Anyone know anything about MTD/Bolens BL250 Trimmers?

[sawn_penn]

I picked up a MTD/Bolens BL250 straight shaft trimmer yesterday.

31cc. I couldn't resist, it was nearly new, ran on two stroke, and was A$25.

Anyone know anything about these? How long do they last?

I've put a Stihl cutting disk on (A$60, more than twice the trimmer cost!) and it seems to cut well.

 

[spike60]

If it's the one I think it is, it won't last all that long. But at $25, you can't go wrong, so put it to work! Any trimmer that has the starter rope AHEAD of the engine, instead of on the back kind of falls into the el'cheapo category. It is a single bearing, or "half crank" engine. These things are also a major pain to simply change the rope, as opposed to just taking the starter off with 4 screws on rear start models.

Another thing to keep in mind is that even thought the shaft is straight, these trimmers usually have the same type of cable that is found in curved shaft trimmers instead of a solid steel shaft found in better units. So, be careful when using the blade. But again, for $25, it's a no brainer. It might last a long time, so just enjoy it.

 

[sawn_penn]

Thanks for the info.

Yes, it has the starter on the shaft side of the engine, and it does have a cable drive inside the straight shaft. It has bicycle handle bars and seems well made. Well, they could have been cheaper is probably what I mean.

The engine didn't look like it had been run, but there were a few stratches (but only a few) on the line spool. The idle was set way way too high. It hesitates a bit if you accelerate really fast, but otherwise runs well. There is a bit more "drivetrain noise" then I'd like - nothing really worrying, but a dentist's drill this aint.

Too good a price to let it sit there. If it gives out then I'll have to get something more solid to sit on top of the nice Stihl blade.