Tools for Trail Trimming [Archive] - Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists Discussion Forums

gopherhockey

06-05-2006, 11:01 AM

We have a very large trimming effort ahead of us at Lebanon. I'm sure many of you have ridden recently and noticed a lot of over-grown areas and "face slappers".

We are aware of the issue and want to address it asap.

However... I'm somewhat at a loss as to what types of tools to use to get this effort done the quickest.

What we need to do is trim back away from the trail a few feet. It needs to be done to excess or things will just grow back again. If we do it right, it should need to only be done once a year I think.

MORC has a DR trimmer mower, but I think there are too many hidden rocks etc. at leb to make this worth the effort.

I was thinking maybe some type of battery powered hedge trimmers.... the problem is that there are a lot of normal weeds, but also some larger twigs. This type of trimmer would be nice, but MORC doesn't currently own anything like this.

Hand trimmers might work, but would not be very efficient I don't think.

Anyone have ideas... or better yet, equipment they would be willing to let us use?

Buck

06-05-2006, 11:11 AM

Gas powered weed whipper would be best. Use them up at Spirit all the time, in about 2 hrs I can do 3 miles of trail atleast three feet on either side of the trail.

L8Rz
Buck

nigel

06-05-2006, 11:13 AM

John we have that gas powered cutter tool, should be in the trailer near you. Check and see if it can fitted up as a weed whipper, if so no need to get anything!

Tetreves

06-05-2006, 11:38 AM

Gas powered weed whipper would be best. Use them up at Spirit all the time, in about 2 hrs I can do 3 miles of trail atleast three feet on either side of the trail.

L8Rz
Buck

I also think that would work well.

Bring some brush cutters for the thing the weed whip can't cut through. And wear pants.

gopherhockey

06-05-2006, 11:44 AM

I also think that would work well.

Bring some brush cutters for the thing the weed whip can't cut through. And wear pants.

I brought my personal weed whipper out and it lasted about 30 feet... we'd have to perhaps replace the blade with the nylon cutters or some type of stronger attachment.

Definitely not the blade thats on it though, that thing just wraps weeds up and is meant more for trail clearing.

I don't remember seeing the trimmer in that trailer, but I'll double check.

gopherhockey

06-05-2006, 11:51 AM

nigel

06-05-2006, 12:12 PM

checkayouremailsir

thebionicman

06-05-2006, 12:34 PM

I have used a heavy duty trimmer with a blade on it that was similar to a chain saw blade. That thing did wonders!

Tetreves

06-05-2006, 01:16 PM

I think one of these would be quicker and safer than the weed trimmer:

http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/028877328027_3.jpg

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?keyword=hedge+trimmer&CNTTYPE=PROD_META&com.broadvision.session.new=Yes&N=2984&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp

Isn't that really a hedge trimmer? It might work, though!

My fear is that you won't be able to cut the really skinny weeds and such. It's meant for twigs.

TML

06-05-2006, 01:19 PM

If we don't allready own one we need a brush saw. Heavier duty weed whip with the bicycle style handlebars and a shoulder/hip strap.

http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/Files/products/large/H210-0019.gif http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/files/cs/products/portals/trimmer_200x240.jpg

I have used one of these to clear literally miles of trail at Milaca and Elk River when we were first building those trails. I've also used them to clear land for building as well. The 3 pointed blade that is pictured on it is, hands down, the best all-round blade. Cuts grass and small stuff nicely but can also chop through saplings up to 3/4" in diameter when properly wielded. It can be easily resharpened and lasts a long time. The blade on the brush saw above is the middle one in the picture below. Well worth the money. With the harness setup like pictured above, you can easily operate this thing for hours without getting too fatigued.

http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/Files/products/small/H410-0249.gif

mara

06-05-2006, 02:21 PM

On a non-helpful but somewhat related note, I am grateful that the MPRB doesn't allow us to use power tools. I'd never get a chance to scythe! That said, if Lebanon gets a brush saw, you'll see me first in line to wreak havok :D

gopherhockey

06-05-2006, 03:14 PM

Isn't that really a hedge trimmer? It might work, though!

My fear is that you won't be able to cut the really skinny weeds and such. It's meant for twigs.

We'll see - I just got approval to pick one up. Its charging right now and I'll probably give it a shot later this evening. I think with a sharp blade it should cut the thin stuff...

Anyone have B&D 14.4 volt batteries they might be willing to let us use?

I only have one for now - well see how well it works, then I'll get a second. Home Depot apparently doesn't stock the batteries.

TML

06-05-2006, 03:28 PM

We'll see - I just got approval to pick one up. Its charging right now and I'll probably give it a shot later this evening. I think with a sharp blade it should cut the thin stuff...

My back hurts just thinking about holding that thing at ground level through miles of trail. . .

Let us know how it goes.

gopherhockey

06-05-2006, 05:17 PM

My back hurts just thinking about holding that thing at ground level through miles of trail. . .

Let us know how it goes.

We'll probably rig something up to help with that... I'm sure.. I hope. ;)

nigel

06-05-2006, 05:46 PM

ryno lite

06-05-2006, 07:21 PM

John, looks like you can get the batteries online for $50. Heck, that's almost the price of the trimmer itself. If it works, tell me at trail work tommorrow. I am in the market for a hedge trimmer for home and I could be convinced to buy a cordless one for use at home and to help the trails. I'll talk to you tommorrow about it. They supposedly only go 40 minutes on one charge.

hockeynut

06-05-2006, 07:30 PM

I'll second Troy's brush saw recommendation. Those things work great for anything bigger than weeds. If you're clearing grass and weeds though if you have a good brush saw the whip attachment is pretty effective usually too.

I wouldn't recommend it to the faint of heart but you can chop the front portion of the deck of a walk behind mower off and you have a ghetto brush destroyer/trail clearer/widow maker. Seriously, we used to have one of these things too. Definately not OSHA approved. Positively the most frightening implement of any kind that I've ever seen in operation.

Good luck with the hedge trimmer thing.

gopherhockey

06-05-2006, 07:59 PM

I didn't get much of a chance to charge the battery, but I tried out the trimmer tonight.

It works excellent on the small mustard type weeds that are overgrowing the trail. It works ok on most of the sticks, but not real good when you hook up with a random thicker twig or tree. It snips right through stuff so I can almost run along the trail cutting... but the batter died on me real quick.

It will be better tomorrow as it was supposed to get 8+ hours of charge the first time. I think as long as it has juice it will work great and is much safer than gas powered equipment - especially when there are bikers on the trail.

I haven't checked but I assume there is a way to sharpen it once it dulls up. I also got 2 batteries for the price of 1 on Amazon... so we should have the trail all trimmed up in a week or so. A gas powered model probably would have been better, but for the price it should be well worth it. (and kinda fun to operate)

We still need manual trimmers though to get the trees and larger stuff that is starting to crowd the trail.

seberly

06-05-2006, 08:56 PM

I think you'd be suprised at what the DR mower can do John. No it won't trim the overhanging stuff. Plus it is powered, (i.e. it drives itself so you don't have to carry it, etc). The blade is 3 or 4 inches off the ground you can ride right up over things we do it all the time at the river bottoms - it is built to protect the blade - it can cut trees 3 to 4 inches in diameter (the soft quick growing types) you ride it up on the tree and start pushing it the blade nips it off.

Rechargeable electric machines are just toys in the great out of doors.

bigwheel

06-05-2006, 10:19 PM

Steve, we talked about it, but Leb is littered with rocks on and along side of the trail. Plus have lots of log crossings. We would have a really difficult time getting a DR in there.

John, As with any battery pack, don't run it completely dead. Once it starts running slow, stop and recharge it. Otherwise it'll put a reverse current into the weakest battery, which will do a lot of damage.

If it works reasonably well, the electric trimmer will be nice. Clean, quiet, and easy to start. Maybe we can duct tape it to your bike and have you go for a ride.

seberly

06-05-2006, 10:27 PM

Really, log crossings?

DR is a bit awkward but it will roll over the log crossings but do what you want!!!

gopherhockey

06-06-2006, 07:09 AM

Really, log crossings?

DR is a bit awkward but it will roll over the log crossings but do what you want!!!

I used the DR on the beginner trail one year - it was nice.

As Bob mentioned, we're a bit leary of that on the other trails. Mostly because of the hidden rocks etc. What we would need to do is walk in front and try clear the trail. Many of the rocks were placed there to pin in the trail way back when and have become hidden. I saw quite a few for the few minutes I was trimming.

I think a weed trimmer, a few people with loppers, and this hedge trimmer will probably do the trick this year. Maybe in the fall when everything dies off we can clear the sides and use the DR next year.

crux

06-06-2006, 08:33 AM

Agreed that electric is a user friendly way to go, but endurance is not quite up to par of handeling a job like leb. Even if we carried extra packs or high capacity li-ions or li-poly it still would be more of a hassle than a gas trimmer.

Gas is unfriendly to the riders passing and they will likely complain, but the job still needs to get done and the noise is a minor issue.

Estimated time frame for trimming with gas ~15 man hours, electric ~40-60 man hours with NiMH packs ~30-45 with Li-Poly.

gopherhockey

06-06-2006, 09:54 AM

Estimated time frame for trimming with gas ~15 man hours, electric ~40-60 man hours with NiMH packs ~30-45 with Li-Poly.

I'm not sure how you calculated that... I would think if the device did the same amount of work (regardless of the power) the times would be the same... but regardless I don't plan on using one tool to do the entire job. Gas will work some places, the new trimmer will work excellent on some areas, and then we're just going to spray the whole trail down with Round-Up and be done with it.

(ok, Im' kidding about the last part.. hehe)

berrywise

06-06-2006, 10:00 AM

I have used one of these to clear literally miles of trail at Milaca and Elk River when we were first building those trails. I've also used them to clear land for building as well. The 3 pointed blade that is pictured on it is, hands down, the best all-round blade. Cuts grass and small stuff nicely but can also chop through saplings up to 3/4" in diameter when properly wielded. It can be easily resharpened and lasts a long time. The blade on the brush saw above is the middle one in the picture below. Well worth the money. With the harness setup like pictured above, you can easily operate this thing for hours without getting too fatigued.

Not to mention they will cut through someone's achilles tendon like a hot knife through butter! I have first hand experience of doing that to a kid I used to work with. He snuck up behind me when I was trimming a gaurd rail and when I swung the trimmer around...well just say he got a lot of time off after that.

gopherhockey

06-06-2006, 10:36 AM

Not to mention they will cut through someone's achilles tendon like a hot knife through butter! I have first hand experience of doing that to a kid I used to work with. He snuck up behind me when I was trimming a gaurd rail and when I swung the trimmer around...well just say he got a lot of time off after that.

Yes, this is one thing I don't like about the gas powered equipment. For clearing a brand new trail with no bikers on it there is no issue, but for walking down a trail that is overgrown where you can't see people in front or behind it can get a little scary. Its not like a leaf blower that really won't to more than blow dust and smoke in someones face.

If we use trimmers like that we will have to stage someone that can act as a buffer between the riders and the worker to keep things safe.

TML

06-06-2006, 10:40 AM

Not to mention they will cut through someone's achilles tendon like a hot knife through butter!

Yeah, I guess there's that . . .

A little more of an issue with a trail as busy as Leb is.

berrywise

06-06-2006, 10:44 AM

Yeah, I guess there's that . . .

A little more of an issue with a trail as busy as Leb is.

Yeah I didn't mean to throw that out there as a reason why not to use them. I'm in the camp that any tool can be used safely if the proper steps are taken to make them safe.

Having used electric power whips and gas powered there is no contest on what works better. Gas.

TML

06-06-2006, 10:58 AM

Yeah I didn't mean to throw that out there as a reason why not to use them.

Didn't think you meant that. I was more or less sympathizing with John's situation, even though I replied to your quote.

If we use trimmers like that we will have to stage someone that can act as a buffer between the riders and the worker to keep things safe.

This actually works well, cuz it's nice to have someone following you with a rake and clearing the debris from the trail after you've tore through it. The riders will run into the raker first.

gopherhockey

06-06-2006, 11:43 AM

This actually works well, cuz it's nice to have someone following you with a rake and clearing the debris from the trail after you've tore through it. The riders will run into the raker first.

Good idea! I hate all the brush that ends up on the trail...

FSSS

06-06-2006, 12:40 PM

When I worked on the Superior Hiking Trail (200+ miles long) we used gas powered weed whips. They worked very well - as long as the stuff wasn't too woody. For thicker woody stems, just have someone follow with a lopper or that hedge cutter.

2 people (each with a weed whip) could get Leb done in one day, 2 at the very most.

You need to get a weed whip with heavy duty nylon string, not the thin stuff most weed whips use.

gopherhockey

06-06-2006, 01:08 PM

You need to get a weed whip with heavy duty nylon string, not the thin stuff most weed whips use.

Yea, those thin ones just wrap themselves around stuff and get stuck. They are normally on a lower powered weed trimmer as well - I have a Toro that I think (being gas powered) would surely underperform compared to the new hedge trimmer.

Both the gas powered trimmers that MORC currently owns have major saw-blades on them. They have the power to cut through a medium sized tree and not even blink. Would be nice to have the other style blade for one or both... we'll look into that.

Tonight we are going out armed with the new hedge trimmer (only one battery), and two gas trimmers with saw blades.. and loppers. Not ideal, but we should be able to get a lot of it done if we are careful.

Careful will be the key for us when using non-ideal equipment.