[Steveromo]

I have a Craftsman Straight Shaft Trimmer Attachment and I want to replace the head with a Pivotrim Head. The head on it now is a Craftsman Hassle Free 3 and I'm having trouble removing it. I took off the cover plate and removed the pressure washer from the shaft, but the head will not come off the shaft! There are no visible nuts or bolts to remove, and there is no option to lock the head at the top and unscrew it from the shaft.There are 2 pics attached to better illustrate. Thanks for any help!

 

[joecaption]

Just going to make a guess since mine are all Stihi brand.
See that rectanguler shaped hole in the casting, rotate the head and see if at some point you can see a hole all the way through the shaft.
Mine has a steel rod that goes in to stop the shaft from turning.
Most heads are left hand thread.

 

[Steveromo]

Thanks! I did check that spot for a hole to lock the head but there is none. It actually is a hex nut because I can see the sides thru that hole, but no way to lock it in place to unscrew. My gut tells me the head should just slip off but is stuck due to wear, heat, debris, etc. I tried to pry off with screwdriver but not budging. I don't want to use too much force unless I'm sure that's the way to remove. I'm hoping someone with the same head can confirm the proper removal. Thanks again for reply!

 

[lenaitch]

I imagine Craftsman has any number of head designs but does this help?

 

[Steveromo]

Thanks! I actually did see that video, and it does look a lot like mine BUT I do not have the notch that lets you insert a screwdriver to lock and unscrew. I tried to lock with a variety of thin tools but no luck. There is a hex bolt inside that hole so there's nothing to grab for locking. Thanks again for the reply! Appreciated!

 

[Steveromo]

SOLVED! So this morning I went back at it and with the bright sun I got a better look at where the head attached to the shaft. There was a LOT of dead grass and other debris in the head, and as I used a tiny screwdriver to gradually remove it I could see how the head sat around the hex rod of the shaft. Convinced that it was just slipped on the shaft I gave it a spray or WD40 and a few taps with a hammer, it popped off! There was quite a bit of rust that held it in there! Unfortunately it was all for not! The shaft rod has NO threads and only extends about an inch from the hex. The Pivotrim head needs at least 2 inches in order to use the lock washer to hold it on. Dang! Oh well, I can use the Pivotrim on my curved shaft attachment. The straight shaft will have to keep using the Hassle-Free3. Thanks for the replies