New here. Homelite ST 200 trimmer

[glen]

Newbe here.
I just purchased an old Homelite  s t 200  today.He said it wouldnt run,wasnt running for years,. Its a curved shaft with a bush blade? They were using it like this . Anyway,with a bit of carb cleaner sprayed in the carb,,it started,and runs wild! Strong! But....I dont think it will stand a bush saw blade?...or,were they designed to handle it? It has good compression also. It says 1/2 HP .Its also called a "string Trimmer"
Thanks!!

[Pulsar 922]

A BrushCutter Kit that included an 8" saw blade was available for the ST-200 String Trimmer.

[glen]

Oh..ok. Just that it was a curved shaft,meant that it wasnt normally fitted for a bush blade.Thank you. I know it does cut small bushes,i tried it.It works pretty darn good.Ill let it sit overnight and then try it tomorrow ,it may/or may not start again lol.Thanks for the info!!

[blythkd]

Yeah it's good with a brush blade. It's got a clutch to protect the flex cable. It's got a pretty heavy flex cable that never was known for breaking at all.

Where does it say 1/2HP? It should be more than that. St-160/ST-165 versions were 1/2HP and they were the light duty consumer string trimmer only, no brush head. ST-200's never had a HP rating advertised but they were noticeably more powerful than the 1/2HP trimmers.

[glen]

it says 1/2 HP on the side case.Ill get pics later 

yeah ,i was mistaken.I have no idea where i seen 1/2 HP. .Cant seem to upload any pics i have to scale them down to size.... Is there a way to grease the bearing the end shaft by the blade?

[blythkd]

There's 2 ball bearings down there but they're sealed, no lube needed.

All those style string trimmers are bad about fuel lines rotting and cracking. If it's hard to start, that's probably got something to do with it. Fuel line has a tight kink in it near the carb. You can take the air filter cover off and remove the air filter to check it out.

[glen]

Sept 14, 2022 18:54:27 GMT -5 glen said:

it says 1/2 HP on the side case.Ill get pics later 

yeah ,i was mistaken.I have no idea where i seen 1/2 HP. .Cant seem to upload any pics i have to scale them down to size.... Is there a way to grease the bearing the end shaft by the blade?

[glen]

I only paid $15 for the saw. He said it wouldnt work.It did,but certainly will get new lines and a carb clean .

[Pulsar 922]

Your ST-200 has the Tri-Arc blade on it. The 8" saw blade is available, also the Blade-Shaft Assembly which
includes the Bearing.

[blythkd]

Yeah that Tri-Arc blade is mainly for heavy weeds. If you want to cut tree sprouts, you need the saw blade or even a Machete blade if you can find one.

Are you intending to look for a string head setup to use it like a regular weedeater? If so, that requires a different housing on the bottom of the shaft. The string head housing is direct drive. The brush cutter housing that's on it now is a gear drive.

[glen]

No ill use it as a brush cutter.I have at least 5 grass trimmers lol. I like the Homelite for bushes,its not so long and hard to get around with .A bit heavy,but what the heck? I believe i can install a skill saw blade on it,i have done that in the past to my other brush cutters,may have to fund a bushing for it to fit,,but it works on my others.

.....Thanks

[glen]

Tell me,,how big bushes can this thing cut with a saw blade? 1" or so?

[undee70ss]

Sept 16, 2022 18:18:52 GMT -5 glen said:

Tell me,,how big bushes can this thing cut with a saw blade? 1" or so?

3 inch

[Pulsar 922]

Yes sir, with a 31 cc engine and a good sharp blade it'll go through 1" twigs like nothing !!

[glen]

So my ST 200 is a 31 cc?

[onlyhomelites]

Yes, it's basically the same engine as the Super 2 chainsaw...they modified the crankcase for trimmer use, but otherwise it's the same internals.

[blythkd]

It's basically commercial power in a consumer package. One that's running right is a real horse for it's size and weight. It's too bad they never made one in a straight shaft model.

[glen]

Thank you all for the good info!