# Stihl Kombi System



## epic (Apr 16, 2005)

Not an in-depth review at all, but just wanted to say that I got one last year and it has been great. I started with the weakest engine they make (because I was skeptical and didn't want to commit to much money) and the leaf-blower. Well, even with the little engine, the leafblower is great. Depending on how you aim it, it can lift rocks out of the tread of the trail and send them for a ride. Much better power than I expected. It is a bit awkward after a few miles of blowing - if I did this all of the time, I can see how a backpack mount would be much better. This spring I have added a pole mount chainsaw for cutting various low-hanging branches on the trail and have been getting quite a bit of use from it as well.


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## HighFivenWhiteGuy (Apr 5, 2011)

I also have the kombisystem and love it. I use the KM130 (largest) motor with a hedge trimmer and blower attachements. Very impressed, changing attachements is quick and even with the larger motor the whole setup is fairly light. My only complaint is the lack of a bike handle option. Much easier on the arms and wrists.

Overall highly recommend it, especially for trail guys who cant carry two or three pieces of power equipment on the trail... just pack the attachements.


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## Loren_ (Dec 3, 2006)

If you do any trimming or building, you'd love the power scythe attachment.


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## epic (Apr 16, 2005)

Loren_ said:


> If you do any trimming or building, you'd love the power scythe attachment.


As stuff grows out this summer, I think that is next.


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## HighFivenWhiteGuy (Apr 5, 2011)

Has anyone tried the FS-KM (straight shaft trimmer) with a polycut head? I am curious about the polycut head in general so if anyone has used it even if not on a Kombi what did you think?


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## epic (Apr 16, 2005)

I have aPolycut for my FS-85. I don't think I'd use it for trailwork. You'll be replacing a lot of knives, and mitigating collateral damage isn't really an issue.

I generally use the steel brush knife or the chisel tooth saw blade depending on how woody the stuff I went to take out is.

Trimmer Blades - Trimmer Cutting Heads & Blades | STIHL


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## aero901 (Apr 11, 2012)

I have used the cultivator/tiller attachments to "bench" trail in non-rocky fine textured soils and don't recommend it. Hand tools do the job faster, better, and silently. One noteworthy problem was roots becoming tangled around the tines requiring timely disassembly and cleaning of the head unit. Costs are another negative factor for dirt work with these machines. For the price of one, you can equip a small crew of people with Rogue Hoes and get much more done. However, this setup may be better for chewing up old tread when rehabbing a trail.

Stay away from the polycut attachments for string trimmers if there are woody stemmed plants in the area. Broke 2 of the 3 blades within the first few minutes using one (Stihl brand) in such an environment and then the mounting head cracked near a blade pivot pin shortly after adding new blades. We use the auto feeding string heads now.


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## craftbrewed (Sep 26, 2008)

We have used one for benching as well. If you take the outer tines off the roots do not get tangled as much. But I agree hand work is just as quick.


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## schulzeee (Mar 11, 2011)

Loren_ said:


> If you do any trimming or building, you'd love the power scythe attachment.


The power scythe is excellent for cutting back the understory plants in the west coast rainforest. And good for the canopy and sides of the trail corridor.


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## Len.Francies (Jun 22, 2004)

I'm using a ryobi hedge trimmer module as a "sith" which is great for nw rainforesty soft greens such as fern and nettles. For increasingly woody salmon berries over 1/4" I start thinking about something tougher up to a 200t top handle chainsaw which is lightweight and fits great in a pack... 

Insightful friends suggest clean cuts promote growth like after a haircut, but nasty ragged cuts (eg. w/chainsaw) wound the plant and make it cling to life without aggressive regrowth.

Kind of the opposite of the james brown song where he coaxed somebody to "get on up".


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## Simpleton (May 3, 2004)

The brushcutter attachment is awesome and cuts through anything under 1/2" easily. However, bicycle handlebars and a shoulder harness would make it less cumbersome. It gets heavy after a while.

Matt


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## schulzeee (Mar 11, 2011)

Simpleton said:


> The brushcutter attachment is awesome and cuts through anything under 1/2" easily. However, bicycle handlebars and a shoulder harness would make it less cumbersome. It gets heavy after a while.
> 
> Matt


I definitely agree about the harness. My unit came with a single over the shoulder harness which helps a lot. A double might be better. However the bicycle handles would hinder the packability, a key feature for me.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

I got the 130 or whatever was the biggest, blower and power scythe.

I've used the trimmer and it does more by volume but the power scythe gets woody stuff that's much or too much for the small Austrian hand scythe I also have.

Using it is more work than one might think but a few nights ago I realized that by myself I cut back and fixed up corridor more or better than anybody had done in same area over several years.

My purchase was for our ski club which is a private subset of trails in the area. Our IMBA chapter has more tools and I'm a trail steward within so I use them too. My conclusion is our chapter owning specialty tools like back pack blower is great but Kombi does a lot for your budget. 

I too wondered about the handle bar config my trimmer has but storage and transport are easier with the Kombi as is.

When I'm done with what I'm up to the string trimmer will work with ease but right now the power scythe plus neglected trail is a lot of work.


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## cuttenkid (Jul 7, 2012)

Am going to try it out


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