Vulnerable Hedge Clipper Power cable

Telegraph_Sam

There was a thread, now closed, in which people exchanged their experience of cutting through hedge clipper cables. One would think that the manufacturers of such devices would take some trouble to ensure that their cables were hi-viz even in poor light. And one would be wrong. Short of replacing the complete cable, which could be complicated, what solutions can readers think of to make the cables more visible?  Winding white self adhesive PVC tape round the cable doesn't in my experience provide a  very durable solution.

greyteam1959

Most hedge clipper cables are bright orange or they used to be.

Telegraph_Sam

I have several clippers, all equally vulnerable.  My favourite is an "Xceed" brand but the cable is plain black. B & D orange blends nicely into the twilight, more so than plain white.

Davesnave

I think it's down to cable management and having a set way of doing things. I seem to remember taking  the cable over my shoulder, but I went battery for the main clippers and I only have long arm ones that are mains now. No problem at all with them.

Telegraph_Sam

May be there is a solution for those that do have a problem! [At full stretch on top of a step ladder I can do without the weight of a battery]

neilmcl

Telegraph_Sam said:

May be there is a solution for those that do have a problem! [At full stretch on top of a step ladder I can do without the weight of a battery]

If you're at full stretch at the top of a step ladder then you're not working safely in the first place and you probably need a longer hedge cutter. Always loop the cable through the handle of the cutter and stand with the cable running behind you. There's no reason for the cable to be "vulnerable" if you watch what you are doing.

Spank

Probably not the best idea to be using something that could cut off your fingers in poor light

Davesnave

If you have to go up a ladder, then I still don't see a problem if you work away from the power source and keep the cable over one shoulder. However, battery trimmers are pretty light these days and are easier to manoeuvre.

As neilmcl  says, avoiding a ladder makes the job faster and an extendable trimmer achieves this. Mine is mains powered and cost £60 from Aldi about 6 years ago, so at £10 a year so far it's been a cheap way of dealing with a 9' elm hedge about 160' long. (Tractor does one side and I do the other.) both sides of a 80' beech hedge and one side of a 50' hornbeam hedge + 3 or 4 other hedges all over 8' . I admit the extendable trimmer is heavy, which is why I use the battery one lower down.

Astrozombies

Just gets some Mighty Bright tape, cut it into strips and coil it around the cable.
Slightest bit of light reflects on it.

Telegraph_Sam

Tks I will follow up the Mighty Bright tape tip. The hedge being the size and height it is, it is a matter of balancing and weighing up adequate safety precautions to come up with a workable solution in the circs. Part of which is to have a visible power cord - one is not a substitute for the other. Like Davesnave I invested in an Aldi extendable trimmer some time back and wrote to them subsequently pointing out that with the extension fitted, the torque on the arms when trimming horizontally was such that manoeuvring the blade was a real pain. Which makes one try to use alternatives at which point the question of the cable visibility comes back ...

Mistral001

The OP seems to be suggesting that some  hedge trimmers today do not have basic safety features such as brightly coloured cable.  I remember using electric hedge trimmers  with orange cables in the 1970's.  A bit of a retrograde step to not use orange cables today.  Maybe they have found that cutting the cable does not prove a health risk, which is probably quite true.