Best cutting rig for tall broad laurel hedges?

Mango Joe

Hi there,

I'm hoping that someone on here can give me some advice based on their own personal experiences with managing large laurel hedges. (PS I'm aiming to keep them quite tall in the interests of privacy etc.)

I've a fair amount of it all around a half acre site. I bought a nice Bosch hedge trimmer which is a fine piece of equipment and cuts most hedges, shrubs etc very well indeed.

But find with my Laurel hedge it struggles as the broad leaves seem to stop the cutting blade/teeth engaging correctly and it just snags and catches rather than cutting cleanly (sorry hard to describe - I hope you get my meaning)

Also when I am stood on a ladder I cannot comfortably reach across the width of the hedge to cut it.

So - Am looking for a product recommendation on something that is will do the job a lot better- Bigger blade with wider gaps and perhaps on a shaft so that I get that extra reach.

I know the brush cutters have an attachment that looks like a mini hedge clippers but they look very small.

Surely there's a product that matches up to the task at hand?

Any advice at all gratefully appreciated.

monkeynuz

Mango Joe wrote: »

Hi there,

I'm hoping that someone on here can give me some advice based on their own personal experiences with managing large laurel hedges. (PS I'm aiming to keep them quite tall in the interests of privacy etc.)

I've a fair amount of it all around a half acre site. I bought a nice Bosch hedge trimmer which is a fine piece of equipment and cuts most hedges, shrubs etc very well indeed.

But find with my Laurel hedge it struggles as the broad leaves seem to stop the cutting blade/teeth engaging correctly and it just snags and catches rather than cutting cleanly (sorry hard to describe - I hope you get my meaning)

Also when I am stood on a ladder I cannot comfortably reach across the width of the hedge to cut it.

So - Am looking for a product recommendation on something that is will do the job a lot better- Bigger blade with wider gaps and perhaps on a shaft so that I get that extra reach.

I know the brush cutters have an attachment that looks like a mini hedge clippers but they look very small.

Surely there's a product that matches up to the task at hand?

Any advice at all gratefully appreciated.

Stihl km 56 or 94 with hL-km head and a three foot extension piece.

Mango Joe

Thanks for that Monkeynuz - Looks like what I'd need allright.

- Any tips on where to pick one up? Would you tend to buy new or would they be ok second hand if in good nick?

monkeynuz

Mango Joe wrote: »

Thanks for that Monkeynuz - Looks like what I'd need allright.

- Any tips on where to pick one up? Would you tend to buy new or would they be ok second hand if in good nick?

Personally I only ever buy new, can’t be bothered with the lottery of secondhand although some people swear by doing it that way.

pawrick

I second a new Stihl, have a look at the rechargeable models also which are less noisy.

I also have tall laurel and it cuts through them very easily compared to the rented machine I had tried previously. If your current machine is good perhaps the blades need sharpening as i think that was the problem with the one i hired?

gozunda

Once a year - engage the services of an agricultural contractor with tractor mounted hedgecutter. A lot less bother - job done quickly.

Mango Joe

Gotcha Monkeynuz - Thanks again for the help - You're a gent.....

* Ah only just refreshed page! Thanks to the rest of you also for the input and advice!!!

Discodog

The Stihl Combi is excellent if you need other tools as well as the hedgecutter

popa smurf

Still use a hand held shears here and you would be surprised how much you would get done, a good sharpen and away you go, its a good work out and a good stress release all what i like about gardening.

blackbox

popa smurf wrote: »

Still use a hand held shears here and you would be surprised how much you would get done, a good sharpen and away you go, its a good work out and a good stress release all what i like about gardening.

Not realistic for all the way around a half acre site!

smacl

Discodog wrote: »

The Stihl Combi is excellent if you need other tools as well as the hedgecutter

I have the petrol version of this with the long extension and find it is excellent for hedges. Still need a step ladder for the top section though, and a decent shredder / mulcher for the amount of cuttings generated (0.3 acre).

Discodog

smacl wrote: »

I have the petrol version of this with the long extension and find it is excellent for hedges. Still need a step ladder for the top section though, and a decent shredder / mulcher for the amount of cuttings generated (0.3 acre).

I agree. The secret is to balance it. I fit a second harness point along the shaft so that the machine balances on the harness. Then it's easy to move up & down with little effort. Thankfully the new hedgecutter attachment is much lighter than the old one.