Clearing saw advice?

[Scooby074]

I went with a top end brushcutter the Husqvarna 345FR. Hoping that it has enough power and characteristics of a clearing saw and not too heavy/slow running to avoid some of the issues you have mentioned.
Thanks for the responses.
/Tom

For your use, I think you'll be fine. Then once the heavy brush is gone, you'll have a true heavy duty brush cutter to keep that area under control.

I have a Husky 252Rx and its been a great unit for keeping alders under control. It has no issues on 2.5" "trees" , Ive cut down 6" softwoods without problems. Its a few cc's bigger than yours, but you should be ok. Once you use a proper spacing saw, with the proper harness, you'll be impressed. I regularly run a trimmer head and grass blade (tri blade) on mine. It just bows through the heavy grass and light brush.

 

[tree farmer]

I'm a little late with this, but something for others to consider: Has anyone tried a pole saw? I tried many different brush cutters and blades, but none were working for me. Then I bought a Stihl FS110R trimmer with a brush blade and a pole pruner attachment for it that takes about a minute to swap around. The FS110R is Stihl's lightest commercial unit and has a straight shaft and a loop handle, making it easy to use in the brush and timber. On my timberland, I am constantly brushing around seedlings and young trees with the brush blade and limbing the lower branches on the bigger stuff 10' above the ground. Here on the coast, things grow quickly and at 65 years old, I gotta look for easier ways to get things done. I've used this combo for a couple years now, and never regretted it. When all the brush is on the ground, I use the mini excavator with a thumb to pile it and either chip or burn it. Amazing how much you can get done with the right tools...Dan.

 

[whistlepig]

I think a pole pruner would work. The way it works for me with a brush cutter and a saw blade is that I strap these beasts on to myself with a harness. Then I put two hands on the handle bars. And then the saw gets pinched in the sapling. So there I am strapped into a harness, both hands on the handle bars, and stuck in a tree. I kill the brush cutter, unhook the harness, lay the brush cutter down, and un-pinch the saw. Then I pick up the brush cutter, hook up to the harness, start the motor, and then repeat this process a few minutes later. Brush cutters work great on brush for me. But when it comes to 2"-3" saplings a chain saw is much easier for me.

 

[Coyote machine]

Whistlepig,
Here's what works for me, with a pole pruner. I happen to use an ECHO, and it works great for me. I got a 12" bar, up from the 10, and I cut the sapling at an angle several feet above the ground and then go in and make the final cut, so there is no chance of getting stuck by a binding/leaning sapling. Same if limbing I undercut first, enough that the top cut won't bind, and done.