Fence line trimmer

   / Fence line trimmer #1  

jwmorris

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Oct 3, 2007
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After the last try helping my Father out with trimming under electric fence I built another that could work for both of us.

Works like the 22" string line trimmers I already have but I can trim 20 yards in 16 seconds while driving the 4 wheeler.

I had to buy a $22 belt and picked up the electric start motor from craigslist for $25, the rest was stuff I had.

Still have a little more work to do but the test run looks like it works OK.
 

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   / Fence line trimmer #2  
That is cool. Does it use trimmer line and how does it attach?

I have miles of electric fence and this would cut down on manual trimming. I currently use a Stihl FS130 and Shindawa something-r-other with steel blades and two high school age guys.
 
   / Fence line trimmer
  • Thread Starter
#3  
It does, cut 19" and loop it around a link of chain, welded to the hub. The two I have use two strings but I welded 4 links to this one (only used two of them) to the head to see how it worked.

I have a video of it in action but its too large. This is an example of how far it will cut under an object, as you drive by.

I really wanted it on the front but it was less work to make it attach to the other things we have via 2" ball vs custom mounts on everything.
 

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   / Fence line trimmer #4  
Please post pics of hub and string attachment. Any other pics would be great
 
   / Fence line trimmer #5  
Nice. I have experimented trying to attach a walk behind string trimmer to a 4 wheeler. Operation has not been very successful.
 
   / Fence line trimmer #6  
Nice. I have experimented trying to attach a walk behind string trimmer to a 4 wheeler. Operation has not been very successful.

I've been thinking about mounting my walk behind in the bucket of my FEL. That would give me left/right motion with the tractor steering, up and down and tilt with the bucket. Anyone see major issues doing that?
 
   / Fence line trimmer #7  
That is one really nifty trimmer. I don't trim long stretches of fence line - the neighbors cows take care of most of that. I have a Stihl FS350 and just about every darn "head" they have ever made for it. My uses for a trimmer eat even the heaviest line like a kid eating candy. Finally I developed a solution for mine. I have a "head" that uses three, free swinging nylon blades. I took one of the nylon blades to the local welding shop and they made me several blades out of high carbon steel - exactly the size & shape of the nylon ones. These blades will cut anything - except rebar, as I found - up to one inch saplings.

I normally only have to trim grass up until about the first of July. After that time it get so hot & dry here the grass stops growing and dies anyhow.
 
   / Fence line trimmer #8  
I've been thinking about mounting my walk behind in the bucket of my FEL. That would give me left/right motion with the tractor steering, up and down and tilt with the bucket. Anyone see major issues doing that?

Looks doable. I had one of those Swisher walk behind string trimmers and a skid steer quick attach option the FEL of my 2008 Mahindra 5525 tractor. Making an adapter to mate the trimmer to the SSQA would be a simple, quick project. Cost would be around $100 for the steel.

Good luck.
 
   / Fence line trimmer #9  
After the last try helping my Father out with trimming under electric fence I built another that could work for both of us.

Works like the 22" string line trimmers I already have but I can trim 20 yards in 16 seconds while driving the 4 wheeler.

I had to buy a $22 belt and picked up the electric start motor from craigslist for $25, the rest was stuff I had.

Still have a little more work to do but the test run looks like it works OK.

Nice design. Makes your ATV even more useful. Congrats
 
   / Fence line trimmer
  • Thread Starter
#10  
I've been thinking about mounting my walk behind in the bucket of my FEL. That would give me left/right motion with the tractor steering, up and down and tilt with the bucket. Anyone see major issues doing that?

Maintaining the height, the tires are so far behind the bucket, say you were trimming at 2", the tires go low or terrain goes up and you turn your trimmer into a plow. Even as close as mine is to the wheels on the trailer I still added two more right at the edge of the strings path and the trimmer is a swing arm so it can acount for differences.
 
 
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