Unless you are frequently checking the length of the wire in your strimmer, it’ll often need a replacement when you least expect it. Luckily, the process of replacing strimmer wire isn’t too difficult and it’s a similar method for most models. To help you along the way, below we walk you through the entire process of how to replace strimmer wire.
New Line vs Pre-Wound Spool
Before you begin to fit any strimmer wire, you’ll have the option of using a pre-wound spool or a new line into your existing spool. We personally prefer to spend the extra on a pre-wound spool (as shown by the right spool in the picture below) but if you are on a tight budget and have spare time, a new line into an existing spool is recommended.
If you opt to use a new line into an existing spool, you’ll need to ensure that you wrap the wire around the spool correctly. To do this, you’ll want to pay attention to the direction of the arrow printed onto the spool (as shown on the top of the spools in the photo). You’ll also need to ensure that you wrap the wire tightly around the spool and that it doesn’t have any twists because this can make extending the wire difficult. Depending upon whether you are using a single or double-line strimmer, you’ll then need to pull the line out of the slots so that it’s ready for action.
Although it’s cheaper to replace the line in an existing spool, if you have the option of a pre-wound alternative, we would highly recommend purchasing it as it saves a lot of time and hassle.
How To Replace Strimmer Wire
1. Check The Attachment
To begin replacing strimmer wire, you’ll first need to remove the spool that contains the wire. Depending upon your model, this can either be a simple push fitting or one that requires a spanner to unscrew the bolt connecting the spool to the strimmer.
Usually, most heavy-duty/commercial strimmers use a bolt to attach the spool to the shaft of the strimmer whereas most cordless/low-powered alternatives use push fittings.
In this particular example, our cordless strimmer (the popular WORX WG163 model) featured a simple push fitting that was very simple to remove to gain access to the strimmer wire.
2. Remove The Spool From The Strimmer
Once you can see how the spool is connected, proceed to remove it from the strimmer. Whilst you are removing the spool, pay attention to how it’s attached in terms of its direction because you’ll need to replicate how it’s attached with the new strimmer wire installed. To ensure that you don’t forget, taking a photo on your phone is a good way to see how it’s attached when you get around to fitting the new strimmer wire.
After you’ve disconnected the spool, it’s a good time to remove any debris that’s found its way behind the spool. Although this is an optional step, it’s good practice to ensure maximum efficiency of your strimmer.
3. Add Strimmer Wire To The Spool or Replace It With A Pre-Wound Spool
If you are using your existing spool, you can proceed to wrap the new strimmer wire into the spool. However, if you are using the easier method of replacing the spool with a pre-wound alternative, you can skip this step.
4. Attach The Spool To The Strimmer
With the new strimmer wire wrapped into the existing spool or the new pre-wound spool to hand, you can continue to attach it to the strimmer. When you attach it, it should click in place and feel fairly sturdy without any movement. Depending upon the model of strimmer you own, you may also need to thread the wire into a slot (as shown in the photo of our strimmer).
Once you are happy that the spool is in place, you can attach any covers that go over the top of the spool or tighten any bolts to keep it in place.
5. Test The New Strimmer Wire
With the new strimmer wire in place, test that the strimmer is working as it should and that you can trim the grass with ease. It’s also advised that you check to see if you can extend the strimmer wire and that it’s not tangled inside of the spool. If you find that this is the case, you may need to check that you’ve wrapped the line correctly within the spool and that it has been installed in the correct direction.
Conclusion
Hopefully the above tutorial on how to replace strimmer wire has answered all your questions. It’s a relatively straightforward task and it should take just a few minutes as long as everything goes to plan. However, if you feel that you need further help, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.
