How to make a spool cap cover for an American Gardener YS24 (Weedeater XLT24) Trimmer
If you've tried to buy parts lately for your trimmer, you've noticed they are harder and harder to find.In fact, I was unable to find a spool cap cover, so I came up with this work-around.
Before you start this project, it's important to save any parts from the old spool cover-especially the top, if you can.The top is needed to make a spacer for the new cover that will still allow you to "bump" out the string.
I used a Craftsman 71-64215 replacement spool retainer to make my new spool cover cap.It fits the Craftsman C3 19.2 volt 74381 String Trimmer (CRAC06540 spool cap).I found this cap at a local Ace Hardware, but apparently it is also getting hard to find-I googled the Ace Hardware number to find it on the web-"7314644 cap."I bought a couple extra from HardwareDistributors.com.Note that the diameter of the cover at the tabs is the same diameter of the old cover-although the diameter of the cap is slightly larger.
Take the old cover, and using the tab from the old cover, mark a line on the new tabs the same width as the old.Make sure you center the old tab on the new tab so you will remove the same amount of plastic from each side of the new tab.I used a dremel tool with the cutoff wheels to cut the tabs on the new cap to the same size as the old cap.
If you look at the new cap, there is a round plastic circle ridge on the bottom of the cap.If you look closely you can see a slight indention, or discoloration on the top of the new cap matching the circle on the bottom.You need to cut the plastic out of the new cap matching the plastic circle.I used a dremel tool with a metal cylindrical grinder to do that.
Once you get everything cut, put the old cap into the new cap so that the spokes face down toward the similar spokes on the top of the spool.You may have to trim the old cap so it fits into the new cap.
Finally, snap everything together into your trimmer-don't forget the spring.Note that the new cap has about a 1/8 inch gap above the spool.However, this doesn't seem to affect the trimmer-and you can still "bump" the head to eject the string.
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How to make a spool cap cover for an American Gardener YS24 (Weedeater XLT24) Trimmer
If you've tried to buy parts lately for your trimmer, you've noticed they are harder and harder to find. In fact, I was unable to find a spool cap cover, so I came up with this work-around.
Before you start this project, it's important to save any parts from the old spool cover-especially the top, if you can. The top is needed to make a spacer for the new cover that will still allow you to "bump" out the string.
I used a Craftsman 71-64215 replacement spool retainer to make my new spool cover cap. It fits the Craftsman C3 19.2 volt 74381 String Trimmer (CRAC06540 spool cap). I found this cap at a local Ace Hardware, but apparently it is also getting hard to find-I googled the Ace Hardware number to find it on the web-"7314644 cap." I bought a couple extra from HardwareDistributors.com. Note that the diameter of the cover at the tabs is the same diameter of the old cover-although the diameter of the cap is slightly larger.
Take the old cover, and using the tab from the old cover, mark a line on the new tabs the same width as the old. Make sure you center the old tab on the new tab so you will remove the same amount of plastic from each side of the new tab. I used a dremel tool with the cutoff wheels to cut the tabs on the new cap to the same size as the old cap.
If you look at the new cap, there is a round plastic circle ridge on the bottom of the cap. If you look closely you can see a slight indention, or discoloration on the top of the new cap matching the circle on the bottom. You need to cut the plastic out of the new cap matching the plastic circle. I used a dremel tool with a metal cylindrical grinder to do that.
Once you get everything cut, put the old cap into the new cap so that the spokes face down toward the similar spokes on the top of the spool. You may have to trim the old cap so it fits into the new cap.
Finally, snap everything together into your trimmer-don't forget the spring. Note that the new cap has about a 1/8 inch gap above the spool. However, this doesn't seem to affect the trimmer-and you can still "bump" the head to eject the string.