Which Hedge Trimmer is right for me?

[Cuttinitclose]

I have recently had a need for hedge trimmers, but the job I have is trimming 70ft of bushes 1ft high off the ground. I don't know if I should get handhelds or the attachment for my trimmer first. I will probably buy both eventually. I have a few options below, and my MAX price range is $350.

STIHL
-HS 45, either blade size $290-$310
-HL 135° Adjustable Hedge Trimmer Attachment $225

ECHO
-HC-150 $280

As you can see Im partial to Stihl, but since the Echos cheaper I may go that route. If I get the HS 45's, what blade size should I get, 18" or 24"?

[Roger]

Are the bushes individual, or put together as a hedge? If only one foot high, I suspect they are separate. The trimmer attachment is too cumbersome for working something that small, individual bushes. I have a zero-degree attachment for my Stihl trimmer, and use it for larger pieces. For example, last week I trimmed a 165 ft bayberry hedge, about 30-36" high, 24" wide. The attachment worked well to do the entire thing, both sides, and a flat top. But, I have some yew bushes to trim this week -- eight of them, about 36" high, and about 36" in diameter, round tops, close proximity. The attachment is far too cumbersome to reach in and around these bushes. I will use my Stihl HS-80 for these bushes. I also will trim a 65 ft privet hedge this week -- about 60" high, 48" wide, near flat top. The attachment will work very well for this job, far better than the HS-80.

Bottom line for me, I use both. Which depends upon access, size of bush, etc. I wish I had the intermediate length shaft trimmer, shaft about 24" long. I would use it some places where the attachment will not work, but would be more productive, easier to handle than the HS-80.

Be prepared for a major league backache, if you have many small bushes, one foot high! I have a place with about 25 boxwoods, about 20" high, 20" across. They are brutal on the back.

[Cuttinitclose]

They are about 12ft tall but I am trimming them up 1ft from the ground to get under them easier. The perimeter is about 70ft.

[stephen424]

12ft tall!! Yeah, definately get the attachment. How will you trim them with a handheld? With a ladder?
And if you want a budget friendly handheld trimmer, scoop up a ryobi trimmer. You can get a factory reconditioned one for $119. Just google "ryobi factory outlet".
I have one for backup purposes. But it works just as well as my echo handheld. May not last 5 years, but its decent if you don't do many hedges
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[Cuttinitclose]

I am not trimming the entire bush. Just 1ft off the ground to trim under it.

[grandview (2006)]

If this is going to be your only job ,maybe just go rent one for the day.
if not I use the HS45 more then enough power for all the jobs I do.

[Cuttinitclose]

I would like to do more of this. This is just my first need for them

[stephen424]

Like I said, if you have a tight budget, grab the ryobi ZRRY39500. Amazon has it for $99, just saw that.
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[Cuttinitclose]

Like I've said in other threads, I don't mind paying for quality.

[tamadrummer]

No matter the size or placement, an extended reach hedge trimmer will be much more versital. It may be aggrevating to try to manuver it places that are tight but it will get much more done than a little chainsaw style hedge trimmer.

The HS45 is a homescaper series trimmer, if you are using it commercially you need to buy the HS81 series handhelds.

[Cuttinitclose]

Alot of people even bigwigs, use the 45's commerially.

[tamadrummer]

Alot of people even bigwigs, use the 45's commerially.

Are you looking for opinions or for someone to stroke your ego and tell you the home-owner series stuff is good for commercial use?

I gave you my opinion. This is all I do for a living and the home-owner stuff does not last! Buy the right stuff one time and be done for years and years or do whatever you want and stop posting the same question all over the place.

You will get what you pay for.

[stephen424]

Tammadrummer,

Are you the message board police?
If you're tired of answering his questions...then stop answering his questions.
Don't get frustrated with him because YOU can't resist putting your 2 cents in.
Just move on to another thread
Posted via Mobile Device

[tamadrummer]

Tammadrummer,

Are you the message board police?
If you're tired of answering his questions...then stop answering his questions.
Don't get frustrated with him because YOU can't resist putting your 2 cents in.
Just move on to another thread
Posted via Mobile Device

Take your 25 posts and 1 week on this site and use the search feature. There are answers to almost every question here.

When some one is looking for affermation of a bad decision they need to admit it not justify it.

[jk mow & more]

i do not do a s@#t load of hedges and did not want to spend much on trimmers so:cool2::cool2: i got the best echo home depot had dont remember how much but was not a lot of money i think it works great and i am pretty happy with it in the future i will upgrade when the funds get better but for now it works good get the job done and me paid

[stephen424]

Yea, tamadrummer is a msg board cop! First sign on a board cop is when one says "take your limited amount of post" OR "take your 'joined 1 mnth ago' butt on"....
Sorry I don't have the time to post on a msg board all day. I'm busy with other things, like, life.
I guess I'd be cool if I had 30,000 post and joined the board when jesus joined it.

I'm just saying dude, you're getting frustrated cause dude is posting the same thing. Just read, shake your head and move on. You're letting it get you all bent outta shape. If he wants to purchase a trimmer from the Goodwill, let him. You gave your opinion, now let him do his thing
Posted via Mobile Device

[stephen424]

Jk mo,

We have the same trimmer. It was $279
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[david shumaker]

I just bought the Echo HC150. I was using Stihl 24" clippers for small shrubs and they start getting heavy. The 20" Echo clippers are lighter and fine for small stuff.

I do right many shrubs and hedges, so I have 20", 24", 40" and pole clippers. The 40" clippers are good for long hedge rows.

If you are going to do shrubs and hedges all the time, you will probably need at least 24" clippers and the pole clippers. I don't like using pole clippers for small shrubs, I usually just use them for the tops of tall shrubs.

[Cuttinitclose]

Bump it up.

[Roger]

Since you are cutting down 12 foot shrubs to one foot, you need a chain saw, not a hedge clipper. You never told us the kind of shrub. But, anything that is 12 feet high will undoubtedly have a large branch at the one foot level. The diameter of the material at the one foot level will be far too large for a hedge clipper, such as the ones you suggested early in the thread.

Cutting down to the one foot level will produce a heavy load of debris - eleven feet of growth, regardless of the kind of shrub. This would not be a bush trimming job in my view, rather a major cutback of the 70 feet of growth.

[Cuttinitclose]

I am not cutting them down to 1ft! From the ground, go up 1 ft. Stop!

[Roger]

Sorry, I guess one "has to be there." Usually bushes that are 12 feet high are very wide also. Trying to take out material in the first foot off the ground would be very cumbersome. There is no working room for most any kind of equipment or tool. But, I stand on my comment in the last post -- most likely the material to be cut will be too large diameter to even consider a powered hedge trimmer. The equipment you asked about might be good to 3/8" diameter, maybe a tad larger, depending upon the kind of plant. This sounds like a loper or chain saw job, not a hedge trimmer.

[Cuttinitclose]

I have to check it out tomorrow and take pics to better understand.

[Cuttinitclose]

Maybe this will help. Sorry about the quality of the pic.
152734

[stephen424]

From the pics, a handheld trimmer definately won't work. Unless you're..
A. 13ft tall
B. Can hoover in the air like a humming bird

[tamadrummer]

Roger said it right, you wont get the hedge trimmer around the branches they are too wide. You need a set of loppers.

Other wise a chainsaw or the Stihl HS81R for $479 for the 24".

Loppers is the best idea.

[Cuttinitclose]

Thanks for your help.

[david shumaker]

The whole thing needs clipping and shaping. If you can drive your truck up to the hedge, you can probably get the high part by standing in the back of the pickup.

[Cuttinitclose]

The whole thing needs clipping and shaping. If you can drive your truck up to the hedge, you can probably get the high part by standing in the back of the pickup.

I know thats why Im buying the attchment. I would if I had a truck.

[tamadrummer]

For that hedge, you should just rent one and allow the rental house eat the abuse.

If you have never used a hedge trimmer than you may think that it is just going to go right over that thing and be so easy to shape it up.

That thing is going to eat your lunch and your trimmers lunch. You really will be there for a long time working on that thing.

Do yourself a favor and spend a fair amount of money on a high end set of loppers and rent a chainsaw and hedge trimmer and take whatever you earn from this and save it for a commercial long reach trimmer or KM and HL attachment.

If you go in too deep expense wise with this one job you will end up paying them to trim that thing up.

[Cuttinitclose]

I got below the line done on one side. Going back to do the other side tomorrow, and go from there.