Specs
Engine – This model is a two-stroke engine. Two stroke engines always require a fuel mix of oil and gas. And as usual you have to make sure that the gasoline is pure gasoline does not contain any ethanol. And in storing the fuel, add some fuel stabilizer to the gas tank. You can always buy premix if you prefer, but it’s generally more expensive. And given these modern times, adjusting the carburetor may be necessary for it to start, and not run lean or rich.
Shaft – The shaft on this model is not the straight solid steels shaft that we prefer but rather a curved shaft. What a curved shaft does allow more precision work. The curve allows the user to see the cutting head. All curved shaft trimmers use multi-linkage transmission in order to get the power from the engine to the cutting head. Adding pieces between the motor and the head increases complexity, increases points of failure, and decreases power. (In most cases) For brush cutting, we have found that a straight solid steel shaft is the standard when dealing with brush, brambles, saplings, and very woody grasses.
Handle – The handle is a “D” Loop handle. Again, this is appropriate for weed eating but not for brush cutting.
Attachments – The Poulan Pro takes its all attachments from other models as well as Ryobi attachments.
Assembly – Our research did not uncover many people complaining of difficult assembly.
Operation
Starting and Restarting – With most gas powered two cycle engine power tools, there’s always a question of how easy is it start. The Poulan Pro is not very easy to start when compared with other modern models. Even after getting it going, some users found that the restart (which is typically easy) to not be so easy.
Sometimes the hard start issues are about adding enough gas to the choke in order to get the fuel to the engine. Sometimes that can be resolved by reading the manual carefully. There is usually a factory prime/choke procedure.
Ergonomics, Weight and Vibration – When you get the Poulan Pro going, intensive vibrates a lot. This on top of it being particularly heavy. Although I’ve read some reviews were women had no problems using it mulls reviews say that the Poulan Pro is a bit unwieldy to use.
Break in – Now if this is your first usage of the of the Poulan Pro, it’s important to break in the engine. In an automobile, the engines are typically broken in at the factory. And even in that case, most manuals and careful drivers do not put the car under heavy load for the first 500 to 1,000 miles. With 2 stroke engines, break in usually starts in the first 30 minutes to an hour. Some even say that the machine is not totally broken in until 10 hours.
Power – Many users felt that the Poulan Pro’s were under powered. In addition to not being up to snuff, some said the unit would get hot and then stop. Once an engine overheats, you have to wait certain amount of time in order for it to cool down and then restart. Weedwhacking is rarely a pasttime, so prolonging a chore is never good.
Hours, Fuel and Consumption – Again when it comes to fuel the two stroke so requires mix in the fuel and motor oil. And it’s always a good idea to use pure gasoline or something like Tru gas. Users found that the machine had good fuel economy and could go hours before it needed more gasoline.
Line Feed and Use – Most said that the string was fine for cutting, though sometimes hard to find. The real source of contention was how hard it was to reload.
Conclusion
Our overall impression of the Poulan Pro is that there are too many real world reports that say it does not keep running. With overheating issues a concern, this would not be on the short list.