Just moved into our new house. Surrounded by a mix of Leylandii, Yew, Beech, and Laurel hedging, between 10ft and 15ft high, about 150ft long.

Any reccomendations out there about what to/not to get?

😀

Stihl… Next!

I bought a 24″ HS45 donkeys years ago. I cut our Leylandii twice a year and there’s bloody miles of it. I’ve had it sharpened once and it runs as good as new. By contrast, I bought a Kaaz 18incher for another property about the same time (~£100 less) and it’s not a patch on it despite having a nice Kwaker motah.

You can get Stihls on sticks now as well save you working from ladders.

what boblo said.

worth paying the extra for quality and reliability. if it’s just for domestic stuff it’ll last longer than you and your kids will argue over who gets it!

Thanks for that.. have been looking at Stihl..

Sorry for the late reply, teething problems setting up t’internet!

Another thumbs up for Stihl.

10 years of relentless leylandii cutting, never had anything else than routine maintenance & it’s still running like a wee sweetie. I bought the lightweight one which is designed for home users like me.

Good, no cheap…..Cheap no good.

D.

I’ve got the stihl multi. Headge trimmer, branch lopper, strimmer.
Got the easy start one so the bread knife can start it too.

Echo are worth looking at – I have a short reach echo and a generic long reach which I bought off ebay. I only need the long reach for a couple of hedges. The Echo one is excellent, quality Japanese firm, in fact I have one of their chain saws, leaf blowers and strimmers as well.

It is worth having an electric rechargeable as well for doing finishing – your arms will appreciate it.

I use a HL100 Stihl. A hedge trimmer on a long pole. The head angle can be changed and I flip it over and use it instead of the strimmer at times.
They’re a lot of money about £500 but versatile and makes hedges a lot easier. With a hedge that size you may as well get the best tool you can get . Well worth it over time

Duntstick…Good plan! Thats top of the list so far, and have decided to grub out 50ft of hedging at the front of the house as its 10ft thick in places! 😯

Would give me better access acroos the driveway, gonna replace it with native hedging instead as i like the privacy and cant stand painting fences!

Sounds like a big job, I’d be searching out a decent set of loppers too.

Again, get the best, your going to be trimming that lot twice a year to keep it looking nice. I have some of them on a pole too.

Be careful with the Laurel, particularly if it’s easily seen, as you can make a mess of the leaves. Shears are best for that, though I have used the hedge trimmers and it’s looked fine.

My neighbour cuts their leylandii around now and gets away with one cut a year.

Just cut our Laurel back about 6 foot, chainsaw used rather than hedgecutters !

Not relevent at all to you but it was fun ……

Stihl or Husqvarna (better vibe protection)
And for the Leylandii a can of petrol and a match! I seem to remember it grows (on average) a foot annually so hack it well below your desired finished level. Your annual cuts will then be easier.
A chainsaw is often best with big ones to get them lowered. If its Leylandii rather than Thuja then the leyandii tends to get scabby from the bottom upwards. The older it gets the more it will do it so you can end up with a 2-3 foot gap at the bottom. If this is the case just rip the boggers out, as they’ll never grow back.
Have fun and cover your arms

Not a Ryobi 🙁 Cost about £150 but last about 18 months and a nightmare getting parts.

Another option might be to hire one – my local place has the Stihl for just over £30 for the weekend

As a professional foresty contractor and fencer we use nothing but STIHL