Echo pole saw with hedge cutter attachment

[drosa2004]

Hello everyone

I have a telescopic Sthil polesaw but I was told that you cannot attach a hedge cutter blade to the end but with an Echo polesaw it is possible. Has anyone used one of these and are they any good?

 

Cheers guys

[Shane]

You can attach a cutter to the telescopic shaft of a stihl BUT there is an issue.

The chainsaw attachment (so I am told) has a clutch which will release pressure from the shaft if the chain locks on something. the engine/drive system on the telescopic pole therefore has no clutch built in.

 

The cutter head is designed to run on a machine with a clutch at the engine end, so if you run a cutter on a telescopic pole there is no clutch anywhere in the drive train.

 

A lot of the time that's OK but if you end up catching a thick twig and the cutters lock up then the telescopic shaft takes a real beating.

 

This is how it was explained to me when I wrecked my Stihl tele-shaft using it for hedge cutter. I guess other companies have a clutch somewhere in the system - but that's why Stihl say you shouldn't use a trimmer on a tele-pole.

 

Maybe some of the tecchies on here will correct me if I'm wrong|

[tractorboy1]

I have an echo pole saw with hedge cutter great tool but quite heave. Great with a ELH thou.

[drosa2004]

Thanks!!!

[RDB logs]

You can attach a cutter to the telescopic shaft of a stihl BUT there is an issue.

The chainsaw attachment (so I am told) has a clutch which will release pressure from the shaft if the chain locks on something. the engine/drive system on the telescopic pole therefore has no clutch built in.

 

The cutter head is designed to run on a machine with a clutch at the engine end, so if you run a cutter on a telescopic pole there is no clutch anywhere in the drive train.

 

A lot of the time that's OK but if you end up catching a thick twig and the cutters lock up then the telescopic shaft takes a real beating.

 

This is how it was explained to me when I wrecked my Stihl tele-shaft using it for hedge cutter. I guess other companies have a clutch somewhere in the system - but that's why Stihl say you shouldn't use a trimmer on a tele-pole.

 

Maybe some of the tecchies on here will correct me if I'm wrong|

 

If it didn't have a clutch then wouldn't the blades/ chain run all the time at idle??

Maybe I have read this wrong?

[Chris Sheppard]

Have used the echo one with hedge cutter but it's a bit of pig and you wouldn't want to use it for long!

[Al Cormack]

I use a still combi km130 with long reach hedge trimmer and 1m fibreglass extension poke in the middle. Much lighter than the pole saw a day only about 2ft difference in length.

 

I wrecked some polesaws as well using the hedge trimmer on the end, snapping the splined drive shaft inside.

[Dave Alviti]

I've always used my stihl pole saw with the hedge cutter attachment, I just don't get greedy with it and you can pretty much get away with using it on half revs, also I am fairly sure when I've had it apart before it has a clutch. Although I may be thinking of my old hedge trimmer? I do a lot of hedges in the summer months and all I use is a short handle stihl and pole pruner with hedge trimmer head, generally find it to be a good combo.

 

Takes its toll on the shoulders after a while though.

[Timbermcpherson]

I have been using the echo power pruners with various attachments for 10 years. They are heavy, but they are heavy duty.

 

Stihl units gearboxes seem to be weaker, I have seen quite a few broken, while in all the time the only broken echo head I have seen was due to it never (never) being grease for something like 6 years.

[Old Mill Tree Care]

I've always used my stihl pole saw with the hedge cutter attachment, I just don't get greedy with it and you can pretty much get away with using it on half revs, also I am fairly sure when I've had it apart before it has a clutch. Although I may be thinking of my old hedge trimmer? I do a lot of hedges in the summer months and all I use is a short handle stihl and pole pruner with hedge trimmer head, generally find it to be a good combo.

 

Takes its toll on the shoulders after a while though.

 

An Easy Lift Harness will solve that problem. I do 17 days of hedge cutting a year and the ELH was a seriously smart investment.

Sorry for the derail.

 

I've been thinking of a chainsaw head for my Stihl combi-thing so this is a useful thread for me.

Thanks.