Lets talk hedge trimmers.

[artie]

I've got a hedge about 75m long which I can no longer get tractor access to.

The tractor does one side, top and top 600mm or so of the other side.

I have no experience with hedge trimmers except a corded B&D one about 40 years ago, which was pretty useless.

I expect a petrol one would be best don't fancy such a long cable.

 

[flying haggis]

Stihl kombi long reach hedge trimmer

 

[eribaMotters]

Our second home had about 30m of privet at the front, 1.5m high and 15m privet at the back 2m+. I managed this easily with a 600mm Bosch electric trimmer. I used to do the front inside, top and outside every couple of weeks in a little over an hour.
I'm guessing you are not managing an easy cut privet and your heights will be greater than I had. Access to mains for one 75m run would also be an issue. You've guessed correctly and will have to go petrol so why not look at what the trade use. Stihl also spring to mind as my first choice.

Colin

 

[doctor Bob]

I have a stihl to do a 100m hedge, do it 3 times a year. Hard work but the stihl has been great, I have a single sided 30" cutter.

 

[rob1693]

Stihl do battery powered ones now too the landscapers who work the properties I work on has switched most of their gear to these now pricey though

 

[clogs]

just go for a Japanese Echo or Robin or Honda...(Honda have just started to sell strimmers in Europe now)..the modern Sthil's are not as good as they used to be.....
I used to buy only Sthil but no more, ever.....
my Echo starts first time everytime even after a 6 month lay over....I have 3 of their producct and all are good.....

I know someone who's been very happy with a long reach trimer from Lidil.....his hedge is as big as yours....

our big ol hedge 3m plus highx 40mL....used to lay old tarps down for the trimmings and used the car and trailer to make the cuts..
the trailer had a small scaff tower ratchet'd down...the wife would just tow me along as nec.....we did this for 16 years.....

 

[ian33a]

I also have a Stihl. Mine is electric but I think that the petrol version is probably better balanced and suitable for your needs.

One big consideration is balance/weight: all very well having a monster of a cutter but if it's heavy to move around most users will quickly tire. My Stihl has a strap which you can put around your neck and attach at most points along the tool. In so doing, the tool pivots and the weight is taken by the users torso rather than their arms and the arms simply guide the tool up and down.

I also have a Bosch trimmer (well several to be truthful) and the longest one seems ideal because you can cut a lot of material in a single sweep. The problem is that it quickly gets heavy and hard work.

I tend to use the Stihl to remove the bulk of material and a small Bosch for the fine work (as it has a fine cutter and is very light).

 

[TRITON]

Stihl do battery powered ones now too the landscapers who work the properties I work on has switched most of their gear to these now pricey though

I've one of these (Stihl HSA 26) and was going to suggest it until i saw the length of hedge. It's only got an 8" bar.
It's actually not bad and ive cut my 30' of hedge twice skimming it for new growth and only used one bar out of 5 on the power meter.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Stihl kombi long reach hedge trimmer

I have one of these, strimmer and lopping saw attachments too. I also have the extension bar. Our hedge is about 120m long and gets up to 4m high. It’s also about 3m thick. I cut it once a year and trim it once or twice in between. The only problem with the setup is the weight. It’s a big beast to be wielding on the top of a 2m step ladder. It’s not a task I look forward to but the cutter is certainly up to the job having the lopper chain saw is a great addition if you need to tackle a larger branch.

 

[Tris]

If you don't want to sell a kidney to buy a Stihl then you won't go wrong with an Efco or Oleo-mac (both made by Emak in Italy). I used an Efco for fifteen years contracting and it ran brilliantly until the ignition module packed up. I'm on my second one now, 8 years and counting.
Be aware there is a difference between a hedge cutter and a hedge trimmer. Cutter has wider blade spacing and runs slower, also teeth are sharpened on three sides. Trimmer has closer set teeth and runs faster, teeth sharpened in two sides, it's ideal for box, privet and yew but you want a cutter for mixed stuff like hawthorn unless you plan doing it every other week.

Just noticed Clogs recommended Echo, that's another good choice

 

[RichardG]

Be cautious about the weight, I.e. try it. I have a Makita 2 stroke pole trimmer and it’s excellent, the blades are well tempered and cuts extremely cleanly. However, it’s top heavy and you definitely need your Weetabix to use it for any length of time.

 

[Torx]

On the Stihl models, there are different blades, ie., rough and fine cut. I have the rough one which is great for hornbeam / leylandii etc., but not as good for privet unless you really want to hack it back.

 

[hairy]

I've had a Stihl Kombi KM130R since I think 2007? Strimmer, hedge cutter, small chainsaw, extensions and the best bit is the leaf blower
It's a four stroke engine running two stroke fuel and doesn't smoke like I used to think 2 strokes had to?
Flipping awesome thing, but pricey.

 

[MARK.B.]

I have the Stihl HS45 , works great for me, reasonably light/easy to start.

 

[harry the b]

I have Stihl combi setup..only ever had one problem faulty spark plug.. replaced by dealer under warranty..10 years on and still cutting a 3mtr X 40mtr conifer hedge..

 

[marcros]

I have a makita petrol one, which I was given by my dad. it hasn't missed a beat, seems well balanced and easy to control. Were it not for being given it I would probably have gone for a stihl because my other garden kit is that, but I would certainly consider Makita based on this trimmer.

 

[Noel]

Tanaka long reach trimmer would be my choice. Easily handles 100m plus of 2/3 metre high Hawthorn and Escallonia .
Have a Stihl with 1m blade and an ancient Jonsered, which is still going well.

 

[HamsterJam]

Whatever you get please don’t try to catch them I f you drop them!!!
A couple of weeks ago my lad thought he would help by cutting the hedge while we were away. Unfortunately he dropped the hedge cutters and caught them by the blade.
Luckily although 25 odd years old, they are decent brand with an almost instant stop feature so he kept his fingers.
Thank god the neighbours are good at first aid
(He’s banned from the workshop)

 

[dickm]

If the hedge is more than a couple of metres high, borrow a tripod ladder. Just borrowed one from a friend to prune our "orchard", and it makes an enormous difference to speed and safety. It's possible you can hire one, but failed to find anywhere with one near Aberdeen, and they aren't cheap.

 

[D_W]

don't know the height. I have two:
1) stihl hs45, which is a "home owner" version of a pro trimmer. It's been good to me (has the 0.75" large finger severing cutters and not the tiny homeowner kind that are more common in box stores here. I don't remember the designation of the "pro" version. Mine is about a dozen years old.

2) a large chinese combi machine that's 52CC and was cheap as dirt. It's also super heavy - it can be made to be three segments long plus hedge trimmer and is a real man's tool when it's that long with as much weight on the end. Not that sharp as arrived, heavy and fatiguing, relatively slow oscillating on the head (which is kind of annoying), but I'll give it credit - over 3 years, it's worked fine and was $160 shipped in the US (also is a string trimmer, brush cutter, and pole chainsaw). It's overpowered probably by a factor of two - I figured it wouldn't be 52cc and wouldn't have the 3.something horsepower it claims. It's just a transferred chainsaw engine and when used as a string trimmer, a blip of the throttle and there's bare dirt. Unstoppable - and ungainly to use for hedges.

tanaka and echo and shindaiwa (I believe at least some have been subject to merger and can be different colored versions of another name) are sold here, and husqvarna's non-chainsaw power equipment has taken some hold. All of it is considered a little substandard to stihl, but all is good if the dealer is good.