Author Topic: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc  (Read 2999 times)

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Offline 660magnum

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #20 on: May 08, 2014, 08:26:14 pm »
Solid shaft for my FS55R straight shaft trimmer???

The FS55R comes with a flexible shaft from the factory. There's nothing wrong with the flex shaft and it normally last many years in regular weed whacker duty.

I had been keeping a eye on Ebay for maybe a year for conversion of a FS45 and FS55 to a FS55R setup? (Now complete)

The tubes for the trimmers are typically hard to come by from used sources because they get bent.

There's a lot of unknowns in this swap. Will the solid shaft fit in the flex shaft tube assembly? Are the ends the same?

WELL, The FS90 tube/shaft assembly is 3 3/4" longer than the FS55R assembly, so you cannot use a FS90 solid steel shaft inside a FS55 tube assembly because it is too long.

The good news is that you can use the whole FS90R assembly in your FS55R. They are the same diameter. All the parts, gear head, and "D" handle fit either the FS90R or the FS55R.

The gear heads are a different model between the two trimmers but actually, the heads will interchange. The FS55 gear head has a single retaining clamp screw whereas the
FS90 has two.

There's another problem with using the FS90R tube/shaft assembly in a FS55R power head and that is the 1/4" retaining screw hole is in the wrong place. The hole needs to be 7/16" from the end when using the covers for FS55R.

I was lucky enough to find a new pair of FS90R tube/shaft assemblies from Fish > a member of this site.

My two FS55R's already had FS90R gear heads so the swap was straight forward and works great.
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Offline Al Smith

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #21 on: May 08, 2014, 09:27:22 pm »
As coincidence would have it I just last Sat bought a brand spanking new fs 40 .Rather unusual for me to buy any thing new but I lost my patience .Danged Echo gt 1100 had the coil go bad.

I just went ahead and got the blade head to start with .I hate string heads ,nothing but a pain in the butt .

Offline 660magnum

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #22 on: May 08, 2014, 10:06:24 pm »
I have a gaggle of Echo's old and new. I like the 2400 blower, 2100 hedge trimmer, 2100 & 2400 string trimmers, and the new rototiller all as original, that I have. I do not have any Echo saws but have a Echo 520 saw engine as a model airplane engine.

I really like the Stihl FS55R trimmers but two of mine are Franken Trimmers made from other models but to see them, they would be recognized as Stihl FS55R's. Just what I like to do.

I did a lot of this with model airplane engines also.
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Offline tinkerswithengines

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #23 on: May 10, 2014, 09:46:41 pm »
660 Magnum

Any suggestions on a replacement gear head or the whole shaft and head for on a FS 81 trimmer? The shaft is smaller than those used on the FS90's etc.
This old classic of mine (1991) is "Stihl"  ;D running strong. However, replacement gear heads and parts are now like hens teeth. Should the gears or bearings fail.........I hope I don't have to part with it.

Dave 
NOTHING BUT STIHL! 028WB, 029, 029 Super, 024, 026(2), 026PRO, MS250, MS290(2), MS310

Offline 660magnum

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #24 on: May 11, 2014, 02:08:31 am »
660 Magnum

Any suggestions on a replacement gear head or the whole shaft and head for on a FS 81 trimmer? The shaft is smaller than those used on the FS90's etc.
This old classic of mine (1991) is "Stihl"  ;D running strong. However, replacement gear heads and parts are now like hens teeth. Should the gears or bearings fail.........I hope I don't have to part with it.

Dave 
I just don't have any experience with the FS-81

I spent several years with Homelites and McCullochs back in the 80's & 90's.

Then it was Echos and more recently Stihl FS-55R's

The Stihl's have been somewhat of a challenge because of the different sizes and types. I just hit it lucky and it took me a couple years to do that.
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Offline 660magnum

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #25 on: May 12, 2014, 05:07:14 pm »
I found a Stihl FS65 which appears to be a all metal old timer in the back corner of my barn. I think I have most of it if anyone has a need? It is not made like the present day trimmers. The tube is bent and the carb is missing!
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Offline 660magnum

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #26 on: May 12, 2014, 05:20:15 pm »
Looking around in my barn I had a complete Stihl FS-45 curved shaft trimmer standing against the back wall of the barn. It was originally a shabby Ebay FS55R straight shaft trimmer that I had bought for parts and I used the FS55R shaft and cutter head parts from it on my FS45. So I had put the 45 curved shaft parts on the Ebay trimmer.

Thinking about that trimmer power head today, I had enough FS55R parts to make it a FS55R again. To my surprise, the trimmer started right up. But it doesn't idle right. I figure it was someone's frankentrimmer and they don't have the throttle cable and other throttle mechanism routed correctly? I'm out of time today but some other day, I'll take that area apart enough to look for problems? If that doesn't get the trigger working freely and solve the idle problem, I'm looking for a air leak. The starter cover is all busted up but it stihl functions to start the trimmer. I'll have to get a bare cover and transfer the starting mechanism over to it. The spark arrestor spud is missing from the muffler but does not make the trimmer too loud. The off-white cover is dirty but I'll get it cleaned up some after I get the other problems fixed. Now I need a Stihl FS55R name plate to go on the starter and it will be complete.

Some of Brazil's finest . . .
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Offline 660magnum

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #27 on: May 13, 2014, 07:23:51 pm »
Worked on the FS55R Ebay ratty weed trimmer today. Killed two birds with one stone. One of the nuts holding the carb on was missing and the throttle cable length compensator was not in its pivot hole. Got a 5mm X .8 nut at the Stihl dealer down the street and I ordered one screw for the starter housing and one screw for the gas tank. I also ordered a bare starter cover.

I attached the carburetor correctly and everything ran fine.

I scraped the heavy black marks from the top and bottom off-white covers and sanded them down with some 320 wet or dry paper except for the "Stihl" label and the serial number label. The weed whacker looks pretty good setting on the ground. Soon as I make up the new starter, it will be a very respectable, completely standard as from the factory, Stihl FS55R.
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Offline tinkerswithengines

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #28 on: May 14, 2014, 10:39:03 am »
Your having way too much fun! ;D
NOTHING BUT STIHL! 028WB, 029, 029 Super, 024, 026(2), 026PRO, MS250, MS290(2), MS310

Offline Fish

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Re: Stihl 4140 family Weed Whackers FS-45,55, etc
« Reply #29 on: May 14, 2014, 05:06:11 pm »
Yeah, the fs65 is one of the old Japanese trimmers from the 70s-80s...

 

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