I'm looking for a good, lightweight brush chainsaw. My wife and I bought an acreage a couple of years ago, and parts of it are overgrown with a non-native/very invasive brush (European Buckthorn). Most of it is only about 1" in diameter. The really large ones may be up to 3" in diameter. I currently own a Husky 455 Rancher, and love it, but it's pretty heavy, for doing this job.
Suggestions welcome!!
SwampDonkey will probably chime in here, he has experience with brush saws. (Think weed-eaters with a saw blade) Sounds like it would work better for you than a chainsaw, a lot less bending over.
I have no experience with saw blades on weed eaters, but it does sound like a lot less bending over. I have a Shindaiwa T261 trimmer. Would that work?
Any other suggestions?
i just bought a stihl brush saw the smallest they make i thinks is an r55 or somethin like that and it cuts good and was under $400
You may be able to find adapters to put a brush saw blade on your trimmer.
Brush blades should not be used on loop handle style trimmers. Too easy to get hurt, the operator cannot control the machine in the event of kick back.
Don't try that work with a chainsaw, your back will hate you for it. Also, there is a high risk of the chain jumping if a twig gets caught between it and the bar. Don't ask how I know. ::)
Trust me, if you attempt that job with a chainsaw you'll be finished before the first acre is cut out. You will be a lot more productive with a brush saw in your hands. Keep a sharp blade and you will be amazed at how much ground you can cover. You can pick up a 15 degree sharpening guide with your files. I have the top end Stihl, the FS550, but for your sized wood I would go smaller unless your going to be faced with a lot of stems over 3" (up to 6") on the but. Maybe a mid range around 40 cc would be a good idea in that case. A FS550 is around $1200 bucks. Now if you have a straight shaft weed eater you might be able to use a blade, but I think you'll end up beating the shaft and clutch out of it. Doesn't have the torque to get the job done. Fine for raspberry and red osier dogwoods, but not hardwood and large shrubs.
I tried chainsaw thinning once, 4 days to cut one acre and that was 8 hr days. Enough of that none-sense. :D :D
Been trimming some of my plantation the last couple days, about 3 acres cut in 11 hours of work. ;D
I have the same type of situation with buckthorn that you do. I have a Stihl brush saw that works great. I use the stihl blade that can be sharpened with a chain saw file. Talk to a Stihl dealer before you make a decision