Chainsaw recommendations?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Just been dealing with glorified hedging that's gone feral - a large part of what I was doing was clearing every single little branch, twig and sprout from the larger (ie, more than I could get one hand around) plants in order for the chainsaw guy to be able to get in there without killing himself.

Due to their height, I had to wear a hard hat and was frequently smacked over the head by lumps of tree/bush/hedge and narrowly avoided getting slapped in the face a few times (unlike somebody else, who found out that the brambles were holding another plant in check once he cut through one tiny stem - he was walloped so hard that it split his cheek in two places). The saws would often get bound in the branches or the loppers would get a random bit of twig or weed wrapping round them - annoying, but a damn sight less dangerous than it happening to a chainsaw.

There is no way you could do that with a chainsaw - saving time in this world is of absolutely no use if you end up in the next one early as a result.

You'll just have to spend longer and do it safely - and considering the amount of money you'll need to spend upon tools, protective clothing and, fairly clearly, a training course so you don't end up looking like an extra in a horror movie, it'll be cheaper to pay somebody else rather than proving that Not Dying is less important than Getting The Hedge Lower.

Davesnave

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OKJIm4ly-Yw/hqdefault.jpg


That's a pole saw, which I'm sure someone has mentioned already. It will be safer, but maybe not the best tool to use lower down.

To be honest, I think the longest part of the job will be collecting-up all the branches and processing those to fit them into whatever they need fitting-into. A chain saw or a pole saw won't be much good for that.

Niv

Zither wrote: »

It's too much work to use loppers and a hand saw in the time/budget I have available - but I do hear your concerns about using a chainsaw. So, are there any other alternatives? Eg can you recommend any heavy duty electric hedge trimmers or similar?

What about soemthing like this? Available in lidl for about £60.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OKJIm4ly-Yw/hqdefault.jpg


Thanks!

I recently cut down a large tree in my garden. I used a combination of a chainsaw and a pruning saw.


I was very surprised how quick the pruning saw went through branches, it was lent to me by my neighbour so very MSE, however after I completed that job I went out and picked one up for £10 from toolstation, now I wouldn't be without it for jobs very much like the one you describe!

glasgowdan

Every time you're logging on here to read and reply could be spent with loppers clearing 30cm of the hedge... A few days forum surfing traded in for gardening and it'd be done!

Apodemus

glasgowdan wrote: »

Every time you're logging on here to read and reply could be spent with loppers clearing 30cm of the hedge... A few days forum surfing traded in for gardening and it'd be done!

Lol, so true! ...and applies to more of us than we might care to admit!

Zither

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Just been dealing with glorified hedging that's gone feral - a large part of what I was doing was clearing every single little branch, twig and sprout from the larger (ie, more than I could get one hand around) plants in order for the chainsaw guy to be able to get in there without killing himself.

Due to their height, I had to wear a hard hat and was frequently smacked over the head by lumps of tree/bush/hedge and narrowly avoided getting slapped in the face a few times (unlike somebody else, who found out that the brambles were holding another plant in check once he cut through one tiny stem - he was walloped so hard that it split his cheek in two places). The saws would often get bound in the branches or the loppers would get a random bit of twig or weed wrapping round them - annoying, but a damn sight less dangerous than it happening to a chainsaw.

There is no way you could do that with a chainsaw - saving time in this world is of absolutely no use if you end up in the next one early as a result.

You'll just have to spend longer and do it safely - and considering the amount of money you'll need to spend upon tools, protective clothing and, fairly clearly, a training course so you don't end up looking like an extra in a horror movie, it'll be cheaper to pay somebody else rather than proving that Not Dying is less important than Getting The Hedge Lower.

Hahaha yes! This is exactly my pain. So hard to get all the little branches out. So fiddly. Im ok if a chainsaw isn't the right tool to do the job but I guess lots of us cut back the same hedges annually - kinda surprised there's not a tool that's somewhere between a hedge trimmer and a chainsaw for the task!

Zither

glasgowdan wrote: »

Every time you're logging on here to read and reply could be spent with loppers clearing 30cm of the hedge... A few days forum surfing traded in for gardening and it'd be done!

Amen! But it's so much easier talking about it rather than actually doing it!

Zither

Niv wrote: »

I recently cut down a large tree in my garden. I used a combination of a chainsaw and a pruning saw.


I was very surprised how quick the pruning saw went through branches, it was lent to me by my neighbour so very MSE, however after I completed that job I went out and picked one up for £10 from toolstation, now I wouldn't be without it for jobs very much like the one you describe!

Ok I bow to MSE wisdom finally! I'll give the pruning saw a go- I believe these are on sale in LIDL this week so that's the S in MSE sorted then

Zither

Davesnave wrote: »

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OKJIm4ly-Yw/hqdefault.jpg


That's a pole saw, which I'm sure someone has mentioned already. It will be safer, but maybe not the best tool to use lower down.

To be honest, I think the longest part of the job will be collecting-up all the branches and processing those to fit them into whatever they need fitting-into. A chain saw or a pole saw won't be much good for that.

Yeah - I read the guide after I posted the link and it pretty much said 'don't use for cutting down anything other than v large branches. But a chainsaw would be so much cooler. Until I killed myself

glasgowdan

Zither wrote: »

Hahaha yes! This is exactly my pain. So hard to get all the little branches out. So fiddly. Im ok if a chainsaw isn't the right tool to do the job but I guess lots of us cut back the same hedges annually - kinda surprised there's not a tool that's somewhere between a hedge trimmer and a chainsaw for the task!

You get hedge trimmers that'll cut thick branches. Mine will do over an inch.