(ET) Black & Decker 36V string trimmer

[Chris Tromley <ctromley gmail com>]

Hi All,

 

My corded B&D string trimmer that I used at my old house is a major pain to use at my current digs.  (Fence line, multiple cords, etc.)  I've been looking for a solution, hoping I could find a decent cordless unit that I might eventually adapt to run off the ET traction pack.  Quite unexpectedly I stumbled on the B&D NST2036, which uses a full 36V nicad battery.  Amazon has them for $170.

 

To sum up the online reviews, it has all the power of a gas trimmer.  (I wouldn't know, never used one.)  But it only lasts about 20 min. and a second battery costs another $100.  (The charger has room for two.)  FWIW, one reviewer mentioned an exchange with B&D customer service, where the B&D rep suggested it might be discontinued.  I wouldn't be surprised.  I got mine at Sears, where it wasn't displayed or advertised.  I got a clearance price of $140 new.

 

My impressions?  I does have some grunt.  And it's really frustrating when it cuts off only ~20 min after you start.  I had to catch up on my edging by spreading it over two days with an overnight charge.  I think from here on I might be able to maintain appearances on one discharge cycle.  One thing that helps is that it has a continuously variable "throttle" that allows you to keep the revs and power consumption down.  It's a two-string unit.  It took me a few minutes to get used to the bump feed (my corded unit is auto-feed), but now I'm fine with it.

 

I'm electrically challenged, so I haven't looked into connecting directly to the ET yet.  I'm writing this now both to get some suggestions as well as letting you know about the unit before it disappears.

 

I would hope it's as simple as running a cord to the ET power outlet.  But I know the charger senses battery temp, and the trimmer controller might too.  May have to rig up some dummy resistance to stand in for a thermistor?  Is it possible the battery has current sense/limiting circuitry, and that the ET pack might provide too much current?  If the throttle is a PWM controller I would think it would impose its own current limit.

 

Or maybe the solution is to keep the battery in it (which would improve balance but keep it on the heavy side), make a rack to carry the trimmer on the ET and use the traction pack as a charger?  The would give it a little boost charge between ET stops.  Not sure which way to go here.

 

Chris