Appreciate recent posts on this subject but as the new season approaches starting to focus on the ageing body again!
Am I missing something? Trawled the net looking for an a lighter alternative to our Echo semi long reach machines at 5.9kg, these we use 98%of the time from reductions to fine topiary, wonderful adaptable and reliable machines that will tolerate as much abuse as you can give them in a commercial environment.
Looking for a lighter commercial grade machine and to have any advantage in weight terms suppose 4kg with battery is the benchmark to justify purchase cost. Like the flexibility of the semi long the Echo is 1.8 mt overall. Looked at the Stihl HLA 135 which is 5kg bare and 6.2 kg with AP 200 battery and 2.1mt overall so heavier than the Echo with the obvious run time implications so pointless exercise.
Does such a machine exist? Also last time we tried these battery machines found them very unbalanced with the motor at the cutter end which the weight of the battery did nothing to counter balance.
Any ideas?
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I don't think your gonna get what you need out of battery kit until and/if batteries become lighter.
It's a compromise. hla 135 will give you the power you need but they are heavy. My favourite machine is the hla 66 it feels very light. Would I use it to cut the the thickest stuff? God no, I'm sure the gears would strip.
You get use to the weight of the motor in the head. It feels weird to begin with, when you cut the top of a hedge it comes into its own.
Thanks, appreciated. Have looked at the Echo standard reach with the longest blade available but that's 4.3 dry so well over 5 with battery
Have you considered a harness Peter ? Not used one myself but Vic on here endorses the Elephant harness and his advice is usually spot on .
You can then use any machine with the harness although there may be limitations if you cannot get near to the job due to overhanging branches /undergrowth etc .
Personally have gone down to the lightest battery hedge trimmers but have found it's not weight it's repetitive strain so it's counterproductive and in fact the efficiency of a decent petrol machine out weighs the light weight set up .
My wife is a health professional specialising in moving and handling and I have had plenty of good advice over the years which realistically cannot always implement due to the physical demands of our job on our joints . It's not just hedge trimming it's kneeling down and the toll it takes on your knee caps .
If we were footballers or top athletes we would be rich enough to retire at 40 😊
Turning back to machines have you considered Pellenc ?
Yes have considered but as the bulknof our work is on commercial sites where you are forcing your way through dense planting suspect a harness will snag and impede the limited movement that is available. Probably work ok on straight runs of hedging but thanks anyway
To get a decently powered battery long reacher down to 4kg i think the motor and battery would need to be housed in some kind of backpack arrangement, with a flexible shaft drive connecting to the base of the machine. The result might feel unbalanced due to the weight of the blades and the fulcrum effect from the length, as the power unit/battery normally counter balances this (where the motor is at the base like the HLA135). A carbon fibre shaft would help save a few grammes, I have an Ego strimmer with this and it's a lovely machine to use
We moved from petrol to battery about 5 years ago as we needed to replace all our gear at the same time. Our mowers and back pack blowers are still petrol though. We love it but, like everything, there are pro's and con's. Weight isn't one of the pro's as we find there is no real difference to the petrol ones once the battery is in place. For me personally, the benefits are the lack of pull starting, less noise and fumes and then better vibrations. That's what I like about them. But I wouldn't say that the weight is any better. For heavy duty hedge work, petrol is probably still the better choice if the things that I just listed aren't things that bother you.
I use easy lift harness it's a excellent bit of kit, butt like you said it can only be used in open runs but the newer version is a lot thinner around the body for the cost £250 it's worth a try you might be surprised
You need one of these. Had mine many years. It's a genuine game changer. The machine becomes weightless.
A few people recommending lifting harnesses. It looks as if there are a few, the ones that look most likely are the Henchman (operated by gas rams?)and the GTM professional elephants trunk (operated by a recoil spring?). Plusses and minuses for each?
Cheers
Tim
Thanks Tim, as in a previous reply the nature of our work is forcing our way through dense plantings IE retail parks etc with little room to operate so whilst I can see the benefits on straight runs with good acess think it will be more of a hindrance, appreciate your thoughts.
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