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Husqvarna 525LS 50 hour review (pic heavy)

PissRev

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Back in April I picked up a new Husky 525LS trimmer. I definitely didn't need another trimmer since I had a new Stihl FS94R and new Husky 327LDX combi tool. When I got it home the first thing I did was a simple cat converter bypass by drilling through the baffle.



As per the owner's manual, the unit was set pig rich from the factory and they recommended burning 8 to 10 tanks of fuel before adjusting the carb. I think that I adjusted the carb somewhere around that time and it had to be leaned on both the low and high side. The carb is fully adjustable with a spline tool and it allows about a half turn in either direction with just a flat screwdriver.


The trimmer cranks on no more than the third pull when cold and the first pull when warm thereafter. I love that it has instant throttle response and will turn 9400 RPM with 7.5 inches of .95" line. It really revs better than any trimmer I've ever used. It is super smooth and there is no vibration at all throughout the entire RPM range. No more numb hands at all even when using this for extended periods of time.

It has toolless access to the air filters and spark plug which is nice since some trimmers (Stihl 94R) require a T27 driver to access the filter and plug. Speaking of the air filters, this unit employs a foam pre-filter and a felt main filter. It has been very dry here this year and subsequently, there has been a lot of dust generated while trimming. I have seen no fines past the filters so they must be doing a good job trapping dirt. .

This trimmer came with the T35X head which has a ball bearing in the bump cap and doesn't easily scuff when bumping it on hard surfaces. That being said, I still prefer the Shindaiwa/Echo SpeedFeed heads since they can be loaded quicker and more easily than any other type. I have the middle size 400 head on there and I prefer it's compromise of capacity and size over the two other sizes.

I've been operating trimmers since 1984 and have used trimmers from all the major players and I can say that this is by far the best unit I've ever had the pleasure of running.





 

CTYank

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A few months back I told the Land Steward I volunteer with at huge Audubon preserves in town, that he needed to get a proper brushcutter. The 130 4-mix Stihl they had was useless for our purposes. We tried. Got a go-ahead, contacted Bob @ Ashokan for suggestions, given what we found worked. Ended up picking up a 525LS with necessaries for mounting steel blades. All who've used it love it. No need felt to modify anything about it.
One interesting point- plug it uses, NGK BPMR8Y is very cold, and very limited in current availability. Took me some digging to obtain spares.
Yes, it needed LOTS of leaning out on both low and top end. Now runs great, handles 10" blades with authority. Big challenge is still getting users to not just hold it at WOT. Works well into woody poo a bit above idle. Next experiment with it is a 12" Husqy 3-lobe blade I got ftom Bob for $24. Monster of a blade, shipped without cutting edges, likely to keep lawyers happy. Takes some time with 4" grinder, but well worth it.
This Husqy works so well that their original Stihl is a (very) expensive wall-dressing, and available NOW. Anybody want a lightly-used Stihl fs-130 4-mix? What are you bidding?
 

ANewSawyer

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If I was closer to you, I would look at that 130.

I believe the 525 may be the best trimmer on the market. Mine has been used a lot and tuned all over the place. Learned a lot about tuning. I ground my muffler apart and pulled cat out. You can actually bolt it back on in two pieces and it is fine. Just drips a little oil on that piece of plastic under the muffler. I went really overboard with my muffler mod though.
 
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