hedgecutter pull start wont recoil

my petrol hedgecutter gets well maintaned and little used, now the recoil has stopped working..... any suggestions ......

[ 14. February 2006, 08:38 AM: Message edited by: The Lady Gardener ]

 

Could be the Spring [joke]

 

My advice in these sort of situations is take the bit apart to see how it works.... I can't always put things back together but you can usually see what's wrong, sometimes even mend it, and quite often for me it works when put back together even when I couldn't see anything wrong. The usual thing is the cord has come adrift or broken but you would see that.
Best of luck!

 

Sounds like the recoil spring has snapped or it has got jammed with a knot of cord. If you have instructions follw directions for replacing the cord and see if anything is intefering with the mechanism. Replacing or re-ending a broken spring is a little more difficult and can be dangerous - that sping is tightly constrained and under a lot of tension - and unless you have some experience with this type of thing it's probably best to get it serviced at a reputable agri engineering workshop that deals with lawnmowers, trimmers, saws etc. DIY shops and garden centres will just give you a blank stare.

[ 14. February 2006, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: frogesque ]

 

As has been mentioned be careful fitting a new spring. Goggles etc.

 

Sometimes they just seem to jam & can be fixed by jiggling the cord & gently tapping the machine on the ground or hitting the pull start casing gently with a piece of wood or rubber hammer.
Sometimes you can free it by doing the same, having first loosened the pull start screws/bolts a little.
Sometimes it works it you carefully dismantle & rebuild the pull start.

Sometimes it's just brukenered.

 

if it's a mcculloch - get expert advice! it happened to mine, and needed help I couldn't give it!

 

best option if all else fails i find hammers can work, if the little one doesn't work, just try a slightly larger one, and so on................until you need to buy a new hedgecutter!

 

"best option if all else fails i find hammers can work, if the little one doesn't work, just try a slightly larger one, and so on................"

That's called "Percussive maintenance". Often works wonders and can be very satisfying. Next step is a scoot of WD40. And if all else fails hand it over to "a man who knows".