first time hedge trimmer buyer
ckuan
Posts: 7
Please bear with me as I'm a beginner gardiner.
My hedge is very long in length. Its about 40/45 meters long. And is about 6/7ft tall. One side of the hedge is on the edge of a wall, so the drop is another 6/7 ft. Meaning if I were to cut it from that side, the top of the hedge will be around 12ft high. I'd either need a ladder or a really long trimmer???
im not 100% sure what type of hedging, but after a quick research I think it may be the one known as "box type hedge"?
I was originally looking at the Stihl long reach HL100 but as you may know it is very expensive. So I was hoping to get some advice to choose the right, reliable trimmer for the job. im sure someone knows another cheaper alternative that has been tried and tested...
ideally I'd like a petrol machine as I would hate the thought of running a long cable and also it probably wouldn't be as powerful.
please let me know your thoughts thanks in advance.
any advice on how the trimmer process should be done correctly would be nice also. Like how to deal with all the excess leaves and such
Posts
I can't imagine any lightweight trimmer being up to the job of cutting that amount of hedge so it really is a petrol trimmer job, as you suggested yourself. I would advise going along to a specialist garden machinery supplier so you can get their advice and actually handle the various options.
Cutting the high side is going to be problematic whichever route you take. Long reach trimmers are unwieldy and get very heavy to use, very quickly. You really need a movable platform of some kind, whether that be a well build stepladder or a builder type platform. I have a 13 in 1 ladder which converts to a work platform standing roughly 3' high. That would probably be high enough to access the high side of your hedge, assuming flat ground at that side.
The ladder is similar to this http://www.carvers.co.uk/products/MAXIM-13-WAY-MULTIFOLD-LADDER/P144281
thanks for the reply. I've had a quote to trim the hedge which came to £380! I thought with that money I could use it to buy a piece of machinery to do it myself
I can't zoom in enough for a close up of the leaves but I'd say it's "privet" from the shape.
Well, you could have posted a photo. But, I would suggest you to buy a new one
We have a lot of hedge too . The key issue is safety: wobbling about on a ladder on soft, uneven ground is life threatening. My OH bought a Stihl with an extension and can stand safely on the ground. It is expensive, until you look at paying someone else to do it and it is heavy. That said, he is an ordinary man in his mid sixties, so you don't have to be a superhero. He says it is very well balanced and easy to handle. I am not being sexist if I say that prolonged use would probably not be good for the average woman - I can hardly lift the thing!
Yes, definitely privet. Mine isn't as enormous as yours so only use corded electric trimmers on mine.
If you're confident enough to tackle it yourself I would go with KT's advice about a stable platform to work from.
Top trimming tip is to make sure the bottom is wider than the top to keep it green lower down, if the lower half is too shaded it can get a bit scraggy.
Oops, sorry it's sideways
Last edited: 01 August 2016 13:58:28
I see the bigger picture and I see fields and hedgerows.
Either go out and seek or keep an eye out for a farmer or neighbour cutting their hedgerows. Ask in the local pub if you have one. They are limited to certain times of year when they can do it but that could be done in half an hour with the tractor attachment. Just get him to do the outside face and you do the rest. You could take the height down a bit so you could do it from the ground as privacy isn't an issue with the wall being there. I get mine done for twenty quid in the young lad's back pocket.
You get to clear up of course.
Last edited: 01 August 2016 14:16:27