Zip Tie Weed Eater

So here you are, the girl of your dreams will be arriving in about an hour and your yard looks like the Amazon with your grass reaching a hight that passed shameful all the way to impressive.

You head out to your garage to get the weed eater to quickly get things tidied up, but there is one problem: your weed eater is out of plastic wire and you do not have time to run to the shops.

Here is how zip ties will save you this time.

What you need:

1. Weed eater
2. Zip ties (2)
3. Side cutter

Step 1: Remove Cap

Most weed eaters have caps over the bottom to cover the wire storage. It is very simple to remove these, the orange cap on mine had two hooks I had to press in slightly to remove the cap.

Step 2: Getting the First Zip Tie in Place

There are grooves where the wire usually runs, this is where you will tie the cable ties. Mine still has some in there since I purely did this to make an instructable, not because I ran out of wire.

1. Start by putting the zip tie around the centre. there should be slots around the side to make this easy.
2. Now start tying the zip tie, but do not pull it tightly yet.
3. There should be a hole in the side where the wire should run through. On mine it was covered by two silver circles. push the point of the cable tie through this hole.
4. Tighten the zip tie to keep it neatly in place.

Step 3: Trim the Excess

As you can see in the first picture, the zip tie I used was actually way too long. Use a side cutter to trim it. Make sure the zip tie is short enough to run smoothly without scraping against the sides too much.

Step 4: Repeat

Repeat the same process to get another zip tie on the other side.

Step 5: Return the Cap

Put the cap back in place and you will have a neat looking alternative for the wire in your weed eater.

If you like this instructable and this idea, please go and vote for me in the Zip Tie challenge.

Thank you for reading my work.

Comments

[Slacsteve]

my zip tie lasted about 30 seconds before it was down to half its length. What brand do you use?

[Debwomm]

I tried this today and it really works. It will save me a lot of money. One thing I think would be helpful is if you have a big job and you're using your spools do more then one to keep from having to rethread. Also keep something with a point to unlock the zip lock.

[TimB2]

I have heard of persons using old guitar strings or piano wires on a trimmer. Is that true? Seems to me it would be dangerous and could damage the machine if it snagged a fence wire while trimming.

[Judith756]

Time saver and money saver, I love this idea!!!!!

[Arduino777]

what's a weed eater because it's nevertheless used in India

[Judith756]

It's a weird machine we Americans use to save time/ be lazy, to keep our lawns (grass) around our homes neat. http://www.sears.com/craftsman-13inch-grass-trimmer/p-07130378000P?sid=IDx01192011x000001&gclid=Cj0KEQjwncO7BRC06snzrdSJyKEBEiQAsUaRjAAVOzZoNNbeFtOa5EXw31VZsgR12KnEErOUW4TDYoQaAq8R8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds#

[fullclip765]

i actually have done this for years i just stick the zip ties straight through the woles and the buckle at end of zip tie wont go through hole cuts awesome but dont last as long as nylon

[ElizabethM163]

I bought a new roll of nylon cord yesterday....hit a couple places on my fence and the whole 20' gone in less than 10 minutes. I only have a small backyard fence for the girls and not around our whole land, so there isn't much to weed, but I didn't make it even a quarter of the way before the cord ate itself up.
I read about this somewhere, but also read it could mess up the weedeater because of the difference in motor speed. But rather than go spend another $10 on a new spool of line, I chose to try the zip ties. I have a bunch of them from some other project and it was simple, fast and efficient. Just like you, i simply put them through the holes, snapped on the cover and off I went! The grass isn't as low since it didn't take much to break the ties, but in this emergency, I can see my furbabies much better than before! :)

I learned a lot today! Next time out I'll buy a refill spool which will get me 200' for less than $10 instead of buying the prewound spools. ;)

[Nate5b]

I totally did this today. I had an issue with my weedeater string feed today, remembered seeing this instructable, got some zip ties and was able to finish the yard. Thanks!

[Arduino777]

any way like the idea

[kobyx]

Great idea

Thanks

[signalsoldier]

The simplicity of it all!

[jgonzale]

Brilliantly simple!

Thanks

[DoStuffRight]

I have used just about everything on a weed eater except zip ties. great idea, its a pain to have to run to Lowes to get more string when you are on a job.

should've thought of this before I sacrificed my phone charging cord

[RobertL58]

Electronic wire also works pritty well.

[NickA41]

That's a useful tip indeed. Just a self reminder - I'll use stronger shoes than usual when strimming this way!

[ScrappyGirl]

OMG! Thank you for this! So much easier and better, I can hardly wait to try it out!

[mrgw98]

Have you tried using this? How well does it work? Does the cut come out okay?

[Everyday_Machinist]

weed eater*

[UlrichR2]

Thanks