WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE CLEARING SAW NYLON

[catbuster]

The blades I linked to should be available in the states. The seller is located in the same state as me. It would be funny if he wouldn't sell to me.

The site you linked to has different looking blades, though.

Shredder blades would be ideal for the blackberries and grass. But it could be a while before I am able to collect the funds for a $800 Husky. That is a lot money for me.
I found a 21cc Echo SRM-210 at a local pawn shop. They want $90 for it but I should be able to buy it for $70. It might even be less than that. The Echo is a cable drive, not solid shaft unfortunately, but I can get a kit to convert the Echo to take blades. I am wondering if I could use one of the tripoint blades on the Echo for blackberries and grass. Or would that be to much for such a little engine? Not the ideal, I know, but I can afford the Echo. Then I could save for a Husky.

Could you swing $300? Try to find a used FS 250/130. Enough power, but not too tough on your wallet. And yes, I've cleared nasty crap with a 130 and shredder blade while the 450 was unavailable.

 

[catbuster]

Hey catbuster ,
That stuff looks pretty gnarly,
The thought going through my head in those situations is what lurks below the surface.You know when ya start working your way down to ground level and begin to find branches and sticks and that nylon starts to split and fray
definitely one of my wost fears on a quoted job,nothing worse than wasting valuable nylon. Although looking at the tree size hopefully there isn't anything to serious lurking down below. I would attack with the nylon first then thin the trees with a tungsten carbide tipped circular saw blade.I use a Stihl one , cant remember specs off hand but this thing is nasty.Originally started with a scratcher tooth on a fs 85 , then moved up to a Chisel tooth on a fs 480 ,then hit the holey grail with the carbide on a fs 550.(Gotta say the chisel tooth is an awesome blade but I would compare it to a chainsaw chain in that it is great out of the pack but before to long it requires constant attention)
Would be great if you could post some pics of the completed job , I love show and tell
P.S love the smiley upgrade , may have got caught up in the moment though

That's exactly what I'm doing. Nylon on my 460 with my 130 as a backup, then I'm using the 450 with a chisel tooth blade to thin. The strange thing about this job is that there are approximately 5000 trees in it by the original count planted, and they're in a 50'x2 mile (15.16m x 3.22 km) windbreak. The problem is when they were originally planted the landowner wanted it to look "natural" so they planted them without any pattern or order.

Although, I've yet to really hit any nasty stuff. I'm really seriously considering using the 130 to knock down all the grass so I don't have as much power to snap off the line if I find the occasional sapling. It would be an ideal job for a shredder/Airecut blade but the landowner and property manager were very insistent I not knock down the saplings until they saw what was there. And a shredder blade would take those little saplings down to nothing. Oh well...

Here's a rough example of what it looks like after I knock down the grasses:

(I knocked down the clumps after the photo was taken)

 

[ANewSawyer]

Could you swing $300? Try to find a used FS 250/130. Enough power, but not too tough on your wallet. And yes, I've cleared nasty crap with a 130 and shredder blade while the 450 was unavailable.

BLESS YOU! I had looked on Stihl website but I didn't realize that they were hiding the lower powered brush cutters under "Professional Trimmers". All I could find were the brushcutters over 1K.

And you mean the bicycle handles FS130 don't you? It looks like it would be about $430+ tax from a local dealer. I could swing that price much easier. I can't seem to find a price for a new FS 250, though. No local dealers carry it.
IDK, if I could find a used one though. Bicycle handled trimmers are very uncommon. I might have to trawl craigslist but, around here, I would be taking a big chance. People are hard on the two cycle tools here. I only know of pawn shops carrying used equipment where I am. The one pawn shop I frequent is nice and I know the owner. But some of the other shops aren't so nice. Nor as reputable. And most shops want almost as much for the used tools as for a new tool. Because they know that they will get almost full price too.

 

[catbuster]

BLESS YOU! I had looked on Stihl website but I didn't realize that they were hiding the lower powered brush cutters under "Professional Trimmers". All I could find were the brushcutters over 1K.

And you mean the bicycle handles FS130 don't you? It looks like it would be about $430+ tax from a local dealer. I could swing that price much easier. I can't seem to find a price for a new FS 250, though. No local dealers carry it.
IDK, if I could find a used one though. Bicycle handled trimmers are very uncommon. I might have to trawl craigslist but, around here, I would be taking a big chance. People are hard on the two cycle tools here. I only know of pawn shops carrying used equipment where I am. The one pawn shop I frequent is nice and I know the owner. But some of the other shops aren't so nice. Nor as reputable. And most shops want almost as much for the used tools as for a new tool. Because they know that they will get almost full price too.

The FS 250 is not available in the US, Canada & W. Europe anymore due to emissions regs. The FS 240 is it's replacement, but the 130 feels like the natural replacement.

A bike handled 130 will do a damn fine job as long as you don't expect it to move as fast as a 50cc machine in 4-5" growth.

 

[sawfun]

The difference in the Windsor and Oregon shredder blades is the Windsor is tapered out making it loghter than the straight blade of the Oregon.

 

[ANewSawyer]

The FS 250 is not available in the US, Canada & W. Europe anymore due to emissions regs. The FS 240 is it's replacement, but the 130 feels like the natural replacement.

A bike handled 130 will do a damn fine job as long as you don't expect it to move as fast as a 50cc machine in 4-5" growth.

Some of this will be mowing grass but I am also trying to clean up the problem blackberries that I mentioned before. Some of the blackberries are over my head though. Most of the rest of the brush is lower than that. I would guess about waist height. Could I just cut the brush at the base without a problem? Either way I guess I would just have to take my time.

I wonder if you could convert the Oregon to have a tapered shape like the Windsor?

 

[catbuster]

Some of this will be mowing grass but I am also trying to clean up the problem blackberries that I mentioned before. Some of the blackberries are over my head though. Most of the rest of the brush is lower than that. I would guess about waist height. Could I just cut the brush at the base without a problem? Either way I guess I would just have to take my time.

I wonder if you could convert the Oregon to have a tapered shape like the Windsor?

How tall are you? I'm a 5'6 burly midget haha. If most of what you're doing is just blackberries, throw a shredder blade on a 130 and go to freaking town man. With that said- I would be rather cautious with how I revved it. The 4-Mix accelerates slower than a standard two stroke, but constant on/off will eat that gearbox up and stress the shaft. Make sure you grease it slightly more often than the standard service interval.

 

[ANewSawyer]

I am not much taller. 5'9". Sounds like a plan!

 

[sawfun]

I liked the loop handle on my 250R for blackberries over my head, however I am 6' 2". I hooked the 250 to my shoulder harness and found it too difficult and restictive to move. I would surely want it with my heavy 550 and with any bike handle. But with tall blackberries I needed to throw the blade up high and it just ate is way down quite quickly.

 

[ANewSawyer]

Well, this past summer I cleared some of the blackberries this past summer with just a machete. Anything is going to be faster than that! Especially, if it shreds the growth and I don't have carry the cut brush off.

But, thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[sawfun]

You will love a shredder blade. Those are just the ticket for blackberries. Way better than a three tiped brush knife type blade.

 

[catbuster]

My Airecut triblade arrived today. I'm excited to try it. I purchased the 300mm model for use on the 130, as opposed to the larger one. I'm pretty enthusiastic about something to efficiently cut stalky weeds. Will post more tomorrow.

 

[sawfun]

I bought the 350mm model and wonder how they will compare with the Stihl brush knife.The Air Cut looks to have a lot less knife edge surface.

 

[kirko]

Hey Sawfun, n Catbuster.

Hope you guys like the airecuts, They definitely cut as good or better than the brush knife, The idea is that the wing tips flick away your offcuts so as to maintain a tidy work area.
Take extreme care in rocky areas as you will wear most small rocks you hit.Well i do , might have something to do with not using a shield on my brushcutters.
The first time i used one i had mixed emotions but eventually found a rhythm.In thick gnarly grasses i use em like a shredder in the up down motion and they are brutal.
One thing to keep an eye on is the air intake for your cooling system as these blades throw up a lot of crap and these get blocked up pretty quick.Dont want to see any machines getting cooked.
finally , i would advise using some sort of face mask that prevents inhaling dust etc , then all the ppe you can find , obviously face shield and eye protection but anyone who uses a 550 regularly already knows that.
Hope they work out for you guys , they are definitely a blade worth having .
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from AUS.

 

[catbuster]

So... Here's my take on the Airecut. They are the best thing to ever grace the face of brush cutting. They can be used as a shredder, or a cutter, and can cut some solidly sized woody stems (the ones in the video are ~2.5") as well. See the video below for the 130 and 300mm Triblade turning a section of overgrown vine madness into mulch. It was very wet out today, and the Airecut made a nice mist that made it difficult to see. Oh well. That's the reason I'm working slower.

It cuts much easier than a Stihl 3 bladed brush knife. I'd dare say it's a better setup for the FS 130 and 250 than a shredder blade. On the 450 and up, though, I think a shredder would be the way to go.

It does a nice job of taking this

And making it into this

Video:



The one problem is that it flings debris everywhere, as evidenced by the stuff being thrown at the camera. I was using the large Stihl deflector that comes stock and was still covered in fifteen minutes.

Overall, I say it gets an A plus. Best blade for my small machines I'ver ever used.

 

[kirko]

Yee Ha,
Go CatBuster, thanks for sharing
Looks like Santa may have come early for somebody.

 

[kirko]

Hey gents,
Just ordered 2 of the 350mm Airecut Bar Blades http://www.airecut.com/shop
Hope the hospital has good WI-FI.

 

[catbuster]

Hey gents,
Just ordered 2 of the 350mm Airecut Bar Blades http://www.airecut.com/shop
Hope the hospital has good WI-FI.

That will be interesting... I wonder how they work on anything but grass

 

[ANewSawyer]

Thanks to catbuster's video and the fact that I can actually order the Airecut blades in the states, I think I will try the Airecut blades first. Not that I don't want to try the shredder blades but you have to remember the only shredder blades readily available here are of questionable quality. Still would probably do the job but why try an unknown when you can have an Airecut?

Now I just needs spring and warmer weather. It is 10 Fahrenheit right now in TN. According to NOAA, that is -12.2 degrees Celsius.

 

[kirko]

Hey gents Anyone interested in one of these ???
(320mm Shredder Blade)




The first person from the U.S to personal message me will get one for what it cost me plus postage
These are suited for the fs 550 or 560. Not sure what Husky models , remember they have a 20mm arbor and 320mm diametre
Also keep in mind the Aussie dollar is at a five and a half year low against the Greenback, perfect time to import from Aus.