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Hello All

I recently fired the gardener because he raised his price from $100 a month to $160...heck, I need the exercise anyhow!

My San Diego County home sits on a 1/2 acre, with a teeny tiny patch of grass, some huge hedges, and a weedpatch that grows only in the Spring. I still have Murray F. Abraham, my 21 inch gas lawnmower I bought new in 1990...maybe we'll talk more about him later.

Anyhow, my hedges are over 7 feet tall, about 40 feet long, on the other side of an in-ground swimming pool. Battery-operated tools would be best for my situation...less noise than gas, and less worries about electrocution with the extension cord going across the pool.

Since the hedge is so tall, I'm looking at extended pole type hedge trimmers. The Black & Decker model appears a bit on the light-duty size, and the Stihl and DeWalt ones are way beyond this homeowner's budget.

So, that guides me toward the Greenworks line, and I'm leaning toward the 60 volt model, because their 40 volt unit uses a plastic extension and the 60v appears to be aluminum.

Once I choose between 40v and 60v, I'll have to stick with that brand and voltage so the batteries all work together, and I also need a weedwacker and blower.

Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks,

Gerard
Ramona, CA

You seem sold on electric so this may be wasted words. I had a couple tall evergreen trees overgrowing my front door and pushing against the house which I put off until no one could easily reach the entrance (slight exaggeration). Also some hedge.

Since I had a 2 stroker weed whacker with "click-it" interchangeability I bought a snap-on attachment from H Depot on line ($99). Great investment. I trimmed the stuff in about 30 minutes. The trees are about 10 feet.

Edit, Just remembered you probably cannot buy a 2 stroker in CA so your alternative is a "clean" 4 stroker.

Let me correct you on one thing. The extension on the Greenworks 40 volt hedge trimmer is aluminum, not plastic. The outer sheath is plastic, so you can’t see the aluminum pole when it is retracted. Nonetheless, the 60 volt tools are definitely stouter and more powerful, so if you can afford it I’d go with the 60 volt lineup. I have the 60 volt handheld blower and lawn mower, and am very pleased with both of them.

Excellent info, thank you!

The main problem I see with gas engines is noise. I'll be wanting to start work early to beat the heat, and I don't want to disturb our very quiet neighborhood.

Thank you for the info on the trimmer structure. It's unfortunate that nobody stocks these Greenworks pole hedge trimmers...I've not seen one in person yet.

Thanks,
Gerard

You can buy the Greenworks 60 volt tools through Lowe’s, so you can return them within 30 days to the nearest store for a full refund if you have any problems, or simply don’t like it.

Just one warning about these kinds of tools is that they are rather heavy, and can be fatiguing to use for an extended time without some kind of shoulder strap. My hedge is really small, so I’m only using the trimmer for a couple of minutes at a time. My 40 volt pole hedge trimmer has a loop near the handle for a shoulder strap, but I’m not sure whether the 60 volt version has one.

motoman said:

You seem sold on electric so this may be wasted words. I had a couple tall evergreen trees overgrowing my front door and pushing against the house which I put off until no one could easily reach the entrance (slight exaggeration). Also some hedge.

Since I had a 2 stroker weed whacker with "click-it" interchangeability I bought a snap-on attachment from H Depot on line ($99). Great investment. I trimmed the stuff in about 30 minutes. The trees are about 10 feet.

Edit, Just remembered you probably cannot buy a 2 stroker in CA so your alternative is a "clean" 4 stroker.

Click to expand...

Here's something interesting...some of the Greenworks weedwackers are "Attachment Capable" meaning that you can put an articulating hedge trimmer head onto the weedwacker frame, just like you were able to do with your gas unit. Buy one machine, with the extra head, instead of two separate machines. Thanks for the recommendation!

This really opens my search back up wide. I was heading toward Greenworks because of their pole hedge trimmer, but if I can get an "Attachment Capable" weedwacker and buy attachments, then I'm not stuck on Greenworks any more. This is awesome, but going to be daunting again, because the field is now wide.

That being said, who makes good "Attachment Capable" weedwackers and a blower? What brands really do the job?

I'm looking at the "Trimmer Plus" hedge attachment, and it says "Not for use with electric powered units." Weird...wonder why? Are there any hedge attachments for electric power?

Gerard

Good info . The hedge attachment seems a good quality even though I (cheapskate) winced at that price. The teeth are hardened . I suggest WD 40 or a bath of some kind after each use to inhibit rust and to lubricate. The one I bought also has a scabbard. That overgrowth really had me frustrated . i had tried a manual clipper, but quickly saw "I" would be chopped to pieces by the evergreen.

g92065 said:

Here's something interesting...some of the Greenworks weedwackers are "Attachment Capable" meaning that you can put an articulating hedge trimmer head onto the weedwacker frame, just like you were able to do with your gas unit. Buy one machine, with the extra head, instead of two separate machines. Thanks for the recommendation!

This really opens my search back up wide. I was heading toward Greenworks because of their pole hedge trimmer, but if I can get an "Attachment Capable" weedwacker and buy attachments, then I'm not stuck on Greenworks any more. This is awesome, but going to be daunting again, because the field is now wide.

That being said, who makes good "Attachment Capable" weedwackers and a blower? What brands really do the job?

I'm looking at the "Trimmer Plus" hedge attachment, and it says "Not for use with electric powered units." Weird...wonder why? Are there any hedge attachments for electric power?

Gerard

Click to expand...

You have to be really careful with the load applied to electric motors.
If it is too high then the motor draws too many amps.
Amp = heat
Heat = voltage drop = more amps = more heat .
In corded tools the heat can get high enough to melt the plastic.
In battery devices it can also melt the plastic and if the battery overload protection fails, the batteries can explode.

People seem to forget everything they learned in high school about electricity in physics.
An electric device is just a resistance in the circuit. Resistance is measured in Watts.
Resistance dose not care how it gets the Watts so 40V x1 A is the same as 20V x 2 A.
But 2 A running through a wire, generates a touch under 2 times the heat of 1 A running through the wire.

So keep this in mind when using them.
Electric tools should be used LIGHTLY
Thus always cut at the speed the tool is working and do not force it through the hedge.
It should pass through the growth with no more force than a hot knife through butter.
Also check how to sharpen the blades.
Some come apart easily and have dedicated sharpeners, some are supposed to be self sharpening , some can be sharpened while together while other take over an hour to pull the blades off and sharpening the blades can be more expensive than buying a new trimmer.
Most gardening stores ( not mower shops ) sell lubricants and cleaning solutions for different types trimming tools.
You will need different cleaning solutions for latex based saps then gum based saps.

Something I'm neglecting here: My helper! If I get a weedwacker with an interchangeable hedge trimmer head, there will be only one tool. If I get separate tools, my wife can work separately, and we'll get done quicker. She wants to contribute, so I think I'll get separate weedwacker and pole hedge trimmer tools. Gerard

g92065 said:

Something I'm neglecting here: My helper! If I get a weedwacker with an interchangeable hedge trimmer head, there will be only one tool. If I get separate tools, my wife can work separately, and we'll get done quicker. She wants to contribute, so I think I'll get separate weedwacker and pole hedge trimmer tools. Gerard

Click to expand...

The gas drive "click its" attach by simply guiding a "square tooth" cable drive stub in to the female square tooth receptacle. I have never used electric stuff so I cannot advise.

And if it were me, I'd tear out the hedges and install a fence .. ( so ya finance it) ..and be done with it !

Be kind to hedges. They provide great privacy. The acid loving varieties here grow like weeds, and look way better than fences, but must be trimmed every couple years. These are big leaf, soft leaf type, not the tough, "tear your arm off" fir type. I should be able to name the hedge I am referring to, but I am too busy working metal.

motoman said:

Be kind to hedges. They provide great privacy. The acid loving varieties here grow like weeds, and look way better than fences, but must be trimmed every couple years. These are big leaf, soft leaf type, not the tough, "tear your arm off" fir type. I should be able to name the hedge I am referring to, but I am too busy working metal.

Click to expand...

All depends where you are.
Down here we call hedges WICKS cause as the wild fire passes buy it ignites the hedge which then burns down the house that would have otherwise been bypassed.
I have always prefferred a screen of mixed Summer & Winter flowering shrubs with some shade loving understory on the shade side and sun lovers of the sunny side.
Planted in small groups of similar plants.
Thus when one plant dies, it can get replaced and not look out of place.
Got a couple of city people living in their "country houses" with miles of Buxes ( Box ) hedges which always look schitt because there is always one plant that is sick.
They spends a lot more on maintaining their hedges than they would have on a fence.
Over the road is a bloke with "hedges" made from a variety of fruit trees all growing between each other with some Magnolias dispersed between them, apples, pears & citrus.
The sunny side had Passionfruit growing through the "hedge".

motoman said:

Be kind to hedges. They provide great privacy. The acid loving varieties here grow like weeds, and look way better than fences, but must be trimmed every couple years. These are big leaf, soft leaf type, not the tough, "tear your arm off" fir type. I should be able to name the hedge I am referring to, but I am too busy working metal.

Click to expand...

Here's a better pic of the hedge, getting some rain, the first we've had in about 9 months.

I prefer the hedge...we get a lot of birds moving in and out of it, and it just looks good.

Gerard