Brush Cutters / Clearing Saws

[tacomatrd98]

Posting this here so more than 3 people read it.

I'm in the market for a good brush cutter. I already have an FS130R that I have used/abused/assaulted for the past 6 or 7 years and it has been flawless, but I would like to get a bike handled brush/clearing saw with a little more snot. I have about 5 acres that I will be practically clear cutting, and I will also be thinning/maintaining most of my 14acre lot and part of my father's, also 14 acres. The 5 acres portion was a plowable field roughly 50 years ago and they walked away from it. It is overgrown with Locust, Ash, Maple, Birch, Poplar, Wild Cherry and green briar among a million vines and poison oak..

Plan is to thin all the little scrubs out, leave anything that is healthy and of decent size and obliterate the ash trees as the EAB has killed every single one of them. The main reason I'm looking at a clearing saw is the ground is not very firm and it is too thick and overgrown to get the tractor into right now.. I need to get it cleared and then divert some runoff to dry things up before the tractor can get in AND get back out. Mostly clearing will be with a three prong blade or circular saw blade. Its much too overgrown for string, but will probably have a string head for whatever I get for other uses.
I've already done 3 acres of the property with the 130 but it was not near as grown up as the rest of it is, thus how I know some more power would be nice.

My choices at the moment are :

Stihl FS310 - (Kinda eliminated this one do to seeking more hp than the 130, which is the same engine)
Stihl FS250 - NOS (dealer has one with an inch of dust on it but it is brand new)
Stihl FS360 - Same engine as FS240 if anybody has experience with that model.
Stihl FS460 - Same weight as 360 but with a lot more gonads, mtronic and $150 more.

I would love to find an NOS FS350 or 450 but I have had zero luck with that. If anybody knows of one close to PA I would be interested.

Price isnt my main concern, but is of some concern. If the 250 will do, I dont see the need top spend twice as much on the FS460. I had it narrowed down to the FS360 but due to some less than favorable reviews on Stihls website, i'm rethinking my choices.

Basically looking for first hand experience with any of these models, good bad or indifferent.

Thanks guys,

-AJ

 

[Four Paws]

Rent a flail mower on a tracked skidsteer since this sounds like a one-time project. Rental cost would likely be close to the cost of a clearing saw, but the fact that it will be done in such a short time, with relative ease, and all the brush will be mulched as you go, is priceless. Once you get it knocked down, your existing trimmer will do fine with annual maintenance.

How much is the 460 out of curiosity?

 

[tacomatrd98]

This project will be one time but I'm always getting into other projects that it would be useful for. I did rent a skid steer and grapple for a large portion of my initial clearing for the house but even a tracked machine will make a huge mess in this area. Its not firm enough to drive on till late summer usually. And then the snakes keep me out of the woods.

I get great deals from my dealer so 890 plus tax on the 460. List is 1100 range.

 

[xtremez]

I'd hunt eBay and Craig's list. I got my 550 for $250 lightly used. It's a beast

 

[sawfun]

I have an fs250r & fs550 that I have used in forest clearing with brush knives & saw blade (fs550) as well as weedeater heads in heavy 5 foot tall grass. The fs250r vibrates a lot after about an hour of continual use you really notice it and need a break. It did all I asked, but barely and really worked the machine hard, even though I went slow and careful with it. Its too much machine for in town and not enough for the heavy stuff. Kind of a jack of all trades, master of none. The fs550 on the other hand, had no felt vibration at all and way more effortless power than needed for anything I could put to it. It used a lot of fuel and needed a bigger tank due to its consumption rate. If I were to be spending hours brushcutting thick heavy stuff, I'd go for a fs450 if I could find one, or an fs460. Much faster so you can get more done depending on what your time is worth. Also much easier on your body with the better AV. And it won't burn fuel at the terrible fs550 rate. The fs360 would be the bare minimum with its excellent AV as well, that why they are so expensive.

 

[7sleeper]

In my experience I would get at least a machine with min. 40cc. I also have a 120 (predeccesor to the 130 same power) with bike handles and it is just WAY to weak for serious work. With the string and occasional 3 point blade ok, but serious work you can forget it. And as mentioned above, do yourself a favor and get a machine that has proper AV! The trimmer without proper AV will wear you down real fast!

Donot exclude husqvarna, they are supposed to have some great stuff, at least the reports that I have read.

Personally I use Hitachi = Tanaka. I am very happy with my purchase and it cost me less than 1/2 (was on sale) to what Stihl has at comparable prices. Regular price is around 1/4 cheaper!

7

 

[dancan]

Get the 460 and you'll never look back .
I've talked to a few guys that do commercial silviculture work and they've said the 460 was their preferred machine , more than enough power with better fuel mileage than the 560 .
Get the good harness to go with the machine and you'll be able to run the cutter all day and not get tired .
I've got a 550 and a 265rx , both are fun to run .

 

[STIHLTHEDEERE]

the new m-tronic clearing saws are animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ANewSawyer]

You need a shredder blade:

Or an Airecut blade:
This is one of our members here, Catbuster.

I wish I had a shot at a NOS FS250. I have been thinking about getting a Husq 345FR, like what you see in the shredder blade video.

 

[tacomatrd98]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I'm leaning towards the 460 as it will probably be overkill but I try to err on the side of too much than not enough. The only downside is, nobody stocks them so I'm stuck with it if I order it and don't like it.

Keep em coming, this is the type of info I was looking for.

 

[7sleeper]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I'm leaning towards the 460 as it will probably be overkill but I try to err on the side of too much than not enough. The only downside is, nobody stocks them so I'm stuck with it if I order it and don't like it.

Keep em coming, this is the type of info I was looking for.

Good idea to go bigger! The above videos are a prime example of what I meant. If you listen closely, you can easily hear how the revs of the "smaller" FS130 is constantly bogging and being diminished by the workload, while the husqvarna just doesn't care and is cutting much coarser stuff too!

BTW I also use one of those shredder blades. They are awsome!!! I prefer them much more to the three tip straight blades.

BUT BE CAREFUL if you are working in a stoney area! First off the impact on larger stones can decrease the life expectancy of angular gear dramatically!!! and second smaller stones become lethal missiles fast!!! Easily penetrating a car windows quite some distance away! That is the reason why I leave a corridor about 1 - 2 yards wide of higher growth as a "buffer zone" and mow that area last! I also wear my chaps when using the shredder blades. Even small wood pieces are quite painful on impact.

I have no personal experience with the thick plastic strands that you insert extra into the special head but the videos I have seen do look promising on "easy" vegitation.


But to be honest, if I had that much area to take care of I would seriously consider the first post's recomendation. A flail mower is a totally different animal and capable of much higher work efficiancy. Even the smaller models like a larger lawnmower.

7

 

[STIHLTHEDEERE]

I cant believe you would ever need more than an fs250r. I have one and I put ALL the 4 mix crap to shame. I don't notice any vibration issues. One muffler nodded, there is no shortage of power. It has to be one of the best, most reliable trimmers ever built.

 

[jczv]

Can't see the videos because they're blocked at work but if the references above to shredder blades are also called scratcher blades then I prefer the circular saw blade as it can be resharpened (the bottom entry on Stihl's reference page http://www.stihlusa.com/WebContent/.../Cutting-Heads-and-Blades-Selection-Chart.pdf).

Especially if you have to work through harder brush or may hit some rocks or dirt I get a lot more life out of them.

I agree with the bigger is better approach as long as it's relatively modern - I've got a 25 year old 55cc tanaka which is just brutal to use compared to a 32cc relatively modern husqvarna. But the tanaka can take down 4" trees and buckthorn with barely slowing down.

 

[Northerner]

We got an older husky 140r, that thing will cut small trees down way faster than a chainsaw.

 

[7sleeper]

I cant believe you would ever need more than an fs250r. I have one and I put ALL the 4 mix crap to shame. I don't notice any vibration issues. One muffler nodded, there is no shortage of power. It has to be one of the best, most reliable trimmers ever built.

But still only a trimmer and it will never be a brushcutter. Wait till you use that trimmer for some time intensively in silviculture with a circular saw, all that power will still be there but the rest ... who knows.

For me, I prefer a brushcutter.

7

 

[STIHLTHEDEERE]

I use it very extensively. It trims all our irrigation pivots. We use 500+ ft. of .105/line a season. And it will run brush blades as well.

 

[nwmo_aggie]

What's the end goal of the land? Surely at some point it would be dry enough to get on with a tractor...I mean they used to plow it right? Sure with a lot of junk on it, it won't dry as fast but eventually it will dry. Other options I'd consider strongly would be a goat...not a piece of equipment, but a real 4 legged goat. I've been using them around my place to clear some stuff up. Also, prescribed fire can accomplish a lot...not just turn things black fire, but well managed and timed fire. With either of these last options,just have to clear a border for either fence or a break

 

[7sleeper]

I use it very extensively. It trims all our irrigation pivots. We use 500+ ft. of .105/line a season. And it will run brush blades as well.

Never doubted it's usefulness in it's intended field, as a high powered trimmer.

7

 

[pantelis]

Posting this here so more than 3 people read it.

I'm in the market for a good brush cutter. I already have an FS130R that I have used/abused/assaulted for the past 6 or 7 years and it has been flawless, but I would like to get a bike handled brush/clearing saw with a little more snot. I have about 5 acres that I will be practically clear cutting, and I will also be thinning/maintaining most of my 14acre lot and part of my father's, also 14 acres. The 5 acres portion was a plowable field roughly 50 years ago and they walked away from it. It is overgrown with Locust, Ash, Maple, Birch, Poplar, Wild Cherry and green briar among a million vines and poison oak..

Plan is to thin all the little scrubs out, leave anything that is healthy and of decent size and obliterate the ash trees as the EAB has killed every single one of them. The main reason I'm looking at a clearing saw is the ground is not very firm and it is too thick and overgrown to get the tractor into right now.. I need to get it cleared and then divert some runoff to dry things up before the tractor can get in AND get back out. Mostly clearing will be with a three prong blade or circular saw blade. Its much too overgrown for string, but will probably have a string head for whatever I get for other uses.
I've already done 3 acres of the property with the 130 but it was not near as grown up as the rest of it is, thus how I know some more power would be nice.

My choices at the moment are :

Stihl FS310 - (Kinda eliminated this one do to seeking more hp than the 130, which is the same engine)
Stihl FS250 - NOS (dealer has one with an inch of dust on it but it is brand new)
Stihl FS360 - Same engine as FS240 if anybody has experience with that model.
Stihl FS460 - Same weight as 360 but with a lot more gonads, mtronic and $150 more.

I would love to find an NOS FS350 or 450 but I have had zero luck with that. If anybody knows of one close to PA I would be interested.

Price isnt my main concern, but is of some concern. If the 250 will do, I dont see the need top spend twice as much on the FS460. I had it narrowed down to the FS360 but due to some less than favorable reviews on Stihls website, i'm rethinking my choices.

Basically looking for first hand experience with any of these models, good bad or indifferent.

Thanks guys,

-AJ

If the money is not a problem , buy the best that you can, i use now the FS 560 and i dont look back, can do everything with this machine.
so i recoment the FS 460 or more, if you want machine.

 

[Bilge Rat LT 20]

With that much land you will not be able to get ahead of growth with yourself and a brushcutter.

Controlled burns are your best method. Divide it up and burn a section at a time, it is easier to control.
Fire will start the succession process, you will get grasses first. Grass will control runoff and help support equipment.
Fire is good for forests, it controls invasive species and helps most native species. We have over controlled fire.

When we decide to replant a field that has been laid out for a few years we use fire first. Then the tractor will work.
Your water problem will be reduced with the use of fire too.

Snakes??? They usually don't hang in real thick stuff.
Come down south in the summer, we have real snakes here.

Burn it then get some goats and cleanup problem spots with a brushcutter and tractor.