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tomartomau
22-11-2007, 10:52 AM
I did a fairly big hedge earlier in the week, (I traditionally do not like hedges) that spanned the side and full front of the house.
I have not had a lot of experience of using a hedge trimmer, however I would say that I have used the trimmer at least 20 odd times.

I find that the finish is no where near what I see others do in the community, especially the council.

My question is;
Does the quality of the trimmer affect adversely the quality of the workmanship.

(Note) Please be honest, as I have all but resigned to the fact that I am not particularly gifted in hedges and would not offer them as part of my service.

P.S. The brand hedge trimmer is an electric one and the brand is 'Ozito'.

Kind Regards

Tony

worzel
22-11-2007, 03:13 PM
Hi Tony
I use an echo hedge trimmer and a stihl hedge trimmer.
These petrol machines have more grunt than the electric.This means as long as the blades are sharp you can shape the hedge far easily.
I do a bit of topiary work and quite enjoy shaping shrubs into balls ,squares etc.
A pole hedger which the blades cut at 90 degrees or more to the shaft is perfect for getting that straight line.( and so fast)
Cheers Worzel :) :) :)

kakegc
22-11-2007, 06:05 PM
Hi Tony & Worzel, I use the same equipment as you Worzel. We do quite a bit of Hedge pruning too.

Tony, the golden rule is to always prune on an up stroke, never try to prune whilst stroking downwards.

I do the sides 1st Then I bevel in the top corners if appropriate, then off comes the top. I blow or rake the bits off the top & then give it one last tidy up (sort of like a barber does when you get a No1 lol!)

I know some blokes use drop sheets, but I don't like 'em! They get in my way. I just rake & blow it all clean.

Cheers! :wave-hi:

tomartomau
22-11-2007, 06:45 PM
Thanks for the replies, I also cut on the 'up stroke'.. in an anti clockwise motion.
I might try and borrow a hedge trimmer (petrol version) to have a go and see if I can do any better with that type of machine.

Regards Tony

mowjoman
22-11-2007, 11:31 PM
G'Day Tomartomau. I'm in the same boat as you mate. I have got a petrol one (still got a crank shaft on it, but very old) and it is HEAVY!! I also cant cut a marshmellow with a scalpel but am practicing :o Long story short I was in at the local Honda/Husqvarna dealer the other day to look at some and the Husqvarna (sorry cant remember the model) has a swivel trigger handle, so it enables you to still keep the engine at the top while doing those long upward strokes rather than the side saving the forearms a bit I reckon. I reckon I'm gonna buy the bugger anyway. Anyone else use these types? :i dunno:

Shepparton Lawn Care
23-11-2007, 06:18 AM
I have a Honda hedge trimmer withe rotating head, gives a beautiful cut, is slightly on the heavy side, but at the time had the longest blade on the market ( i think stihl now has an equivalent blade length). A tip for producing a nice finish is to only use one blow ( a shearing term) on the up stroke. If you look closely at the cut because of the shearing action of the blades, any more than one pass, close together will cause a shredding effect-not pretty!ANd of course it has the reliability of a Honda!!!. Give Dean a call at ILMCoA to chase up price and availability :wave-hi:

mowjoman
23-11-2007, 07:32 AM
Ahhhh.....The fella at the Honda/Husqvarna joint reckon they didn't have a Honda one with the swivel head. Will definately go the Honda if they got one, assume being a Honda it's a 4 stroke too ay?

kakegc
23-11-2007, 08:15 AM
Hi Mowjoman, I had the husky that you describe & traded it in on an Echo!

The gearbox was forever jamming up & the exhaust outlet is facing the direction of the bush you are trimming. This caused large brown patches on the shrubs I pruned to appear after I'd gone, as they got burnt by the exhaust (thus causing unhappy customers!) :( And mate, is that unit HEAVY! It doesn't feel it in the shop, but once you're out working with it, ouch! :(

Simon, that shredding effect you describe is usually caused by the blades being set too far apart &/or a single sided blade. The cheaper stihl unit has both of these problems & gives a shocking cut on fine stuff like Diosmas. If you have a unit with a double sided blade, your blades are sharp & set nice & close together, you can pass as often as you like & still give a nice clean cut :)

administrator
23-11-2007, 09:18 AM
Commercial

HCR1500SI


East start i-start fitted as standandᅠᅠᅠᅠ
ᅠ (reducesᅠstartingᅠeffort byᅠ 80%)
- Double sided blades
- Double reciprocating blades
- Full Crankshaft engine
- Needle bearing gearbox
- Chorme porous bore
- 5 position swivel rear handle
ᅠ (right or left handed operation)

NOW IN SAFETY ORANGE
AT INDY

kakegc
23-11-2007, 06:53 PM
Commercial

HCR1500SI


East start i-start fitted as standandᅠᅠᅠᅠ
ᅠ (reducesᅠstartingᅠeffort byᅠ 80%)
- Double sided blades
- Double reciprocating blades
- Full Crankshaft engine
- Needle bearing gearbox
- Chorme porous bore
- 5 position swivel rear handle
ᅠ (right or left handed operation)

NOW IN SAFETY ORANGE

589.00 AT INDY


thats a very good price for a very good unit! ;)

worzel
23-11-2007, 07:14 PM
Excellent machine
I have a slightly older version of this echo and it has gone for years with no probs at all.
Totally reliable :) :) :)

Bgs
23-11-2007, 10:17 PM
I too am a hedge trimmer novice. I am getting better with well maintained hedges I just remove the new growth slowly and use a hand held clipper when I am not confident enough the petrol trimmer it just takes practice I guess.

A lot of the hedges I have been doing on jobs are very un tidy and have not been done before or for a while.

I did one the other day and the owner said I want it to look like that pointing to a immaculate hedge in his neighbors yard I looked back at his odd arrangement of different heights and spacing and thought ok….

m287j
23-11-2007, 10:26 PM
I bought the Echo hedge trimmer (off Dean of course :wave-hi: ) with the i-start and swivel handle. A damm fine unit, it gets used a bit and i have never had any problems in the 2 years i have owned it.

I just have to remember to spray it with lanolin each time i use it so i can keep the blades looking good.

NWGL
24-11-2007, 11:48 AM
I trim the hedges on a strata property every couple of weeks that takes between 2-3 hours to do.

I've found that it all comes down to experience - the more hedges you trim the better you will get.

Take your time, don't rush. Occasionally stand back & have a look at what you've done. A good eye for details helps too.

kakegc
24-11-2007, 12:30 PM
I trim the hedges on a strata property every couple of weeks that takes between 2-3 hours to do.

I've found that it all comes down to experience - the more hedges you trim the better you will get.

Take your time, don't rush. Occasionally stand back & have a look at what you've done. A good eye for details helps too.


Thats exactly right, it helps if you can get as far away from it as possible to check out your work as you go, across the street is always good if you can :)

kakegc
24-11-2007, 12:47 PM
I too am a hedge trimmer novice. I am getting better with well maintained hedges I just remove the new growth slowly and use a hand held clipper when I am not confident enough the petrol trimmer it just takes practice I guess.

A lot of the hedges I have been doing on jobs are very un tidy and have not been done before or for a while.

I did one the other day and the owner said I want it to look like that pointing to a immaculate hedge in his neighbors yard I looked back at his odd arrangement of different heights and spacing and thought ok….


You've probably already said it to him Bgs, but the answer to that is "so how often does he trim that one?" He'll probably say "oh quite a lot" or something similar. The thing to do then is to put the state of his hedge right back where it belongs, on him! ;) Try something like: "well yours really needed a trim years ago to get it like that, but we'll make a start on yours today & after we've trimmed yours quite a lot, it'll get to look like that, BUT it needs to be trimmed at least as often as your neighbor trims his to get it like that" (watch him squirm at that, because he thought he'd just spend a few bucks & get his hedge looking great in no time. Now he's been told it'll take a while & a lot of $$$ to get it in shape)

It's hard because you need to be confident when you speak to them & its hard to be confident when your still learning how to do it. Try networking with an experienced guy that works in an adjacent area to you that you get along well with. It'll help you heaps. I used to do it a lot when I was starting out.

RULE 2. Never cut the hedge past the green! it'll look like crap! Also; some conifers & diosmas will never green up again if you remove all of the foliage on some branches past the green. If they want it that way, tell them what it'll look like before you do it. Most will then say no, just trim it. :wave-hi:

bb1
24-11-2007, 01:04 PM
I too am a hedge trimmer novice. I am getting better with well maintained hedges I just remove the new growth slowly and use a hand held clipper when I am not confident enough the petrol trimmer it just takes practice I guess.

A lot of the hedges I have been doing on jobs are very un tidy and have not been done before or for a while.

I did one the other day and the owner said I want it to look like that pointing to a immaculate hedge in his neighbors yard I looked back at his odd arrangement of different heights and spacing and thought ok….

If a hedge has not being done correctly, it can take about 3 trims to bring it back into decent shape.

By 3 trims I mean, give it a good shaping, than wait for a decent bit of growth, than the second trim, more growth than another trim, depending on the species, this could take from a few months to a full year.

Always use building, fences, etc for sighting of your lines, etc.

twin_cities_lawncare
24-11-2007, 07:24 PM
I'm not a consummate expert on hedging yet, but having good equipment does help.
We use the Shindaiwa multi tool head (see http://www.shindaiwa.com/nam/en/products/multitools/index.php for more info) along with their articulated hedging attachment - yes it can be quite heavy when you're holding it at all sorts of odd angles for hours on end when doing a big job, but they all are, from what I can gather.
The articulated hedging attachment gives a lot more length of reach c.f. some of the other pure-hedging machines, so has a lot going for it that way. Because you can set different angles on the blade, it also helps access and shaping capabilities. I just set a final height and walk along with the machine glued to my body at that setting, and "Bob's your uncle" in terms of a flat top. I also angle/bevil the top corners on most of my work, to soften the finish, but some (like the photo earlier) look perfect with a neat box format. Topiary takes a lot more practice but can add some nice variety to feature shrubs in a garden setting.
I had bought some star pickets and twine to set the height by, but haven't needed to use them to date. Next Friday I have a BIG (9' high) hedge to work on, so I may need a bit more backup gear on that one ;)

worzel
26-11-2007, 03:53 PM
If a hedge has not being done correctly, it can take about 3 trims to bring it back into decent shape.

By 3 trims I mean, give it a good shaping, than wait for a decent bit of growth, than the second trim, more growth than another trim, depending on the species, this could take from a few months to a full year.

Always use building, fences, etc for sighting of your lines, etc.
Yes -This is exactly what I try to to do on my hedges ,shrubs etc.
Some clients think their hedge is going to be the perfect manicured hedge( as across the street) on the first cut.
Does not work that way.
I explain to them I can get your hedge the same if not better by regular trimming.(My regulars are twice per year depending on growth).
When I have what I refer to as a feral hedge and a client wants it reduced by 3 feet or halved ,I try to tell them it will take a number of months to grow back and a number of cuts/trims to get it back to your well manicured piece of green art.
Hell, I use a chainsaw to cut off 3 feet or more.
As Kakegc said take your time if you are not too experienced.Walk across the street and make sure the lines are perfect.
That perfect shaped hedge brings in quite a bit of work (word of mouth)
I look at mine as piece of green sculpture (ha ha)
Cheers Worzel :wave-hi: :wave-hi:

holdenhead
11-12-2007, 12:13 AM
I was using an electric hedge trimmer as I got a hedge to trim once every 6 months.. I cut the cord a couple of times and did a few jobs with shears coz some hedges would not cut with the trimmer. I couldn't go and spend $500+ on a hedge trimmer so I went to bunnings and brought the pope petrol trimmer. It's a bit heavy but got a bit of power and does cut through 25mm branches of over grown bushes. It has a 600mm blade and hasn't let me down yet
(1 year old) The best bit was it's only $209. I have found since i've had it I have had plenty more work for it. I use it 2-3 times a week. When it dies I'll go get something better but it's great for the money. And you definately get better as you go along. Cheers Rick

ian
15-12-2007, 05:56 PM
the best thing i have found is the shindy m230 with the hedge attachment pricey but i feel worth every cent with the ease of use,time saved and the safety of not needing a ladder to do the top of a lot of hedges i also recently broke my kazz hedge trimmer and replaced it with a tanaka which is lighter but seems as good

kakegc
16-12-2007, 01:51 PM
I was using an electric hedge trimmer as I got a hedge to trim once every 6 months.. I cut the cord a couple of times and did a few jobs with shears coz some hedges would not cut with the trimmer. I couldn't go and spend $500+ on a hedge trimmer so I went to bunnings and brought the pope petrol trimmer. It's a bit heavy but got a bit of power and does cut through 25mm branches of over grown bushes. It has a 600mm blade and hasn't let me down yet
(1 year old) The best bit was it's only $209. I have found since i've had it I have had plenty more work for it. I use it 2-3 times a week. When it dies I'll go get something better but it's great for the money. And you definately get better as you go along. Cheers Rick

G'day Rick,
:wave-hi: how does it go on the real fine stuff like diosmas??? Just curious mate! :i dunno:

administrator
11-03-2009, 12:35 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi All.

Mr Rudd has stimulated me into buying a new hedge trimmer.

I am a big 4 stroke fan but, after buying the Honda blower, the weight of the beast has me worried.

I imagine you would need to be able to swing the thing around with some level of control.

Any thoughts?
__________________
Cheers
Murray

63impala
11-03-2009, 02:13 PM
Tanaka Hedge trimmers are the way.

DavidS
19-04-2009, 04:51 PM
I have a Tanaka Hedge Trimmer which I have had for 5 years now, I trim a lot of hedges in my area and in particular where I work full time as a gardener/greenkeeper, we have 500 mtrs of hedges there. The Tanaka is great, can get a bit heavy after a few hours of hedging. The secret is to keep it clean, greased and sharp. I get professionals to sharpen it every 12 months and I set the blades up with a 10 thou feeler gauge. Cuts clean and no problems with machine except for broken starter rope and I forgot to lock tight one bolt once, hedger would not run properly as the blade was tighting up. Readjusted gap and locktight the bolt and all was well again.

superz
19-04-2009, 06:37 PM
yer hedge trimming takes it out of you
we do a lot of shopping centres, commercial buildings,
the more you do the quicker and neater you get cleaning up the
clippings takes the longest of the over all job ..

imoww
07-08-2011, 01:03 AM
[QUOTE=Shepparton Lawn Care;14092]I have a Honda hedge trimmer withe rotating head, gives a beautiful cut, is slightly on the heavy side, but at the time had the longest blade on the market ( i think stihl now has an equivalent blade length). A tip for producing a nice finish is to only use one blow ( a shearing term) on the up stroke. If you look closely at the cut because of the shearing action of the blades, any more than one pass, close together will cause a shredding effect-not pretty!ANd of course it has the reliability of a Honda!!!. Give Dean a call at ILMCoA to chase up price and availability :wave-h
Where do you get these Honda hedge trimmer attachments???
I have the UMK Honda whipper snipper and im looking for the hedger attachment

imoww
07-08-2011, 01:06 AM
Guys, I had a go of one the new Black n Deccer cordless hedger. The extention pole one.
Wow.! Its got guts and is relively light to handle. Great for the high up hedges. I used it on a 10 meter hedge last week. Im going to get one to join the petrol hand held hedger.

Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden
07-08-2011, 01:25 AM
Guys, I had a go of one the new Black n Deccer cordless hedger. The extention pole one.
Wow.! Its got guts and is relively light to handle. Great for the high up hedges. I used it on a 10 meter hedge last week. Im going to get one to join the petrol hand held hedger.

how long the battery last

imoww
07-08-2011, 02:00 AM
The battery stayed charged all day. (Approx 4-5 hedges). The next day it lasted for 4 hours. Not bad...