I'm interested in buying a brushcutter for occasional use. Any
experiences and recommendations welcomed.

Glenn

g'day glenn,

the first recommendation is don't buy any of the models from a discounter,
go to a specialist mower and garden equipment shop.

there are lots of good brands around eg.,. kawasaki, honda, stihl,
husquvarna, shindaiwa, jonsered, echo and the list will go on.

buy models where the motor is manufactured in the country of origin ie.,. a
japanese model the motor should be made in japan.

buy a straight shaft model i find owners always find more work to do when
they own one.

nowadays of course there are 4 stroke models coming into the market place as
the demise of the 2 stroke continues, honda so far as i know is about the
best.

i have used echo's (very good machines), owned a jonsered app' 22cc models
did a very good job, now using a 27cc shindaiwa and no complaints. have also
used stihl but find nowadays they are a bit more pricey maybe for the sake
of the name?

--
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://mywebsite.bigpond.com/gardenlen2/
snipped

Glenn wrote:
I'm interested in buying a brushcutter for occasional use. Any
experiences and recommendations welcomed.

Stihl.
Erik covers it.

Make sure you try before you buy, i.e get fitted with the shoulder
harness and practise sweeping it side to side. there is another brand
I've used that was far too short. With the Stihl I could stand upright
and work all day.

You might want to check out the different heads available, plastic and
metal. e.g. cord doesn't cut thick kikuyu.

Don't forget the safety gear, eyes, ears, gloves and BOOTS with
jeans/overalls as minimum.

If you are going to use it as a brushcutter, then consider chainsaw chaps.

"Terry Collins" wrote in message
...

You might want to check out the different heads available, plastic and
metal. e.g. cord doesn't cut thick kikuyu.

I have an Oleo Mac of 34 or 36cc that runs a bump head in which I use 3.3mm
Diamond Edge cord. It cuts just about any thick grasses I've come across.
When in really thich and heavy grasses the problem is getting the cut grass
away from the cutting path, however, I find this problem is relevant with
either the line bump head or steel blade cutting system.

I find I can do a lot of the work required of the brushcutter at relatively
low revs, ie, I rarely have it at anything like full revs unless in quite
dense and heavy grasses like overgrown Kikuyu. In this respect the machine
is probably an overkill for a lot of my needs, but it does produce the goods
when in hard going.

Of note is that some brands of brushcutter run thinner cord at higher tip
speed, others run thicker cord at lower tip speed. The cord tip speed
variation can be the result of maximum engine RPM, the gearing at the end
of the shaft and/or the diameter of the cutting path (line length). There
can be a significant variation in the width of the cutting path between
brands. A machine capable of swinging 3mm cord will do far more work then a
machine swinging 2mm cord, however, it is no good just changing to a thicker
cord, the machine must be designed to use thick cord.

I have used Stihl brushcutters with bump feed line heads and of similar
engine capacity to my machine but thinner cord. I have found the Stihl has
to be worked harder to achieve the same result as the Oleo Mac in just about
all HEAVY CUTTING situations in which I have used the machines. They have a
different combination of engine torque/gearing and line weight relative to
the line tip speed then the Oleo Mac. The Stihl has to be worked harder when
in very heavy going, however, what I am saying is not a negative against the
Stihl and a positive against the Oleo Mac. The Stihl cuts a slightly wider
cut per sweep then the Oleo Mac so in that respect can be said to be doing
more work and has other efficiencies as a result.

Both designs have advantages and disadvantages depending on your application
and the type of work required of the machine. Determine what you really need
and do as others have suggested. Go talk to several of your local mower
specialists and see what their recommendations are and determine why they
recommend these products.

Erik Vastmasd wrote:

I forgot to mention safety gear. While I don't mind just wearing blue
singlet, shorts and boots, protection for the face is essential. A
full face shield is recommended but I always found it too hot and hard
to see through after it has been used for awhile. So instead one that
is available has a plastic helmet but with fine metal gauze covering
the face and eyes instead of clear plastic.

i have a plastic(?) gauge one that I find suitable. Yes, you still get a
bit of dust through, but less fogging, scratching and more breathable.

I usually wear safety glasses under it anyway.

just on the handle harness setup of these machines, i have always used the
loop handles and never a harness (of course i understand some users need to
use the harness), as i then have maximum flexability so i can use the
machine in all attitudes.

as when i used to sell the machines and in using them i as did others found
the handle bar setup very restriciting, to me using a brushcutter is like
having an extension to you arms.

in the end it comes down to buyer choice, but just how i see it

--
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://mywebsite.bigpond.com/gardenlen2/
snipped

I should have made it clear. I already have a line trimmer - I'm
specifically looking for a brushcutter with fixed blade head for
clearing small undergrowth including saplings.

Cheers
Glenn

g'day glenn,

if you have a straight shaft machine then steel heads are already
availablefor the better models, so you can switch from line to steel
and back at will, unless yo are looking to having 2 machines? it is
better to work 1 machine until it drops you get the best out of it
then.

depending on thickness of undergrowth you may need to use the saw
blade head? can be difficult to use and when using steel never have
others around they can be very dangerous when and if they kick back, a
good practise when using steel is to keep your body behind the machine
so if it kicks back you can resist the thrust of the kick back, hope i
explained that ok very hard to put into words.

also sounds like you might need to look at machines at or bigger than
say 27cc and of course then using handle bars and a harness for lots
of work could most likley be the go. these machines do have
limitations and in some instances may not do as much work as a brush
hook would do.

len

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1

ok glenn,

there is an 8 tooth non-reversable steel bade (diy sharpening) may be
the better one for you depending on sapling you could need the saw
toothed blade as well? this 8 tooth blade is app' 250mm across so
probably not going to be much use on machines under maybe 25+cc? i use
it on my 27cc model but only for light brush work say woody weeds and
cane type grasses.

dependig on how much work you have maybe you need to look at machines
in the 40cc range?



snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1

Here are the rules to follow:

Buy from a specialist dealer [NOT Bunnings]

Dont by a cheap rubbish [U get what u pay]

Buy a full crankshaft engine

Most Japanese are top quality

My pick [like cars, Euro rule]:

1/Husqvarna Swedish Made
2/Alpina Italian Made

L/H