Independent LawnMowing Contractors Of Australia Forum
Page 3 of 10 FirstFirst 12345678910 LastLast
Results 31 to 45 of 142

Thread: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

  1. #31
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Can Bearer
    Posts
    1,700

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    The HLA65 is 3.5kg and the HSA86 is 3.3kg without battery or cable. My makita 2510 with hedger attachment weighs about 6kg. Doesn't seem like much but it's almost double the weight into your shoulders arms elbows and wrists. As you get older, everything helps and if climbing a ladder the weight difference becomes even more important. Would anyone hazard to guess what percentage of time you could use the electric gear over a year for hedging? Even if it was used for just a quarter of the time would that still be a saving on wear and tear of the body.

  2. #32
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Can Bearer
    Posts
    1,700

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    http://www.leitner.com.au/electric-b...FYOXvAodwKkL0A

    Took me a couple of minutes to find this, so assuming you could wire it up and carry it on a belt you'd be getting 10ah for the same price as 4.2ah from Sthil taking into account the charger costs as well. That is a game changer as far as runtime goes assuming you can get the right sized battery to fit in the belt and it is comfortable to use and also the cord is not too much of an impediment while working.

  3. #33
    Senior Member BeetleJuice's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    South Australia
    Posts
    1,813

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    When you have professional contractors doing nothing but hedges everyday for a living and they turn up with a generator,extension cord and electric hedge trimmer then you know it's all for a reason
    This same discussion is going on a U.S. site re-cordless line trimmers and as for testing and outcomes the cordless is still seen as a great home owners tool

    After selling the petrol hedger i too went to corded hedger,it's a service to only my regular lawn customers.One reason not taking on large jobs where platforms or specialized ladders are required is the service just doesn't pay enough for the equipment outlay to the return in dollars these days as too many are undercutting.

  4. #34
    Senior Member conrad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Wavell Heights Qld
    Posts
    224

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    I just stopped by a Husqvarna dealer - seriously impressed with their battery gear! The blower especially is more than I would have expected from a battery tool. Took it outside and found some clippings left over from yesterdays mow. At the "standard" setting it would blow the clippings about 3-3.5m away. Then there is "turbo" button when you need a short burst on top of that. The "eco" mode probably cuts the power by half, it won't blow much more than 1m beyond the blower pipe - but if that's all you need then you'll about double the runtime.

    Also I didn't realise that they actually have two blower models. They're in the print catalogue, but not on the Australian website (looks like the NZ site is the old version which still has runtimes and some other info not on the new/current website.) 536LiB takes the standard battery (as well as the backpack battery) and is $499. But then there is 536LiBX which is only compatible with the backpack battery. It has a slightly higher air speed and air flow, costs $699. I would want to test it out & see if it's really worth a $200 premium over the standard blower.

    Slapped a battery in the commercial chainsaw and gave it a whirl. That thing rips!! It's probably the loudest tool of the bunch, some other customers in the shop were struggling to talk over it. Haha. Not something that I'd planned on getting, but the little single handed saw would be pretty handy to have...

    The line trimmer - first impression is that it was super-light! Even lighter than the Core battery trimmer I've had for a couple of years! Didn't cut anything with it obviously, but first impression is that it goes harder than the Core trimmer. If it was equal to the Core on power, I would have been happy - but lighter and more powerful, sign me up! I forgot to ask about changing the heads to a grass blade, etc. but I don't think many of the shops are too familiar with these tools yet. This shop had only put the gear on their shelves a couple of weeks ago, the first store I tried didn't even have any of the battery range in store. The Husky rep had been out to the shop to give a quick rundown on the battery gear, but was supposed to be coming back to give more info etc.

    Hedge trimmer - looked pretty good. The safety switch on the D-handle I found kind of annoying, the Core hedger didn't have anything like that. But it's light enough and well balanced. Also looked to have the sharpest blade I've ever seen, way better than the Core hedger. I've never used a hedger with a rotating handle, but I can see it would be very handy to have.

    They looked up the backpack battery on the Husqvarna ordering system and it was showing as available, so hopefully that is the case.

    Only reason I didn't walk away with a bunch of gear was because the staff seemed to think that they weren't participating in the 12 months no deposit interest free promo. Apparently the way it works is that the shop pays the interest for 12 months... and the boss there really doesn't like paying interest. Haha. Gotta track down a store that's doing the promo then I'll do a comparo with my other gear.

    The trimmer head - not sure if it's the EdgeIt, pretty sure I saw sparks there! Pellenc brought out this head earlier in the year I think, must be similar things available:



    Being able to build your own batteries - it would be cheaper than buying ready-made name brand stuff, but not exactly cheap. And not within the realm of DIY, not sure it ever will be. You really need all kind of charge controllers, low voltage cutoff, cell balancing etc. Lithium is a completely different kettle of fish.

    And correct steveo - the Husky line trimmer has reversible head and the push of a button. I think you're right - not something you'd pay much extra for, but definitely handy to have.

    It does look like 2mm line comes with the line trimmers, the guy in the shop said it's actually better & gives a cleaner cut if you use a good quality 2mm line? I've been using Husqvarna Titanium Force 2.4mm line on my trimmers, bought a giant spool of it. Maybe I should give a 2mm line a tryout?

  5. #35
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Can Bearer
    Posts
    1,700

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    conrad, the magazine article link you posted reviewing the cordless trimmers says the husky line trimmer takes 2mm or 2.4mm line.

    I probably need to say that when i looked at the sthil trimmer I only saw the bent shaft one. They didn't have the FS85 straight shaft which I have since discovered is rated as being more powerful. I thought the bent shaft looked flimsy but I'll have a look at the straight shaft.

    Spoke to a local contractor today and he gave great reviews to the sthil hedgers but said he hated the battery belt and wouldn't even consider a backpack battery. Interestingly he recommended buying the smaller single sided hedger (HSA66) and the long reach (HLA65). He said he has 3 batteries and that does him fine with two operators. Has had issues on cold mornings where he has had to warm the batteries up (but this is Canberra weather). He recommended getting one small battery and one large battery. He didn't know anything about the new Husky gear. Also he said he has the sthil cordless arborist chainsaw and said it goes like the clappers, hardly uses loppers anymore.

    Sthil is looking better for me as they offer the long reach hedger and also the extendable pole saw which could be a goer and the little arborist saw could be good too. I'm only guessing but Husky is probably better quality (especially the trimmer) judging by price but maybe not as much value (not as many skins available) especially for those wishing to dip the toe in to the water.

  6. #36
    Senior Member edbeek's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    South Burnett, Qld
    Posts
    1,874

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    Quote Originally Posted by BeetleJuice View Post
    This same discussion is going on a U.S. site re-cordless line trimmers and as for testing and outcomes the cordless is still seen as a great home owners tool
    I see that he (on Lawnsite) is trying out Dewalt cordless gear now. Looks a bit more promising and apparently a bit cheaper than Husqvarna gear. Can't see it on the AU Dewalt website yet but it might be coming soon as another alternative to look at?

  7. #37
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Can Bearer
    Posts
    1,700

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    Bought the Sthil HLA65 hedger and the FSA85 trimmer today. Only intended to buy hedger but walked out with the trimmer as well. Time will tell if they are any good. They come with a one year commercial warranty, if I get a year out of them I'll be happy. They will be used on the lighter jobs, hopefully.

  8. #38
    Senior Member EVAN86's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Bundaberg Qld
    Posts
    194

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    http://www.echocordless.com/ Another option to possibly consider.I don't understand why there only offering the commercial range through home depot but they do freight to Australia, and there 21 inch mowers look the goods

  9. #39
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Can Bearer
    Posts
    1,700

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    The echo trimmer looks interesting but I guess they are all a long way from being commercial. I can speak from some experience now. The head has a bigger angle than a petrol trimmer, this can be a big problem. The head can spin clockwise (like the sthil FSA85, much to my disgust). another big problem if you are used to counterclockwise. The motor is in the head, therefore you can rule out trimming damp or wet grass as ther is no waterproofing at all, yes none at all. The head is a bump feed with a big knob on the end (no not me), which raises the cut height. A pain for those who are used to the 4 way alloy heads or even the speedfeeds and you cannot change the head. In my case the machine was too light and this was a problem in itself. Power is one thing, torque is another. My Makita, albeit a 2stroke, in comparison is a beast because it has power AND torque. The grip is all wrong however I notice the husky and echo have a more traditional whippy handle and trigger but I believe all the other issues would apply. The hedger on the other hand is a keeper, used it for a hedge yesterday with one AP180 battery for 1.5hrs and it did the job. Got down to one or 2 bars but you could feel the loss of power, it just made it. No earmuffs was a nice change. Not overly sure about fatigue reduction because I'm knackered all the time at this time of year but once i get more used to it I reckon it will help. Interestingly I was able to recharge the battery on the back of the ute using a battery pack in the time it took me to clean up and do some weeding etc. Here is my waterproof charging setup. It sits in the trailer toolbox. Its got a 105 Ah deep discharge battery. The sthil AL100 standard charger draws 75w. When I get home if it needs it a charge, I plug the deep cycle battery pack into the mains to charge the big battery overnight. Wouldn't recommend this setup unless you can keep it dry as it uses a 240v inverter. I just happened to have this battery pack laying around doing nothing as it came out of a camper trailer we bought and we had no use for IMG_20151021_093712.jpg

  10. #40
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Can Bearer
    Posts
    1,700

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    The echo trimmer looks different to the husky and sthil in that the head appears to be made of metal with a gearbox and why does it appear to be a split shaft? Both sthil and husky have the motor mounted on the head, a big disadvantage in that it blocks your view, gets in the way and must be kept dry and free of dirt (which is impossible).

    Intriguing though that that lump is missing from the echo, so where is the motor? Surely the echo would not have a spline or would it? Its 56v as opposed to 36V and is 13.3lb which is well up there with petrol 2 stroke weights.

  11. #41
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Can Bearer
    Posts
    1,700

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHOou2lHs-Y

    Interesting clip here, it appears to me from this clip that the head rotates counterclockwise which is good. 2 year commercial warranty is also good. From the sound of it, it sounds more like a gearbox is involved. It's also a split shaft, that is interesting, does this confirm the motor is not down in the head? Half hour run time aint much but given this thing appears to be the most powerful and solid of what I have seen I'm not surprised run time is reduced.

  12. #42
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Can Bearer
    Posts
    1,700

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    well gotta say, pleasently surprised by the Sthil cordless hedge trimmers. Took the useless whippy back and swapped it for a the handheld hedger so I now have the HLA65 and the HSA86. Did a 30 metre photinia hedge today. Took close to a metre from the top. A bit over pencil thick in places and both hedgers did a good job. Got by using the one battery, haven't felt the need to buy another battery yet. Soon as it lost a bar in power I'd stick it on charge. Only did that twice, didn't cost me any time. Haven't touched the pole hedger or the tanaka handheld since I bought the cordless, mind you i've only done two hedge jobs.

  13. #43
    Senior Member conrad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Wavell Heights Qld
    Posts
    224

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    Hey steveo, nice setup with the big backup battery! Glad to hear the hedge trimmers are working out for you, ought to be well covered with the handheld and pole trimmers! Sounds like you're on the right track with one battery and the big AGM for charging during the day if needed. No point buying more batteries if you won't use them regularly.

    Just wanted to post back with a heads up - I will be able to give a lot more info and answer any questions about the Husqvarna gear soon. May take me a little bit to put some info together as I want to try everything out a fair bit first so I can comment on different jobs/conditions and will put together some videos and get lots of photos up. Will post new threads for each bit of gear. I can say that I am very, very stoked on their equipment so far..! Stay tuned!!



    Kind of off the hedge trimmer topic - but I will have to check on the Husky line trimmer motor assembly. With the Core line trimmer (motor in the head) I used it in wet grass, anywhere and everywhere, even in showers with a plastic bag covering the top/battery compartment just to be safe. But now having pulled apart the Core motor I have seen that there is a gasket so it's pretty well waterproof. I did see mention on the Husky website something along the lines of "all conditions, sun & rain" referring to their new electric gear, will be interesting to hear the "official" word on that.

    I find the idea that a line trimmer wouldn't have some kind of sealed motor (especially if it's in the head) to be very strange! I mean grass by it's nature is going to be "wet" to some degree when you cut it, and you can't expect commercial operators to wait until the morning dew has dried before they get down to business...

    2 year commercial warranty on the commercial Husky products, pretty decent.

    And on their line trimmer, the official word is "no, you cannot use blades". But that is because it doesn't have any kind of brake mechanism, the motor will just keep spinning till it slows down, unlike a petrol trimmer with clutch etc. Potentially dangerous, so that is why they take "no blades" as the official stance. But the motor is well powerful enough to drive a blade, if I come across any scrub I will give it a go!

  14. #44
    Senior Member edbeek's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    South Burnett, Qld
    Posts
    1,874

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    I saw some Makita cordless OPE today. Looked to be 2 types. Lighter duty that took 1x 18V battery, and the better looking ones that took 2x18V(36v) 4aH batteries. they weren't cheap but look to use the same batteries that the newer Makita power tools use, so might be ok if you already have a couple of batteries.
    The hedger was $695 with 2 batteries, and I think the line trimmer and blower were $495 each with batteries.

  15. #45
    Senior Member Bgs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    1,287

    Default Re: Cordless Electric Hedge Trimmers

    I have the bosch 18v to complement my Kombi Hedger, really like it and thinking of also getting a 36v one, will have to check out the husky and makita one

Page 3 of 10 FirstFirst 12345678910 LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •