Petrol Brush Cutter

[Ralph]

I'm looking at some petrol brush cutters / strimmers, I have a big area to do and I don't think battery will last long enough. I'm thinking of 4 stroke Makita, a Husqvarna and a Stihl. 

They are all in the heavy duty consumer bracket, handle bar style, so about £250 - £300 

Does anyone have any recommendations or other makes to think about?

Cheers

[markc]

Echo, up there with Husq and Sthil

[Declan52]

I used a twin battery Makita recently and was very very impressed with it. Cut through the nettles and tall grass with ease. Plus it was very light to handle.

https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/makita-dur369az-twin-18v-lxt-brushless-cordless-brush-cutter-body-only

If you are sick of pulling the starter cord and cleaning out carburetors cause of sticky petrol then cordless is the way to go.

[Thorfun]

I bought an Einhell strimmer. probably not the best but it did the job. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something that wouldn't be used much once the growth was under control!

 

if it's for a one off job to clear a large area could you potentially hire one for the job? not sure on hire prices though so it might be best to just purchase one.

[Thorfun]

ps. I now have an Ego battery power tool all-in-one jobby that I use for multiple tasks now. it's very good indeed but for a large job you will need multiple batteries so one can charge while you're using the other. (or just take a beer break while your battery charges)

[Ralph]

8 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

I used a twin battery Makita recently and was very very impressed with it. Cut through the nettles and tall grass with ease. Plus it was very light to handle.

https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/makita-dur369az-twin-18v-lxt-brushless-cordless-brush-cutter-body-only

If you are sick of pulling the starter cord and cleaning out carburetors cause of sticky petrol then cordless is the way to go.

 

6 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

ps. I now have an Ego battery power tool all-in-one jobby that I use for multiple tasks now. it's very good indeed but for a large job you will need multiple batteries so one can charge while you're using the other. (or just take a beer break while your battery charges)

I don't know how long it will take or how often I will need to do it but we're keeping most of the area wild, so not really any manicured lawns. I think this means a whole lot of brush to cut on a regular basis. I was advised to get a scythe mower but they are just too expensive. 

How long can you go with a couple of batteries?

[Thorfun]

It's not a great deal of time if doing continuous strimming. The last time I did a lot of strimming I think the 4.0AH battery I have probably lasted 15 or 20 minutes or so (sorry I wasn't checking the watch so those figures could be out!). I then switched to the 2.5AH battery I have and that ran out when the 4.0AH battery was about 75% charged. so, in theory, if you had a couple of the 5.0AH batteries I see no reason why it wouldn't last long enough to fully charge the other one. 

 

this whole thing is caveated by the fact that I have the multi-tool and a dedicated strimmer/brush cutter might be more efficient.

 

check out the Ego line of tools. I've been very impressed and also have their chainsaw which made pretty light work of the trees in our back garden that came down to make way for the build.

 

https://egopowerplus.co.uk/about-ego

 

I'm sure the Makita ones also do the job and if you're already part of the Makita power tool eco-system then you'll already have the batteries but as I'm an Erbauer user I had the freedom to choose a different manufacturer for my garden tools.

 

hope that helps

[Declan52]

I have Makita drills and other tools so had batteries and the charger. The 4.0ah twin batteries lasted well over an HR. 

Just make sure if you're going down the cordless route the batteries are fast charge. Will mean the difference of 60mins or 4 hrs charge time.

[Ralph]

Thanks @Thorfun we sold everything when we moved into a flat a few years ago so I'm starting form scratch. I'll take a look at the Ego stuff.

[Ralph]

14 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

I have Makita drills and other tools so had batteries and the charger. The 4.0ah twin batteries lasted well over an HR. 

Just make sure if you're going down the cordless route the batteries are fast charge. Will mean the difference of 60mins or 4 hrs charge time.

An hour's worth is not bad at all, better than I thought it would be.

[Gone West]

24 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

check out the Ego line of tools.

Yes I can recommend the Ego range. I've a 5Ah and a 2.5Ah battery and use the 5Ah in the lawn mower and strimmer and the 2.5Ah in the hedge cutter and multi-tool attachments. I find the 5Ah battery heavy if I use it in the hedge cutter, but then I'm getting on a bit.

[Cpd]

Friend just got a new makita battery strimmer, he really likes it but finds the batteries do run down fairly quickly so he is needing to buy more. No sure how long battery life will be using them  for large areas on a regular basis. I have a massive husky and you get an hour out of the tank by which time you need coffee and biscuits before refuelling and going at it again. I got it second hand 10 years ago for £150 and it’s still going strong but I feel the weight more now……  

[Temp]

I got fed up breaking Ryobi Expandit multi tool engines so got myself a Stihl 4 stroke equivalent. Its heavy but much more robust and takes third party attachments (hedge trimmer, strimmer, brush cutter, pole/chainsaw).

 

If its heavily overgrown and just needs clearing once then a rented power scythe might be an option.

 

 

[Ralph]

23 minutes ago, Cpd said:

Friend just got a new makita battery strimmer, he really likes it but finds the batteries do run down fairly quickly so he is needing to buy more. No sure how long battery life will be using them  for large areas on a regular basis. I have a massive husky and you get an hour out of the tank by which time you need coffee and biscuits before refuelling and going at it again. I got it second hand 10 years ago for £150 and it’s still going strong but I feel the weight more 

I had been keeping my eye out for a second hand one. You occasionally get ex council groundworks stuff but I wonder if they've been used hard.

[Ralph]

14 minutes ago, Temp said:

I got fed up breaking Ryobi Expandit multi tool engines so got myself a Stihl 4 stroke equivalent. Its heavy but much more robust and takes third party attachments (hedge trimmer, strimmer, brush cutter, pole/chainsaw).

 

If its heavily overgrown and just needs clearing once then a rented power scythe might be an option.

 

 

Do you mind me asking what price that was? Sounds interesting. I think I'm also about to buy a Stihl chainsaw. Expensive month.

[Temp]

22 minutes ago, Ralph said:

Do you mind me asking what price that was? Sounds interesting. I think I'm also about to buy a Stihl chainsaw. Expensive month.

 

Afraid I went for the Stihl km 131 which is about £440 now. There are two versions with and without the bull bars.  I think there is also a km 130 a bit cheaper. A good second hand unit would be worth considering. They also have 2 stroke models like the KM 56 and 94 which are more like £200-250 I think.

 

Stihl don't like online discounting so many sellers require you to collect from their office. Supposedly so you can get "training" or some such. 

 

I don't use a chainsaw very frequently and got an unbranded two stroke one from Amazon to save money. 

 

The best strimmer head IMHO is the Echo Speed feed 400. It super easy to reload with line. Wish I'd discovered them years ago. They do two versions the "universal" version comes with adaptors to suit various other strimmers. The regular version doesn't have the adaptors. So I have an Echo 400 head fitted to a Ryobi Expand-it Strimmer attachment fitted to a Stihl KM 131. Only had to file some paint off the Ryobi to make it work on the Stihl.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Temp

[NWGEAR]

I can recommend the tools from ParkerBrand  (.CO.UK). I strim about 1/2 acre of scrub twice a year with their £120 strimmer/brush cutter (2-stroke 52cc). No issues and their other tools are sound as well (chain saws, generators, rachet set, pressure washer, etc). Budget class but they're managing the quality control well and good phone support etc.

[BMcN]

I've had One of these for about 3-4 years (cost about 75 quid), use it regularly for heavy grass, edges or use the blade for brambles and thick nettles.  52cc so very powerful, maybe overkill for what you need 

 

Never missed a beat. I did replace the strimmer head with a better bump head. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by BMcN

[BotusBuild]

I bought a 2-stroke McCulloch a few years ago - brush cutter and strimmer heads supplied as part of the same attachment set.

Last year I purchased a chain saw attachment set, and they used to do a hedge trimmer attachment which I was going to buy this year but they have discontinued them ?

I would recommend the McCulloch system

Edited September 9, 2021 by BotusBuild

[PeterW]

13 hours ago, BMcN said:

52cc so very powerful, maybe overkill for what you need 

Errr … last one I had was 200cc ? 

 

Seriously, consider the electric versions now which match your battery of choice. They are much nicer to use, and clone batteries are cheap. 

[Ralph]

2 hours ago, PeterW said:

 

Seriously, consider the electric versions now which match your battery of choice. They are much nicer to use, and clone batteries are cheap. 

I go back and forth on the electric. I need to replace a bunch of tools so I'm not wedded to any particular ecosystem. Having said the the Makita stuff is nice and if the clone batteries are cheap enough it could be an option.
Not sure I could handle the stigma of a battery chainsaw around here though, might as well wear a dress and start calling myself Margaret. (joke) 

[PeterW]

20 minutes ago, Ralph said:

Not sure I could handle the stigma of a battery chainsaw around here though, might as well wear a dress and start calling myself Margaret. (joke) 

Well Margaret …. Our Local TS is using a mix of the Husqvarna electric and the 2 stroke depending on where they are working. The electric ones are very good - I now run a top handle makita and it’s very light and very powerful, only downside is it can chew its way through batteries. 

[joe90]

Just found my (fairly cheap) petrol strimmer not working properly, on stripping the carb the diaphragm is “crunchy” not flexible. It’s a Einhill copy but you can only buy the complete carb fir £40 plus vat, found on Ebay a carb gasket kit fir a Honda (which looks the same) so took a punt  on £7 inc vat and postage, guess what, it fits ?????

[BMcN]

On 09/09/2021 at 12:12, PeterW said:

Errr … last one I had was 200cc ? 

 

Seriously, consider the electric versions now which match your battery of choice. They are much nicer to use, and clone batteries are cheap. 

 

200cc strimmer?  How heavy was that?

 

Depends how much you have to do and how tough going.  For 100 quid (with 3 year warranty) a 2.5hp petrol is hard to beat for me.