My bush needs trimming….

[CotswoldDoItUpper]

…. Abs today my plug in hedge trimmer packed up.

 

All of my other tools are 18v DeWalt so I have 4 & 5Ah batteries etc already. 
 

Do I go for another cheep and cheerfully plug in, a DeWalt (either ’standard’ or extended arm) battery or one of these fancy petrol multi tool things?

 

Got a fair amount that needs trimming off, inc some conifer style (no idea - I’m no gardener!) hedges.

 

thanks all!

[ProDave]

A lot of conifer hedges if you cut back too far won't re grow and become a brown dead mass of twigs.

[CotswoldDoItUpper]

17 minutes ago, ProDave said:

A lot of conifer hedges if you cut back too far won't re grow and become a brown dead mass of twigs.

Yes, it needs a gentle trim to keep it in shape. Or because I think they’re ugly I might get carried away with a chainsaw and give them a v v heavy haircut.

[nod]

We’ve just bought a Stihl 

Batterie hedge trimmer Both sides of a 40 meter hawthorn hedge off one charge Very powerful and sharp

Would have to be very careful trimming a bush 

[dpmiller]

I bought a s/h dewalt cordless hedge trimmer a few months back and it's very good, just as capable as the petrol one. I've still got a petrol 4-in one for extended reach stuff tho.  When I can use all the tools I have already on  a cordless power unit them I'm listening...

[Temp]

I had Ryobi Expand-It (petrol) range for 8 years. Broke several of their hedge trimmer attachments and third party metal versions but my hedge is a natural hedge with branches as thick as your thumb so I was abusing it somewhat.

 

Eventually had issues with loss of compression and hard starting. Not sure if I didn't let it warm up (micro sieze) or if carbon build up broke off and  scored the bore. Apparently this is common with many makes. If they get hard to start buy a compression tester  😞

 

Replaced with a Stihl 4 stroke petrol unit a few years ago. Horribly expensive but its a beast. I started with just a motor unit as the Ryobi attachments fit and I still had a working Ryobi pole saw, strimmer etc. Then got the Stihl hedge trimmer attachment. The result is quite a long and heavy hedge trimmer. I think I even fitted a shorter shaft and it's still quite long. Gives you a good work out. A multi tool hedge trimmers might be too big and unwieldy for a small hedge? 

 

If you need a strimmer attachment I strongly recommend the Echo Speed Feed head as its so easy to reload the line compared to some other makes. They do a universal model that comes with adaptors to fit most makes of strimmer. So my strimmer set up is now a Stihl motor, Ryobi strimmer attachment fitted with an Echo head. Works very well. Trigger would be proud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pocster]

🙄

[Simplysimon]

1 hour ago, pocster said:

🙄

thought you had used the walk on glazing in your signature? 😎

[saveasteading]

15 hours ago, CotswoldDoItUpper said:

Yes, it needs a gentle trim to keep it in shape.

Re leylandi / cyprus sort of trees: Once the green side branches are cut away I have never seen new branches forming and the ugly brown core is left permanently. Perhaps if it is literally trimmed, so that each branch retains some green stuff, they will recover.

OR take out a proportion of the branches and leave the rest.

 

For me, I use a lopper as much as possible because of the control, and then chainsaw for the bigger branches that become apparent under the small ones.