OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Trimmers and Brushcutters Two Stroke Trimmers & Brushcutters A Pope, by any other name?

Does anyone know who makes Pope branded line trimmers and if they are sold under another name? Latest tip find, runs but the trigger is broken on the very shoddy plastic throttle.

That air filter housing shows a heap of fine dust....what's the inside of the motor like?

Yes, that one is sold under quite a few names, including Gardenline and GMC (I have one of each of those), plus Sanli GTB26, and some others. The engine parts are also the same as for the previous Pope, called Renegade (I have one of those too). Nice machines, IMO - best I've ever used, they enabled me to retire my Echo, which was always a major pain in the backside. Best of all, the three of them cost me a total of $2. (To be fair, the GMC has a broken part and is only a source of spare parts.)

Hello Aussietrev and Dieselboy,

I hope some member or guest will recognise the actual engine maker.

I note on the Pope website that they appear to have exited the power products market.
Of course, this is a Toro company. I don't know if that provides a clue.

Cheers
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JACK.

Dieselboy, the machine was at the tip sitting out during the recent rain but fortunately the choke was closed so inside it is okay. It has heaps of compression and really solid spark and runs quite nicely, just need to find a throttle trigger.

Jack, the machine comes from China unbranded, and the importer takes care of the branding aspect. That means the only documentation is prepared by the importer, and the only spare parts are the ones the importer chooses to supply (which is usually none). I don't think the manufacturer in China has any relevance to the spare parts problem. It is a nice full-crank engine with a barrel-valve carburetor (looks like a copy of the Walbro WY) and it runs very well, so it may be a clone of some name-brand product, but if so I haven't been able to figure out what brand that would be. The machine can be bought from the manufacturer with various legs, including bevel-drive ones, and a number of other such trivial differences, including the type and position of throttle lever and safety lever. I think aussietrev has found the only solution in looking for parts from another, similar machine which he can buy as junk. I had to do the same thing with my Gardenline: I got it free but with no starter, and it was more than a year before I found a GMC one with a good starter but a broken plastic bell-housing (the previous tenant used to kneel on it there while starting it) which I could buy for a dollar. Fortunately it wasn't a big deal waiting a year, because I had the similar Pope Renegade (another $1 purchase) which was working perfectly.

As long as the Australian distribution system works the way it does, with items like that selling for at least five times the Chinese retail price, we're all going to have to get used to getting the spare parts for our machines from tip shops. Fortunately I think our imitation-British distribution system, wherein half the population of the country seem to be middle-men, is going to die out under pressure from direct importers such as the people who sell that line trimmer. Aldi sold the Gardenline for $70. Compare that with the price of the traditional brands of similar products.

Thanks for clarifying that Grumpy.

The advent of the nameless mega-factory manufacturers that supply many
purported 'OEMs' is an ever increasing trend.

Is the problem here that spare parts are to expensive from Middleman Pope,
or Pope no longer support this product?

Cheers!
----------------------
JACK.

I don't know what support was ever provided, Jack, but at present the only spare part for that product I've found listed by Pope is the spool for the line feed head:
http://www.popeproducts.com.au/products/power-garden-products/spare-parts

Incidentally I'm less critical of Pope than some of the other importers: at least they produced a decent user manual:
http://www.popeproducts.com.au/__files/f/10301/Pope%20LineTrim%20Brushcutter%20%28101PLT25,%20101PLT25D,%20101PLT25SS,%20101PBC33,%20101PBC33BH%29%20-%20User%20Guide.pdf

I think, Cyberjack, that most of them just don't even bother with spares outside warranty these days. By the time you send a machine back and the costs of repairing it at the sellers agent are taken into account it is cheaper for them just to replace it under warranty or leave you hanging if it isn't. I guess it is why so many quite serviceable machines with relatively minor problems end up at the tip. It's amazing how often a $4 kill switch gets them running again.

Hello Aussietrev and Grumpy,

Thanks. That's amazing. I had no idea.
What a throw-away world we have become.

All very sad.
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JACK.

Yep, the Chinese in particular just don't seem to grasp the concept of serviceability at all. And the consequent need for spare parts, parts diagrams/lists, and repair manuals.

It's very noticeable for the Chinese motorbikes and quads too - usually the importers [the less fly-by-night ones, anyway] just strip a proportion of each shipment down, and that's their parts pool. So they tend to sell assemblies, rather than individual parts, to minimise their time input. For example, at the prices they charge for a complete engine, it's not worth rebuilding the old one.

Yep, the amount of stuff that is throw away now that once would have been something to care for and be proud of is amazing. Seeing piles of white goods and electronics at the tip that are only a couple of years old is heartbreaking at times. Although it meant I got an automatic Simpson 5kg top loader only a few years old for the time taken to bypass the lid interlock switch.

Speaking of spares Grumpy, you wouldn't happen to have a spare air cleaner, fuel pick up and tank grommet for that model that you would sell would you? I rebuilt the broken trigger by cutting up one from a donor McCulloch and Aralditeing it into what remained of the Pope one then when that had set building it up with Kneadit. It is in and working like a charm, just need the other couple of bits to have her good as new.

I'm not sure exactly which bits you mean, aussietrev, since it has an air-purge fuel system. If you can identify them, you can have them for the cost of freight, but you'll have to train me on the freight aspect: I think sending them by mail would cost much more than the parts are worth. Let's try to sort it out by PM.