My 4-Stroke Roçadora (Brush-Cutter): A Smooth Operator

The author with her old machine in the Beira Alta of Portugal. She now uses a black twisted cord, not the smooth green or yellow, because it is tougher. (Photo by Betsy Steel)

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My old Kawasaki 2-stroke and I were entangled in a trap akin to a bad marriage. I knew that things were not good, but I also knew how to get along in it.  

My new roçadora (brush-cutter) is dependable, starting after I pull the recoil cord once, gentle on me and quieter than its predecessor. For these reasons, I love it. Love is not too strong a word for a machine, which I will run for a few hours daily, when the weather permits, for 12 weeks on 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of hilly, terraced land once, twice and, on some areas near the house, three times.

It is a Honda UMK UE ET 4-stroke.

Last year, near the end of the cutting season (legally, the deadline was mid-June as a deterrent to wildfires, which plague Portugal), my 13-year-old Kawasaki 2-stroke began to clunk and, then, would not start again.

I took it to my garage on a Friday. Between my previous three visits there in May and June for a new spark plug, clutch, clutch casing and spring, I had visited two shops and researched alternatives.

The visits were enlightening.

Most of the time, the Kawasaki 2-stroke started fine. However, there were times when the machine would not, often after I had carried it, a bucket of supplies, including lunch and water, and a jerry can of mistura ( a mixture of oil and gasoline) downhill, and farthest away from the house. At such times, I was open to making a deal with the devil. It was frustrating when I was eager to work but could not do so.

In my shop visits, I learned that the recoil start of the 2-stroke was a challenge for many!

The first hint that I had gotten about the difficulty was from a friend who told me, in the spring, that she had to have her partner start their roçadora. She blamed it on the brand and said that there is a trick in starting it.

Her comments were an eye-opener. I thought that it was just me. The mechanics, kind as they were in not charging me for labor and, sometimes, nuts and bolts, had tried to help me start my Kawasaki. They told me that I had to put my shoulder into it. I practiced contorting my body. It was funny to watch, but no position changed the outcome. I deduced that maybe I did not have the upper-body strength.

On my penultimate trip to the garage, one of the mechanics took me into the adega (ground floor) of his house next door. What a surprise! Rows and rows of metal shelving, neatly organized with car and tractor parts and other machinery. He showed me a Kawasaki brush-cutter the next size up, which I considered buying before my two shop visits.

I was wary of getting something that would give me the same problems, such as not starting, the thread flying loose, a screw getting lost -- problems that I had resolved with my old stand-by many times over.

At the first shop, Bicicletas Silvex Husqvarna, in Oliveira do Hospital, Coimbra District, there were Stihls and Husqvarnas on display. There were no Kawasakis because I was told that the quality is not dependable any longer, many of the parts are made in China. There were also some Husqvarna models, which were there for repair, with similar problems and parts made in China. 

At the second shop, Motonelas, in Nelas, Viseu District, where I bought my Kawasaki and its successor, David told me that they do not carry Kawasaki any longer, again because he and his brother and father cannot guarantee its quality. He said that people walk in asking for the Kawasaki that their grandfather used for 30 years, and it does not exist anymore. 

I did not even bring up the difficulty of starting the machine. David initiated the topic. He pointed me to the Honda 4-stroke. Starting it is a dream. You pull out the cord once, and it whirs, not buzzes. It is much quieter than a 2-stroke machine. And it feels as though it vibrates half as much, even less.

Four-stroke engines are smoother than their counterparts.

Two-stroke engines accomplish in two piston movements -- upwards movement of the piston compressing the air/fuel/oil mixture while, underneath the piston, a fresh mixture is drawn into the crankcase -- what four-stroke engines do in four -- intake stroke, compression stroke, power and exhaust.

I had been under the impression that roçadoras damaged the body. As the song goes, it ain't necessarily so.

The Honda comes with a harness, which is adjusted to my body. It allows me to stand up straight, something that has not always been possible.

Through the years, I have worn many harnesses. In the cutting season, I avoid taking time out to fix machines or harnesses. I am anxious to get the job done, and I always feel as though I am behind schedule. When harnesses have failed (for example, metal clips do not close tightly anymore, so the roçadora is not held up), I have run out to get a replacement, buying whatever is on the shelf. I have not known what is best for me. I have used knots and safety pins to hold harnesses together. And I have shoved a plastic piece from an old harness in my trousers to protect the machine from hitting my right thigh and bruising it.

There was some bruising.

A bad worker blames his tools is an old adage, popular in Britain. However, tools do matter for any job.

My new roçadora is dependable, gentle and does not make a racket, solid qualities in a partner.

I am in the honeymoon phase and happy to be there.