Chain saw question

[johnik]

Hi peeps,hope this is in the right section,i have a hedge down the side of my house,trouble is it,s a very tall and tough hedge,i tried to trim the top with a hedge trimmer but the hedge just laughs at it.
would it be posible to use a chainsaw on said hedge,i am thinking the £50 Titan electric jobbie from screwfix ?.
TIA.

 

[brightspark]

cutting bushes with a chainsaw is a no go the small branches snag and sometimes shed the chain . been there done it and got the teeshirt just get some long armed loppers and cut away by hand

 

[rikrobson]

What type of hedge is it? Privet, beech and pox will cut with a hedge trimmer a Leylanii will need a chain saw to top the crown. You jelust need enough room to make a start.
If it's something else then if it has a central trunk you need to get in with hedge trimmers the chain saw the trunk.

Just remember that the chain saw wont do brush but is ok for single stems. I got a petrol one off ebay for not much more with 12 and 20 inch bars and chains.

 

[penfold]

It's ok for the thick stems, but getting in at them needs a lot of work with clippers to make it safely accessible; sometimes it makes more sense to just do it with a handsaw, where it's okay to just stuff your arm in and get sawing.

 

[octo0072000]

Sounds like you need a brush cutter some have a blade like a circular saw others have a 3 bladed saw blade but depending on how thick it is big handled loppers as well
this kind of thing
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/52cc-5-in...413753?hash=item3cec3c5179:g:xLEAAOxyj4hTGi3L

 

[addjunkie]

If its lylandi run the saw about half an inch above ground, and get rid, then you wont need to waste valuable shed time cutting it next year

 

[brightspark]

If its lylandi run the saw about half an inch above ground, and get rid, then you wont need to waste valuable shed time cutting it next year

yes then u will have to put a crappy fence up paint it every year and renew it when its sh ...ed out

 

[Spark plug]

If your going to be working from ladders etc I would stick to hand tools. Lopers, bow saw etc as it can get nasty if a large lump of greenery throws you off balance.

 

[Gareth0123]

We have two long & high Leylandii hedges, and one mixed hardwood, hawthorn and blackthorn hedge. I own a Ryobi 44cc chainsaw, I am chainsaw trained and I am experienced at using chainsaws, but I will not use them where my petrol hedge trimmer fails to cut. It is far too dangerous with the possibility of branches whipping about. What I do use to trim the thicker pieces of hedging is a Ryobi 18 volt cordless reciprocating saw fitted with a Bosch long wood cutting blade; Bosch 2608650676 S 1531 L Sabre Saw Blade..

Easy to handle up a ladder or on portable scaffolding, much safer to use, and considerably lighter and more manoeuvrable than a chainsaw in a dense hedge situation. I even managed to fell by 12 to 18 inch long sections two 30 foot plus tall Ash trees infected with die back. These formed part of the boundary between us and the public park, so it all had to come down safely and on our side.

 

[Migmac]

i've done hedges with a chain saw, you need a platform to work from. Working off a ladder with a chainsaw is a no go. You need to keep the revs up to get the best cut. Cut the sides from the botom up. Trying to keep the top level is hard, cut little and look lots.

 

[awemawson]

We inherited 2/3 rds of a mile of Leylandii when we got this place - horrid stuff but we needed shelter that side of the field for the sheep so couldn't just grub it out. I got a gang in and they cut it down to 4'6" with chain saws. Filled my 17 foot Ifor Williams 18 times heaped high!

Now I run down it twice a year with a hedge flail mounted permanently on the back of my Ford 4600 tractor

 

[johnik]

Thanks for the replies peeps,yes it is a laylandi,i want to keep it as on the other side is open space and i dont want the local erbs paying a visit.
looks like ill have to find a pro gardner type and get him to give it a haircut .

 

[rikrobson]

How tall are they and what hight do you want them? I've done that job before on 40 footers down to 20'

Tie a rope on and pull as the trunk is sawn through. Its a right pita of a job as you need to get halfway up the tree with a chainsaw in hand.

A professional gardener won't cost an arm and a leg, which is what you will be loosing if you fall out of the trees with the chainsaw!!!!

 

[Kent]

Too dangerous by far to climb on anything with a chainsaw without training and experience
Kickback. Jamming a blade plus falling putting that instinctive steadying hand ( right onto a blade)
No plenty of cheap garden men about for that one
I spend a lot of time with a chainsaw each year and frankly I shouldn't
If you do buy a saw get all the ppe though I get a cold feeling watching folk stood wrong wearing jeans. Shirt no hat etc
Chainsaws don't care what they chop off

 

[johnik]

They are around 9-10 feet high and 3 feet thick,they are so dense you cant get onto a top and pull it down,got a lead on a gardner that did a hedge for a friend,ill ring him later.
thanks for the advice chaps

 

[johnik]

PDG,this guy comes well recomended by personal friends ,something i look for before parting with my hard earned :-)

 

[octo0072000]

and don't part with the hard earned till the jobs finished and tidied up

 

[Charlie390]

I there is decent access to it, try and find a friendly local farmer with a flail hedge cutter. Quickest and easiest way in my experience, although not necessarily the neatest!

 

[normspanners]

I bought a brilliant little florabest saw, cordless battery operated from lidl about £20 it is reciprocating BUT has a sprung loaded guide that holds the branch for you it stops the damned branch going back and too with the saw which means one handed opp and one for the ladder BTW it seems to have quite a good battery life too and does many a cut I was impressed it is quite light and easy ish to get inside the hedges

 

[johnik]

Norm,thanks for that idea but the bush is so dense (chav proof) i cant even see the branches,Charlie,it,s all apple farms / orchards round here so i dont see many tractors.
waiting for the man to get back to me