Allotments 4 All

The Honda 425UE brushcutter I used to clear paths around the site and overgrown plots has broken and will cost £300 to repair. It takes around 4 hours just for me to get round the site paths areas. As allotment supervisor for our site and need to justify all spending to our town council, I am looking for a replacement am considering this one:

http://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/Grass-trimmers-Brushcutters-and-Clearing-saws/Clearing-saws/21896-220/FS-410-C-E.aspx

Anybody used one and have opinions on it?  I need to justify my case for funding at next Thursdays council meeting.

My professional gardener mates won't use anything except Stihl brushcutters and strimmers....

i have the older version of that one and its never let me down. goes through almost anything including small trees, but make sure that you get a good double sholder harness for it as it makes using it much easier on the back.

That has a few more bells and whistles than the Stihl I was using last year, but it looks to be basically the same machine.  The vibration damping thing is helpful because it's tiring after a couple of hours - the vibration specification for this machine is below the HSE's action level (2.5 m/s²) which means it's safe to use all day every day without the risk of developing vibration white finger, and that makes it considerably less tiring to use as well.  Small models, and more particularly cheaper models, tend to have very much worse vibration ratings (above 5.0 m/s² is getting really rather high), which are OK if you're using the machine for a couple of hours each week, but won't do for a professional duty machine - your hands really shouldn't ring after you've finished strimming.  That said, if you're not going to use it for more than a couple of hours each week then it's probably a higher spec than you need.

What's also essential is getting a really good harness and taking some effort to adjust the machine to suit so that you're not stooping, and remember to twist the machine and not your body, that really helps the back.  Consider a chin guard too - full face visors are essential, but you can still get stones bouncing up inside without a chin guard - but it does make the visor/helmet heavy on the old neck.

I personally would probably go for the FS130
The lighter weight and quieter engine is a big advantage and it is plenty heavy duty enough for your requirements.
As I replied in your other topic on the same subject this is a slightly bigger machine than the one that has been in use for 12 years now doing a similar job on a caravan park. They did have a bigger one like your choice but everyone always ended up using the smaller one because of the lighter weight.
If the council uses strimmers, hedgecutters or chainsaws they are most likely to be Stihl products.

http://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/Grass-trimmers-Brushcutters-and-Clearing-saws/Powerful-brushcutters/2798-211/FS-130.aspx

Have you considered a quality Austrian-style scythe instead? Substantially cheaper to buy, cheaper and easier to maintain, no fuel costs, much lighter to carry and use and no need to wear a harness, safety helmet etc. (just a small whetstone for regular sharpening). Also vibration free, pollution free and virtually silent, which is of great benefit both to the operator and to anyone else in the vicinity.

I bought one last year for use mainly around the garden, mainly cutting long grass, nettles etc., and haven't touched the strimmer since. So long as you keep it sharp and use it properly it's very effective. I got mine from here: The Scythe Shop

SCYTHE 
Yes...if you need strimmer Stihl is what most pro's use and with reason..they do last for years and take some wear and tear. I use one for work too.
But on my plot and larger areas I do favour gool old fashion scythe..once you learn to use one and look after it..they are actually quicker, easier, cheaper and cleaner to use than strimmers  And if you need to clean the mess afterwards..raking hay up is much more satisfying than mushed up little pieces that you never get rid of all...messier job.
Last year I had to buy new replacement for my old wooden shafted scythe, I bought my new one from agricultural tool suppliers..aluminium shafted, wooden handle..two blades (grass and brush) cost me about £80..and will propably last me rest of my life. Old blades from the wooden one fit the new one so I'm well equipt. Like already mentioned..there is not much maintenance involved..just wipe with oily rag after use, occasional 'touch' with wet stone during work and depending how much use they get, mine needs more thorough sharpening once a year and metal file will do the job perfectly well. Easy peasy!

Scythes don't like stones though (or burdock), so while they have their place for lawns and such, aren't they a bit too delicate for the typical rough work that a strimmer does?  (for rough clearance I have a slasher - so satisfying!).

Quote from: Unwashed on October 25, 2012, 19:08:42
Scythes don't like stones though (or burdock), so while they have their place for lawns and such, aren't they a bit too delicate for the typical rough work that a strimmer does?  (for rough clearance I have a slasher - so satisfying!).

These are pretty weak objections. The blade I use is a fairly heavy duty one (ditch blade), designed for cutting rough vegetation along banks, ditches, fence lines etc. Lawns would be better with a finer blade, with a finer edge on it (sharper but more easily blunted). Used correctly it would be perfectly capable of clearing an overgrown allotment with tall grass, nettles, docks, thistles, brambles etc. (not really thick tangled brambles, but you wouldn't really want a strimmer for those either). Occasional stones are hardly a problem - you just take it a bit more carefully if there are a lot of obstacles about. Plus there's no risk of stones being flung up and hitting someone.

It's true that large old burdocks are very tough, but I doubt a strimmer would cut them very well either (in kt.'s other thread he was favouring a string trimmer rather than the blade). Besides, it's easy enough to carry a pair of secateurs for these. The shop I linked to also sells a very heavy duty bush blade, for cutting thicker woody growth like tree suckers, but that wouldn't really be suitable for general use.