scalp it down to the dirt. And remove some dirt as well.
I'm sorry the video was not to your liking. When you're in a hurry you can hover the curser over the red line that appears below the video and thumbnail photos will appear that allow you to skip forward to the meat the video. Thanks for the suggestion.
It's been decades since I actually changed string and i recently bought this weed whacker and its is awesome. Anyways growing up my Dad showed my how to change string and its was pretty much wind it up yourself. I attempted to do that this morning and I was getting nowhere and I said man let me go to RU-vid 😂. Thanks for the video 🐱
The only tricky part is getting the string started through the head. After you get it started it's so much easier than the old hand winding method. And feeds better during use. Getting the package open is also a little difficult. Expand it !
Thank you for all your help I bought this trimmer to use around my home then you it came to adding line I did not know what to do had to watch were video to figure it out I got it now
Great video, finally had to replace my old Ryobi Trimmer that I’ve had almost 12 years I was just in the garage staring at the new one trying to figure out how to put the line in, couldn’t be any simpler. Love the expand it sound effects! Ignore all the haters, they obviously have too much time on their hands and are feeling in adequate in their own life so they want you to feel bad about making a video that they watched and probably found helpful! Keep up the good work!
Thanks! I really needed to see this video. My line ran out and there were no instructions on how to restring it. This morning will now be a busy day with the Ryobi.
Thanks! This video shows how easy it can be to replace the line and help me a lot (I had taken the spool apart for no reason). On my pre-cut line the middle is "marked" by a kind of crimping or flattening of the line in two places about the width of the spool itself.
Thanks for this! I was dinking around with mine like it was a Stihl and jammed mine all up. I used a regular roll of line. Which btw does work. This is so simple and I like this design.
If you're having trouble getting the line to go through, try moving the bump knob up and down a little. If you take the head apart, you can see why it's a little tricky to load sometimes. I made another video showing how to disassemble the head, but unfortunately, I've had a lot to deal with lately, so I haven't been able to edit and upload it.
At 3:06 you were struggling to get the string through but then you were able to get the string through. How did you do this? I’m having trouble getting the string all the way through. I also think I may have some string jammed in there. Thanks.
I just kept straightening the wire and feeding it in just like I had been and suddenly it went through. Sometimes using the other end of the string makes it go through better
Thank you. Mine just ran out of line and I was terrized on what it might take to rewire this. Wow never thought it could be this easy. I did what you showed and it worked perfectly. My line didnt have any markings on it but all you do is keep feeding it until both ends are equal length then start turning the knob. PS Since your giving kudos to Ryobi I should mention for others, my string trimmer is a replacement for a gas powered Poulan and I finally got tired to try and get started, mix gas, oil the whole thing. The reason Ryobi is they do accept other attachements. I had an edger, a string trimmer and a blower and they all work with it so the new electric trimmer for 189 at homey depot was worth it since I had all the other tools already. When I finally give in to the electric mower it will be a Ryobi as well because the batteries are the exact same for the mower as the trimmer. Again thanks for the help.
Good information, thanks for sharing that. I knew some Homelite products would interchange. It just makes sense to keep using things you already have on hand.
Stupid question since I only just got mine. To remove the old line, how far down do you let it go and is it easy to pull out? I don't want to take it apart (since I really can't due to neuropathy in my hands...if you guys can think of an easy way for me to do it great. Cause right now I can't). All the videos I see are about putting in the new line, not exactly how to remove the old. Thanks.
I just use mine until it stops working. I don't think there has ever been any line left inside the head at that point. Loading the line without removing the head hasn't been a problem since I learned to line the holes up both horizontally and vertically.
Man I spent 30 mins cussing up a storm before find this video. Talk about feeling like a dummy. But this was an excellent tutorial and now I can rest assured my line changes will be so much easier
Thank you for watching. It's gets easier every time you do it. Here's a video on taking the head apart that makes it even more clear: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6EvOhVgmmXQ.html
I can’t get my line to go through! I have tried for hours! Super frustrated. Yes I have the arrows lined up! I’ve moved it around/ it’s like there is something in the middle but I don’t know how to get the spool off to see if something is stuck
The line needs to be really nice and straight. I was having a lot of trouble the last time I re-loaded string and finally just tried the other end of the line and it went right through. I don't know why. It just did. Hope it works out. Expand it !
I love your sound effects and did not have any idea I had the dang expand it model til you did that haha! I also was able to load the stringer in two minutes including opening the package. So I took an extra sixty seconds to say thank you! I’m a huge ryobi fan too🥂
Thank you for watching. I'm glad you found the video useful. Some viewers have said that the head-cap is easily removable if done before the first use, so it might be a good idea to put some lubricant on the mating surfaces at that time for more easy removal later.
Thanks so much. There were no directions in the weed eater box for how to do this. Thanks again. Oh I have a question. I have a bunch of .105 line left over from my gas weed eater. I know it’s not the size recommended for the ryobi, but do you think it would work in it?
I'd recommend using the size line that's recommended for the trimmer. And larger line might work the motor too hard. And smaller line will just break for often and use more line.
I bought one the other day. It came with .095 line but all the instructions said to use .080 line. - the box and the owners manual. I googled and it warns you not to use the wrong size line or it will bind up. So does yours suggest .095 or .080. Thanks.
The dramatic effect every time you said “Expand it” was ultimately what made me purchase one. I have never owned one that loaded string that way so thank you.
I hope it does. Just try to straighten the wire out as flat as possible and stab it straight through after you line up the arrows on the head. It might take a few tries. The green wrench will help wind it.
Thank you. I hope it brightened your day a little. I did a video before this one about the Expand it feature when using this head with the rotor tiller attachment, but never mentioned it in that video. So I tried to make up for it in this one 😁
I thought I was smart but had a tough time Figuring this out. I appreciate the video; I looked at many, but yours was the Absolute best! You are my hero, my Paramedic!
Thank you for the video. When I did replace the line for the first time by following the instructions that came with it, I had to disassemble the whole thing. I never had idea that this could be done without splitting the head in half. I now used the provided toll for spinning and did it in no time. You are the man.
This was super helpful. WAY better than the directions. I was doing it the hard way, manually winding. Thanks! Oh, and the sound effects are hilarious. (Maybe just one or two times less...) Expand It! Whoosh! 🤣
After you thread the line into the head you need to pull the line through until you have the same length sticking out of both side of the head. Then crank the knob and it will pull the line in from both sides.
Can you please make a video on how to keep the string going automatically, because what I do with my ryobi trimmer is I put the string but once it gets short I have to take the piece out and make it long again. So please tell me how do I keep it going by itself. It takes twice as long with that problem
You should be able to just bump the knob on the bottom of the head against a smooth surface while the machine is running to advance the line. But sometimes it does get stuck and you have to just push the knob in manually and pull the line out until it locks into place again. But remove the battery first because you don't want the machine to accidentally start when you're messing around with the head mechanism.
Good video.. simple.. Its to take a long while to bump clockwise to even the strings . Is it suppose d to be smooth pulling in. Seems Mine not catching .
It just takes a few times to get the hang of it. Some things about the process are a little tricky. But overall, it's a good system for loading the cutting line
Good video but my problem is there is string stuck inside so I obviously can’t load anymore string in until the old comes out. How do you open it to get the old string out? Thanks
Well, I actually bought this trimmer because I lost the string inside my old gas version just like you. And I've never taken the time to figure out how to take it apart. Although I do plan to some day. Fortunately I was able to still use all the other attachments that came with my old trimmer with the new one because it has the, EXPAND IT, feature. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Thx for the vid. I just got this weed eater and it comes with 0.08 but I'm planning on buying the 0.09, do u know if buying the uncut one would be hard to figure out?
Thx for the instructions! I nearly set mine on fire 3 times trying to get that thing loaded! Somehow the spool was getting stuck on top of the removable parts and started smoking really bad
Definitely clearer instructions than Ryobi and other videos I've seen. You Definitely want to get that .095. Mine came with .080 and it wasn't great, so I ordered one that a yard guy I know likes. Unfortunately, I ordered the .105 model instead. I can't remember if I just wasn't paying attention or didn't check what this model could handle. It worked a lot better than the .080, but I noticed I wasn't getting the speed I wanted and things got caught up more. Then I realized I had the wrong one and went and got a good .095 from my local store.
I've heard that using too large a line can ruin a line trimmer. I've never tried it myself. I did use smaller line with my old corded line trimmer and it seemed to run a little faster.
@@accidental_relevance yeah it did a much better job with the smaller line. It worked like it was supposed to though I was not satisfied with the durability of the line. I'm going to keep the larger one for if I ever get a trimmer that can handle it, but I'm going to get the brand I ordered before just in the proper size
It was time to buy more cutting line so this time I bought the bulk roll of the .092 extruded line instead of the precut ones. I did not see any indication on the line as to where the proper place to cut it was. So I just used my 16ft garage door as measuring device by clamping one end of the line to the door and cutting it at the other end. This length seems to be working fine, although I did have to manually advance the line a few times right after loading the line this time.
I'm pretty good at figuring things out, and I would have never figured this out because I used to own an edger decades ago, and I had take off the head to reload it. Experience can sometimes hinder your progress. Thanks for posting.
@@demikpre I have to disagree. I loaded up my old Toro line trimmer recently just to use up the trim-line that I still had for it, and it was so tedious to load and so much harder to use I just abandoned it.
Thank you for this video. I used mine for the first time yesterday and like you I tap it every 30 seconds and ran out of string. There instructions suck. I had no idea it was that easy. Although it will be my last time using it. I'm hiring a lawn crew. It's to hot in Florida!
@@bertn.66 I bought the bulk roll but did not see any markings that would suggest where to cut the wire. So I just measured it using my 16ft garage door for reference and it seems to be working fine. Although, I did have to manually advance the line a few times, which is pretty rare using the precut wire.
I've never taken the head apart. But I have an old one that I need to take apart so if you could make a video or share the procedure that would be awesome.
