Hand held brush/thisle cutter

[Oldpath05]

Thinking of getting a hand held small brush cutter that cuts up to a in. with out cutting my wallet. The use will be about hour or so from time to time, my land is rough and tough so I'm giving this a hard look>>>>>
Husqvarna Brushcutters 223R Just not sure if that will cut small brush, doesn't show it with a blade, maybe it's an extra add on, like to see one with a blade on it, tied of the string a ling, it only works good for graas and dandelions, not thisles thorns and brush.

 

[boggen]

brush cutter = requirement at least for me = a straight shaft on a trimmer / weed whacker. if not you will easily eat up and brake a curve shaft rod that is inside. (curve shaft rod = more like a spring rod that flexes and brakes easily), while a (straight shaft has a solid rod in side and less likely to break)

the straight shaft trimmers work your body pretty good. due to length / weight. vs a curved shaft trimmers, (curve shaft the head is closer to you) as a result. it is a requirement here to have a self propelled brush cutter more expensive but your you are able to move afterwards.

a push trimmer (push mower but with a string on it) generally run heavier diameter string. can take down some descent weeds within reason before getting overloaded.

a brush blade on a straight shaft trimmer can go like mad, but you still get weeds that will wrap around the head, requiring a pocket knife, screw driver, and some sort of pliers to pull the stuff out. (pretty much like anything else)

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

You need something that will run a blade, and not a grass blade. Pick one of these (or an equivalent model of a different brand):

STIHL Brush Cutters - Professional/Homeowner Use Brushcutters and Clearing Saws | STIHL USA

You definitely need the bicycle bars on a brush cutter due to the torque of the blade.

 

[nybirdman]

I have a Stihl that uses a blade that can be re- sharpened with a chain saw file,plus a spare.Works great and can cut up to 3" brush.

 

[Oldpath05]

After the overwhelming responses, I chose Echo>> Brushcutters, Straight Shaft Brushcutter, U Handle Brushcutter | ECHO USA << Here's a few reasons why, first the dealer is 12 mi. away, Echo's website has prices up front and easy to compare models, $400.00 was my limit. 3rd reason is the model SRM-2620U was atleast 25cc with good size fuel cap. AND had a video with it, I dont care what anyone says youtube sells. 4th, the dealer wasn't busy or they enough sales people, and it's the same place I bought my tractor so the same salesman helped me right out, nice to be remembered after ten years.

The Stihl dealer is also close by, salespeople and counter was busy so I spent half hr trying to figure out which model to get, The prices was all there but the specs. was all over the place, one had fuel cap., CCs etc the other one didn't say fuel cap. or didn't say something else. I cant compare models like that I need/want the same specs on all models, like one is $325.00 the other is $375.00, WHY, I got frustrated and walked out, went over to the Echo dealer.

Earlier I stopped at a small Husqvarna dealer where I bought my chainsaw to get a sawchain, he had a couple smaller trimers, said he could get the model I wanted in a couple days, but I wasn't quite sure of which one I wanted, he didn't even have pictures, gave me a model number and price, said go look it up online, well that's ok if I know what I want, but I want to look at it up close, hold it in my hand, and I want it NOW, while I'm out and about.
I could of gone 20-30 mi. somewhere else to look at a Husqvarna mod I was thinking of, earlier in the week I even sent them an email, "do you have one, price etc, they replied said YES we have the HUSQ, mod. you want" but they didn't give me price, news flash, if your going to play pricing games, you play with
someone else.

Lastly, after I put few hrs on the SRM-2620u, I'll give a full honest NON BIAS review.

 

[whitexc]

I have all Echo 2 stroke power tools - straight shaft line trimmer, hedge trimmer, blower and now looking at a pole saw. I think for the price they are great and just require the typical maintenance that all the tools require. Late summer and heading into fall I run Top Fuel premix due to it's shelf life but during spring and summer when I am running them often I mix 91 non-ethanol with some Amsoil (laying around from those almost useless snowmobiles I love to hate!). Good luck with the new tool - let us know how it works.

 

[Rustyiron]

Oldpath, I use a 10"-12" carbide blade from a mitre box, I had to punch out the arbor hole to fit my Stihl brush cutter, but I've bounced it off a few of our Maine rocks and it still zings right through 2" saplings. Same blade for at least 5 years.

 

[ultrarunner]

35 years on the Echo SRM 300 Brush Cutter... figure about a 1000 hours and no engine of shaft problems... do need to keep the spark arrestor clean...

Mostly I use the heavy line with a Takata Brain... it is self feeding and works wonders... also have blades when needed.

 

[LD1]

Straight shaft and solid driveshaft (not the one that looks like a drain snake). Bolt on a circular saw blade.

 

[Oldpath05]

Oldpath, I use a 10"-12" carbide blade from a mitre box, I had to punch out the arbor hole to fit my Stihl brush cutter, but I've bounced it off a few of our Maine rocks and it still zings right through 2" saplings. Same blade for at least 5 years.

Maine rocks, 15 minutes of use I ding a rock, didn't cut so good after that. I was in such a hurry to use the brush cutter yesterday before the rain got here I just started wacking, maybe if the sun was out I could've seen the rock better even tho it wasn't that big it dulled the blade. Before I use it again gonna try filing it, at $27.00/blade, I'll watch out for rocks better. I thought that price was high till I looked it up>>>.
Echo 22 Tooth Saw Blade 1in 25mm Arbor Lawn Mower Replacement Part, New | eBay <<<<<<<<Ouch, do them miter blades you mention come in 8"? my arbor hole is 25mm or 1" which ever comes first.

 

[Rustyiron]

Figuring that the chop saw blade was fairly hard, I used a 1" die in the iron worker and "eye balled" the center and punched it out. My trimmer is an old FS-90 that also is about 30 years old (time fly's) and the blades that came with it were no where near 10". The chop saw blade was old and not good enough for trim work anymore and it was really just an experiment, that worked. The big blade sit's below the plastic guarding so clearance was not a problem and the blade develops a decent bit of inertia when wound up and will damnear spin you in circles on bigger stems.:laughing:
I've got a pretty red Freud 60 tooth waiting in the wings :thumbsup:

 

[Oldpath05]

I can tell a few things after a little use, first the neg. The harness waist buckle is no good, spent 1/2 hr trying to keep it looped around my waist, that will be changed to a better buckle of some sort, something thats adjustable quick and holds. But the buckle that hooks on the cutter is good and quick.

One thing I also notice is this cutter is designed for people are 5'-8" to 6' tall. At 5'-5" I got this thing buckled up around my armpit, I'll try sliding the handle bar and center hitch down a couple inches see what happens, if that doesn't work out, go to plan B. The book says length is 70.8" dont know what they measure from but I measured 67" from center of Blade Housing to the end of starter housing. But the balancing hitch point measurement is what I think is important, from BH to hitch point, I measure 51-1/4", for my height I think that should be 6" shorter and still balance, the only way I can do that is add weight near the BH.

Couple positive things, it starts great, not that loud, the blade is louder than the motor when cutting wooded brush. The handlebar can be moved easy for transport. It has 21 ounce fuel tank, nice. 25 ccs is plenty for 1 brush, but it will cut 3" with a few swipes.

 

[Wagtail]

You need something that will run a blade, and not a grass blade. Pick one of these (or an equivalent model of a different brand):

STIHL Brush Cutters - Professional/Homeowner Use Brushcutters and Clearing Saws | STIHL USA

You definitely need the bicycle bars on a brush cutter due to the torque of the blade.

Agree with Pappy. I have a Stihl, straight shaft, 'bicycle' handles with a harness that buckles across my chest. It came with an interchangeable 3-point solid blade, which I need due to the proliferation of (bloody ) bracken.

The solid 3-point blade works great! (DEATH to Bracken!)

The chest-harness and 'bicycle' handles practically eliminate hand-numbing & debilitating vibration.

As a disclaimer, I bought a Stihl because my one-and-only local 'mower' shop only stocks them; no other reputable brands available in town & it's a 2 hour trip into the "Big Smoke".

 

[whitexc]

Anyone try these....?

NEW 8" BRUSH CUTTER TRIMMER BLADE 22 TOOTH 1" or 2mm arbor FREE SHIPPING

 

[Rustyiron]

After using the carbide chop saw blade, I'd call that a notch or edge, not a tooth. It's cheap enough to try though.:confused3:

 

[Oldpath05]

Anyone try these....?

NEW 8" BRUSH CUTTER TRIMMER BLADE 22 TOOTH 1" or 2mm arbor FREE SHIPPING

I saw that one, probably a Chinese knock off. The Echo brand blade is the one I bought with my brush cutter, it says made in Japan, guess the Japanese workers get paid a lot more than the Chinese workers, or maybe when the name Echo is on the blade it cost more and I thought Echo was a cheap brand, not after seeing the price on these brush cutter blades.

Looking at my brush cutter today I noticed it said (Assembled in the USA), didn't say where the parts came from, probably Japan, wonder if it's ethical or politically correct to put a Chinese blade on a Japanese brush cutter, from a distance they both look the same to me.