Heavy Machete

[RedNeckRacin]

Wow, your pictures of the thickets look rough. That's going to be tough going by hand, with any tool. If it were me (and I do similar trails frequently) I would use my Stihl Kombi with the articulating hedge trimmer attachment, or maybe the 12" chain saw attachment. It would make fast work out of that. But I suppose you can't use power tools???
If not, I still would go with the brush axe I showed. No way would I tackle that grown up mess with a machete. Before I got my Kombi, I used the brush axe for similar areas

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I thought the pictures would help! I really don't think they do some portions justice though! It is very slow going and why I was looking for a better machete. The two I have been using have their own drawbacks. I would like to use a chain saw but I think it might be asking for trouble both safety wise on the very rough terrain and I don't want to open myself up to being accused of cutting down sizeable trees. I may be paranoid in that but I'm shooting for "low impact". I even remove my flagging after I'm done with the trails.

I don't have the Cold Steel two hand machete, so can't say as to sharpness. My cold steel is the other one, that has a wider shorter blade. It works pretty good but for what you showed, I don't think it's the tool of choice. As for briars, I think the brush axe is actually better. It keeps your hands clear of the briars. But with the Kombi, I could clear a path through those saplings and briars pretty easily and rapidly. Using a sweeping motion, it cuts and pushes the trimmings from side to side.

Excuse me for recommending a power tool when you asked about machetes, but hacking through that by hand is going to be slow going and tiring. With a one handed machete, you will quickly wear our you hand. Those saplings are going to be tough, and the intertwining briars will make clearing it difficult.

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I have been hesitant about the brush ax due to the briars mostly. If they swing around easily I think it would be hard to get them cut? I can't always get at the base of them for a solid strike but I have to admit I never used a brush ax so I'm making assumptions. I appreciate the feedback none the less. The trail blazing is very slow and very tiring but I have had good results swinging the machetes to take out saplings with minimal swings when I get smacked in the face by branches for motivation. The grip on the fiskar machete is very tiring and almost painful after some time of use but it works the best on the thin stuff. The gerber has a better handle but it seems to work the best on the saplings.

 

[HCJtractor]

Here's what I use on my trails through very similar clear cuts. The Sthil Kombi motor in a 110 size, with the hedge trimmer attachment It cuts saplings up to about 1" easily (so you won't get in trouble for cutting big trees) and eats briars and vines like butter. It's balanced, lightweight, and very safe. I use mine for hours at a time. I also use the companion pole pruner attachment even more often, but it will also cut trees. The trimmer is better when there's lots of vines and briars. With it I go around trees, and just quickly "skin" the limbs off one side for passage.
And remember, this will be a yearly exercise to maintain these trails, but it gets easier each year.







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