Cleaning under wires

5live

http://www.handyhardware.ie/product/39747/Ryobi-April-Special-Offer-RHT-2660DA-Quik-Fire-Hedge-Trimmer-26cc.
I was in Woodies yesterday and saw one of these and i was wondering if it could be used to clear briars and weeds from under electric fences?

Any one useing one or have one for trimming a garden hedge?

whelan1

think the knapsack is your only man....

5live

whelan1 wrote: »

think the knapsack is your only man....

Reps:(. For this year anyway then maybe roundup. Plus i am off for 2 more weeks and was thinking i could pass the day trimming away as i can carry this yoke without pain but cant carry a knapsack for a while yet

jeff greene

Grazon 90:cool:

I have one for the hedges in the garden, would work but hard on the back as you'd be bending down iykim, I use a proper petrol strimmers for under the wire, fast and does a good job

An.Duine.Eile

Strimmer with metal blade very effective at tiding under wire.

reilig

I have one for the garden hedge. Its a pain in the ass, difficult to use, and just hateful!!

In recent years, we have been upgrading a lot of the electric fence. All wooden posts have been replaced with 1/2 inch rebar with an insulator screwed on - except for a wooden strainer post at each end. I have the majority of my fields set up not that I can take up the steel posts and run the hedgecutter under the fence once or twice a year.

It makes it so much easier!!!

pakalasa

reilig wrote: »

I have one for the garden hedge. Its a pain in the ass, difficult to use, and just hateful!!

In recent years, we have been upgrading a lot of the electric fence. All wooden posts have been replaced with 1/2 inch rebar with an insulator screwed on - except for a wooden strainer post at each end. I have the majority of my fields set up not that I can take up the steel posts and run the hedgecutter under the fence once or twice a year.

It makes it so much easier!!!

That's a good idea ! Keep it simple, as they say.

JohnBoy

I'm thinking about getting one of those quad sprayers, throw it in the boot of the jeep and drive along spraying away with my arm holding the lance out the window?

Throw on a few tunes and relax

Seems like the quickest/cheapest/fastest way of doing it.

johngalway

An.Duine.Eile wrote: »

Strimmer with metal blade very effective at tiding under wire.

The Honda 4 stroke ones are excellent, very quiet too.

s-cogan

offset topper makes a nice job of it. time consuming though.

pakalasa

Here you go; this will do it, the Raster Master, from Moreway Ltd;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHVA5bYF0eA

just do it

reilig wrote: »

I have one for the garden hedge. Its a pain in the ass, difficult to use, and just hateful!!

In recent years, we have been upgrading a lot of the electric fence. All wooden posts have been replaced with 1/2 inch rebar with an insulator screwed on - except for a wooden strainer post at each end. I have the majority of my fields set up not that I can take up the steel posts and run the hedgecutter under the fence once or twice a year.

It makes it so much easier!!!

Great idea!

Muckit

reilig wrote: »

replaced with 1/2 inch rebar with an insulator screwed on

Reilig, how do you find the rebar? Does it not bend easily near the ground? How do you manage to drive a screw into it???

I've permanent fence to put up on land that floods so lookin for alternatives to wooden posts:rolleyes:

5live

So thats a no then?? Its briars that are the biggest problem as thistles etc are burned off by the fence.

Thanks pakalasa. Animal of a machine but i'm shopping in the bargain section and not in Harrods for a few more years yet:D

I was looking at a machine with strimmers, sawhead and hedge cutters for about 200 euro but wouldnt the sawhead cut wire if i wasnt careful

Bizzum

Reilig, how do you find the rebar? Does it not bend easily near the ground? How do you manage to drive a screw into it???

I've permanent fence to put up on land that floods so lookin for alternatives to wooden posts:rolleyes:

We use rebar too. Great in straight lines with a good strainer each end.
I cut the rebar into lenghts the same as the portable fencing stakes and welded a crossbar 6'' from the end. I have never bent one, they will take abuse.
The fitting we found to be the best were blue coloured ones that slip down over the rebar and you tighten a big plastic nut on the back to secure it to the rebar.
I'll try and find a link for you!

just do it

Bizzum wrote: »

We use rebar too. Great in straight lines with a good strainer each end.
I cut the rebar into lenghts the same as the portable fencing stakes and welded a crossbar 6'' from the end. I have never bent one, they will take abuse.
The fitting we found to be the best were blue coloured ones that slip down over the rebar and you tighten a big plastic nut on the back to secure it to the rebar.
I'll try and find a link for you!

That link would be great, there are so many different insulators out there, not all being top quality!

How many posts are you getting out of a 6m length of rebar? Probably 5?

Bizzum

http://www.gallagherireland.com/fence_component.aspx?mktprodid=4807

Similar to this.

We did use black ones one time and they were crap, indeed they have all been replaced by the blue ones.
If only I could think of the brand name of the good ones!

pakalasa

Any fear that an animal could impail itself on the top on one of the rebars?
You're more likely to loose one too given the rusty colour. Might be worth putting a few wraps of a bright coloured insulating tape around them. We've done this for one of those old 'pin rakes' that we use to draw staples. We always seemed to loose it when fencing.

Bizzum

just do it wrote: »

How many posts are you getting out of a 6m length of rebar? Probably 5?

I think 6. I know the 6'' crossbars were from bits we had lying around.

The insulator sits fairly close to the top of the rebar, so there is little loss of fence height, and we never had an animal impale itself on one yet, hopefully never will!

Good point about the colour. A dab of paint would do the trick. You could nail your colours to the mast so to speak.

ootbitb

s-cogan wrote: »

offset topper makes a nice job of it. time consuming though.

agreed, use bull wire and don't overtighten and a wooden stake every 30m. plenty of earth rods sunk deep and the best mains fencer you can afford.

reilig

Muckit wrote: »

reilig wrote: »

replaced with 1/2 inch rebar with an insulator screwed on

Reilig, how do you find the rebar? Does it not bend easily near the ground? How do you manage to drive a screw into it???

I've permanent fence to put up on land that floods so lookin for alternatives to wooden posts:rolleyes:

It doesn't bend at all. Its far better than any metal "ready made posts" that you can buy in the co-op's.

You don't drive the screw into it, you can buy clamp-like insulators. You can screw-clamp them onto the rebar

Injuryprone

5live wrote: »

I was looking at a machine with strimmers, sawhead and hedge cutters for about 200 euro but wouldnt the sawhead cut wire if i wasnt careful

I wouldn't recommmend it. Bought that exact product this time last year with the intention of using the hedgecutter under the fence as it would save the back. But as they say, you get what you pay for. It jammed in every briar thicker than about 1/2" and after about 20 'jams' it wore down the gear cog at the connection and the hedgecutter went in the bin. IMO it's only suitable for cutting very light material. I still use it as a strimmer around the garden, so it wasn't a total loss.

I saw a guy using a stihl extended hedgecutter once. It looked fine and solid, but it's a lot more expensive i think.

LostCovey

Injuryprone wrote: »

I wouldn't recommmend it. Bought that exact product this time last year with the intention of using the hedgecutter under the fence as it would save the back. But as they say, you get what you pay for. It jammed in every briar thicker than about 1/2" and after about 20 'jams' it wore down the gear cog at the connection and the hedgecutter went in the bin. IMO it's only suitable for cutting very light material. I still use it as a strimmer around the garden, so it wasn't a total loss.

I saw a guy using a stihl extended hedgecutter once. It looked fine and solid, but it's a lot more expensive i think.

Yeah I saw some 'traders' selling this type of product with all the attachments outside marts & at fairs in Mayo this year, branded STHIL (note the alternative spelling of STIHL) for around 200€.

Cheap forgeries, and likely to break someone's heart.

LC