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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18409
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Dogwalker
Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 1231 Location: Mid Wales
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Sally Too
Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2511 Location: N.Ireland
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Mutton
Joined: 09 May 2009 Posts: 1508
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 11 10:18 am Post subject: |
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Dogwalker wrote: |
The scything was really hard work, I did a little each evening over 5 days. I was seriously considering getting a strimmer but I'm not sure my shoulder and elbow would like that any better.
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I bought a low end electric cable strimmer years ago, the sort with nylon cord and it drove me up the wall. The cutting cord broke easily, the "just smack the reel against the ground and it feeds out more cord" didn't work half the time. Then you had to take it apart and disentangle, then you had to fight the spring to put it back together. Stopped using it.
These days we have a very fine STIHL petrol brushcutter that you use wearing a harness to take the weight, so no tug on shoulder other than you've got a harness over both shoulders. Not ever used it with the strimming cord, just the blade head. What we've found is that
1. You do need to put on the safety kit.
2. There is a set up time, mixing the fuel, getting it to start (we don't use it that often).
3. With gorse and stiffer things it is brilliant, but with softer things, especially reeds, it tends to clog. (Presumably should swap to the nylon strimmer reel, but haven' been able to face the fiddle or dealing with another cord reel - though it might work better than the cheap one, just haven't tried.)
4. It is noisy and smelly.
5. I get vibration problems in my hand and can only work on it for an hour at most and notice my hand feeling numbish for a while after.
We bought a scythe last year and much prefer it for cutting the roadside nettles and grass, the reeds and such like. Quicker to get out to work, quiet, no hot safety gear, no smell of petrol. Basically it works really well for the lighter jobs. |
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Went
Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 6968
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Dogwalker
Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 1231 Location: Mid Wales
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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18409
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pink bouncy
Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 174
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JohnB
Joined: 09 Jul 2005 Posts: 685 Location: Beautiful sunny West Wales!
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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18409
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JohnB
Joined: 09 Jul 2005 Posts: 685 Location: Beautiful sunny West Wales!
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Dogwalker
Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 1231 Location: Mid Wales
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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18409
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 11 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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Dogwalker wrote: |
Made better progress, think it must be the angle of the blade needs adjusting somehow because it was better on the slope cutting below where I was standing. (If that makes any sense) |
Check the lay of the blade; make sure it's just turning upward when you have the scythe out in front of you with the big bottom handgrip balanced on your knee/thigh, and you are pressing on the blade where the label was (1/3rd of the way along the blade, from the tang/snath. You might need to use the wedge that came with the kit.
That, or else check your handgrips are in the right holes.
As you start to use your scythe, you may find that you need to adjust the handgrip positions away from what the book / set-up instructions say to start with. e.g. more space than a forearm/cubit between top and bottom grips : you move the top one up; leave the lower grip in place, your leg is still the same length.
Also, if it is cutting better 'below' your height, have you been mowing with the scythe closer to you / arms moving less ?
@John B : nice work !
I finished mowing the grass and removing it on Thursday morning.
Still got an area of weeds to mow, but should be fairly easy, and only needs a rough topping. |
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JohnB
Joined: 09 Jul 2005 Posts: 685 Location: Beautiful sunny West Wales!
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Dogwalker
Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 1231 Location: Mid Wales
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