trail clearing technique and tools

[kenmbz]

I use a renegade blade on my Stihl FS110 handlebar brushcutter. The autumn olive shoots laugh at the .095 string. This blade also does a decent job on long grasses, where most saw type blades fail.

 

[2manyrocks]

Chainsaw cutter style blade is easier to resharpen, but be cautious of buying one that is too heavy for your power head. Won't spin up as fast. Harder on the saw. This is what I bought most recently that seems to not be too heavy. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y32ZM58/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These chainsaw style blades are effective, but throw debris so an arborist style helmet with face shield is recommended.

 

[kenmbz]

Chainsaw cutter style blade is easier to resharpen, but be cautious of buying one that is too heavy for your power head. Won't spin up as fast. Harder on the saw. This is what I bought most recently that seems to not be too heavy. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y32ZM58/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These chainsaw style blades are effective, but throw debris so an arborist style helmet with face shield is recommended.

Those are great on thicker stuff, but I found it got bound up by Stiltgrass (tall and thin).
Does this particular one do well in tall grass?

The worst with the saw blades are when they throw the thorns like darts...

 

[ArlyA]

I use a renegade blade on my Stihl FS110 handlebar brushcutter. The autumn olive shoots laugh at the .095 string. This blade also does a decent job on long grasses, where most saw type blades fail.
View attachment 798988

Just to be clear, .095 string is good for your house and garden but not worth taking into the woods. We are waiting for the 170 heads to arrive but still have a roll of .155 to use up.

 

[ArlyA]

Chainsaw cutter style blade is easier to resharpen, but be cautious of buying one that is too heavy for your power head. Won't spin up as fast. Harder on the saw. This is what I bought most recently that seems to not be too heavy. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y32ZM58/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These chainsaw style blades are effective, but throw debris so an arborist style helmet with face shield is recommended.

These do not work in the rocks.

 

[John_Mc]

THe string works great for grass and smaller weeds. If you need to remove tougher stuff, you really need a metal blade.

I'm not really a fan of the chainsaw style blades on these trimmers. They rob too much power from the trimmer. I tried one when the blade that came with my brush cutter saw wore out. I never bought another - I didn;t even keep resharpening it until it was all used up. I use a blade that looks a bit like a circular saw blade: easy to sharpen - uses the same 7/32" round file as my standard 3/8" pitch chainsaw chain (NOT the file for the 3/8" low profile) - and takes a less power to run.

There are definitely different quality levels of these blades. I use the Maxi style (which are made in Sweden). Both Husqvarna and Oregon sell them. These tend to be what the pros use when doing brush clearing and timber stand improvement work. I use these to cut buckthorn saplings (which is some seriously hard wood) up to about 2" diameter. I'm softwoods, I can go significantly larger.

Husqvarna used to sell a cheaper blade they called "Scarlett" (I'm not sure of they still do). It looked somewhat similar to the Maxi, but the steel was not as good - it just would not hold an edge as long. One came with my brush cutter years ago, but once I tried he Maxi style, I stopped using Scarlett and similar styles. Strangely, I can foten find Maxi blades cheaper than the Scarlet style.

Carbide tipped blades last longer in clean wood, but if you hit a rock or bit of metal, they are generally done: you can't easily resharpen them. In our rocky terrain, they just weren't worth it.

Husqvarna and Oregon Maxi Blades:

Husqvarna Scarlett Blade - Easiest way to tell the difference is to look closely at the gullet: It's a little different than the Maxi style. THe Scarlett just feels more "tinny" when you pick it up. This type just does not hold an edge as well as the Swedish-made Maxi.

 

[kenmbz]

I found I wore out these type of blades too quick and spent a lot of time sharpening them.
I get a lot of hours out of the carbide ones, and hit rocks and hard woods and some of the teeth might chip, but the blades still work pretty good.
I have the Stihl scratch, The style above and some others and I would be resharpening them constantly. Work great for an hour or so then sharpen.
The maxi style blade was not good in the tall grass we have here.

I would like to try the thicker line now that most of the 2-4" stuff is cut back on the trails.
Think I might need something a bit bigger than my FS110 for that though?

 

[Rockbadchild]

These do not work in the rocks.

you need masonry diamond blade for cutting rocks

 

[John_Mc]

Those are great on thicker stuff, but I found it got bound up by Stiltgrass (tall and thin).
Does this particular one do well in tall grass?

The worst with the saw blades are when they throw the thorns like darts...

Fore stuff that is to heavy for string, but which wraps up around the saw blade styles, I use one of the 3 pointed metal blades. It works pretty well from grass up to seedlings and small saplings.

 

[kenmbz]

Fore stuff that is to heavy for string, but which wraps up around the saw blade styles, I use one of the 3 pointed metal blades. It works pretty well from grass up to seedlings and small saplings.
View attachment 799004

I tried one of those, after about 15 min I threw it out.
The blackberry vines and autumn olive saplings would slow that down too much to be useful. I have a pretty tight mix of tall grass and saplings, and have seen these work great for others, but not here.