Does such a thing exist? Seems odd to me but I'm struggling to find any
long-reach hedge-trimmers which aren't petrol/electric/rechargeable... I
can reach all the furthest-away bit of my hedges with my existing kit,
but there's a narrow strip which is beyond my reach regardless of any
combination of ladders etc, and I don't want/need the hassle/expense of
anything other than some form of manual shears just to do those bits.
Distance would be about 1.5-2m I suppose?

Any ideas?
Thanks

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Does such a thing exist? Seems odd to me but I'm struggling to find any
long-reach hedge-trimmers which aren't petrol/electric/rechargeable... I
can reach all the furthest-away bit of my hedges with my existing kit, but
there's a narrow strip which is beyond my reach regardless of any
combination of ladders etc, and I don't want/need the hassle/expense of
anything other than some form of manual shears just to do those bits.
Distance would be about 1.5-2m I suppose?

Any ideas?
Thanks

We have some loppers with extending handles which would do the job, but, it
would be a very slow process as the cutting area is not very long.

However, how about a DIY extension adaptation with plastic pipe? The small
downpipes as used on sheds and greenhouses cut to length and slipped over
the handles? Held in place for that job alone with plastic tape?

Mike


--

....................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

....................................

On 22/07/2012 08:10, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 22 Jul 2012 00:30:44 +0100, Lobster
wrote:

Does such a thing exist? Seems odd to me but I'm struggling to find any
long-reach hedge-trimmers which aren't petrol/electric/rechargeable... I
can reach all the furthest-away bit of my hedges with my existing kit,
but there's a narrow strip which is beyond my reach regardless of any
combination of ladders etc, and I don't want/need the hassle/expense of
anything other than some form of manual shears just to do those bits.
Distance would be about 1.5-2m I suppose?

Try Googling for 'long-handled shears'.

Done that, I can assure you!

for lawn edging shears, with the cutting blades at an angle to the
handles, but these ones maybe helpful: http://tinyurl.com/cbbvzth

I do have some edging shears and use them as part of my "hedging kit"
but they aren't great to use and aren't quite long enough - and although
the ebay ones you've kindly flagged look the sort of thing I need,
they're apparently still under 1m, so I think unlikely to gain me much,
if anything.

The trouble with long-handled shears is that you have to spread the
handles very wide in order to get the blades to open a decent width,
which in effect shortens their reach, as well as having to flap your
arms a lot as if you're trying to fly!

Yes I know what you mean! I'd have hoped there might be something out
there with some sort of gear/cog arrangement at the blade pivot to
overcome that, but there's nothing I can find. Judging by the number of
motorised long-reach hedge trimmers out there I'd have thought there'd
have been a market for something like that, but seems not.

I use either long-reach loppers
or a long-handled pruner for getting at the bits of hedge I can't
reach, but you can only cut one stem at a time, which makes it rather
a slow process.

Yes, I do that one too; in fact it's the only way I've ever been able to
get the job done completely! I'm finding it increasingly time-consuming
and arduous to do it that way as I get older, and this year I've given
up I'm afraid, so the hedge concerned still has a Mohawk down the middle
- not a good look.

The only realistic option seems to be blowing £100 on long-reach
electric model; if the only alternative is paying someone to do it for
me I suppose it will be an economy in the long run...

David

On Sun, 22 Jul 2012 Lobster wrote:

Does such a thing exist? Seems odd to me but I'm struggling to find any
long-reach hedge-trimmers which aren't petrol/electric/rechargeable... I
can reach all the furthest-away bit of my hedges with my existing kit,
but there's a narrow strip which is beyond my reach regardless of any
combination of ladders etc, and I don't want/need the hassle/expense of
anything other than some form of manual shears just to do those bits.
Distance would be about 1.5-2m I suppose?

Try Googling for 'long-handled shears'.

The trouble with long-handled shears is that you have to spread the
handles very wide in order to get the blades to open a decent width,
which in effect shortens their reach, as well as having to flap your
arms a lot as if you're trying to fly!

What's needed is some sort of lazy tongs.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk

On 22/07/2012 00:30, Lobster wrote:
Does such a thing exist? Seems odd to me but I'm struggling to find any
long-reach hedge-trimmers which aren't petrol/electric/rechargeable... I
can reach all the furthest-away bit of my hedges with my existing kit,
but there's a narrow strip which is beyond my reach regardless of any
combination of ladders etc, and I don't want/need the hassle/expense of
anything other than some form of manual shears just to do those bits.
Distance would be about 1.5-2m I suppose?

Any ideas?
Thanks
This is why in the days of hand clipped hedges they used to be tapered,
getting much narrower to the top (Wedge shaped) this was so that it was
much easier to clip the top without having to try to lean to far over.

On 22/07/2012 14:28, David Hill wrote:
On 22/07/2012 00:30, Lobster wrote:
Does such a thing exist? Seems odd to me but I'm struggling to find any
long-reach hedge-trimmers which aren't petrol/electric/rechargeable... I
can reach all the furthest-away bit of my hedges with my existing kit,
but there's a narrow strip which is beyond my reach regardless of any
combination of ladders etc, and I don't want/need the hassle/expense of
anything other than some form of manual shears just to do those bits.
Distance would be about 1.5-2m I suppose?

This is why in the days of hand clipped hedges they used to be tapered,
getting much narrower to the top (Wedge shaped) this was so that it was
much easier to clip the top without having to try to lean to far over.

Well the offending hedge is indeed pretty-much wedge-shaped (sadly
upside down though!)

On 22/07/2012 18:43, Lobster wrote:
On 22/07/2012 14:28, David Hill wrote:
On 22/07/2012 00:30, Lobster wrote:
Does such a thing exist? Seems odd to me but I'm struggling to find any
long-reach hedge-trimmers which aren't petrol/electric/rechargeable... I
can reach all the furthest-away bit of my hedges with my existing kit,
but there's a narrow strip which is beyond my reach regardless of any
combination of ladders etc, and I don't want/need the hassle/expense of
anything other than some form of manual shears just to do those bits.
Distance would be about 1.5-2m I suppose?

This is why in the days of hand clipped hedges they used to be tapered,
getting much narrower to the top (Wedge shaped) this was so that it was
much easier to clip the top without having to try to lean to far over.

Well the offending hedge is indeed pretty-much wedge-shaped (sadly
upside down though!)

What plants are you having to trim for this hedge?

On 22/07/2012 19:03, David Hill wrote:
On 22/07/2012 18:43, Lobster wrote:
On 22/07/2012 14:28, David Hill wrote:
On 22/07/2012 00:30, Lobster wrote:
Does such a thing exist? Seems odd to me but I'm struggling to find
any
long-reach hedge-trimmers which aren't
petrol/electric/rechargeable... I
can reach all the furthest-away bit of my hedges with my existing kit,
but there's a narrow strip which is beyond my reach regardless of any
combination of ladders etc, and I don't want/need the hassle/expense of
anything other than some form of manual shears just to do those bits.
Distance would be about 1.5-2m I suppose?

This is why in the days of hand clipped hedges they used to be tapered,
getting much narrower to the top (Wedge shaped) this was so that it was
much easier to clip the top without having to try to lean to far over.

Well the offending hedge is indeed pretty-much wedge-shaped (sadly
upside down though!)

What plants are you having to trim for this hedge?

Um - I'm no gardener! ducks

There are two offending ones I can't reach with my ordinary trimmers -
one's a really spikey sort of gorse-like thing which is like a big
sphere really; and there's an adjoining plant of comparable size which I
have no clue about. Dark green, tiny leaves. They provide cover between
the footpath and the drive basically.

David

What plants are you having to trim for this hedge?

Um - I'm no gardener! ducks

There are two offending ones I can't reach with my ordinary trimmers -
one's a really spikey sort of gorse-like thing which is like a big
sphere really; and there's an adjoining plant of comparable size which I
have no clue about. Dark green, tiny leaves. They provide cover between
the footpath and the drive basically.

David

So you're no gardener, but can you take and post pics of the 2 offenders?

On 22/07/2012 21:31, David Hill wrote:
What plants are you having to trim for this hedge?

Um - I'm no gardener! ducks

There are two offending ones I can't reach with my ordinary trimmers -
one's a really spikey sort of gorse-like thing which is like a big
sphere really; and there's an adjoining plant of comparable size which I
have no clue about. Dark green, tiny leaves. They provide cover between
the footpath and the drive basically.

So you're no gardener, but can you take and post pics of the 2 offenders?

It's a bit too dark now, but here's one I took earlier this month, just
before shearing time... it's the two big round green lumps to the left
and centre of the pic - does that help (but in my gardening ignorance -
does it make a difference what type they are?):
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/4848/hedgeu.jpg

Seems to me I'm heading reluctantly towards purchasing a telescopic
electric job - this "Kiam Sherwood Hedgescaper Electric Hedge Trimmer"
at 90 GBP delivered looks the part, but has anyone heard of Kiam before...?
http://preview.tinyurl.com/c9ddl6n

Maybe a "Ryobi Articulating Pole Hedge Cutter" (a brand I know and trust
from DIY powertools) would be a better bet:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/ckvpz8f

If anyone's got any thoughts on these or any others, then opinions most
welcomed...

Thanks
David

In article , Lobster
writes

If anyone's got any thoughts on these or any others, then opinions most
welcomed...


The other possible option is those ladders made up of 4 x 4 rung
sections. You can either put them up as an inverted 'w' with the board
across the two (like a scaffold board) - which would give you more
height to start with. Or, they can be set like an an inverted 'v'where
one of the legs of the inverted 'v' carries on over the top of the
other. These are designed to allow access almost from above - and often
used for cleaning roofs of vans, etc.

Trouble is, its more expense (but useful for a number of other things).

Rather than imagine inverted 'v's, have a look at:
http://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers....urpose_ladders
..html

--
regards andyw

I couldn't get the link to open, but I found this which I think is the same
thing, if this link works ;-)

http://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers....e_ladders.html

--

....................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

....................................





"news" wrote in message
...
In article , Lobster
writes

If anyone's got any thoughts on these or any others, then opinions most
welcomed...


The other possible option is those ladders made up of 4 x 4 rung sections.
You can either put them up as an inverted 'w' with the board across the
two (like a scaffold board) - which would give you more height to start
with. Or, they can be set like an an inverted 'v'where one of the legs of
the inverted 'v' carries on over the top of the other. These are designed
to allow access almost from above - and often used for cleaning roofs of
vans, etc.

Trouble is, its more expense (but useful for a number of other things).

Rather than imagine inverted 'v's, have a look at:
http://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers....urpose_ladders
.html

--
regards andyw

On 23/07/2012 15:53, 'Mike' wrote:
I couldn't get the link to open, but I found this which I think is
the same thing, if this link works ;-)

http://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers....e_ladders.html

"news" wrote in message
...
In article , Lobster
writes

If anyone's got any thoughts on these or any others, then
opinions most
welcomed...


The other possible option is those ladders made up of 4 x 4 rung
sections. You can either put them up as an inverted 'w' with the board
across the two (like a scaffold board) - which would give you more
height to start with. Or, they can be set like an an inverted 'v'where
one of the legs of the inverted 'v' carries on over the top of the
other. These are designed to allow access almost from above - and often
used for cleaning roofs of vans, etc.

Trouble is, its more expense (but useful for a number of other
things).

Rather than imagine inverted 'v's, have a look at:
http://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/multi_purpose_ladders.html

Ah yes, I've got one of those buggers as well! Excellent though it is,
it's not helping my present predicament - still can't get near enough to
the apex of my hedges with it, in any configuration. *Possibly* a
second one might help; but I'd sooner spend that dosh on a long-reach
electric trimmer.

Thanks
David

On 23/07/2012 16:49, Lobster wrote:
On 23/07/2012 15:53, 'Mike' wrote:
I couldn't get the link to open, but I found this which I think is
the same thing, if this link works ;-)

http://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers....e_ladders.html


"news" wrote in message
...
In article , Lobster
writes

If anyone's got any thoughts on these or any others, then
opinions most
welcomed...


The other possible option is those ladders made up of 4 x 4 rung
sections. You can either put them up as an inverted 'w' with the board
across the two (like a scaffold board) - which would give you more
height to start with. Or, they can be set like an an inverted 'v'where
one of the legs of the inverted 'v' carries on over the top of the
other. These are designed to allow access almost from above - and
often
used for cleaning roofs of vans, etc.

Trouble is, its more expense (but useful for a number of other
things).

Rather than imagine inverted 'v's, have a look at:
http://www.laddersandscaffoldtowers.co.uk/acatalog/multi_purpose_ladders.html


Ah yes, I've got one of those buggers as well! Excellent though it is,
it's not helping my present predicament - still can't get near enough to
the apex of my hedges with it, in any configuration. *Possibly* a
second one might help; but I'd sooner spend that dosh on a long-reach
electric trimmer.

Thanks
David

If you want to keep the shape of the 2 "Lumps then it will have to be
some sort of long reach mechanical clippers,
On the other hand you could hard prune the first Ball which looks like
box to me, or even convert it into Topiary,
http://gardenerstips.co.uk/blog/flow...e-and-topiary/

The 2nd is a conifer, so you can't cut it back beyong the green growth
as it wont come back from Brown wood

On 23/07/2012 01:01, Janet wrote:
In article , davidlobsterpot601
@hotmail.com says...

On 22/07/2012 21:31, David Hill wrote:
What plants are you having to trim for this hedge?

Um - I'm no gardener! ducks

There are two offending ones I can't reach with my ordinary trimmers -
one's a really spikey sort of gorse-like thing which is like a big
sphere really; and there's an adjoining plant of comparable size which I
have no clue about. Dark green, tiny leaves. They provide cover between
the footpath and the drive basically.

So you're no gardener, but can you take and post pics of the 2 offenders?

It's a bit too dark now, but here's one I took earlier this month, just
before shearing time... it's the two big round green lumps to the left
and centre of the pic - does that help (but in my gardening ignorance -
does it make a difference what type they are?):
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/4848/hedgeu.jpg

Seems to me I'm heading reluctantly towards purchasing a telescopic
electric job - this "Kiam Sherwood Hedgescaper Electric Hedge Trimmer"
at 90 GBP delivered looks the part, but has anyone heard of Kiam before...?
http://preview.tinyurl.com/c9ddl6n

Maybe a "Ryobi Articulating Pole Hedge Cutter" (a brand I know and trust
from DIY powertools) would be a better bet:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/ckvpz8f

If anyone's got any thoughts on these or any others, then opinions most
welcomed...

Consider the weight compared to your present machine. The longer the
reach the heavier and more unweildy it's going to be; and looking ahead,
the older you get the weaker your upper body strength. I'd strongly
recommend borrowing or hiring one for a trial, before you commit.

Well you were absolutely right - not that I didn't believe you! - but I
decided that a telescopic trimmer was the only way I was ever going to
get the damned hedge cut, by hook or by crook, so I went ahead and
bought the Ryobi.

It's done the job, but was bloody hard graft because of the weight at
the end of the pole when held horizontally - I could just manage it, and
all being well will be able to do so for a few years to come, at which
point I suspect the task of trimming the crest might fall upon my son
when he comes to visit!

Thanks for the advice, all.

David