Fence line trimmer

[jwmorris]

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.

 

[DT86]

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.

 

[jwmorris]

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.

 

[dmk]

Please post pics of hub and string attachment. Any other pics would be great

 

[Ken45101]

Nice. I have experimented trying to attach a walk behind string trimmer to a 4 wheeler. Operation has not been very successful.

 

[whizdbiz2]

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?

 

[oosik]

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.

 

[flusher]

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.

 

[flusher]

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

 

[jwmorris]

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.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I wonder if it would work to replace the plastic trimmer line with a couple of lengths of steel cable or round spring-steel wire.

 

[jwmorris]

I tried steel cable on one of my walk behind line trimmers once, I thought it was going to destroy itself before I could shut it off when one of them let go and was so unbalanced.

The spindle I used was off a mower deck, so I would just put a blade on before trying cable again.

 

[dieselscout80]

VERY Cool!!

Can you post a pic of the cutter head?

 

[Ken45101]

That's what I was thinking, the bucket movement up and down on rough ground would either raise it up to the fence or into the ground. Besides mounting mine on the 4 wheeler, I have also tried side mounting it on the MMM deck and on the three point hitch. None worked out worth a darn.

If the bottom fence line was a bit higher, I could get the skid steer mounted brush mower in to do the cutting.

Maybe I need to just order the DR 3 pt trimmer....no thanks!

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.

 

[jwmorris]

VERY Cool!!

Can you post a pic of the cutter head?

The cutter head is the drop from the 1/4" plate when I cut the hole for the engine 7" in diameter. Then bent 4 links of chain into "L" to give more area to weld. Then welded a cut down stub of an old mower blade to it as it is a spline attachment for the drive.

 

[jwmorris]

This is a better photo, I actually used silicon bronze rod and TIG'ed the two together.

 

[FreshRouteFarm]

That looks great!

 

[dieselscout80]

Yes very cool.

I have a old 5' bush hog and I think I can make the same thing basically from it.

 

[TractorGuy]

That looks pretty useful.

I made some string holders to replace the blades on my lawn tractor. Used them when I mowed next to the gravel road to keep form damaging the mower with gravel. They worked pretty good but in high Bahia it took a couple of passes.

 

[jwmorris]

After running it for a few hours I made a couple of little changes then shot some paint and wired up the electric start.

So some photos of the end result, the last time it will be clean.