Very good instructional video. Thank you, Josh. I calculated out the "ideal" length of 0.105" line to fill a spool and got 11 feet (per half, so 22 feet total). So I used 8 feet the first time and the spool fills similarly to what is demonstrated here. I'll go up a foot at a time until I get it filled almost to the rim. The eight-foot fill is fine though. Great video. I really like the way you fill both spools at the same time. That is much better than the recommended one-spool-at-a-time method. And, i like the way you put the cap on, then pull the lines into the notches. Great tips.
This is one of the best instructional videos ever made, not even just specifically the task at hand, straight and to the point. Great job, and thank you. 👍🏼👌🏼
I usually have about six spools preloaded and ready to go. All loaded with yellow line. Also each has its own spring. I do keep extras of the line guides.Don’t loose that spring. It’s probably way expensive now.
Excellent instructional video, thank you. I've found that winding up "4" arm lengths or 4x6 feet each being ~24 feet total would a maximum length for the spool to take.
Awesome video - straight to the point and accurate! I'm 5'6" and found that 3 arm lengths worked good but could have fit more. I think 4 arm lengths would work good for shorter individuals and three if your fairly tall.
Hope it’s like that. Plan on getting a fs 70. Your vids convinced me. We use 46/66 mag saws in our firewood biz !!! Stihl is our go to saw. GlaD they have great head on the fs70.
Basically, the same way how I do it, the only difference is I do the 3 arm lengths and then cut it in half in equal lengths, I roll the top section first and clip it in place and then do the bottom section and then place it in the trimmer head, I pre-cut it because it's easier to carry cut cord while on the job, It's quicker to change.
liked and saved for my re spooling Thank you so much the manual does not even tell you about re spooling AT ALL just bad infact i dont even think the guys that sold me this from the dealership knew how to spool it it was all crossed up and a mess with jamming just a nightmare and yes i told them how incompetent they are they even stripped the thread of the guard it fell off on first use took me one hour to re thread it back on i had a real bad time and they blocked me for saying they are muppets lets just say they lost a customer for life
Thank you! This was so helpful. I've been avoiding the needed re-spool for weeks as I figured it would take me an hour of frustration. Looks like it will take a few minutes!
Just replacing mine, seems a bit fiddly compared to the last one, that was feed line straight through from one side to the other, then pull them to the same length and wind it in until you have required length, no taking head off or anything, only changing now as old one has worn down and unable to wind line in, probably lasted around 2 years but seems so much easier!
25-2 trimmer head is not the one Stihl is using, now. I refilled the 25-2 head many times on my FS-76 that I bought new in March ‘93 and used for over 20 years. Their newer head is a lot easier to load than the old head. It also holds more line. My brand new Stihl FS-56 RC- E came with the 26-2 head. I easily put 25 feet of .095 line on it.
Great vid I just picked up one of these trimmers w this head. Quick question...at the end of your vid you say to pull out on the two ends then trim. When u pulled out the bump popped out. Is it necessary to pull outward on the 2 ends after its loaded or were you just doing that to measure length?
Great - clear, articulate and even a little humor thrown in. My only request is a little more attention to audio quality ( Working musician here, sorry, can’t help myself on that one), maybe an inexpensive lapel mic or any microphone but speaking closer to it, or finding a quiet room, lots of ambient noise and customer sounds. But that’s small potatoes, this is terrific, very helpful and thank you.
Great Video! I've had nothing but problems with loading and releasing the line while using it. I've tried Echo head fast feed and problems too! So, must be that I'm not loading it right. thanks for the video!
I noticed you used the spool holes on the same side of the spool instead of the opposite holes. I have seen other videos that used the opposites holes instead. Does it make a difference?
I wonder how such a great easy to follow video gets down votes. Maybe some just dont like stihl. My FS90R still going strong after all these years as is my FS 85 that's nearly 20yrs old but still great too
I just bought a Stihl so it is the latest model. I had to rewind the string and after watching this and other videos I felt good about it. I tried to place the string into the indentations to place the spool back onto the trimmer. The string will not stay in the notches you show. The string is to small to go into the notches that are closest to the bump feed.
@@Carlsmower Ok, I must have been delirious. I just went out and measured the line with a digital caliper and it is .095. I was about to get out my "letter" size drills and measure the place that you put the line in but tried to place the line in first. It went in and held! Obviously I had the spool out of the trimmer head. So I put the line in the holder, placed the spool in the trimmer head, aligned the string which was held in the spool and put the line into the metal lined slots. I depressed the spool while placing the cap back onto the trimmer head. It fit so it will almost certainly work. Thank you.
Glad I saw this, now I will not buy a manual wind trimmer. Got to be a better product somewhere. No I do not want to buy pre-wound spools as they are too expensive.
I don’t have Stihl pruners. Would my Klein wire cutters work? Just kidding of course!! Great video. I come back and watch this again every time I have to replace my line, which is a lot maintaining my acreage around my house. Plus I’m an old fart and need reminding every time. I have this video on my Safari toolbar because I need it so often…. plus I’m an old fart. Did I already say that?
I feel like we’re becoming friends we get to hang out all the time let me know if there’s any other videos that I can put together that would help an old fart out ha ha
@@Carlsmower - thank you for asking if I need any other videos from you. YES PLEASE! I realized why I keep coming back and watching this video. It’s because, even though I bought a “brand new from the dealer” FS 131 R Stihl, the head from the factory is different than this video. I just thought I could use your technique, but I keep getting things screwed up… thus I keep coming back and becoming more friendly with you. We, or I, really need to stop meeting so often. My head has the inset holes set at 180 degrees apart, and I now ”think” (bad thing for old farts to do sometimes) I need to put the lines on the spool separately. Outside line first, so it doesn’t interfere with putting the inside line on second. Or maybe the other way around….??? I’d really appreciate your comment…. Please? I’ll send you some Ensure and Depends if you would be so kind as to help me figure this out. Or a bottle of tequila… my favorite tool when I get frustrated. Like right now.
@@enigmawyoming5201 And you’re in luck I have a video on that head to I think if you poke around the little bit you’ll find it to use the search term carlsmower how to rewind
I always put the center on my spool and ended up with the two ends. Must have been a different type of head. I will check out my new stihl to see if this is it.
@@Carlsmower I've owned both stihl and an echo. Both bump. I recently got my new stihl km with a trimmer head/attachment and while I still have the original line- It just looked different...plus..those tabs are very stiff.
This is a brilliant video. Thanks so much guys you got me sorted :) I am actually writing a vlog at the moment about what makes the perfect video (we make videos here in the UK as a business). Would you mind if I shared a link to this as a perfect example of solving a problem in a video? Thanks guys and thanks again Josh for getting me strimming again. Rob
@@Carlsmower Thank you.....and there in lies the joy of it's success. Just five minutes but solved my problem instantly! Have a great week guys and thanks again.
This the 25-2. I hate using this thing. Do Stihl have one like the echo speed feeder ? You put 1 wire through all the way and use a twist motion to spool it up without having to open it up.
Is there a best kind of line? I use the .95 universal line but it seems stiff and when I try to wind the string after putting it into the hole it pops out of the hole. Takes me hours to get it wound. Then I find it stops feeding after 10 min. I’m very frustrated and I paid a lot of money for my Stihl Fs 111xr trimmer- bought it 2021- haven’t used it more than 3-4 times because the head doesn’t feed well. I think I’m going to go back to my Ecco 225
What happens if you cut the line to 13' lengths before winding. Is it easier to do the whole length at once and then cut? I also have trouble getting my outside cap off to get to the trimmer string.
Thanks man! I’ve watched this video start of previous two summers and now a 3rd.
Awesome. Happy to be your refresher course
Me too!
Very good instructional video. Thank you, Josh. I calculated out the "ideal" length of 0.105" line to fill a spool and got 11 feet (per half, so 22 feet total). So I used 8 feet the first time and the spool fills similarly to what is demonstrated here. I'll go up a foot at a time until I get it filled almost to the rim. The eight-foot fill is fine though. Great video. I really like the way you fill both spools at the same time. That is much better than the recommended one-spool-at-a-time method. And, i like the way you put the cap on, then pull the lines into the notches. Great tips.
Happy to help
This is one of the best instructional videos ever made, not even just specifically the task at hand, straight and to the point. Great job, and thank you. 👍🏼👌🏼
Awesome to hear!
He did well great job
I did not forward to the task, but watch the video sat outside in the sun and got the job done in 15 minutes. Excellent video Thanks
I usually have about six spools preloaded and ready to go. All loaded with yellow line. Also each has its own spring. I do keep extras of the line guides.Don’t loose that spring. It’s probably way expensive now.
Excellent instructional video, thank you. I've found that winding up "4" arm lengths or 4x6 feet each being ~24 feet total would a maximum length for the spool to take.
I seriously reference this video every spring. I appreciate the yearly refresher!
You should visit more often 😀. We miss you in between. Thanks for watching and we are happy to help.
Every summer I forget.......and I agree with the others......your instructions were the best.
Never too late to get good advice! Followed your instructions to the T, I was going to change my troublesome head "NOT NOW"! THANKS
Thanks for this clear tutorial. Bye, I'm back into the garden- the grass is up 32 inches!.
Daamn, get that cut.
@@blairthandi7058 Yessiree !
Absolutely essential for people who hate this job.Makes job a lot easier
Thanks Mike. Hoping we helped make you a “pro”
Awesome video - straight to the point and accurate! I'm 5'6" and found that 3 arm lengths worked good but could have fit more. I think 4 arm lengths would work good for shorter individuals and three if your fairly tall.
The stated capacity from Stihl is 25ft. I think it’s best to keep it a few feet under that for best feeding characteristics.
Wow. Thanks for the professional tips. Apparently I have been doing it incorrectly, which then lends to a lot of frustration.
Me too spoiling it up by hand and it unravels all 25 metres :((
What the hell have I been doing 🤣🤣🤣
Just made my morning a lot easier sir!
I’ve been doing this wrong for a year. This will make it so much easier!
YES!!!
Thanks this made things simple. i have been running them opposite directions and fighting it for years.
You’re not the first. Glad you got the answer you needed.
Thank you for providing such a perfect explanation that is very easy and convenient to use.
Hope it’s like that. Plan on getting a fs 70. Your vids convinced me. We use 46/66 mag saws in our firewood biz !!! Stihl is our go to saw. GlaD they have great head on the fs70.
Joseph so happy to help. You and it will be friends.
Perfect video! No bs, straight to it. Be good,be quick, be gone! Thanks!
That’s the way to do it 👍
I love the Stihl and always will. Stihl is one of the best brands that they make. Nothing runs like a Stihl.
Thanks for the imfo. on the autocut 25-2 head . Great channel , as it has helped me out tremendously.
Awesome to hear, Ron! Thanks for watching!
Oh my gosh, that was a great demonstration. I hassle with my new weed eater because of the string. Thank you so much!!! 🤗
One of the coolest vids on the topic. I'm a 'string jedi' now! Stihl 's vid is more complicated than this. Great job! Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback I’m glad I could help
Best video on TH-cam 👍
Thank you.
I used this video every time
Keep it up
Thanks to showing us how to replace string on that FS 94F just got one today
Thank you!! Newly separated and first time loading string!
Happy that you found this useful
Basically, the same way how I do it, the only difference is I do the 3 arm lengths and then cut it in half in equal lengths, I roll the top section first and clip it in place and then do the bottom section and then place it in the trimmer head, I pre-cut it because it's easier to carry cut cord while on the job, It's quicker to change.
Legend! Finally, we have ours wound in correctly.
Yessss!
So glad to help.
Thorough and clear. Thank you Josh!
Great video. Shows exactly what to do, and no more / no less. Thank you!
Glad we could help.
Great demonstration, thanks
Omg thank you for sharing as re loading my stihl FS91R trimmer is a pain in the bum but now I will try is this way 😊
Glad this helped.
A succinct and (nearly) pithy how-to video. Jack Webb would be proud.
Thank you
Easy enough. Thanks Josh!
liked and saved for my re spooling Thank you so much the manual does not even tell you about re spooling AT ALL just bad infact i dont even think the guys that sold me this from the dealership knew how to spool it it was all crossed up and a mess with jamming just a nightmare and yes i told them how incompetent they are they even stripped the thread of the guard it fell off on first use took me one hour to re thread it back on i had a real bad time and they blocked me for saying they are muppets lets just say they lost a customer for life
Glad this will help!
Thank you! This was so helpful. I've been avoiding the needed re-spool for weeks as I figured it would take me an hour of frustration. Looks like it will take a few minutes!
You got this!!
Good job explaining the process!
Just replacing mine, seems a bit fiddly compared to the last one, that was feed line straight through from one side to the other, then pull them to the same length and wind it in until you have required length, no taking head
off or anything, only changing now as old one has worn down and unable to wind line in, probably lasted around 2 years but seems so much easier!
Give this a try. It’s feed characteristics are great. That said you could opt for the Autocut C26-2 that allows you to fill without opening it up
Wow you make it look easy and loading it on both sides in one operation. Stihl confused about the recommended length of string to load at one time
Up to 25 ft. I stuck around 20
@@Carlsmower Again. very helpful!!!
Who needs to wait for their husbands when we have Carl?!?! Thank you so much!
I love u this comment is why I'm here😆
awesome video, bought the fs91r today and was not sure of this design. appreciate all your efforts for new or prospective buyers
Our pleasure. Congrats on the purchase
It's expensive, but when it starts on the first pull... Worth it. And 3 years now mine still starts that easy
@@RoboDriller for sure.
Great, strait and to the point, I learned something new - Thanks !
That’s great thank you for watching
Very good demonstration, thank you.
Did it help?
@Carl's Mower & Saw Inc yes it helped me. I use stihl at my new job, I was used to the echo brand and the easy reloading head
Thats my favorite store to wack off in. Love stihl mowers and wackin off in hardware stores. Hell yeah
Not sure how to respond to this. 😂. Glad you enjoy quality Stihl power equipment.
You really just saved me so much trouble. Thank you
A champion of champions.
Outstanding, easy to follow, step by step video, thanks! Thumbs up and subscribed!
Awesome, thank you!
25-2 trimmer head is not the one Stihl is using, now. I refilled the 25-2 head many times on my FS-76 that I bought new in March ‘93 and used for over 20 years. Their newer head is a lot easier to load than the old head. It also holds more line. My brand new Stihl FS-56 RC- E came with the 26-2 head. I easily put 25 feet of .095 line on it.
Great vid I just picked up one of these trimmers w this head. Quick question...at the end of your vid you say to pull out on the two ends then trim. When u pulled out the bump popped out. Is it necessary to pull outward on the 2 ends after its loaded or were you just doing that to measure length?
you do a great job with making it easy to see and understand!
thank YOU so much! nice guy, great video.
Thank you for the positive feedback and so glad that we could help
Great - clear, articulate and even a little humor thrown in. My only request is a little more attention to audio quality (
Working musician here, sorry, can’t help myself on that one), maybe an inexpensive lapel mic or any microphone but speaking closer to it, or finding a quiet room, lots of ambient noise and customer sounds. But that’s small potatoes, this is terrific, very helpful and thank you.
Clear and Simple instructions, thank you
That was truly excellent, thank you, Josh!
i made an aluminum divider to keep the lines apart like that for my old ryobi 25 years ago . Should have patented it !!!😄
That was a great idea you had.
What a guy! Great video and super simple to follow. Thank you.
Thanks for the positive feedback.
Thank you! Needed this today ☺
And the weed eating is now done ✅
Daily reminder that ur awesome 😎
Excellent video thank the first video I watched steered me wrong excellent product
Glad we made it simple.
Absolutely outstanding and very helpful!!!
Thank you, this helped me SOOOOO much!
Looks like he’s done this a time or two. Thanks bud.
Just a few. Hopefully with our directions you can you can be the pro. 😉
“3 arm lengths”? Wow. What a scientist.
Unfathomable 😀
Just what I needed. Thanks!
Great Video! I've had nothing but problems with loading and releasing the line while using it. I've tried Echo head fast feed and problems too! So, must be that I'm not loading it right.
thanks for the video!
Tell me a little bit about your trimmer line? Is it new? Is it round? What is brand?
I noticed you used the spool holes on the same side of the spool instead of the opposite holes. I have seen other videos that used the opposites holes instead. Does it make a difference?
It should not but I think its way easier to use the holes that are side by side.
simple, clear, and great for understanding, thanks this really helped me.
Thanks for the great feedback glad that we could help solve your head reloading problems.
Outstanding vid. Just loaded the trim on my fs 56. Did it the exact same way. No probs.
Worked great! Thank you!
Good to know - that’s my model number. Haven’t taken it for a “spin“ yet so far I really like anything from Stihl.
Thank you for this instructional video.
You bet. Thanks for the like and subscribe.
What else can we help you become a pro at?
thank you, that really helped.
Glad to hear it!
I wonder how such a great easy to follow video gets down votes. Maybe some just dont like stihl. My FS90R still going strong after all these years as is my FS 85 that's nearly 20yrs old but still great too
Dark black line I could not see shit
Good clear instructional video
I just bought a Stihl so it is the latest model. I had to rewind the string and after watching this and other videos I felt good about it. I tried to place the string into the indentations to place the spool back onto the trimmer. The string will not stay in the notches you show. The string is to small to go into the notches that are closest to the bump feed.
.095?
@@Carlsmower Whatever the factory installed in it. I did not measure it but the string came in the trimmer.
@@jeffstanley4593 That really doesn’t make sense what model trimmer do you have?
@@Carlsmower Ok, I must have been delirious. I just went out and measured the line with a digital caliper and it is .095. I was about to get out my "letter" size drills and measure the place that you put the line in but tried to place the line in first. It went in and held! Obviously I had the spool out of the trimmer head. So I put the line in the holder, placed the spool in the trimmer head, aligned the string which was held in the spool and put the line into the metal lined slots. I depressed the spool while placing the cap back onto the trimmer head. It fit so it will almost certainly work. Thank you.
@@jeffstanley4593 3rd times the charm? You’re going to be a pro
What's largest size line that will work in the standard Stihl FS56RC trimmer head? .095 or can we go up in size?
You can run .105 but the feeding can be a bit more challenging.
This was super helpful. Thank you very much!!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Glad I saw this, now I will not buy a manual wind trimmer. Got to be a better product somewhere. No I do not want to buy pre-wound spools as they are too expensive.
I don’t have Stihl pruners. Would my Klein wire cutters work? Just kidding of course!! Great video. I come back and watch this again every time I have to replace my line, which is a lot maintaining my acreage around my house. Plus I’m an old fart and need reminding every time. I have this video on my Safari toolbar because I need it so often…. plus I’m an old fart. Did I already say that?
I feel like we’re becoming friends we get to hang out all the time let me know if there’s any other videos that I can put together that would help an old fart out ha ha
@@Carlsmower - thank you for asking if I need any other videos from you. YES PLEASE! I realized why I keep coming back and watching this video. It’s because, even though I bought a “brand new from the dealer” FS 131 R Stihl, the head from the factory is different than this video. I just thought I could use your technique, but I keep getting things screwed up… thus I keep coming back and becoming more friendly with you. We, or I, really need to stop meeting so often.
My head has the inset holes set at 180 degrees apart, and I now ”think” (bad thing for old farts to do sometimes) I need to put the lines on the spool separately. Outside line first, so it doesn’t interfere with putting the inside line on second. Or maybe the other way around….??? I’d really appreciate your comment…. Please? I’ll send you some Ensure and Depends if you would be so kind as to help me figure this out. Or a bottle of tequila… my favorite tool when I get frustrated. Like right now.
@@enigmawyoming5201 Is the head all black? Or white(gray) and black?
@@Carlsmower - the body is black, but the collar was…. white but now maybe gray with green stains and says “Autocut C 26-2”.
@@enigmawyoming5201 And you’re in luck I have a video on that head to I think if you poke around the little bit you’ll find it to use the search term carlsmower how to rewind
Excellent, thank you sir!
So glad we could help
Super helpful! Thanks!
I always put the center on my spool and ended up with the two ends. Must have been a different type of head. I will check out my new stihl to see if this is it.
Was your previous trimmer a Stihl? Was it a bump head or an auto feed?
@@Carlsmower I've owned both stihl and an echo. Both bump. I recently got my new stihl km with a trimmer head/attachment and while I still have the original line- It just looked different...plus..those tabs are very stiff.
@@mickmouse92 those tabs can be very stiff sometimes the trick is to use a little screwdriver they generally loosen up a bit. Enjoy your new Kombi
This is a brilliant video. Thanks so much guys you got me sorted :) I am actually writing a vlog at the moment about what makes the perfect video (we make videos here in the UK as a business). Would you mind if I shared a link to this as a perfect example of solving a problem in a video? Thanks guys and thanks again Josh for getting me strimming again. Rob
Feel free to share. This video was shot and posted in about 5 minutes time.
@@Carlsmower Thank you.....and there in lies the joy of it's success. Just five minutes but solved my problem instantly! Have a great week guys and thanks again.
Thanks so much easy and helpful I managed to do it right first attempt
This was great, thank you!
Very helpful. The “line” arrow confused me.
Thank you
Hard to see how it's done using black line on a black spool, but I think I got it. Thanks for posting
Throw that one away and get a feed head stihl or echo. Push the string thru the head and twist... i can reload in 10 seconds.
Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks! I been doing it wrong for a long time then!
This the 25-2. I hate using this thing. Do Stihl have one like the echo speed feeder ?
You put 1 wire through all the way and use a twist motion to spool it up without having to open it up.
Yes. The C26-2 video should post soon
Keep it taught 💯 😆
Always
When do know how much to roll on the lower and the upper part?
Hi Josh 👋
First thing I do with any new to me stihl trimmer is remove the original string and throw it in the trash. Then install some aftermarket brand.
We do this for all of our customers.
What is your favorite line?
How do I fit a 25-2 head to a fs 220 ? Should I modify the screw or just replace the entire mow head to a 36-2
You would have to get the insert/nut if you could.
Is there a best kind of line? I use the .95 universal line but it seems stiff and when I try to wind the string after putting it into the hole it pops out of the hole. Takes me hours to get it wound. Then I find it stops feeding after 10 min. I’m very frustrated and I paid a lot of money for my Stihl
Fs 111xr trimmer- bought it 2021- haven’t used it more than 3-4 times because the head doesn’t feed well. I think I’m going to go back to my Ecco 225
Give a different line a try. Sounds like what you have is old and stiff/brittle
I got the stihl fs 38 I think it’s the highest you can go it’s great
ok - not gonna lie. That was quality
Thanks man!
Will that hold a size 105 line?
Yes
Thanks !@@Carlsmower
How many feet of total line should I be cutting? Arms length doesn’t tell me squat
Up to 25 feet. I am 5’10” and do 3 arm lengths I personally hat to “overfill” it
Thank you I think I been putting in to thick of a line
That can definitely cause some problems.
What happens if you cut the line to 13' lengths before winding. Is it easier to do the whole length at once and then cut? I also have trouble getting my outside cap off to get to the trimmer string.
It is much easier to wind the line both sides at the same time and then cut it at the end
Some people use a small screw driver and use it to "pry" open the cap. Press on the small slit.
Would you reload the FS38 the same way with the white cover as well? I hope it is the same procedure.
Similar but different. I will try to get a video up soon.