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#1
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they
any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. Kath 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available from www.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops |
#2
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
On Sep 13, 4:23*pm, Kath wrote:
Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. Kath 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available fromwww.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops I'll take it you mean petrol ones. They take a bit of getting used to. What's more, they can't cope with what the standard hedge cutters can deal with; this means that they can break; which can be very expensive. They come into their own in awkward places, like say between hedges, or where access to height in hampered from lack of width for a ladder, or where one side of the hedge meets a steep slope. Their extra reach doesn't turn out to be as great as you might expect. tis is because of the position of the handle or grip and the need to maintain control over its balance. I have a step ladder which I bought in the UK . It comes with a little platform which I use to create a mini scaffolding. maybe such a portable platform would be better for you. |
#3
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
On Sep 13, 4:23*pm, Kath wrote: Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. As someone else has said, if the hedge is not too high, a platform is a good solution. It's a lot less 'exposed' than a step ladder, more stable, and you can do a longer length of hedge before moving it. I've gone that route instead of long each hedge trimmer because I find with other long reach tools it's difficult to keep control - the centre of gravity is too far away. -- Kay |
#4
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
"Kath" wrote Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. A neighbour has a Stihl one, the separate engine and then you buy the accessories you want type, that he uses for a very large Beech hedge. He reckons is excellent. -- Regards Bob Hobden just W. of London |
#5
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... "Kath" wrote Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. A neighbour has a Stihl one, the separate engine and then you buy the accessories you want type, that he uses for a very large Beech hedge. He reckons is excellent. -- Regards Bob Hobden just W. of London Hi, I have a Flymo Sabre which is cordless and you carry a 12v rechargeable battery pack, which is quite heavy, but you have a harness to carry it over your shoulder.I've found it very good for the 'higher hedge' and it has the advantage of interchangeable implements i.e. strimmer,saw and a few other bits that escape me at the moment!! Andy |
#6
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
"Kath" wrote in message ... Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. Kath 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available from www.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops They're very good, in circumstances where normal access is difficult. They are also proportionately more difficult to control to achieve straightness, since bodily movements are magnified by the distance away from their source. They are also good for muscular development for the same reason. |
#7
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
"Kath" wrote in message ... Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. I have a 4 in one long reach 2 stroke machine that includes a hedgecutter. Its OK but a bit unwieldy and not as good at cutting thick stuff as my dedicated hedgecutter. Having said that it is very good for trimming the yews and I use it a lot. The problem is that at that distance it is not easy to get a neat cut, and the cutter bar is quite short. Mike |
#8
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
On Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:31:53 +0100, "Muddymike" wrote:
"Kath" wrote in message .. . Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. Snip Thank youfor all your very informative replies. It gives me a lot to think about. The neatness is not very important in the place it is but the weight and drag on my arms and shoulders may be. The expense of a 'platform' is to be thought out too but it is good to consider. Thanks. Kath 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available from www.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops |
#9
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
On 13 Sep, 20:17, Kath wrote:
On Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:31:53 +0100, "Muddymike" wrote: "Kath" wrote in message .. . Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. Snip Thank youfor all your very informative replies. It gives me a lot to think about. The neatness is not very important in the place it is but the weight and drag on my arms and shoulders may be. The expense of a 'platform' is to be thought out too but it is good to consider. Thanks. Kath 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available fromwww.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops You don't say how much hedge you have to cut and its height. I have a Stihl Strimmer and have the hedge cutter, chainsaw atachments for it, It makes my arms ache quite quickly but I am cutting around 3/4 of a mile of hedge in all. but not at the same time, I can cut to around 10ft or so and as tou can angle the blade you can cut quite well into the top of the hedge. I wouldnt be without it, Cut a bit then clear as a rest for the arms, then cut some more. Once you get used to ot it cuts as well as the petrol hedge trimmer, and with practice you can cutfinger thick or a bit more. David Hill |
#10
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Kath I did have a Ryobi 2 in 1 (strimmer and hedge cutter). It had a long reach but I am quite a strong guy and frankly it may prove too much. Also it gave poor results and eventually broke after two seasons of use. I have now an expensive Stihl strimmer and long handled shears, and a wide based step-ladder, that can convert to a platform.
Good quality shears will cost almost as much as the cheaper machines, and also one must remember some of these beasts can be the very devil to start. |
#11
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Algae Fungus Control
"NewGardener" wrote in message ... Hi, this issue is driving me a little nuts and as i do not have green fingers I have joined this group and hopefully have posted in the right forum. The previous owners of our house laid down an area of hardcore (stones, earth, around 10mx10m) and over time some grass, weeds, earth have accumulated. From our first year we have had this algae/seaweed 'growing' on top of the area. It has a slimy texture, green, cresent shaped nodules growing in bunches that join to form mats over the whole area. None of our neighbours have it with similar terrain/drainage issues. It does not grow on the 'grassed' areas but on mud, mosses, stone areas. We usually scrap it up in shovels (unfortunately the hardcore is porous and difficult to brush/scrap) and we have thought about putting down bleach. Bleach certainly kills it but obviously not a good solution, but no water course near to us. Also we would prefer a solution that inhibits regrowth. Firstly: What is it? And what can we do to get rid of it? Many thanks Grape Sounds a bit like liverwort. Look up some pictures on Google Images. There are herbicides easily available that will kill liverwort but from the way you describe your plot of land it will come back eventually. You don't say what you want to do with the area. If it is to be planted then you need to dig out the rubbish and lay topsoil. If it is to be paved then kill everything with Sodium chlorate before laying the pavings. Don't leave it as it is because it obviously an eyesore. HTH R. |
#12
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Algae Fungus Control
NewGardener wrote:
Hi, this issue is driving me a little nuts and as i do not have green fingers I have joined this group and hopefully have posted in the right forum. The previous owners of our house laid down an area of hardcore (stones, earth, around 10mx10m) and over time some grass, weeds, earth have accumulated. From our first year we have had this algae/seaweed 'growing' on top of the area. It has a slimy texture, green, cresent shaped nodules growing in bunches that join to form mats over the whole area. None of our neighbours have it with similar terrain/drainage issues. I think a picture might be worth a thousand words here. Some of the sedums a few of which are rather invasive sort of fit your description. They tend to thrive on well drained areas and hardcore but will also block gutters. I can't think of one with cresent shaped leaf nodules most are oval or egg shaped. They grow as mats with a thin stem and small fat leaves. They flower and spread by seed. It does not grow on the 'grassed' areas but on mud, mosses, stone areas. We usually scrap it up in shovels (unfortunately the hardcore is porous and difficult to brush/scrap) and we have thought about putting down bleach. Bleach certainly kills it but obviously not a good solution, but no water course near to us. Also we would prefer a solution that inhibits regrowth. Firstly: What is it? And what can we do to get rid of it? If there is no risk of runoff then sodium chlorate is as good as anything for a quick weedkill on a hardcore path. Regards, Martin Brown |
#13
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
On Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:41:57 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill wrote:
snip Available fromwww.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops You don't say how much hedge you have to cut and its height. I have a Stihl Strimmer and have the hedge cutter, chainsaw atachments for it, It makes my arms ache quite quickly but I am cutting around 3/4 of a mile of hedge in all. but not at the same time, I can cut to around 10ft or so and as tou can angle the blade you can cut quite well into the top of the hedge. I wouldnt be without it, Cut a bit then clear as a rest for the arms, then cut some more. Once you get used to ot it cuts as well as the petrol hedge trimmer, and with practice you can cutfinger thick or a bit more. David Hill Thanks for that, David, it is very helpful. I only have about 30 feet of hedge I want to keep to 6 feet maximum, but when they need cutting it is too far to reach for me. I may be able to manage with what you say. Kath 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available from www.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops |
#14
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
On Sep 13, 9:17*pm, Kath wrote:
On Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:31:53 +0100, "Muddymike" wrote: "Kath" wrote in message .. . Has anyone had any experience of either long-reach or articulated hedge trimmers? Are they any good? I am very unsteady on step ladders and find it difficult to be up there and use trimmers so I always miss a lot at the top of the hedge. Snip Thank youfor all your very informative replies. It gives me a lot to think about. The neatness is not very important in the place it is but the weight and drag on my arms and shoulders may be. The expense of a 'platform' is to be thought out too but it is good to consider. Thanks. Kath 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available fromwww.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops BTW, How's your neck; With the long reach thingy you'll find yourself looking up , stressed, for a considerable amount of time than you might ordinarily do. It can become a niggle. Since the Stihl has been mentioned. Ye^p, now that one does seem to be the best, though I speak from only one short duration try out. |
#15
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Long-reach hedgetrimmers
On Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:32:11 -0700 (PDT), aquachimp
wrote: Thank youfor all your very informative replies. It gives me a lot to think about. The neatness is not very important in the place it is but the weight and drag on my arms and shoulders may be. The expense of a 'platform' is to be thought out too but it is good to consider. Thanks. Kath 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available fromwww.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops BTW, How's your neck; With the long reach thingy you'll find yourself looking up , stressed, for a considerable amount of time than you might ordinarily do. It can become a niggle. Since the Stihl has been mentioned. Ye^p, now that one does seem to be the best, though I speak from only one short duration try out. It does get a bit sore when I do certain things but with hedge trimming it is usually my hands with juggling the 3 switches to keep it going! :-) 'The Stories of George the Hamster' Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5 Available from www.arlev.clara.net/george.htm and from both on line and High Street Bookshops |
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