Believe it or not, but if you give the cutting line for around 24hours in a bucket with water it will be much more flexible, soft and doesn`t break so easily. I didn`t believe it by myself until I`ve tried it and I can say it really works for me. I really need less line for the same work now and it doesn`t get stuck so much in the head.
Help choosing Stihl Kombi
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Believe it or not, but if you give the cutting line for around 24hours in a bucket with water it will be much more flexible, soft and doesn`t break so easily. I didn`t believe it by myself until I`ve tried it and I can say it really works for me. I really need less line for the same work now and it doesn`t get stuck so much in the head.
Stihl actually tells you to do that with the poly blades used in the three-blade grass head, DND.
So...finally gave the updated HT-KM pruner a try today. It's oiling like crazy but that little 1/4" Picco chain is stretching faster than the elastic in Liz Taylor's girdle. Not sure what to make of that. It certainly doesn't cut as fast as the 3/8" Lo-Pro chain on the original pruner head. Really thinking about telling the vendor that I would like the original repaired and put a full house 3/8" Lo-Pro on it to see if that helps with the vibration. I also don't like how the "hook" is further away from the chain on the new one than the original. The hook on the original was more useful. It also cuts MUCH faster when using the top of the bar than the bottom which seems strange. Problem is it gets pinched a lot doing that.
So...finally gave the updated HT-KM pruner a try today. It's oiling like crazy but that little 1/4" Picco chain is stretching faster than the elastic in Liz Taylor's girdle. Not sure what to make of that. It certainly doesn't cut as fast as the 3/8" Lo-Pro chain on the original pruner head. Really thinking about telling the vendor that I would like the original repaired and put a full house 3/8" Lo-Pro on it to see if that helps with the vibration. I also don't like how the "hook" is further away from the chain on the new one than the original. The hook on the original was more useful. It also cuts MUCH faster when using the top of the bar than the bottom which seems strange. Problem is it gets pinched a lot doing that.
Highdesignfool
ArboristSite Operative
My neighbor has a pathetic craftsman trimmer with a split shaft to do the same thing as the Stihl kombi. He was struggling with the edger attachment the other day. It just didn't have enough grunt to spin through the over grown grass to make a clean edge. I broke out my km130 with the edger attachment and finished his job in just a few minutes. He couldn't believe that my machine would do it and his wouldn't. He told me thanks and I let him sweep up the mess. Hahahaha
Highdesignfool
ArboristSite Operative
I went to check out the newly redesigned HT KM mini chainsaw attachment today. What is the deal with Stihl lately? The build quality looks so cheap to me. Everything plastic, including the under side hook to maneuver branches. I went to a second dealer and they had one left of the old design. Does anyone have any experience with that newer model? It looks totally inferior to me. Here's a few pics of the older more stout looking model with the same ht km designation.
ANewSawyer
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yes, I have the old style and it has been awesome on my KM-130. Cuts like a dream. All I have done to it is sharpen the chain and knock down the rakers like I do to all my new chains.
When I got my KM pole saw attachment I got them to ditch the 1/4"b/c and put a 3/8picco sprocket and 12"3/8 050 light bar on instead and played the difference. I can then swap/use bars and chains with my TH saws keeping things easy. The 1/4" chain does perform well though.
Do you think tightening the nut up on the original style pole saw without pulling the bar up could be what was causing mine to come loose very quickly? That's the problem I had with the one that Highdesignfool posted. It worked great, but the bar nut would come loose very easily and then it'd throw the chain. I work on my own saws and know how tight to get the bar nut, so it wasn't a matter of me leaving it too loose.
So far, I haven't had the same problem with the newer design and 1/4" chain, but I sure don't like the build quality as much. Only time will tell on that one.
So far, I haven't had the same problem with the newer design and 1/4" chain, but I sure don't like the build quality as much. Only time will tell on that one.
Highdesignfool
ArboristSite Operative
A drop of blue loctite on the threads would do the trick. That's a hastle but it would prevent that nut from backing off
ANewSawyer
Addicted to ArboristSite
It couldn't hurt to try pulling the bar up and then tightening the nut. I do it on my pole saw.
With all the sand that gets blown into the trees here in Florida I've had a much better experience using the duro3 carbide chains on my polesaw.
So I went back to the dealer and bought back the original polesaw attachment to compare it against the new one. Old is a lot heavier, right-hand bar, 3/8" picco chain. New one, left-side bar, less metal in the construction, 1/4" picco chain.
After putting in a solid two hours of non-stop use this weekend while camping at a friends place with acres and acres of Ponderosa pine (other than swapping between the two polesaw attachments a few times and filling gas/oil up once) I can say that the 1/4" new model is a LOT easier on the hands. I did the last 45 minute stint with the older attachment and my hands were numb for an hour or so afterwards. the 3/8" early model also rips small branches off the trees without cutting them which isn't good for the trees. It does hog through larger branches faster than the new polesaw. Is the difference in cutting speed dramatic? Not in my opinion. I can't speak to the construction of the new polesaw. It is mostly plastic but Stihl isn't known for using cheap plastics. The new polesaw also balances the whole unit out much better when not using an extension tube.
I was careful to pull the bar up on the older polesaw and tightened the bar nut well. It never came loose after that. Just an oversight on my part. I will say that I didn't use the extension tube at all this weekend, so whether that adds more resonance and vibration which could contribute to the bar nut coming loose, I can't say. More testing will shed light on that.
As far as the KM131R goes, it just sips fuel. I'm really impressed with the fuel economy on it. Folks who walked up to see what I was doing commented how it was a lot less annoying to listen to than regular two-strokes as well. With the string attachment installed and .105 line, it went through grass and light brush like nobodies business. I suspect an FS250 would be better, but I don't have one to compare it to.
Two thumbs up on the KM131R from me!
After putting in a solid two hours of non-stop use this weekend while camping at a friends place with acres and acres of Ponderosa pine (other than swapping between the two polesaw attachments a few times and filling gas/oil up once) I can say that the 1/4" new model is a LOT easier on the hands. I did the last 45 minute stint with the older attachment and my hands were numb for an hour or so afterwards. the 3/8" early model also rips small branches off the trees without cutting them which isn't good for the trees. It does hog through larger branches faster than the new polesaw. Is the difference in cutting speed dramatic? Not in my opinion. I can't speak to the construction of the new polesaw. It is mostly plastic but Stihl isn't known for using cheap plastics. The new polesaw also balances the whole unit out much better when not using an extension tube.
I was careful to pull the bar up on the older polesaw and tightened the bar nut well. It never came loose after that. Just an oversight on my part. I will say that I didn't use the extension tube at all this weekend, so whether that adds more resonance and vibration which could contribute to the bar nut coming loose, I can't say. More testing will shed light on that.
As far as the KM131R goes, it just sips fuel. I'm really impressed with the fuel economy on it. Folks who walked up to see what I was doing commented how it was a lot less annoying to listen to than regular two-strokes as well. With the string attachment installed and .105 line, it went through grass and light brush like nobodies business. I suspect an FS250 would be better, but I don't have one to compare it to.
Two thumbs up on the KM131R from me!
The branch grabbing hook on the new design is great compared to the old one.Best pole saw head I ever used was solid plastic and would articulate so you could get a better cutting angle. The Stihl unit I have is not bad, but has big room for improvement IMO. Great for homeowner or semi pro use. Best thing is parts availability and being able to swap bars/chains with top handle 150t & 201t's.
mu2bdriver
ArboristSite Guru
Anyone with updates on their firsthand experience over the last month? I'm on the fence between the 94 and 131; the 94 is probably suitable for my homeowner needs but more power never hurt anyone.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
I will state again, for a homeowner the KM-56 is more than adequate. I run the tiller, edge re-definer, edger, string trimmer, articulating hedge trimmer, and pole saw in some combination for at least 2 hours each week. The 56 has more than enough power and with yearly plug and filter changes the motor just keeps running with power and ease.
I have both KM131R and KM56R both are great machines. I only notice a lack of power with the KM56R when heavy weed whacking and using pole pruner in heavier limbs over 4 inches. Never used the KM94R. I do however use a Kobalt 80v brushless trimmer head with my Stihl Kombi attachments. It is slightly less powerful than the KM56R.
Ken W
New Member
Hi all, so I have a follow up question to all this. I just recently purchased a Kombi trimmer, edger, pole saw, and articulating hedger attachments. In the future I want to purchase a bed redefiner and the power broom.. I have a Kombi 111r Head but would it be powerful enough to run the bed redifiner and/or the power broom?
Also I really like the look and feel of the 94r like everyone on this thread has talked about. Could that run the power broom and bed redifiner?
I keep going back and forth on whether to just keep the 111r, or get either the 131 or 94 instead.
Also I really like the look and feel of the 94r like everyone on this thread has talked about. Could that run the power broom and bed redifiner?
I keep going back and forth on whether to just keep the 111r, or get either the 131 or 94 instead.
Yes, I run the tiller with the 56 and it has enough power. More is always appreciated with the larger attachments since the 56 will need to run wide open to work well. But, after all these years I’m still running the same 56 from 2012 and it still works very well. Canned gas, good plugs and yearly tlc will keep even the 56 running well. I’m still pushing roughly 2 hours a week for 48 weeks a year with minimal issues. When my current unit does die, I’m going to go with the current top end commercial to continue getting the most of my investment I’m the stihl kombi system.
I would go with the 94 as well, not a huge fan of the 4 mix. I have the Tanaka rip-off version of this trimmer and it pulls a pole saw and tiller attachment just fine. The only thing it doesn’t do well is cut large weeds and light brush. The cool thing about the Kombi system is it will accept some generic attachments. I wouldn’t do the blower they are just plain overpriced and do not work as well as a handheld. If you aren’t absolutely set on stihl you could save some cash on a commercial grade split shaft, and the attachments are a lot cheaper if you search.
