Propane Powered Eco Trimmer
March 18, 2009 by Scott Wharton
Filed under Electronics
I don’t care much for mowing the lawn and by the time I get done I don’t want to “weed-whack“. I have about an acre to mow with a walk behind mower. It can take me from 2 to 3 hours to get it done right.
Afterward I usually blow off trimming with the weedeater and often only do it every other cutting session. Weed trimming can be cumbersome with changing the lines and mixing gas and having to refill it. Just getting the thing started can be a chore.
The propane powered Eco Trimmer from LEHR looks like most weed trimmers, but there is no gasoline to spill and is the worlds first propane powered trimmed. You can refuel by simply changing the 16.4 oz propane cylinder.
It starts faster and the propane cylinder will fuel you for up to 2.5 hours. The engine is a 25 cc and the unit, dry weighs from 12 to 15 pounds. The cutting diameter is 17 inches and the cutting head is the smooth spool, bump feed type. Here are some more features.
No Gasoline means:
- No Mixing, and no spills
- No choking or priming
- No winterizing and no carburetor gumming up
Eco-Friendly means:
- Exceeds the 2011 EPA emissions standards
- 99% fewer particulates and 96% fewer carcinogens
Propane fueled means:
- Canisters readily available at most retailer
- Over 85% of the propane we use is produced here in the U.S.
I could probably make good use of the LEHR Eco Trimmer and I bet you could too!
www.GoLEHR.com. Check out the Eco Trimmer on NBC in this video.
All Images courtesy of LEHR and Orca Communications
I’m not sure how any propane or gas-powered trimmer could be considered eco-friendly! Pick up a battery powered one and grab a few extra batteries!
What about battery disposal. That’s not very eco friendly and electric trimmers lack power. Battery disposal has a huge impact on the environment. We have enough e-waste from batteries and electronics. The electric trimmer that use a chord work pretty well…until you reach the end of your chord.
Considering that propane is a lot cleaner burning than gasoline and sometimes derived from the bi-product of oil refining then it is more eco friendly than your gasoline powered trimmer.
I guess it all depends on how much you have to trim and what’s right for you. Ultimately you could say that there is no tru eco-friendly anything for that matter.
I actually got one of these things and tried it our last weekend. It had just as much or more power than my old Toro trimmer and I didn’t have to mix any gas and oil. No stalling, no restarting, no blue smoke. I went about fifty minutes without any problems. It is well balanced, the knobs and whistles are in the right places and the line feed worked perfectly. And I echo what Scott says about propane. Cool tool.
Propane powered string trimmer!? Sounds like a good idea… :)
Have there been any problems or recalls? I saw a comment on another site that mentioned a trimmer catching fire and a leak of propane around the muffler?? Any Mythbusters out there?
I bought two Lehr propane trimmers today at Home Depot. The curved shaft model kept breaking line and at one point I heard a “pop—sssssss.” The propane fuel line split right near the crimp on the tank side. Liquid propane was escaping.
I traded it for a straight=shaft model which has a more robust spool (and .095 line instead of .080). It cut through heavy weeds and I was very impressed. No gasoline, easy starting and very powerful.
As I was taking the fuel line off the propane tank, I pushed on the fuel line and “ssssssss.” Sure enough, another leak at the crimp.
I’m disappointed and a little freaked out. Twice! Are you kidding me? I am very concerned about the integrity of the fuel line. There’s no reason at all why this should happen—in both cases within the first hour of use. I will be contacting Lehr and hope to get an attentive response.
I’ve also just had a leak (with liquid propane visible) at the fuel line where the crimp is, next to the brass adapter for the tank. I’ve contacted Lehr, and they are sending a replacement fuel line. Mine also failed within the first hour of use. I’m not sure if the cause was a faulty crimp or if the tank was rotating due to oil in the cage (a result of oil ejected from the oil filter, due to overfilled oil sump while following original manual instructions).
Despite these issues, I still love this trimmer!
I have yet to hear of any, Jim, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any. I don’t see any on their website. A google search didn’t bring anything up either. Would you happen to have a link to the site that stated the incident?
I am concerned about the engine size. With it being smaller will it last as long as a good gas trimmer for residential use?