Hedgecutting

blonde10

Evening all..just wondering what your thoughts on having your own hedgecutter,I'm finding it hard enough to get hedges cut lately..has anybody here got there own cutter and if so are they hard on a tractor..we have a 4355 here..100hp what should we be looking at..

lakill Farm

blonde10 wrote: »

Evening all..just wondering what your thoughts on having your own hedgecutter,I'm finding it hard enough to get hedges cut lately..has anybody here got there own cutter and if so are they hard on a tractor..we have a 4355 here..100hp what should we be looking at..

Over run with hedge cutters around here. My lad was here 1st sept and got all hedges done that day when dry.

But if he ever stops cutting hedges I’ll buy my own

Attie

Have Spearhead 565 here on Zetor 8545 the spearhead is heavy she needs half set of weights up front just about keeps her front on the ground.
The Heage cutting its self is not hard on the tractor but if cutting heavy stuff is hard on the head and flails which need to be kept sharp.
A run round with the grease gun each day keeps all going smoothly.
As you seem to be in a spot where there are not to many of them you might get a few jobs might help with paying for one.
Could you not hire one see how she goes.

GrasstoMilk

The hedgecutter itself is easy ran. They have there own hydraulics ran off the pto worked off its own valve chest.
It's the distance the hedge cutter goes out that the weight is needed for. Your tractor would handle a 15 ft no bother as long as you've bo big head drains to cover.
We have a 20 ft ferri here and she bosses the tractor around handy when she's out to the last

Nekarsulm

OKO in the tractor tyres on the side of the tractor nearest the hedge is worthwhile.
Guards to stop the bonnet getting hammered with cuttings, and mesh to save the cab glass.

Reggie.

Nekarsulm wrote: »

OKO in the tractor tyres on the side of the tractor nearest the hedge is worthwhile.
Guards to stop the bonnet getting hammered with cuttings, and mesh to save the cab glass.

That's what would put me off my own hedgecutter is the battering the tractor would get

Nekarsulm

Very hard on the drop links that go down to the lift arms, and also the top link attachment casting on the back housing of the tractor.

Reggie.

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Very hard on the drop links that go down to the lift arms, and also the top link attachment casting on the back housing of the tractor.

For that reason you are better looking for the axle mounted type

tomwaterford

Reggie. wrote: »

That's what would put me off my own hedgecutter is the battering the tractor would get

Clearly the answer here is a second tractor



But I do see the local lad around where my cousins live who specialises in hedgecutting the tractors do be immaculate with him


There's a world of difference in tidiness etc between hedgecutting he deos vs what the average lad deos....but I guess 30+ years experience counts too though and the more expensive machines helps aswel

Muckit

tomwaterford wrote: »

Clearly the answer here is a second tractor

Dead right. A big old 6cylinder. Handy have as a back up in Summer when landini in garage.

Bolt on hedgecutter in Autumn

lakill Farm

Muckit wrote: »

Dead right. A big old 6cylinder. Handy have as a back up in Summer when landini in garage.

Bolt on hedgecutter in Autumn

Dig of the month.

Reggie.

lakill Farm wrote: »

Dig of the month.

What would you expect from a pig only a grunt anyways

Muckit

lakill Farm wrote: »

Dig of the month.

Wasnt actually a dig! Any tractor or machine will break down. It's inevitable and foolish to think othewise. Can't be waiting around and silage on the ground.

Grueller

Reggie. wrote: »

For that reason you are better looking for the axle mounted type

The hardship of taking it on and off though. I have a small hedgecutter here and with only one tractor it is on and off a nice bit.

Waffletraktor

Grueller wrote: »

The hardship of taking it on and off though. I have a small hedgecutter here and with only one tractor it is on and off a nice bit.

Contractor here made up a jig out of the mast on an old forklift. Trimmer has slots for a set of pallet tines and secured to slab of concrete. Plug in pipes to run a valve makes it a piece of pee once lined up right

flossy1

sorry for butting in.why are all the hedges in- land cut so short . All hedges around here are cut at the butt No help to nesting birds or any kind of wildlife ;

Wildsurfer

Much the same reason you trim the hedges in your garden, easier to keep them maintained than leave them get out of control and have to get a saw in to cut them back. If they get too high they become a bit too open anyways and birds prefer a dense hedge, and cutting is not allowed during nesting season.

Birdnuts

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Much the same reason you trim the hedges in your garden, easier to keep them maintained than leave them get out of control and have to get a saw in to cut them back. If they get too high they become a bit too open anyways and birds prefer a dense hedge, and cutting is not allowed during nesting season.

Seen some nice examples recently of well shaped dense hedges up to 10 feet - excellent for shelter and wildlife, certainly better than the miserable stubby stuff you see in too many places,

lakill Farm

Muckit wrote: »

Wasnt actually a dig! Any tractor or machine will break down. It's inevitable and foolish to think othewise. Can't be waiting around and silage on the ground.

Ah I know. I only said dig to annoy reggie

Reggie.

lakill Farm wrote: »

Ah I know. I only said dig to annoy reggie

You forget I know where you live

visatorro

Very hard to justify price of hedgecutter. You'd have to spend alot to get clean second hand one. Contractor with saw on a big digger would do alot of work in a day, and feck all damage to ground. 50/hr

Grueller

visatorro wrote: »

Very hard to justify price of hedgecutter. You'd have to spend alot to get clean second hand one. Contractor with saw on a big digger would do alot of work in a day, and feck all damage to ground. 50/hr

€2000 seven years ago. Used give the contractor €500 per year to do half the hedges every 2nd year. I do them all now every year. Hedgecutter is still worth €2000 at least.

visatorro

Grueller wrote: »

€2000 seven years ago. Used give the contractor €500 per year to do half the hedges every 2nd year. I do them all now every year. Hedgecutter is still worth €2000 at least.

Must be clean so.

Just one less job to do. But if you've time to tip away yourself fair enough.

Grueller

visatorro wrote: »

Must be clean so.

Just one less job to do. But if you've time to tip away yourself fair enough.

It's a job I hate but it's all a saving.

MF290

Hedgecutter would be fierce handy to do a run under the electric fences during the summer too

Grueller

MF290 wrote: »

Hedgecutter would be fierce handy to do a run under the electric fences during the summer too

That's half the reason I bought it

Wildsurfer

MF290 wrote: »

Hedgecutter would be fierce handy to do a run under the electric fences during the summer too

Grazon90 a better option. Quicker and after a few years you'll have hardly any weeds or briars near the fence.

yosemitesam1

Does anyone use a slashook/billhook anymore? Much better option IMO.

Grueller

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Does anyone use a slashook/billhook anymore? Much better option IMO.

You must be a masochist. Flies eating ya as you do that job.

yosemitesam1

Grueller wrote: »

You must be a masochist. Flies eating ya as you do that job.

Only a quick run around the fences in summer here, on a good frosty morning tidying up things by hand isn't the worst thing you could be at and not everything gets the ah1te mulched out of it.
Only get the contractor in to do some high bits with the saw.

simx

Reggie. wrote: »

You forget I know where you live

A full slurry tank with rain gun on route

lakill Farm

simx wrote: »

A full slurry tank with rain gun on route

Did you buy ?

lefthooker

blonde10 wrote: »

Evening all..just wondering what your thoughts on having your own hedgecutter,I'm finding it hard enough to get hedges cut lately..has anybody here got there own cutter and if so are they hard on a tractor..we have a 4355 here..100hp what should we be looking at..

Depends on your annual outlay and access to a second tractor but if you spend €1000 - 1500 p/a you wouldn't be long paying for a decent trimmer. It's hard to get a good machine cheap. I looked at a few before I changed and the sellers description didn't match the machine or price. As the contractor charge started going up so did the trimmer population and today there's very few farms around here that don't have their own trimmer

Reggie.

lakill Farm wrote: »

Did you buy ?

He means me paying you a visit

Panch18

What about a fingerbar trimmer? They are not heavy on the tractor and will leave a lovely finish on hedges. something like this:

https://www.donedeal.ie/hedgecutters-for-sale/mc-connel-swing-trim-cutter/16452768

lakill Farm

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/15897311
Slanetrac finger bar hedge trimmer fingerbar

Was looking at one of these for the mini digger. About 2k plus vat. Have a nice bit of beech hedge in now and more going on and the flail would butcher it.

Panch18 wrote: »

What about a fingerbar trimmer? They are not heavy on the tractor and will leave a lovely finish on hedges. something like this:

https://www.donedeal.ie/hedgecutters-for-sale/mc-connel-swing-trim-cutter/16452768

Reggie.

Panch18 wrote: »

What about a fingerbar trimmer? They are not heavy on the tractor and will leave a lovely finish on hedges. something like this:

https://www.donedeal.ie/hedgecutters-for-sale/mc-connel-swing-trim-cutter/16452768

How does it fair aganist mature hedges tho

Nekarsulm

Give a loan of my tractor and hedgecutter to a lad Friday evening.
He trimmed all along his lane and whatever he could access off field laneways on Saturday, and left it back on Sunday morning.

That's a great tractor for hedgecutting, he says to me.
Yeah, says I, there's lots of low gears and you can see out well.

It's not that, he says, but you'd hate to have a fresh yoke on that job, getting hit with sticks and stuff. :0

Fecking relations ........

Panch18

Reggie. wrote: »

How does it fair aganist mature hedges tho

I have no idea now reggie, all I know is there was an old neighbour of ours who used to have an old version of this on a long rigid arm, and he had fantastic ditches

Anyone with any experience of these??

simx

How many hours annually would you want to have of hedgecutting to make it viable to buy a 3500-4500 value farmers hedgecutter?

visatorro

simx wrote: »

How many hours annually would you want to have of hedgecutting to make it viable to buy a 3500-4500 value farmers hedgecutter?

Costs me around 1000/yr to cut hedges. Like every implement it would be handy to have one to use yourself in dry conditions. But your making work for yourself aswell. Lots of farmers haven't even a tractor. The more I think about there is method in the madness!!

lakill Farm

simx wrote: »

How many hours annually would you want to have of hedgecutting to make it viable to buy a 3500-4500 value farmers hedgecutter?

1 days cutting by contractor. 12 hours x 50 =600
Cost 120e to run that including odd flail

So 8years x e480 including Wear and tear our your own time

Also get capital allowance of machine over 8 years