[Patrick0525]

Which Sten recoil starter rope?
Also is the very expensive DiamondCord starter rope16’ for $15 worth it?
This is for a residential use snowblower.

 

[crazzywolfie]

i have bought true blue and been happy with it. it is just like the stuff i would get from the most small engines shops.

 

[cpchriste]

How to decide what diameter to use other than trying to match what was previously installed?

 

[crazzywolfie]

pretty much. i would guess most snowblower need #5 for most snowblowers. i bough #4.5 and #5.5 since #5 was way more expensive for some reason. the #4.5 seems like it would be good for lawn mowers and smaller snowblower. i did use some on a 8hp engine and so far it has been fine but i believe it probably needed a #5 rope. so far i haven't used the #5.5. it just seem too large for most recoils i have fixed so far.

 

[arienskids]

I use stens true blue or Briggs professional recoil rope exclusively. Usually 4.5 fits everything

 

[3vanman]

Which Sten recoil starter rope?
Also is the very expensive DiamondCord starter rope16’ for $15 worth it?
This is for a residential use snowblower.

#5 Diamond braid for most of the snow blowers I work on, bought a couple of roles when they were last on sale from Stens. Less than a dollar a foot, good deal, but you do only need about 5-6 feet, including waste.

 

[Patrick0525]

How to decide what diameter to use other than trying to match what was previously installed?

I used calipers and for my Lawnboy Toro Briggs engine recoil rope - it is 0.140”
; 9/64”, #4 1/2 or 3.5mm.

Toro service manual says u need 7 feet.

Sten solid core rope 100’ spool : 146-035 approx $16 on eBay.

 

[Ziggy65]

Donyboy73 says 5.5 is good for snow blower recoils.

 

[crazzywolfie]

Donyboy73 says 5.5 is good for snow blower recoils.

maybe on the older machines 5,5 is fine but all the 8-10hp tecumseh engines i got in my possession right now don't have 5.5 unless the 5.5 i bought was labeled wrong. the 10hp i got sitting in the basement right now actually looks like it might actually have 4.5 on it. i know i changed the pull cord on a 8hp and you would have to make the hole in the recoil bigger if you wanted to use 5.5 and obviously as Dony mentioned if you use too large of a cord in a recoil it can cause issues.
left is 4.5 middle is what is already on the 10hp's recoil and right is 5.5

 

[Ziggy65]

You are right as usual Crazywolfie, a newer video and he is using 4.5.

 

[crazzywolfie]

that is also a newer engine. i know i was looking at all the same info when trying to figure out what size pull cord to order. i do know there is older engines that do run larger pull cord but it seems like most of the engines that i come accross will be fine with a 4.5 or maybe a 5. i would have probably tried ordering some 5 this summer but for some reason it was $45 and 5.5 was $29 and 4.5 was $23. it didn't make sense to pay $45 for a roll when it should cost less than the next size up. i was hoping to get a 1 size fits most but ended up getting 2 when i realized 5.5 was too large. 4.5 would likely fit most pretty good. i might try ordering some 5 eventually but not really in a rush now.

 

[db130]

Bought a 100-ft spool of 4.5 Trueblue 2 years ago and it has been used on everything from mowers to snowblowers. I will need to buy another spool soon.

Also had purchased a 100-ft spool of #6 Trueblue but that's pretty much too thick for most snowblower applications.

 

[WrenchIt]

What is the difference between solid braid and diamond braid recoil rope? Is it simply the pattern?

 

[Patrick0525]

Maybe my original question was overkill on the better recoil rope. In southern PA, we probably get six/seven snowstorms per year
which requires one gas tank refill per storm therefore there are a maximum of fourteen recoil starts.

Thank u everyone for sharing their experiences. It was definitely educational.