DirtyComanche Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Who has experience with brush saws? Backstory: Some local guys want to host an off-road event, and we need to clear out some old trails to do this. In this region we get a lot of alder and poplar that will spring up in a hurry anywhere below about 5000' elevation, so anything that isn't driven on every year tends to start to grow in and then eventually disappear. This stuff is often pretty thick and twisted, mostly it will be only 1/2" to 3/4" diameter, but sometimes it will be up to 3" or so. For the big stuff a chainsaw works nice and quick. For the smaller stuff it tends to catch your chain and rip it off. Sometimes we'd just cut the big stuff and then drive over the small stuff, if you do that a few times it tends to break it enough that it dies for a few years, but this isn't as good long term as cutting it off at the ground. How thick of stuff can a mid range brush saw go through? Something like a Stihl FS131 or Husqvarna 336FR? These are both about $650-700 CAD. Does the Milwaukee M18 version (Quik-Loc trimmer with the brush cutter head) perform similarly to the mid range gas units? I have the 16" chainsaw and use it for cutting the larger brush normally, but it has impressed me in it's ability to cut 1' to 2' diameter logs for firewood, etc. I'm I stuck buying a $1400 Husky 545FX (or similar) to actually have a less painful experience with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 Boring video that shows how bad it can be, well, actually it's worse in a lot of places: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep_Rat Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Can't help you much on saw brands since have only ever had many Sachs-Dolmar saws not, made anymore. But any reliable saw with semi-chisel chain and a short bar should be work well. Ran brush clearing outfit for years. Lighter smaller saws with a case help. Maybe paint or spray stumps to prevent regrowth. Forced to choose... Husky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head which model I was using, but it was one of the smaller ones out of the trail crew’s arsenal... the one they loaned out. Went through pretty well anything as long as the blade had enough depth to cut that far. Just took longer for bigger things. Anything it wouldn’t handle was getting to the point you were felling trees and you’d want different equipment anyhow. Just make sure you’re not shoving the blade into the dirt, just like a saw it goes dull in a hurry. The brush saw is a bigger implement to carry around compared to a chain saw. Takes up a lot of space in a vehicle. We usually would chip all the debris to avoid leaving tangled messes of dry fuel along the edge of the bush, but that’s getting to an awkward amount of landscaping equipment on a wheeling trip. Where we could we had a brush mower on a skidsteer. That thing would mulch 2” diameter trees, but it left a hell of a mess behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 I picked up this Husqvarna 232R at an estate auction about 5 years ago for about $30. It has a steel blade rather than trimmer string. It powers through smaller stuff up to about 1". I've been really happy with it, until this past summer it's started to get hard to start. I had sticker shock when I priced a new one. But if you have property to maintain, it really is a workhorse/time saver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WranglerMangler Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 I use these around the house and for clearing trails. They’re good for stuff up to 2-2.5”. Have yet to find anything it can’t cut through, that will fit in the jaws. A much lighter option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 17 hours ago, schardein said: I picked up this Husqvarna 232R at an estate auction about 5 years ago for about $30. It has a steel blade rather than trimmer string. It powers through smaller stuff up to about 1". I've been really happy with it, until this past summer it's started to get hard to start. I had sticker shock when I priced a new one. But if you have property to maintain, it really is a workhorse/time saver. If you can find a blade for it with more cutting teeth you’ll have a better time. Hard starting likely just means the carb needs a cleaning. Or just replace it, sometimes it can get tough to get everything out of all the little passageways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 23 hours ago, Jeep_Rat said: Can't help you much on saw brands since have only ever had many Sachs-Dolmar saws not, made anymore. But any reliable saw with semi-chisel chain and a short bar should be work well. Ran brush clearing outfit for years. Lighter smaller saws with a case help. Maybe paint or spray stumps to prevent regrowth. Forced to choose... Husky. I take a bigger Husky saw (I forget what it is, a 562XPG or something, way nicer and way more saw than I should own), and generally don't use it. The Milwaukee M18 one gets used 95% of the time because it's instant start/stop. Either way you run into the issue that the scrubby stuff tends to just pack up in them and throw your chain off. I'm not sure if I'm doing anything wrong that leads to that (chain tension is some sort of debate akin to religion or how to cook a steak), but everyone I've been out with has it happen too and considers it to be normal. 23 hours ago, gogmorgo said: I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head which model I was using, but it was one of the smaller ones out of the trail crew’s arsenal... the one they loaned out. Went through pretty well anything as long as the blade had enough depth to cut that far. Just took longer for bigger things. Anything it wouldn’t handle was getting to the point you were felling trees and you’d want different equipment anyhow. Just make sure you’re not shoving the blade into the dirt, just like a saw it goes dull in a hurry. The brush saw is a bigger implement to carry around compared to a chain saw. Takes up a lot of space in a vehicle. We usually would chip all the debris to avoid leaving tangled messes of dry fuel along the edge of the bush, but that’s getting to an awkward amount of landscaping equipment on a wheeling trip. Where we could we had a brush mower on a skidsteer. That thing would mulch 2” diameter trees, but it left a hell of a mess behind. This isn't going to be pretty landscaping at all, it's just trying to make it passable enough that you can drive through it, and hopefully enough people keep driving on it to stop it from encroaching for a few years. Some of the terrain is rather nasty too (half the point), so something lighter might be better anyway. It's good to know that a more mid-grade version worked fine, since they're half the price of a pro one. The space it takes up isn't a big deal, I'd be taking it only with the intention of doing this, basically as long as it fits somewhat okay in the back of the XJ (without a rear seat) it's not bad. If I had to strap it to the roof rack and unstrap it constantly it would get old. I might want to measure one or test fit it first though. 19 hours ago, schardein said: I picked up this Husqvarna 232R at an estate auction about 5 years ago for about $30. It has a steel blade rather than trimmer string. It powers through smaller stuff up to about 1". I've been really happy with it, until this past summer it's started to get hard to start. I had sticker shock when I priced a new one. But if you have property to maintain, it really is a workhorse/time saver. That's a steal of a deal. I've been looking for a used one, this probably isn't the time of year to buy one though, and no dice so far, save for (very nice) used pro grade stuff for 80-90% of new. 18 hours ago, WranglerMangler said: I use these around the house and for clearing trails. They’re good for stuff up to 2-2.5”. Have yet to find anything it can’t cut through, that will fit in the jaws. A much lighter option. I have a set of similar ones and actually planned to buy a bigger version (you can get them up to about 40") to do the one off trees/branches quickly. No starting anything, or even pulling the chainsaw out of it's holder, just hop out and lop off the offending piece of tree. The sheer amount we need to clear makes them unsuitable for anything more than that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 One guy swears by using pro-grade hedge trimmers. I'm not sure if that's a great idea because we're trying to cut everything off low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Hedge trimmers will work for stuff that would cause problems for a saw, but they only do so much against things bigger than the gap between the teeth. If you’re doing a larger patch, the brush saw will also be a lot safer than a chain saw or hedge trimmer. Especially if you’re wearing a harness for it. You’re basically just steering it at that point. Compared to having to bend down to carry the saw around, running the risk of catching the tip on something and probably with a grip that won’t smack the chain brake when it bucks at you. Seat down a brush saw should fit in the back of an XJ. The big thing is it’s long, and the hand grips make it wide, and they catch on everything else you also have in the back, and one end of the thing that tangles itself up in everything else is pointy, and the other is hot and maybe dribbles gas if you’re not paying attention. They’re not bad, just a little awkward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Roger dodger. For me bending down for longer than a few minutes is a problem in it's own anyway, so it solidly looks like the brush saw is the best tool for the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep_Rat Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 The trick to cutting small stuff is to rev the saw right BEFORE hitting it Also, since tiny stumps don't hurt tires, no need to cut too low and risk rocking the chain. Throwing the chain indicates bar and chain wear. Helps to keep chain adjusted to hang about an eighth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russel730 Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 I've used this kit on my Echo string trimmer with much success. https://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-8-in-8-Tooth-Brush-Blade-Conversion-Kit-20-mm-99944200422/100675438 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted February 11, 2023 Author Share Posted February 11, 2023 At this point I'm going to keep watching the classifieds and try to find a used professional version. Failing that, buy the Stihl/Husky I put in the OP. Talking to more people about it, the consensus is you will kill anything less than that in short order. Also, if I have a good one, I can lend it out and avoid having to use it myself as much. I'm not the only guy who wants to clear these trails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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