We have parts of the garden that we are struggling to control, mainly brambles with young saplings pushing their way through. Are these pieces of kit up to the job? And can they be used on a bank? And is it something at our ages we could control and cope with (both in our late 70s, reasonably, but not very, fit)
I’d welcome advice on a good brand please (assuming it makes sense for us to buy one).
I think you might struggle with something like that on a bank because the wheels don’t appear to be driven. I’m sure there are autoportee versions out there.
They’ve a quite narrow wheelbase and the weight sits quite high relatively. On lumpy/clumpy grass they want to tip quite easily.
Angle of the blade works better on the flat than on banks - 15kg gets heavy quickly especially when your holding the handles at odd heights to correct the blade height
On steep banks - conventional is easier.
I have a larger - 200cc model - that does clear space quickly - but you know you’ve pushed 25kg up a lumpy hill. They work better on banks but it’s a matter of brute force.
I have had a three wheel débroussailleuse for a very long time. It has two large chain driven wheels at the back and a small jockey wheel at the front. It has coped with anything and everything that it has had to deal with. I wouldn’t swap it for anything without a front wheel but that’s what gives it it’s stability. It’s a really good workhorse. In its time it’s taken out huge areas of brambles and saplings and is the tool of choice when the grass is too long or two thick for even my Husqvarna V twin tractor mower or when I want to cut an area where there might be branches or other obstructions hiding in the grass. It’s only problem is that the assistance is geared so it moves at about half walking pace which makes it great for mowing rough areas and a grass bank with a 45° slope but it makes mowing large areas of lawn a slow process. That’s not a problem as I have other mowers better suited to that. For general strimming I have a fairly powerful electric strimmer and would never consider going back to a petrol driven one.
@SuePJ - Stuart has looked at the picture and says that the tyres are pneumatic (you can see the valves) and therefore are prone to being punctured by thorns etc. You would forever be mending punctures on that particular model. It would be difficult to shove around because it is not self propelled. However, it does look to be very well made.
Would it not be cheaper, and certainly easier, to get a local contractor to come and do the initial clearance and then you could keep it under control with a decent rotary mower that you could also use for your lawn. Alternatively you could just rent a suitable machine for a day or two.
Much as it pains me to agree, @David_M_Matthews is right because I have precisely the same model and it is what you need for 3 very important reasons.
It has a cover of the single large blade which gives good protection but even then you are not immune from scatterings (I have a small hole in a window 2 metres above the ground where a small pebble was thrown out). But they are always thrown out the same side so experience tells me at some points to mow up and back rather than turning to always go forward. But care has to be taken because the single front wheel, if not locked, spins round making the wheel base longer and therefore lower going backwards.
It is power driven so you can concentrate on the steering.
The large, solid tyred, drive wheels means you can cover rough and angled ground more easily.
Is what I have. No front wheel - wheels aren’t driven. 4mm line.
It’s horses for courses. It’s heavy - but works much better on lumpy and stony ground than the other type. You don’t walk along calmly pushing anything in our fields - you fight every lump and hole then find a huge lump of granite. The “mower” type will clear more space more evenly but …
After an hour doing banks I’ve had enough so it’s not the easiest thing to use
We have a slightly newer version (20 years old) the machine shown by @David_M_Matthews & can verify that it’s beast for clearance, it even makes grass look OKish.
This is the one we bought. Works well and is eay to start but you can only really go backwards and forwards not side to side movement. It has helped us . It was a good price from C discount.
Yes. I see them quite often. I’ve even thought of updating mine now and again but have decided if it isn’t broken there’s no point. It’s hard to explain the amount of abuse it’s coped with clearing my land. As Badger has pointed out it’s not bad for the grass either, I always use it for a pre-season cut when the grass is too long or too tough for the other mowers to cope with easily. I will be using it next week to mow the fa end of my garden where garden clearance rubbish has been lying throughout the winter. Most of that has gone but the grass is long and there may be a bit of hidden debris left behind. One of the things I love about it is that after being left dormant for a while it always starts, usually first pull. I can’t say that about any of my newer, branded petrol mowers.
Was that necessary? Like so many of my posts is was a recommendation based on experience and should be accepted as that. Personally I am not saying it is the best solution for the OP as I don’t know their garden but I do know it’s a simple machine that has served me well for a long time.
Yes, and you’ve just proved it again, don’t worry it will be the last time.
No I haven’t Sue, but then I haven’t been looking. Mine has never started first time, I have to prime it on the fuel button 10 pushes, then give it 3 good pulls after placing a chock behind one wheel so that I can yank it very sharply using both hands. Also, if I accidentally stop it midway through it is very reluctant to re-start so I am very careful.
But, it is very old, I bought it 2nd hand about 15 years ago from a newly widowed British woman clearing and returning to UK.
It has about 4 different height settings and 2 gears, the latter very useful when heading ‘home’ after completion when I lift it to max height and speed back to the shed.
