Brushcutter Advice

[Sopwell]

I have about 1/2 an acre that requires ongoing brushcutting/strimming, some brambles, some woodland areas, some grass edging, river banks etc.  Currently have an Einhell 25cc petrol brushcutter which I'm guessing isn't powerful enough for the blade attachment (Oregon Mulching Blade) as the vibrations make it completely unusable.  Can anyone tell me - are the vibrations because I need a bigger engine (would a 52cc make a big difference?) or does this not matter?   Any recommendations for upgrading/advice I would really appreciate. Thanks.

[Doug Tait]

Are you sure the mulching blade is fitted correctly? If it isn't centered it'll cause vibrations.

 

I've used an fs100 which is 30cc to do all the work you mention so I doubt engine size matters much. I'd check the blade is balanced first, or see if it vibrates with a different head fitted.

[gand]

Check that everything is sat centre first then try it again. If you want to get a new one try the fs 240, 37cc engine. It can take metal cutting heads, the duro cut and the standard tap feed head. It's about £500 + the dreaded 

[doobin]

You need anti vibe on the strimmer. Might as well up it to an fs460 and have the power too. 
 

also the cheap one you currently use probably has a flexible drive shaft which will snap first time you give it real use. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by doobin

[Stubby]

As Doobin says you need anti vibe springs .  So a bigger , more refined pro type strimmer/brush cutter is required .  My choice would be the Husqvarna  RX  series . 45cc or 55cc jobs but any of the top brand pro type machines .

Edited April 7, 2021 by Stubby

[Guest Gimlet]

I killed a 25cc Echo cutter with an Oregon mulching blade. That size of engine is not man enough, you need 40cc.

 

I bought a Stiga with a 44cc Kawasaki engine. Waste of £400.  Don't bother. Typically lousy Chinese build quality and poor design.

 

The handlebar clamp was never any good from day one. The bars are always shifting and now (two years old) it's unusable as the splines on the clamp have worn away entirely as it's pure monkey metal. Chocolate splines would have lasted longer. 

The engine so far is ok but if it was built under license in a Chinese factory I doubt it'll last very long.  Even the harness began to fall apart on the first day and now it's got repairs everywhere. The stitching unravels, webbing frays and snaps and the plastic buckles break like twigs.

Buy European or genuine Japanese. Chinese crap is a false economy. I should have bought a Husqvarna in the first place.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Gimlet

[Mark Carter]

The Stihl FS460 is the way to go with a mulch blade, We have about 40 of them working with customers and they take a proper pounding. If you cannot stretch to new, buy a good used one. The FS240 shaft wasn't really man enough for the engine power, hence doesn't seem to be a big seller

[doobin]

31 minutes ago, Mark Carter said:

The Stihl FS460 is the way to go with a mulch blade, We have about 40 of them working with customers and they take a proper pounding. If you cannot stretch to new, buy a good used one. The FS240 shaft wasn't really man enough for the engine power, hence doesn't seem to be a big seller

Agree, my FS460s are up to seven years old and have been worked hard. Not much goes wrong with them.

 

The 490 on the other hand is a disappointment. More weight, not much more power, and noticeably worse anti vibes. Best avoided and step straight up to a 560 if you really need that kind of horsepower.

Edited April 10, 2021 by doobin

[Conor Wright]

I had an Active strimmer which served me well. They have daft model names though, mine was a "big 4.5" 

Couldn't fault it, bought it in a hurry after my stihl fs360 was stolen. That was a good machine too...

Bought an echo split shaft brush cutter/edger and to be honest I'm not that impressed with it, all revs and no grunt. On balance I'd recommend stihl, closely followed by Active.

[miker]

as said before, 40cc plus