Long reach hedge trimmer?

RandallFlagg

We have a hawthorn hedge at the end of the back garden and the back faces into some common land and it's a bit of a walk around the estate to get to the back to cut it and is generally a bit of a pain.

It's grown quite wide over the years but I have kept the height down to around 6 foot and from my step ladder I can cut up to about halfway across it.

Would a long reach trimmer enable me to cut the whole top from the garden side? Anyone got any experience of these? any good?

Jalapeno

Stihl - their stuff is ace.

Fretwired

Jalapeno said:

Stihl - their stuff is ace.

I have a Stihl long trimmer which I use on a beech hedge as you describe. Works a treat, although you need to be strong .. mine has an angled head which is very useful.

RandallFlagg

£300 ish a pop, jeez! I was thinking £50-£100 for a 3 times a year job!

Roland

Long reach trimmers can be heavy, and difficult to manoeuvre when you are balancing on a step ladder. It might be worth a one-off trip to the other side of the hedge. While you are there cut it back hard so that it's no where near as wide, and not so much of a stretch to cut the top.

RandallFlagg

Roland said:

Long reach trimmers can be heavy, and difficult to manoeuvre when you are balancing on a step ladder. It might be worth a one-off trip to the other side of the hedge. While you are there cut it back hard so that it's no where near as wide, and not so much of a stretch to cut the top.

I've thought about cutting in back from behind to make it thinner but the problem is that it's 2 bushes thick and they have very thick trunks, we quite like the width as in winter is gives a bit more privacy than a single plant hedge, plus it's not our hedge by rights it's the inland drainage board's. Our boundary is up to the hedge.

They come along every now and then and will flail the top with a JCB machine but it's not a neat job when they do, they make a hell of a mess so we manage it ourselves.

boogieman

Like Emp's strimmer thread, wouldn't it better to hire a good quality one a couple of times a year?

Rocker

The flail cutter leaves a very poor finish @RandallFlagg.  A cheap machine will not last very long.  That much is guaranteed.  Your best option is to hire a decent trimmer and see if it is (a) up to the job and (b) easy to operate.  If you can manage the hired machine, buy one the same.  The hire company might be willing to sell you the unit you hired, no harm in asking.  It really goes without saying that you should wear good goggles and heavy leather gloves when doing this kind of work.  Hawthorn hedges have seriously long and sharp thorns.  If you can, cut the back of the hedge at a slight angle, ending up with the top slightly narrower than the base.  Twice a year ought to be often enough cutting or trimming a hawthorn hedge.  Buy good tools and save yourself a lot of effort in the process.

Jalapeno

boogieman said:

Like Emp's strimmer thread, wouldn't it better to hire a good quality one a couple of times a year?

Beter still hire a bloke to do it as well !

57Deluxe

sounds like something North Korea be working on...

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/11/19/12/3A8A777E00000578-3952028-image-a-119_1479558857581.jpg