Husqvarna 224L 17-Inch 25cc 4-Stroke Professional Straight Shaft String Trimmer

by Husqvarna

• 25cc 4 stroke engine
• Lightweight - 11.24-pound
• Air purge system removes air from carburetor and fuel system for easy starting
• Smart Start system for the engine and starter have been designed so the machine starts quickly with minimal effort
• Non-CARB Compliant/Not For Sale In California
• No fuel mixing - don't need to mix oil and fuel to run

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.5 x 73.3 inches ; 19 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 19 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is available for shipping in the U.S. except for California and to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B003BHPSEC
• Item model number: 965966701
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,101 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden)
  • #25 in Patio, Lawn & Garden > Mowers & Outdoor Power Tools > Outdoor Power Tools > String Trimmers

Product Description

The Husqvarna 224L 4 Stroke 25cc Professional Straight Shaft Trimmer is a lightweight (11.24-pound) perfect for professionals. The 4 stroke engine allows you to avoid the hassle of mixing oil and fuel. The Smart Start and air purge systems allow for stress-free easy starting.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sold! July 17, 2011

By Randall Idell

Three years ago I owned a 2 cycle Weed Eater brand weed trimmer and it gave me absolutely nothing but trouble; It would take 10 minutes of cussing to get the thing started, would shut off mid-use, and was weak. One day, after so much verbal and physical abuse, my Weed Eater grew despondent and withdrawn. I came home after work and found that he had thrown himself across the yard and broken in two. It was ruled a suicide. After that, I determined that I would never own a gas powered weed trimmer again. For three years I owned a battery powered weed trimmer and loved it. That was until recently, when I moved into a house with an acre of property. The battery powered weed trimmer just couldn't get the job done. I started searching for a gas powered weed trimmer that wouldn't piss me off and stumbled upon the Husqvarna 4 stroke. After just one use (I've used it repeatedly since) Husqvarna managed to fully convince me of two things: I will never buy a two-stroke again, and I will never buy anything but Husqvarna again. This thing is solid, reliable, and powerful. It never takes more than 3 strokes to start cold (2 strokes with full choke and one without) and it starts every time hot. And as for power and torque, it's basically a hand held lawn mower.

As for the previous reviewers concern about the head not spinning. I also had to return the first one I purchased for the same reason. When I first tried to start that one, I very foolishly held down the throttle control when I tried to start it. I believe that I may have stripped the gear shaft in the process. I can't be positive of what was wrong with it but I imagine what I did was akin to starting a car with the gas pedal fully depressed. Subsequently, I never blamed Husqvarna for the defect. Maybe the only thing wrong with it was what you described? I don't know.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Darn good trimmer but factory assembly needs to be better! August 20, 2012

By 2004 Thunderbird

Amazon Verified Purchase

As a bit of background, I previously worked for the Poulan/WeedEater Division of Electrolux (and one of it's distributors) for nearly 30 years. They market and sell under various outdoor power equipment brands, including Poulan, Poulan Pro, Weed Eater, Partner, Pioneer, Husqvarna and private label products for others such as Sears/Craftsman. For many/most models the major differences are largely cosmetic to purposely distinquish between the brands & different sales channels, consisting of housing silouette design & color. Occasionally there also may be a bearing used somewhere instead of a bushing, etc. On many/most models of like displacement the core components of cylinder, piston, carburator, and ignition module are the same down to the part number. It is always gratifying to note that the marketing "works" when consumers (and even some dealers)say "brand X is better built, has better components or specs than brand Y". Some consumers (even retailers!) seem to think paying $179 retail instead of $119 for the "same" 2-cycle straight shaft trimmer (for example)of a different "family" brand/color automatically makes it "better". They will argue endlessly about it as well. I have been in the factory in Nashville, Arkansas and watched the various "family brands" come down the line and have the different brand housings assembled over the "same" base engine assemblies, by the same workers.

That being said - this particular trimmer is different, indeed. This one has a 4 stroke engine where mixing gas & oil is not required. It has an engine private labeled FOR Husqvarna and is not offered in some of the lower priced family brands.

Although I have used Poulan, Weed Eater or Partner branded 2-cycle products successfully for decades, I am now moving away from 2 cycle products where possible. The "awful" gasoline available these days includes ethanol which is extremely hard on the little rubber diaphrahms in the carb anyway. When you add mixing oil into the bargain with the gas and alcohol, the life of these little parts is further shortened. They lose their flexibility and the result is difficult starting and/or poor running after only a couple of years of use. This is why many state that they previously used older Weed Eaters for (several) years and now experience starting/running problems after only a year or two - the trimmers now are "junk". It's not the trimmer; it's the #$#@ fuel. Oh sure, you can purchase a carb rebuild ket for about $20 and invest the time and effort every second year to rebuild it yourself. If, however, you have to pay a repair shop to do it for you ... well ... it can easily cost more than a new price leader trimmer.

This is a great little engine that starts easily and runs well. I would have given it 5 stars for sure but I experienced the same darn issue with the shaft not being fully engaged with the engine and the head would not turn properly. It is pretty safe to say that unless you purchase this from a dealer who will assemble, service and test the unit before you buy it ... you are likely to have this problem.

As I purchased mine from Amazon, I did not want to go through the hassle of taking it to a service center and waiting for the "repair" to be performed under warranty. I loosened the four allen head screws (the tools are included!) and placed the engine assembly at the base of a tree and pushed the shaft assembly down into the motor housing and retightened the 4 allen screws. Of course, the engine started and ran perfectly. It has plenty of power for any "Weed Eating" need. Being a 4 cycle, it is a bit on the heavy side compared to the 2 cycle Weed Eater straight shaft units I have used in the past. Also, the head design works "OK" but seems to be a bit over engineered and offers no real advantage in use over the ages old Weed Eater tap-n-go version.

All in all, a good little trimmer to invest in for those that have a sizeable amount of trim work to do.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Weed Eater but with a caveat.... July 1, 2011

By Adam J. Dykstra

I've had a number of different weed eaters and decided to pay some extra money to get a 4 Cycle after having so much trouble with poorly designed battery/corded weed eaters.

I purchased one from a local retail store after having reading the excellent reviews about it. After getting it home I put it together, put the oil and gas in and nothing. The head wouldn't spin! So I took it back exchanged it for another 224L. After going through the same setup I had the same problem, only this time the head barely spun.

I went online and found out that for whatever reason the units need to be adjusted after purchase. You simply unscrew the motor and push it down about an inch or so. This allows the motor to engage the head thereby allowing the unit to work. After doing this the unit worked perfectly! Why can't they do this at the factory! That's why this product gets 4 Stars instead of 5!

Pros:
- Extremely Powerful! Will need pants and safety glasses!
- Has a double finger switch which helps to avoid accidently triggering the throttle.
- No more Gas/Oil Mixing! Love it!

Cons:
- You have to "fix" the system out of the box!

Overall Evaluation
Love the Husqvarna 224L and highly recommend.