Bandit ST155 spool retainer bolt

[peadar]

I'm looking for the hex bolt that will secure my Bandit ST155 string head to the shaft/post. As I've lost the original, I don't know the exact spec.

I got a replacement head from China that said it would fit a Homelite ST155 (is this the same as a Homelite Bandit ST155??), but the bolt doesn't thread in (and the plastic surround is deeper than the original). None of the bolts I have lying around fits either.

The strimmer is 'made in the USA' but i'm based in the UK...I really just need to know what bolt to buy though. I assume it's imperial rather than metric and think it would be 5/16" diameter, 18tpi and screw in clockwise, but I don't know for sure, or the length. The manual has a parts number only for the whole "spool retainer" (DA-9886-A), which seems to be available from walmart but not available in the UK.

Can anyone help me with the exact spec for the bolt??


ibb.co/tPPV7Ww

[sweepleader]

Welcome to the House of Homelite.

I am not familiar with the ST155 specifically, but it would seem that if all you need is a bolt, you could just buy a couple different sizes and try them with your fingers only, no wrench. You should be able to get a few sizes close and match up the correct one.

I see by the IPL that it is no use for you but here it is anyway, in case you don't have it.

www.leonschainsawpartsandrepair.com/uploads/3/9/7/9/39792537/homelite_st-145_st-155_st-175_st-175c_st-185_st-285_st-385_st-485_string_trimmer_ipl_17968-a.pdf

Looks like the part number of the retainer is actually A-98866-A, and the "A's" likely have no serious significance.

I would not assume the bolt to be an imperial thread, there is an awful lot of stuff "made in the USA" that is only assembled in the US, from imported (read Chinese) parts. Homelite name is now owned by the same conglomerate as Ryobi and others, hard to tell what is actually being sold.

A web search for the part number shows that it fits a number of other brands, (Ryobi Homelite Toro John Deere Greenmachine MTD Mcculloch Trimmer head P/N# 308042002 UP04273 DA98866A JA993030 UP04273A A98866A MC-9228-331011 according to one vendor), maybe one of those would be easier for you to source in the UK. With the part fitting that many brands, perhaps your local lawn mower dealer has it on his shelf.

[rowdy235]

I know on my ST-145 (which I presume is very close to the ST-155), I went through 3 cutting heads while I had it. When I went to install a new universal job there was an adapter on the trimmer from the factory that accepted a male bolt, and the universal kit didn’t have any adapters to fit it. However, once I removed this adapter it revealed a male thread which I was able to match with an adapter from the universal kit.

Maybe post up a picture of the trimmer end

[blythkd]

I can't tell you for sure if a unit sold in the UK matches a unit sold in the US, but I can tell you all the ones we sold here used a 5/16-18 SAE RH thread bolt to hold the string head on. If you still have the plastic bumper you can simply insert a new bolt into it and go. You just have to be careful not to lose the bolt out of the bumper when you unscrew it. The length was approximately 3/4" long.

We sold many, many of the 98866 retainer, some because the plastic bumper was worn out, some because the metal retainer plug fell out and the bolt was lost.

Like mentioned in a previous post, the A before and after the part number were of no real significance, they had just changed the design a bit during the first few years of production.

Edit:  Just saw your picture, your plastic retainer is badly worn.  Time to just buy a new 98866 retainer assembly.  Here, they're about $6 on Ebay, not sure over there.

[peadar]

Thanks for the welcome, and all the help for what was a pretty stupid problem.

So I went to the DIY shop (have been shopping online since lockdown) and got a couple of bolts, the 20mm M8 bolt seems to do the job. I'm not sure how precise the metric equivalent is (and the threading doesn't feel exactly right), I will look online for the 5/16-18 SAE RH (thanks for that blyth, didn't see your post before going shopping!).

Also advice taken re the plastic retainer - I did get a couple from China that were sold as part 98866 but the bolts didn't fit (one was too thick, the other too thin), I will look at attaching them using the new bolts. Will use some tape to retain the retainer bolt, the original didn't screw in very far either.

The imperial system is still commonly used by people here, but not by retailers, which is confusing. It's a generational thing too - my kids think I'm crazy when I say it's 70 degrees outside!