Good petrol pole hedge trimmer to buy?

[efc1978]

Thanks for the great info, yep I decided against Big Boyz Toyz as soon as I started reading some online reviews!....

So who would be making the Victa pole hedgers?, I didn't know Victa was so cheap!?
Who makes the Victa mowers then?, the same people who make the pole hedgers?

 

[bertsmobile1]

No idea about the pole trimmers or chain saws.
I am on the urban / rural fringe and farmers don't buy trash no matter how cheap it is.
So I never see anything Victa other than the ride ons which are total garbage imported from a dump in China and push mowers & edgers
The power torq ( 2 strokes ) were made locally. Engine used to be made in Adelaide.
Brigged doubled the price of them then claimed there was no demmand so got approval form FIRB to shut down the production.
The discount store power torques had an inferrior engine made in China but that has been going on for a long time.
The small ( 16" ) model is fully imported from the USA
The 18" 19" & 20" models are assembled locally from imported parts
All the Briggs engines come from the Briggs factory in China & I think the deck pressings are made in China also.
THE handlebars are made locally because they are too awkward to ship in cheap enough from China, but I think the steel is Chinese.
The single bolt handlebars is an Australian invention so any Victa without that mounting on the bars is imported.
The swing back blades are made locally as are the swing back blade bolts.
Anything with a single bar blade ( inferrior cutting for push mowers ) is imported.
Most with swing back blades are at least assembled locally.

Rover is also owned by MTD and nearly their entire range come from the World Lawn factory in China and are essentially the same as Parklander painted a different colour.

The only locally made walk behind mower is the Deucther which comes from Ballarat and they are phasing out mowers in favour of invalid chairs.

 

[efc1978]

I have a power torq 2 stroke from I think 1994 I still sometimes use, still cuts very nicely and runs no problems at all... Bunnings Victa Super Mulcher I have from 2015 is no better than the 1994 Victa!
That's why I thought better of Victa than to be using cheap rebranded stuff.... I can see the 1994 era power torq still performing well in years...

 

[bertsmobile1]

I have a power torq 2 stroke from I think 1994 I still sometimes use, still cuts very nicely and runs no problems at all... Bunnings Victa Super Mulcher I have from 2015 is no better than the 1994 Victa!
That's why I thought better of Victa than to be using cheap rebranded stuff.... I can see the 1994 era power torq still performing well in years...

Power torq's are good for 30 to 50 years.
The problem is the engine was designed to be very low maintanance so most get no maintanance.
So they get slow to start, then difficult to start then impossible to start when instead of spending $ 90 on a full 20 year service they go to Bunnings and buy a new $ 500 4 stroke mower.
One of my fun things to do is service someone's "old back up" Victa to come back and find the Victa at the front of the shed being used & the Briggs in the back for back up.
There are 5 x O rings that go hard and need to be replaced every 10 years or so, particularly the one between the manifold & the crankcase and the one inside the pull start on the shaft, not the crankcase seal which should be replaced whenever you remove the pull start, same as the primer plate O ring.
These both leak air making the mower hard to start.
Lean the mix to between 30:1 & 40:1 if you use 2 stroke oil and the smoke will all but go away and the engine will run a lot better.
Once the PVC air & fuel lines go hard they also should be replaced ( 5-10 years ).
The plastic carb never wears out but occasionally you need to fit a washer under the cam if the engine is over reving.
Diaphragms go hard and should be replaced every 20 years which is about the real life of the air filter. along with both of the diaphragm springs.
It is real fun to watch the faces of the sceptical owners when they pull the cord & the mower starts before they get to the end of the chord, just like it did when it was new.
The swing back blades put no shock loading on the crank so crank bearings & oil seals never need replacing unless it has been under water and crankshaft never bend.
THe most common problem come across is a buggered thread in the carb because idiot owners continually pull the primer plate off for no good reason other than the fact that the main jet is there in front of your eyes.
Much like dissabling the seat switch just because it is there in front of your face.

 

[efc1978]

It could be close to 10 years since it had a service, hadn't planned on getting one as it still starts first pull, maybe I should just get a service even though it all seems fine...

 

[bertsmobile1]

If it is starting first pull then all is fine.
If the fuel lines are hard & stiff , just grab a precut kit off evilbay and replace them.
Be careful with the connection for the decompressor at the carb, they break easily so I always cut them off.
When you have finished mowing and the mower is off, move the throttle control to start position so it is not stretching the rubber boot on the ignition cut out.

 

[AimeeHoward]

Hello there,

I am from UK and I am buying this one:
http://www.trueshopping.co.uk/26cc_...Multi_Function_5_in_1_Garden_Tool_0-9KW_1-2HP

I don't really know much about trimmers, but I think this one has good specifications.

Any advises?

Thank you.

 

[efc1978]

Hi Bertsmobile1,

I purchased the Victa Tornado Plus to use as a "long pole hedge trimmer", it was the cheapest I could get locally without doubling price and getting up to high $900's for Stihl etc. Remember like I said this is something I'll probably only use for 3 hours 3 times a year for hedge trimming. This is it linked here:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/victa-26cc-tornado-straight-shaft-trimmer_p3380075

It came with a "whipper Snipper" attachment, which originally I never intended to use, as the whipper snipper I've had for approx 15 years runs without a problem.
But now with these 2 machines in my garage it's taking up space...
I'm not sure if it would be worth selling my 15 year old whipper snipper and using the Victa Tornado Plus to swap in between using as a hedge trimmer, and whipper snipper (I would be whipper snippering for 1 hour every 2-3-4 weeks in summer and less in winter).
By these photos can you identify what my 15 year old whipper snipper even is?, it says "Yongjia" but I can't find much about Yongjia???, from memory I purchased it from a local mower guy who usually sells good stuff...., but I really don't remember for sure now if I purchased it from him...
Would it be worth keeping this "Yongjia" to use as my whipper snipper instead of using the brand new Victa Tornado Plus which I really purchased to only use as a long pole hedge trimmer?
Any info / advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank-You
I'll attach a couple of pics of the Victa too. I've never seen those 1 piece whipper snipper cutting / cords before!?!?!

 

[efc1978]

Payed $517 AU at Bunnings for Victa Tornado Plus + extension attachment + hedge trimmer attachment, was OK for 5-10-15 minutes, then wouldn't cut through a twig....
Tried to undo properly connected attachment part and were as though welded together, used a hammer to separate "extension bit" from "hedge trimmer attachment".
Wouldn't cut through branches smaller than little finger, would bounce between hedge trimmer teeth and be stripped off layer by layer instead of chopping through, painstaking and useless, first day used wasn't as good as my 15 year old 1 metre long hedge trimmer.
Biggest piece of **** I've ever purchased....

 

[efc1978]

I think I'd have been better off purchasing a $517AU pair of scissors... Trying to work out how the hell Bunnings gets away with selling this rubbish???