Branches on the hedge too thick for my hedge trimmer. Now what?

[JEDI]

my hedge is over 6' tall and I cant see over it.
I want to cut 2' off but my Black and Decker hedge trimmer cant cut through the thick branches.

any suggestions?

 

[Sgt. York]

Chainsaw.

 

[herm0016]

loppers.

 

[highland145]

herm0016 and you could thin them out 2' down and let them fill in before you cut the rest... winter coming here so your season may vary.

 

[herm0016]

Hell, if he was close to me i would give him a hand. chain saw and loppers are ready for work! ill even bring the tractor w/front end loader if his yard is big enough for it.

 

[mindless1]

Hands down a cordless sawzall (reciprocating saw). They make aggressively toothed, fast cutting pruning blades for them, but for landscaping where anyone would see it, I prefer the smoother cut of a regular wood blade, or thicker "demo" (demolition) blade if it's > 9" to reduce the chance of kinking.

Loppers are too slow, make a worse cut, have smaller diameter limits and lesser access to tight spaces due to needing to swing the handles in and out. Chainsaw is overkill unless the limb is over ~ 4" diameter, or 2-3" and you have several to cut, and doesn't get into tight spaces either. Then again if you're just giving it a haircut, reducing the total height, the access to tight spaces doesn't matter so much because you can cut from the outside in.

 

[lxskllr]

Chainsaws suck at a certain diameter/type of branch. It just bends them away, and doesn't make a good cut. I have some bushes that are too big for my hedge trimmers, but too floppy for a chainsaw. Been thinking about trying one of these for one of my bars...

16" CLIP-N-TRIM - G116B | Granberg International

Slides spring fingers under bar stud nuts and tighten nose-end bolt (hole may have to be drilled). Can be used to trim branches up to 1” thick.

granberg.com

or maybe making something myself...

 

[JEDI]

Hands down a cordless sawzall (reciprocating saw). They make aggressively toothed, fast cutting pruning blades for them, but for landscaping where anyone would see it, I prefer the smoother cut of a regular wood blade, or thicker "demo" (demolition) blade if it's > 9" to reduce the chance of kinking.

Loppers are too slow, make a worse cut, have smaller diameter limits and lesser access to tight spaces due to needing to swing the handles in and out. Chainsaw is overkill unless the limb is over ~ 4" diameter, or 2-3" and you have several to cut, and doesn't get into tight spaces either. Then again if you're just giving it a haircut, reducing the total height, the access to tight spaces doesn't matter so much because you can cut from the outside in.

my hedge is 6' tall and 2' wide.
they make sawzall blades 2' long?! (I have a sawzall but the blade that came with it is a 6" wood blade)

hm.. 9" pruning blades (5 tpi)

9 in. 5 TPI Reciprocating Saw Pruning Blades, 5 Pack

Amazing deals on this 9In 5Tpi Pruning Recip Blade 5Pc at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[JEDI]

you could thin them out 2' down and let them fill in before you cut the rest... winter coming here so your season may vary.

thin them out? you mean just cut what i can with the hedge trimmer then switch to loppers?

what do you mean let them fill in???

 

[mindless1]

my hedge is 6' tall and 2' wide.
they make sawzall blades 2' long?! (I have a sawzall but the blade that came with it is a 6" wood blade)

hm.. 9" pruning blades (5 tpi)

9 in. 5 TPI Reciprocating Saw Pruning Blades, 5 Pack

Amazing deals on this 9In 5Tpi Pruning Recip Blade 5Pc at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Why would you need a 2' blade? There's your arms and the narrow saw profile to get to where you need to cut. Each branch too thick to cut with the hedge trimmer is cut individually, not a pass over the entire depth at once like you'd do with a hedge trimmer. Cut them back shorter so they fill in next spring. Depending on the hedge type you might leave 50% of what's there.

Most of my shrubs were 2' deep by the time the limbs were thick enough that a hedge trimmer wouldn't work, after they'd been there and trimmed back a few times already.

 

[highland145]

thin them out? you mean just cut what i can with the hedge trimmer then switch to loppers?

what do you mean let them fill in???

In the bush, thin out some of the large branches. Wait a month or so for those to sprout new growth and fill in. Then cut the rest. That way your bushes won't look like a scene from the Texas chain saw massacre.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I just did this. Mine had grown to over 6' tall and about 4' wide at the top where they spread out. I got tired of trying to balance on a ladder using a long hedge trimmer on an extension pole.

Went at them with loppers and cut them to about 3' or less, all 150' or more of length along the road. Looks like crap now, but they should sprout and fill back in nicely come Spring. They'll send out a billion shoots off the stubs and should leaf out nice. Those thin shoots will cut easily in the hedge trimmers.

Plan is to maintain them at about 4-5' or more or less what I can reach straight out over while standing on the ground. Articulating Trimmer I have can angle down, so I can trim the outer edge from inside just by reaching over.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

In the bush, thin out some of the large branches. Wait a month or so for those to sprout new growth and fill in. Then cut the rest. That way your bushes won't look like a scene from the Texas chain saw massacre.

Nawh, I whacked'em all off. Clean start.

 

[highland145]

Nawh, I whacked'em all off. Clean start.

That works too but the wife isn't so understanding.

 

[NutBucket]

Loppers are too slow, make a worse cut, have smaller diameter limits and lesser access to tight spaces due to needing to swing the handles in and out.

Uh, assuming you're not trying to cut something too big the loppers produce a cleaner cut as it should slice through the branch in one smooth motion.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

^^ Yeah, my loppers do around an inch and a half, nice and clean.


“They’ll take over the whole hedge row in a reign of terror. . . .
Today’s snippin's are tomorrow’s hedges.
I say this calls for action and now.
Whack 'em off!
First sign of hedges goin’ wrong, you got to whack em off. . . .
Whack it. You go read any book you want on the subject of hedge trimmin' and you’ll find that every one of them is in favor of em off whackin’.”
–Deputy Trim Hedger




.

 

[herm0016]

speaking of... what do you guys like for hedges? i live in CO, so must be cold hardy. i have about 250 feet of lilacs right now that need some serious cleaning out.

 

[BoomerD]

speaking of... what do you guys like for hedges? i live in CO, so must be cold hardy. i have about 250 feet of lilacs right now that need some serious cleaning out.

Lilacs are good for 3 season privacy hedges, but not so much during the colder months. Boxwoods make great hedges, and are pretty cold hardy.

 

[highland145]

Effing hate trimming hedges. Just paid my nephew $250 to trim everything. Would have taken most of a day for me.

That being said, loropetalums. I'm in S.C.

edit: Zone 7, might not work for you.

 

[herm0016]

lol, yea we are 5b or 5a. -20 degrees. zone 7 is above 0.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

speaking of... what do you guys like for hedges?

The closest row and one mostly lopped down is just a Privet Hedge. The get nekkid in Winter and can be seen through easily. Hence the outer row added later .... wild cedar I dug up and transplanted. They stay green all year and are quite prickly. There are also a few Rose of Sharon and a couple of Quince in there for color/effect.

 

[mindless1]

Uh, assuming you're not trying to cut something too big the loppers produce a cleaner cut as it should slice through the branch in one smooth motion.

Only if the branch is sticking out where you have good access to it at a right angle to cut.

Sometimes shrubs do need cut back chainsaw massacre size, it's either that or dig them all up and plant new small ones.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

^^ That's why I cut mine so low. Branches were thicker with fewer shoots and leaves. Up top they were very dense. From down low, I could cut one branch and take out what seemed like half the bush above. Still took me the better part of three days to get them all cut off and moved.

 

[lxskllr]

Arborvitae Emerald Green

Fuck boxwood

 

[BoomerD]

Arborvitae Emerald Green

Fuck boxwood

I'd love to plant arborvitae here...but the stuff is like crack for deer...within days, it would be gone.