Stihl FS 490: what brushcutter head?

[treesnakey]

Buying one of these badboys shortly. Ive got a lot of Black thorn whips and brambles to go through.

 

Any advice would be good.

[Charlieh]

Shredder blade will deal with the blackthorn no problem and then do a very tidy job on the brambles.

 

I use the stihl shredder blades as I have found this to hold up to more abuse than the orgeon one which seems to be made of fairly soft steel

 

Here is a link Stihl shredder knife 270mm strimmer/brushcutter blade | F R Jones and Son

[doobin]

Don't forget the guard for the shredder knife. Pricey but could save a lot of pain!

 

As an aside, how are you getting on with the 490? I have a pair of 460s and the engines are superb but the driveshaft is the weak point. Doesn't break but develops vibration.

[TreeswingerPerth]

I run an FS500 , the shredder blade is the one you want . Also agree with Charlieh , I find the Stihl blades are better than the Oregons . Get yourself a set of those shin gaurds , I got whacked by some flying bit of ?? Last summer , had a lump on my shin like an egg .

TS

[doobin]

I run an FS500 , the shredder blade is the one you want . Also agree with Charlieh , I find the Stihl blades are better than the Oregons . Get yourself a set of those shin gaurds , I got whacked by some flying bit of ?? Last summer , had a lump on my shin like an egg .

TS

 

Do you run the proper Stihl shredder knife guard? It's designed to give you a lot more protection especially when mulching bushes from the top down. I've never had a problem using mine, touch wood.

[raker]

Slightly different angle on it, but i use one of these:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBNzUm5iZ1Q]Oregon Flexiblade & Jet-Fit Trimmer Head from baileysonline.com - YouTube[/ame]

 

Up against a mate with his brushknife, the oregon shreds.I can clear considerably more ground than he can in the same time.

[TreeswingerPerth]

Do you run the proper Stihl shredder knife guard? It's designed to give you a lot more protection especially when mulching bushes from the top down. I've never had a problem using mine, touch wood.

 

I do now , found out the painful way !! I thought I'd be ok with just the mowing guard .

TS

[doobin]

Slightly different angle on it, but i use one of these:

 

Up against a mate with his brushknife, the oregon shreds.I can clear considerably more ground than he can in the same time.

 

The Stihl brush knife is cack- the shredder blade is where it's at- this is the one with the little downturned wings. Much longer than a normal brush knife.

 

Note to all- always buy the largest shredder knife. it's momentum that works these bad boy and and FS400 is more than man enough for the blade meant for the FS550. Mounting hole diameter is the same. They can also be used on smaller machines such as the FS130 by flipping the mounting plate over the drive head. Also make sure your operators know to use that momentum, and rev it when neccessary. Not flat out all the time.

 

If you must insist upon using the Flexi blade, then the medium stuff will feed from a bump feed head if you drill the insert hole out slightly. I can't see the point in that bloody stupid Oregon head- you're either throwing most of it away and reloading when it gets a bit short, or your letting it run even shorter and not utilising the machine to it's full extent

 

If you think you need the thickest FlexiBlade, then your wrong. You actually need a real blade.

 

Hope this helps!

[raker]

I`ll take it from that glowing endorsement of the flexiblade that you dont like it:laugh1:However for the application the op said:brambles and whips,it can clear a lot of ground.

If the larger diameter strips cant cope, then i`ll stick a metal blade on, but this will be for thicker stems, saplings and the like.

[doobin]

I`ll take it from that glowing endorsement of the flexiblade that you dont like it:laugh1:However for the application the op said:brambles and whips,it can clear a lot of ground.

If the larger diameter strips cant cope, then i`ll stick a metal blade on, but this will be for thicker stems, saplings and the like.

 

I just can't stand the amount of wasted cord. I also can't stand not using a machine to it's full potential, ie. with the cord a bit short. Which is why when I used flexiblade it went in a bump feed head.

 

A sharp shredder blade will give a much cleaner finish on brambles and especially whips, which can be tough.

 

Have to say, if the application is on the borderline between blade and cord, then the Stihl 4-way head with red cord in provides a good balance of acceleration and durability. Oh, and value for money on the cord compared to flexiblade...