Brushcutter heads...

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dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 12:16 am Post subject:
ed culled for double post Last edited by dpack on Tue Aug 25, 15 9:42 am; edited 1 time in total

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 12:23 am Post subject:
Mostly it is for bramble, with a certain amount of sticks in it. The cord did fairly well on it, but it was eating the cord at an excessive rate.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15966

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 6:45 am Post subject:

The chain ones were ideal for brambles, but as Dpack says they have been banned. Sadly, a man died as the result of an accident with a very badly maintained one and working in an unsafe manner. Unfortunately HSE considered that brush cutters were not designed to be used with them, and has not revisited rules about their use, but just banned them.

The best thing we find for brambles is a straight blade with turned down ends. Not sure if they would be available for domestic strimmers, but we use them for bramble clearance on the professional brush cutters.

SteveP

Joined: 23 Jan 2008
Posts: 155
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 7:55 am Post subject:
Is this any help? https://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/Grass-Trimmers-Brushcutters-and-Clearing-Saws/0281/Cutting-tools.aspx

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 8:55 am Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

I've already told HSE to take a running jump over top-handled chainsaws, so they can get stuffed over brushcutters also, especially now I know that the fatality was down to bad practice.

Any clues where I can get one?

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 8:57 am Post subject:

SteveP wrote:

Is this any help?

https://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/Grass-Trimmers-Brushcutters-and-Clearing-Saws/0281/Cutting-tools.aspx

A little. Thank you.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 9:09 am Post subject:
If it's just for brambles & small saplings the three or four blade head is more than adequate. I use nylon mostly because even the blades can shatter & become ballistic if you hit a stone. Thicker nylon lasts longer. I think I'm using 3mm which smashes all but the biggest woody brambles with ease.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 9:43 am Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

If it's just for brambles & small saplings the three or four blade head is more than adequate.
I use nylon mostly because even the blades can shatter & become ballistic if you hit a stone.

If you've got the guard on then you should be safe from ballistic action and if there is nobody else in range, then their safety is not your problem.
I liked the nylon because it has a bigger cut than the blade so it's quicker, but as I said, my brambles were eating it... some of that could've been user error I suppose.

Quote:

Thicker nylon lasts longer. I think I'm using 3mm which smashes all but the biggest woody brambles with ease.

I forget how thick it was, 'twas a borrowed machine, I think it was 4mm.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 3:53 pm Post subject:
If it was eating 4mm fast either is was cheap crap, old stock or as you said user error. Possibly the brass eyes are word & damaging the cord. Is the cord snapping at the head or are you having to manually / bump feed it often? Some auto feed at max revs so if your holding it on the limiter then that will also explain the fast usage.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 15 4:14 pm Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

If it was eating 4mm fast either is was cheap crap, old stock or as you said user error.

I'm fairly sure it was good cord.

Quote:

Is the cord snapping at the head or are you having to manually / bump feed it often?

A bit of both.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15966

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 15 6:09 am Post subject:
No, I am afraid you can't buy the chain ones as it is illegal to sell them. It will depend on the brambles you are cutting. If they are fairly thin then the cord might do it, but if they are really thick and include dead ones, the cutter I described will work best.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 15 10:09 am Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

No, I am afraid you can't buy the chain ones as it is illegal to sell them.

I don't believe that is a world-wide ban. Nor can it be a particularly complicated mechanism, and I know a good engineer.

Assuming that we have dismissed the ban as the over-reaction of a bunch of desk jockeys, then the relevant question is: how good are they?

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 15 2:26 pm Post subject:
Another point: what size line do you want for what power engine? Or do I mean that question the other way about? I was looking at a 3hp strimmer which I thought was probably meaty enough, but it comes loaded with 2.5mm line, which seems rather lightweight.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 15 3:09 pm Post subject:
The extra weight of thicker line isn't going to make a jot of difference to the head speed. As Richard has said if it's breaking a lot & it's 4mm line my first thought would be the eyelets which on most machines are cheap to replace. Last time I bought any they where less than �1.00 each.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Wed Aug 26, 15 3:57 pm Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

The extra weight of thicker line isn't going to make a jot of difference to the head speed.

I tried a thicker line on my machine, and while it cut like a demon, it didn't half rattle...

Quote:

As Richard has said if it's breaking a lot & it's 4mm line my first thought would be the eyelets which on most machines are cheap to replace.
Last time I bought any they where less than �1.00 each.

That was on a borrowed machine, hence my question about engine sizes.

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