Customer Reviews

Factory Reconditioned Ryobi ZRRY34440 18-Inch 30cc 4-Stroke Gas-Powered Straight-Shaft String Trimmer

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

I've owned numerous Ryobi power tools and have been very happy, however this trimmer (at least the one I got) is an absolute dog. starting with the instruction manual which I thought was woefully inadequate to actual operation. Right out of the box it leaks oil badly (also mentioned in another review) and I'm in the process of trying to return and get my dough back. Be advised Amazon will not take this item back. Stay away is my advice.

Why spend $189 at Home Depot when you can get this for $99? The trimmer arrived and was in like new condition. It started right up and runs great. It has plenty of power. Best of all, no more keeping gas and oil mix around. The down side is that since it is a 4-stroke with an OIL pan of sorts, the edger only operates in the basic trimming position. It you tilt it too much in any direction, oil will enter the cylinder and start smoking. If you continue to run this way, the engine will stall and oil will run out of the carborater. So what this means is it is not very friendly for attachements such as hedge clippers or chain saws and such that you need to run at varying angles.

I am fine with this because I really just need this for the basics. I have the edger, trimmer and blower attachments, and they all work great.

The pull-start rope wouldn't pull on the first one. Took it back and the second finally started on like the 20th pull. Ran for 5 minutes and quit. When I tried to restart there was a burning smell and smoke near the spark plug. Took it back and went with another brand 2 cycle. Store clerk said Ryobi can't seem to get their 4 cyles to work. That's why there are so many refurbished units. Do not buy this product

The item arrived not as pictured, only half the item arrived - the top half - so you have to buy the string trimmer??? Customer service could not answer that for me. The motor part, (gas and oil too)was in pieces and they did not look reconditioned but very USED and very poorly used at that. The motor parts were covered in grease in and out, everything looked like it had been picked up from a junk pile with dents, scratches, and grime all over every single piece. Disgusting!!!! When I called to return the item - they told me I couldn't because it is considered hazardous waste material... so why did they sell it to me??? especially as the item was in such poor condition w/ oil and probably gas too since it was just a mess... DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM.

I was never able to get this trimmer working and Ryobi support has not been helpful.

- Item Came With Oil Already in Unit and some gasoline, which I have never seen even in a refurb product

- Engine in rough shape, covered with grime and oil

- Instruction manual does not include instructions on how to use reel that comes with trimmer had to find video online

- Pull cord almost impossible to pull, unable to start due to this

Ryobi told me to return product to retailer, will not repair product due to condition (that in came in when delivered). Amazon does not take items using flammable liquids back so item will have to be trashed.

I've been buying things from the internet for over 10 years and most of them from Amazon, this is the first product that stopped working before the first year was up. It worked great right out of the box for the first 2 months, then while weed whacking around the house it just stopped whacking. The motor works but the drive pole stopped spinning. So it looks like alot of these reviews are right, I should have spent the extra money for a new one. By the way, this is the first refurbished product I have ever bought on or off the internet. It serves me right.

Lot of power starts easy,but it will drip oil no matter how you hold it.No one place is out of the picture,your shoes,pants,shirt,driveway garage floor.Seems to come out of carb.Was told that this is a 4cyc, thing if you can live with a drip it runs fine if not get 2stroke till this problem is solved

I purchased this 4 cycle trimmer after having a Ryobi 790R for almost 10 years. It also was a refurbished unit. I still use it to this day, but decided I wanted to have a nicer one for the lighter work. The price can not be beat!

First things first. The trimmer head was not a bump head as it says in the Product Features. Instead it as a Pro-Cut II(tm) String Head Assembly. Kind of useless for me but I am sure it is fine for a city yard that does not grow blackberry brambles. I purchased a Gator bump head to replace the Proc-Cut the day the trimmer arrived.

The trimmer was easy to assemble. It was missing the bolt for the handle (rough shipping had the bag and box tore), but it is a standard bolt so I had one laying around. Before I added the oil, I pulled the plug and drained what was left of the old oil. Then I put in the 10w30 oil as specified, checked the level, filled the tank with gas, and we were ready to go.

Starting was much easier than my older 2-cycle trimmers. I flipped the switch up, primed it 7 times as specified, flipped it down, and pulled the cord (without holding the trigger). It started first pull. Then I waited the 15 seconds they recommended and then pulled the trigger to rev it up. The switch returned to run position as it was supposed to and I was able to run it. It took about 2 minutes to warm up and run smoother.

Trimming was powerful. The machine is much quieter, lighter, and has less vibration than my 790R. The balance is fine also. I think i will put on a better trimmer handle in the future. I am partial to the big long handles and a harness. Sometimes I trim my pasture fences for several hours. Power was not an issue at all. I often noticed I was not even revving it up as I should because it was running strong enough at half throttle. Dropping from full throttle to idle did not kill mine. I am used to that so I normally reduce my speed smoothly but I did not have to with this one.

The negatives...
I am not sure I like how the gas tank mounts. The gas lines are much better than the older styles but the tank is mounted in an area that exposes it to leverage if it catches on something while in use.

The trimmer output shaft assembly is not as sturdy as my old one and it has more exposed moving mass. This caused it to get wound up with grass faster than others. I had to clear it a few times.

The head that comes with it is not a good head for use around a lot of fences or brambles. The line wears too fast and then you have to stop to reload the head. A bump head is much more useful for me.

All in all, I think this is a great unit and am very happy I purchased it!

It caught my eye that there are so many reconditioned Ryobi units on the market. Mine, a C4300, was purchased new from Home Depot in the spring and has been used three times this summer. Each time the bump-feed head would shear the line inside the spool. Used a couple of feet of the line supplied with the unit and wasn't sure if it was the source of the problem. Replaced the line and it did the same thing.

Try getting it to run! Thats a lot of tugging and stalling. Best bet is get it warmed up before attempting to use the throttle or will stall. Once warm, it is possible to keep it running but the line keeps shearing and it has to be stopped to restring. Not a quick job - have to pull line through spool and wind it.

And where does the gas go when it sits? For something that has been filled three times and barely ran, I would expect fuel to remain in the tank.

My old Weed-eater 2 Stroke always started and at times, would have the line shear but was quick and easy to re-thread the spool. Too bad the line and spools are obsolete. But I used it for many years before it was phased out and feel I got my moneys worth from that tool.

Think I'll try my neighbor's advise and use Craftsman.

Originally this item was shipped and received in a very timeley manner. However the trimmer was shipped without an all important drive shaft. I was told by CPO Ryobi that they would take care of the problem and have a drive shaft sent. After a few days I was told that Ryobi could not ship just the needed replacement part but I would have to package up the entire trimmer and send it back to the factory. CPO Ryobi provided the FED EX shipping lables via the Internet. Thusly, I packaged and shipped the trimmer(minus the missing drive shaft) I received the replacement trimmer within two weeks and all is well. But for the problem of the missing part (probably not CPO's fault) everything was handled in a courteous and prompt manner. I would do business again with CPO RYOBI. Thanks John S