# Who has used a maruyama weed eater?



## Scott15

I am interested in getting one. I think they look good. They look like solid commercial machines. Who has used one?


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## bugman

wt heck is that. huh why not an echo or a ryobi or such. 2 cycles if taken care of last a long time anyway so when someone finds out what it is i'd like to know.


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## hankster

It's a commercial unit like Shindaiwa or Jonsered. Couldn't find a web page for them but found a place that carries them.

http://www.walkerequipment.com/MaruyamaMain.asp


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## bugman

hmm whats the difference in them and regular models.


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## hankster

More expensive, built better, more expensive, heavier duty, more expensive, larger engines... did I say more expensive?


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## bugman

:lol: yeah usually a regular will last you almost as long at a cheaper price if taken care of. man my little weeders are still going of course my old weed eater and the 4 dollar craftsman which runs just as fine and its older. just the other day i saw a weed eater brand weeder like mine thats maybe 7 years old and used alot and it runs good and starts easy but of course it was taken care of.


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## hankster

Actually, Poulan made 2-cycles are pretty much low cost throw-away machines. Compared next to quality brands it is obvious... fix a 1000 or so a year and you really can tell. Main difference between a Poulan and other quality brands are:

The Poulans are put together using self tapping screws... other brands use drilled and threaded holes... causes screws to come loose
Poor quality "pot metal" castings... causes the casting to break
Bearings on only one side of the crankshaft (25cc or less motors)... causes the crackcase bearing area to whallow out from the vibration.
Poorly balanced flywheels.. causes many problems, mainly loose screws
Soft crankshafts ... causes twisted or bent cranks

These are just a few to the places where they differ in quality. I would estimate the average life of a Poulan made 2-cycle to be less then 5 years. Or course this in the hands of the normal consumer but this is what the target customer is for these products.

I would guess that about 25% of all Poulan made products that I repair need engine rebuilds. Main problem being rings seized to the piston, muffler spring broke causing the cylinder fins to break from the vibaration and loose muffler bolts causing mounting holes to be waaaaay over size. To compare, out of maybe 200 Husky's that I've repaired I have done, at most, 2 engine rebuilds, for any reason.

Other minor problems include ign. module bolts breaking requiring crankcase replacement (bolts are hardened so you can't drill them out), loose cylinder bolts (blown cyl. gasket), flex shaft breakage and gearbox failure on week eaters.

Other design problems include a general poor engine design which means the engine has to be run real lean to meet EPA standards... most should have about 1/4 out on the high end needle to run correctly. To compare, a Husky normally is rich enough from the factory that it takes them a good 10 minutes of warmup to run without 4-cycling.

I know some like Poulan made equipment but they are on the low end of the consumer market... not that that is bad, just remember, in this case you get what you pay for. It's cheap to buy and it's manufactured to be cheap to buy.


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## roperdude91

my old blower was a poulan, lasted a whole 5 years, durability period 40 hours and it wont go put put anymore


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## bugman

well mine's stood the test. still starts up easy and well i've kept a check on it and nothing's loosened yet, neither has the crank showed signs of problems. its lasted almost six with tremendous use on it. atleast 300 hours of use from around the house each week and the ditch which takes around 2 hours straight to complete and the ditch alone 30 minutes. and on top of that doing other yards people get me to do. and for the cheap 25$ pricetag barely used its done great. After it does give out i might get either a ryobi or such just right now its done good. trust me i've tried to kill it sometimes. reving it high for hours at a time and i did get rid of that crappy mixture screw cap and adjusted until it runs fine. just nothing yet has given out. the rod is still on just as good as it was when i got it. i think some have an exception to some things and others just give out in five years but this one's doing great.


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## roperdude91

my featherlite didnt hold up for that long and i babied it


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## Scott15

Maruyama does have a website. Look it up on google. I have a homelite that has held up pretty well for three years so far. But I need a commercial weed eater for the up coming season of lawns. I think that echo doesn't have the power I need because I have used an srm-230 and I really think that it's not as powerful as my homelite.


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## bugman

what cc's. if the homelite is bigger in cc's of course it will perform better.


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## Scott15

25 of them. The maruyama has a 22.8 I think?


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## bugman

well more cc's mean more power. the maruyama may have around 1 hp. while one double that might have 2 or more. all depends on engine design. but more cc's is more power. more weight but more power.


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## hankster

They have 25 to 50 cc engines.


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## Scott15

I cut grass with a guy that has a stihl brush cutter that he made a trimmer. It's heavy and has a lot of power!!!!! I Think it was 400 dollars?


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## bugman

ok and what cc's is the cutter.


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## roperdude91

Scott15 said:


> But I need a commercial weed eater for the up coming season of lawns.


commercial? you have no idea what commercial work is scott, look at me, i do anywhere from 5 to 20 acres a week with my residential mowers and trimmers and blowers, guess what? they are fine!! ya really dont need to spend 400 on a trimmer, 300 on a blower, and 2000 on a walk behind mower to do what you do.

in other words you are wasting your money


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## bugman

exactly they all can break down no matter what.


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## roperdude91

o and btw, how long is the weeder run for the average lawn?
about 10 mins


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## bugman

hahahaha my weed eater brand weeder see's hours a day most of the time.


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## roperdude91

pull the muffler off mine and look at the bore, looks like new i use penzoil and exxon oils at 40:1


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## roperdude91

btw, why did you ask if you could use regular pennzoil in the 2 strokes? mights work but you would be cleaning the ports and muffler every 2 weeks


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## bugman

more like every 5 days. you use 2 stroke oil for 2 strokes. any other type not for it would either end up melting the engine or wearing it out fast or smoke horribly and you'll be cleaning it continuously


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## Scott15

I guess you're right. But........... I need stuff that will last for years to come for when I really start some serious landscaping and lawn cutting. I have the money now to buy the good equipment I need. I might need my money for college and if the cheap crap I buy breaks, I might not have money to buy more cheap crap. You see where I am getting at. My yard-man cable had a problem and wouldn't start. I had to go buy another yard-man because I still had yards to cut. I get annother one and it was worse than the one I already had. I returned it when I got my old one fixed. I don't do the kind of lawns you're talking about jonathon. I don't have as many, but I am investing in equipment because I want to do this in the future. I don't want to work at a freaken mcdonalds and make nothing. I want to be sucsessful and that's why getting good equipment that's built the right way and always works no matter what, is what I need.


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## bugman

:lol: thats funny. a cheap craftsman will last you atleast 5 years from harder abuse from jon. actually its good to buy something that will last you but guess what. the engine is the key not really the mower. said your cable messed up. hmmmm well how much did you spend fixing it. i could fix that in two seconds. oh and a good engine will break down your yardman. cheap yeah but you pay for the engine. if you bought an engine that was expensive it would have problems as well.they always wear out. you'll be replacing that ariens in a few years of your use. all jons stuff was used and abused and has been running good for years. just like mine. at the bank the man cuts it with a 20 incher the same model engine 3.5 and deck as my murray. 100 bucks a wally mart. he's had it for 3 years now. asked him how much use. he said 6 yards a day and not a problem yet out of it. and p.s. he uses it as a trimming mower and to cut small yards.


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## roperdude91

[edited] These forums are to help people, not call them names. Please read the FAQ again for proper posting guidlines.


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## roperdude91

[edited] It may be time again for you to read the TOS of the forum for our posting guidelines.


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## roperdude91

AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY ACRES I DO A WEEK IN THE SUMMER AND SPRING!!!

TRY 15 ON A SLOW WEEK OK? THATS QUITE A BIT!! ya take care of them, they work fine for atleast a decade


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## bugman

yeah he has no idea the abuse i put mine through. his little yardman never ever has seen my type of abuse, it would be broken in a week from my grass if it has any other engine. hot muggy summer means drop the deck down all the way and its grown back again to five inches in 3 days and its a thick mother. my 6.0 goes through it like i eat cake fast and easy and p.s. it leaves a carpet like yard


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## Scott15

Jonathon. Hank edited your posts. You better watch it. I know that a toro proline that I use is not the best mower I have seen. It bags poorly and blows grass out from under the deck. But gravely and ariens riders give a great cut. And so do their walk behinds. They are a family owned company and are dedicated to making great products for people who want their yards to look great. I think ayp doesn't give a crap.


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## bugman

well if only i had a picture of my yard, nice and like a carpet my craftsman cuts and my murray cuts.


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## Scott15

Good for you bugamn. I need to know if the fwd on craftsmans hold up to use?


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## bugman

yes they do. just the rear can be more simple because most are belt driven straight from the mower off the side.


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## roperdude91

they craftsmans arent, well the ones ive owrked on


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## Scott15

I don't care but I need a propelled mower for the lawn season.


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## bugman

you need a propelled mower for what reason, a pusher would easily do what you do. all a propelled one is for is for lazy's. but well craftsman does sell a 6.75 21 incher with a front drive for around 300 now i beleive.


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## Scott15

duh whats wrong with you.


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## bugman

nothing you. its just they are for lazy people.


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## Scott15

No. propelled mowers are for people like me who are tired of pushing a lawn mower and getting worn out and tired before I am done cutting one yard.


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## bugman

lazy......


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## Scott15

No. Sick of pushing a mower. I am still going to use my push mower on easy lawns. Only the craftsman will be used for the long hard ones. I am going to use the push yard-man with the tecumseh for the REALLY high 3 feet high ones.


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## bugman

hahahahah lazy still, hmmmm craftsman 6.0 on thick 2 something feet high grass, that totals a acre worth a week to two times a week, lazy. sometimes i let it get 5 feet high to test her but she keeps on going. and i walk fast


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## Scott15

Are you strong from pushing your mowers or worn out? It wears you out on the big lawns. I like the push type for easy lawns.


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## bugman

strong and not worn out, i'd keep on trucking for 5 hours straight with my pusher if it would hold five hours worth of gas.


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## Scott15

Well, you like to push, and I don't.


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## roperdude91

you are one lazy mofo scott, i can do 2 yards, then get tired


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## Scott15

Well good for you. Some people are different and don't like wearing some selves out by pushing a mower through a long and hard yard.


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## bugman

yeah, you, we love doing hard, real work. but a elf propelled can help some people i guess. mostly old folks though.


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## Scott15

HEY! I don't like pushing a mower.


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## bugman

we know


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## Scott15

Okay! Then drop it!


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## bugman

ok i already have, to each their own.


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