Hello,
This year I've taken on a couple of heavy duty privet hedge restoration jobs and have been frustrated with the inefficiency of the tools I have to do the job and am looking to invest in some good kit. My budget was very limited when first investing in power tools, so I have an absolutely atrocious Hyundai 50cc multi-tool with hedge trimmer attachment (It only has a 25mm teeth opening - I could write an entire book on how frustrating this tool is!) and a pole saw attachment. The privet hedges I have been working on had both been allowed to grow unchecked for years and had grown up to the level of the house guttering. The customers both wanted them reducing in height by about 50%, which meant cutting through pretty thick stems that seemed to occupy an annoying sweet spot (maybe bitter spot would be a better description...) where they're too thick to go through with my hedge trimmer, but still too floppy to cut effectively with my pole daw. The result was I ended up doing most of it by hand with loppers and a pruning saw, which took an age. I was wondering what tools other people use for this sort of thing, or what might be recommended. I have some really nice cordless husqvarna kit I use for everyday maintenance and I find the cordless tools much nicer to use than petrol, but do cordless rough cut hedge trimmers have the oomph that petrol does to tackle the really, really tough stuff (I thought the echo 56v rough cutter looked good and the stihl 140r)? I'm guessing the Stihl 82RCE is probably a go to, but ideally if a hedge trimmer is the way to go it would need to be long reach as these hedges are pretty deep. Is there a long reach trimmer with the same capacity as the 82rce? I am also considering the Milwaukee pole shears, which look pretty good and have a cutting capacity of 44mm. Basically, I've got lots of ideas but would love to hear from people who have to do this sort of thing a lot and so have a well oiled system.
Thanks in advance!
Side question: How do the Echo 56v tools stack up against Husqvarna and Stihl cordless? And how about the kress 60v range?
Views: 653
Replies
Raymond over the years I have come unstuck accepting these types of jobs so I would always direct the customer towards a tree surgeon it's not just the reduction it's dealing with all the brash afterwards which consumes time unless you have an efficient shredder .
I always lost money because it took me too long .
I used the same methods as yourself hedge trimmer , loppers and pruning saw , a big decent silky is better than an average pruning saw if you are dealing with conifers or hawthorn .
Pole saws can be useful until they hit the thin stuff then it's back to the hedge trimmer .
To be fair that combination is an efficient method and I have never found a single machine which is so versatile it can reduce a hedge with mixed diameter stems maintaining a straight line in one pass .
I have done a few however but always underestimated the time it took whichever way you look at it it's a very time consuming job no matter what equipment you have and I have found it's as much about planning as it is about cutting to increase efficiency.
One machine I have found useful reducing a privet hedge with thick stems is the Stihl cordless chainsaw GTA 26 , battery life is short so you either need a way of recharging on site or carry spare batteries which is my chosen method I just ended up buying two more machines instead of trying to buy the batteries separately.
You also need to invest in chainsaw gloves
However hope someone can provide a better answer and can suggest a machine which can do the job in one pass .
Good advice from John above.
Tools I would use are a pole saw, long reach trimmer, stihl 82/hsa140r trimmer, and as John mentions gta26/gta40 but also the stihl ASA20 cordless secateurs. The secateurs are great for the in-between material and leave a nice clean cut but obviously these can only be used at arms length.
Chainsaw for cutting up waste if bagging it or a decent chipper.
Thanks James, sounds like it's a good idea to have a range of tools for this kind of job. I will definitely get a good pole saw (considering the Milwaukee one, as I've heard good reviews) and I'll take a look at those secateurs- anything that makes this kind of job less labour intensive is of interest to me!
Thank you for your reply John. Good to know it's not just me! I have been considering getting a small pruner like the Stihl one you suggest, so I will look into that. Good point with the silky, I have been thinking about getting one of those absolutely huge folding saws they do. It seems like there is no easy way of doing these jobs, just a matter of quoting correctly for the amount of time. Many thanks
Can't help with battery but we have 4 Echo HCAS236ES-L semi long hedgecutters that will cut stuff larger diameter than a fat finger, are totally reliable and bombproof . Have used on many reductions buy one you will not be unhappy !!
Thank you for the recommendation, I am quite interested in Echo as a brand but ive never actually used or seen their kit. Is it at a similar level to stihl and husqvarna?
We stopped buying Stihl and Husqvarna some time ago, the Echo kit regardless of type is just a higher quality, more reliable and nicer to use. The hedgecutters, blowers and chainsaws are used commercially and have a hard life without so much as plugs being replaced.
Another vote for the GTA26, that said there is a new version out, the GTA40 (ooh, I'm tempted, but it would be a complete luxury). You've got to cost in time for sharpening the chains... or treat them as disposable items, and again cost them in.
I use loppers and good sharp seceteurs , these together with a good Henchman ladder would be my choice. As has been said, do not forget that you've got to get rid of the brash. Maybe persuade the client that you need to hire in a decent chipper - then provide the hedge with a good mulch - of its own chippings :) On a significant reduction I find an actual hedgeclipper a waste of time - other than for the sides, that said I use the HLA86
Thank you for your reply and advice, I think I will have to get myself one of those! I got the chance to try a henchman ladder the other week and it blew me away, so I will definitely be investing in one of those asap. Luckily on my last hedge reduction I had the foresight to say I'd need a skip, but the chipping/mulching idea is a good one too, especially for the really big jobs where even a skip won't be enough.
Thank you
this type of job, I have the kit to deal with the cutting element, not a 5 minute task whatever equipment used, the issue being the sheer volume of waste generated, to the point now that I would only agree to similar reductions if could leave all the mess piled up on site for the client to gradually get rid of, or compost or burn it, or hide it in the bushes, whatever. Otherwise would have to quote thousands for taking it on. As you are cutting the growth off you can maybe roughly sort it into the dumpy-baggable hedge trimmered type stuff from the thicker trunk like pieces which are heavier in quantity but reduce in bulk when piled flat oriented in the same direction
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next