So You Own A...Stihl FS 131 R

#stihl #stihltrimmer #fs131r
You’ve finally gotten the high-powered Stihl 131 R trimmer! Josh walks you through how to properly maintain this powerful 4-cycle ‘mamajama’ so it lasts you up to 20 years! He’ll show you some common problems and how to prevent them so you never miss a beat on your yard work!
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[@adammcalpine231]

A couple months ago I bought an FS131R to clear a few severely overgrown acres of thick prairie-type grass and little nuisance trees and bushes. Forester makes a 10" carbide tooth circular saw type blade, and these trimmers will run that big of a blade with EASE. I had it bite and throw itself once though, and it sliced another tree about 1-1/4" right off in the blink of an eye. If it can do that to a tree, imagine what it would do to your leg! The next day I went and bought a second 131, but with a handle bar - figured 550 bucks was a lot cheaper than a prosthetic.

[@ThatPNWlyfe]

I just got one of these and it is amazing. Worth every penny. I have an acre and a half to maintain and this device saves me tons of time. Thanks for the maintenance video. I look forward to many years of slaying my backyard win the string trimmer.

[@Carlsmower]

Power!!

[@johnsweeney1712]

Great video, useful information as always. Thank you. Keep up the good work.

[@NovusTerrae]

Got one of these. The power is just immense.

[@Janisg616]

Most important is not to use fuel without 2-cycle oil in it, it will lead to catastrophic failure within minutes. As you told "4-cycle" might confuse people, because usually, 4 cycles have oil and fuel separate. Especially if ordered online and without reading instructions, one might make that mistake. 10:05 I doubt that the gearbox costs 500EUR for this machine and there is almost no labor to replace it, it can be done while greasing the shaft. I own fs131 for a few weeks now, have used a little over a gallon of fuel in it, and I can already recommend it. I would buy fs 91 or fs 111 if they were lighter than fs131, but surprisingly there is no weight difference between those models. Usually, extra power adds extra weight, but not in this case. It feels like that in my application (I mostly use a blade in tall grass), it has more power than I use, but as it came with no extra weight, I don't mind that extra power. Maybe I can appreciate it when string trimming taller wet grass in the summer. I only wonder why stihl decided to cut the string so short, I feel like it might handle much longer string, maybe it is more convenient to use the same guard as in smaller trimmers, and if I use that tiny 230mm grass blade that came with it, it feels like 0,5Hp would be sufficient to run it, and 1,9Hp is overkill. Some people on youtube abuse this trimmer, take off the guard and use 2x longer string, and the trimmer still does not bog down. I have 5 acres to cut with It, and it takes me almost a full weekend to cut it all, I let the grass grow and cut it only 3 to 4 times a year, not weekly. I like that it has such low-end torq, and the sound of it compared to 2-cycle engines. I have a "bike handle" version and harness with 2 shoulder straps, my previous trimer was 3 pounds heavier, and after my occasional 8 - 10 hour-long grass-cutting sessions I felt exhausted. I can use fs 131 all day long, without getting tired. Not sure if 3 extra pounds made that difference or if it is not as hot as it was when I used my Hitachi 40cc trimmer, last summer.

[@Carlsmower]

Thanks for your input on your experience

[@tombstone2826]

Got the Stihl fs 131 R to clear some over grown weeds , grass on 2 acres of land this a powerful machine with power to spare ! Did a great job !

[@Chrisinkuwait]

Which mixture are you using? I bought mine at rural king and it runs like crap using the Stihl ultra oil

[@remydya2001]

I just bough a FS 131 this morning and after i see your video.. I think make a right choice!! Great video Josh!!

[@Carlsmower]

Enjoy the awesome machine

[@foldby37]

Hi, Usefull and informative video, now i can carmly go buy this machine.... Thanks..

[@tango165]

Great video! Love my 131!💪🏼💪🏼

[@PaulyD87]

Great video. Stihl for life. Living in Germany, all you see is STIHL!! I have the KM 130 r kombi and just picked up the smart connector. Is the placement also 10cm ontop behind the spark plug? Thanks for the help and great informative video.

[@harryerhart5978]

Finally my dealer sale was on always in February l saved 80 dollars list went to 469.99 I paid 391.99😁😁😁😁😁😁 love it should have bought two👍

[@Carlsmower]

That’s a crazy good deal.

[@harryerhart5978]

Can't wait to buy one nice video buddy 🙂

[@luisalzamora5002]

Just bought one ...great tool! Almost 2kg lighter than my old Honda UMK435 trimmer

[@Carlsmower]

That’s definitely a bonus

[@ccnbc1299]

Excellent video !!!!

[@2manysigns]

Can the cutting direction be reversed and where do you get the tool for the two little adjustment screws on top of the carburetor ?

[@cleveland7046]

What tools come with it? I just bought the 131 and they only gave me a manual.

[@brodygoalie]

What is the lightest gas powered string trimmer you can recommend? Thanks

[@andyburch1819]

Mine is rough rough at half throttle right from factory. Starts and idles great but stutters under throttle. Is this part of break in period?

[@acceptjesuschrist4132]

Any update on your sthil ?

[@bonsinsel6442]

They are really nice

[@Carlsmower]

And that power 👊

[@toddharper2003]

Does the Stihl FS 131R require oil/oil change?

[@dgott7726]

No. It uses mixed gas. Buy a 1 gallon can..."No-spill" makes great 1.25 gallon can that is perfect for mixed gas. Use premium, ethanol-free gasoline only, buy the 2-stroke oil mix (Amsoil Saber, or Husqvarna make good 2-stroke oil...Stihl oil gets bad reviews...plenty of videos out there to watch on that), and mix it 50:1 ratio. Always give the gas can a quick shake to mix things around before filling your trimmer.

[@patmason7276]

Love mine butt floods easy.

[@maukiyuddin]

Cara beli nya gmana

[@emmanuelprempeh7766]

Wonderful video, Mr. Carl please can we do business together in Africa Ghana 🇬🇭 …??

[@zedacruja681]

One other experience I have for years here before I have a moped that runs 50 to One...and what Lubs all pistons rings and the moving parts its the oil on the GAS so instead of 50 to one. talk to a friend and freind say never 50 to one 32 to ONE. 4 litres of GAZ 125ml of oil. 95 octane and syntEctic oil.....never mind that STIHL.........................sorry like still products but never...................just keep it with me and you get the oil to guaranteed but recicle the oil LOL,,,never that misture. ...the extra oil with plug the muffler but end the season spark arrest for few hours out LOL END...great job

[@martinklacansky3537]

moped is different. here u can do 40/1 very easy . 50/1 very good and believe me 60/1 no pro all life. it is not moped . i know people who go 1/50 years and years

[@drich6816]

I like the moto mix but the price is just to much at 35 bucks a gallon

[@Carlsmower]

$32 a gallon is expensive, but think about 1 qt a year to hibernate your machines during the off season.

[@aarenwebb816]

Hi

[@Carlsmower]

Hola

[@zedacruja681]

When you saying That Oil to a gallon,,,American or European LOL...Gallon its not a gallon,,someone ...........................END good work I have a 560FS now going to get KM 131r and few attachments....

[@ModernLady]

And if it won’t start at all??

[@Carlsmower]

Well that’s no good how old is it and when did it run good last?

[@ModernLady]

@@Carlsmower Brand new! Didn’t start at all. But then we left if for some hours and asked a neighbour, and after that it worked.

[@Carlsmower]

@@ModernLady Sounds like it may have somehow gotten flooded

[@PH13PH]

what size line can that trimmer take?

[@Carlsmower]

Depends on line head installed. The standard AutoCut 25-2 runs up to .105 although.095 feeds best. With the DuroCut or FixCut you can run bigger.

[@farleymusclewhite411]

I drill out the 25-2 holes a bit to accommodate the .130" line for heavy brush-clearance. I believe that the 36-2 will accept .130" without the need to drill.

[@briancocks1408]

@@farleymusclewhite411

[@benjaminleslie3155]

40:1 shouldn't hurt though right?

[@Carlsmower]

Depends on mix brand. You mix Stihl at 40:1 you will see issues.

[@benfairhall5331]

As a dealer it’s you tell your customers 50:1 especially with new stuff maybe it was alright to run your old 029 on 40:1 but if you want trouble free running from your stihl machine please run it at 50:1.

[@ALWAYStheEIGHTIES]

This thing is GARBAGE if you are a groundskeeper or small landscaping company. Might be good for residential uses but for us it sucks. The older ones lasted a Hell of a lot longer. Years!!! 🤬

[@Carlsmower]

How much life do you get out of your 131’s?

[@ALWAYStheEIGHTIES]

@@Carlsmower We've got 2 that we've had a few years but we use them A LOT. We use them for weeded hills and banks too steep for our mowers but not just for weeds because we have a chainsaw end and a hedge trimmer end. One 131 was bought in 2018 and one in 2020 but we're always working on them. We use them the same amount we used the older ones and the older ones gave us way less problems. They are probably ok for most people but I wish they were tougher for our uses.

[@ALWAYStheEIGHTIES]

@@Carlsmower Didn't mean to sound like a dick in that first post. Lmao 🤣

[@techguy9023]

What’s better then?

[@admowingwebb4785]

Hi

[@Carlsmower]

👋

[@admowingwebb4785]

I like the stihl fs 131 r

[@Carlsmower]

@@admowingwebb4785 great tool

[@admowingwebb4785]

@@Carlsmower Hi