What's the largest a brush cutter can safely and efficiently cut?

[KiwiBro]

Quite a few clearing jobs here are on steep farm back blocks containing a very dense but generally small and scraggly, excellent firewood species that seldom gets over 1' DBH and is often only 6". I'm wondering if a brush cutter could be useful in the smaller stuff, and if so, what it is like using one on steep hills, and what the max diameters of dense wood it can handle.

I'm asking in here because maybe the thinning guys have experience and know the limits.

One day, I might afford a wee 6-10t excavator with a small felling head on it, but for now, I'm just exploring how to get the most out of my own labour input.

 

[2dogs]

Are you talking about a hand held brush cutter, like a big weed wacker? Or do you mean a Seppi mower or a Brown type brush cutter that mounts on a 3-point hitch?

 

[KiwiBro]

hand held

 

[2dogs]

A hand held unit with bike handles works best on soft moist vegetation up 1 1/2" in diameter. A tree spoke blade is the most common. If the brush is dry then 3/4" is about maximum but it is hard on the gearbox. If you switch to a clearing saw setup, blade and stop, then 2" or 3" if it is a big saw.

 

[KiwiBro]

Thanks. Might give it a miss.

 

[imagineero]

Brush cutters are really ideal for clearing lots of weedy stuff... think privet, or gauss in your part of the woods. 1-2" with a circular solid blade. Any bigger than that and things get S L O W

 

[Samlock]

A 50cc standard clearing saw (HVA555 /Stihl 560) with a 9'' chisel disc is the fastest way to handle the 1''-6'' whips. The gear can tackle max 8''- 9'' trees. You'll be able to operate the saw with a single hand, so you can take a hold with the other on the steep ground.

Sorry I missed your question until now, Kiwibro. I hope things are going well down there.

 

[KiwiBro]

Cheers Samlock. Only just got a fingernail hold on the world of chainsaws, so brushcutting is a whole new ball game. Just wonder if it's a better way to go when clearing small stuff off hillsides. Will try to borrow sisters new one and see about putting a blade on it and then can experiment.

*edit* Holey moley, $2450 for a F560 c-em here full retail. Does it come with a gold panning attachment, so I can at least attempt recover a portion of the cost, because cutting wood won't cover it?

 

[Samlock]

That price is sheer insanity! They must be posting them to NZ by Air Mail one part at the time.

As long as the hillside is not too loose ground, a clearing saw is quite handy. As I said you can use your other arm as an anchor, plus you can reach a lot further than with a chainsaw bar. It's recommendable to watch/ read about the proper manouvering before you go. I you keep falling them onto your face, it won't be good.

 

[CUCV]

I tend to just grab a 335 or ms200 when they get over 2". Typically at that point I'm going to send them thru a chipper anyway.

 

[Marshy]

IDK how much land you have to clear but you might consider a walkbehind brush cutter? I know the DR mower will cut what ever you can push over and if you are mowing top down on grade you can likely push over the max cut which is 2" no problem. A cheaper alternative to the DR is a Outback brush cutter made by Billy Goat Industries. Either the Goat or the DR will be labor intensive but the benifit is it "mulches" the material. The DR is a nicer machine because it has a locking trans axle and beter ergonomics.

 

[catbuster]

By brush cutter I'm going to assume something similar to a Stihl FS130. It will handle stuff 5-8cm in diameter pretty easy. The power head could handle more, but the gearbox and clutch are too light to handle the shock of the blade grabbing into the tree to cut it.

 

[Whitespider]

I don't cut brush... can't get enough firewood from it.

I'VE MOVED HERE