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I used a Stihl brushcutter and a Honda about the same size to do the same job on a number of occasions.Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMono
I found the Honda easy to start, more economical, comfortable to use for long periods and with more usable torque, so it did the job without having to be run flat out all the time.
It didn't demonstrate any of the vices you describe. For the work I was doing, slashing thistles, it was superior to the Stihl.
Shindaiwa make a range featuring an hybrid four stroke engine that does not have an oil sump and takes 50:1 mixed fuel, so it combines all the good points of a 2 stroke (like operating angles and easy maintenance) with all the good points of a 4 stroke. Relatively expensive I believe though.
I know some Chinese small engine products give a lot of very good service, but you just can't compare them to the quality brands. Like the old Chinese brushcutter, it ran, it was reliable and it did the job, but a bit more technology and better manufacturing tolerances and you have a machine that is quiet, smooth, comfortable to operate for hours etc...
back on topic europe does have emcon standards for new small engines.
Im not sure what they are but I remember doing the what the thing when someone was talking about how much they like their new husky gear thats silent smokless and how wonderfull it is being able to see while its running due to no pollution coming form it yada yada yada.. I stuck my snout into the conv and the guy behind the counter did the yeah its all euro emcon stuff.
A friend once, not that long ago, started work for a council's Parks and Gardens Dept. and was required to complete a training programme and obtain an internal permit before being able to use a chainsaw on the job. He had thought the safety equipment insisted on was a bit sissy, hard hat, face shield, ear protectors, ballistic nylon apron, leggings, gauntlets, etc. Then the trainees were shown a film of chain saw accidents and injuries. He told me he really did not want to use one after seeing that, no matter what protective equipment was supplied..Quote:
Originally Posted by JDNSW
The australian army have been testing a small diesel powerpack that weighs about a kilo that you carry on a harness or pack that recharges their radio batteries.It works very well and is no bigger than a canteen but I haven't heard anything more about it. Pat
Daves right EMCON is the Euro emissoins control regulations and that is what all high end small engines are coming out with.
The US stuff (Kohler, Briggs/Vanguard and the like) based on Calafornian emissions requirements and most are coming out with electronic fuel injection and cat converters built into the muffler in 4 stroke stuff.
The 4 plus Hybrid is a system that ECHO developed and all the rest have picked up and changed to get around patent as it brings the engines in line with EMCON without major mods as it is just a 2 stroke with valves which are lubricated by the fuel mix.
The Honda 4 strokes are good and powerful but cant be used upside down in Bunkers or doing edges etc so we dont use them.
I have had a bit to do with them and I know that they run very well on 2 stroke (as greens keepers dont know the difference half the time), they dont run so well with no oil in the sump (again the same problem), and if they are used with the engine up in the air for a long period of time they sieze up and you need to replace bore, piston and rod which is about $235 from memory.
There are Electric brush cutters and blowers in the wind (pun intended) where the power pack is on a back pack so the only emissions will be what is produced to charge them up but they will have a limited working time frame on battery packs but that can be worked around by having multiple packs.
Comertial mowers are going more Electric and Hybrid Diesel electric to not only lower emisions but to get oils away from cut surfaces.
There is heaps going on here and over seas on making small engines more enviromentally freindly but at the moment OZ has nothing saying we have to adhear to any of these rules but it is coming soon and that will mean the end of all this cheap chinese stuff coming into the country.
The only thing I will add to the defence of small engines is that no matter what the operation hours are, they will never flow enough air through them to make them polute as much as a car as the small engines were talking about (as in brush cutters) are about a 20th of the capacity of a small car so it would have to pollute 20 times as bad to be able to be compared in per unit hrs.
There are a couple of industry magazines where I have read about all of this (e.g. Turf Craft magazine and Contractor Magazine) which your local mower shop would be able to get copies of them for anyone that is interested.
No laws yet. Have been pending for some time. I know outboard engines are the same. A lot of suppliers want to be environmentally conscious but also have to compete hence why cheap dirty engine units are brought in as well.