Would a commercial grade string trimmer do just as good? I also feel the "Right" commercial gas power hedge trimmers will do the job. Similar to what some old tractors used. Think about the liabilities of gas power in the tall dry grass and electric cords getting cut due to the tall grass. Good Luck! loger

Just this past weekend i cut down some four and five foot high ornamental grasses around some eldery folks ponds. I used there gas powered hedge trimmer and if i recall it was an Echo brand. Not sure of the model, it was ready to use when i got there. He had already started some cutting, but he has back problems so he couldn't work too long. There was no problem cutting the grass with the hedge trimmer.

With a string trimmer, you have to do it just right or it'll shred the grass and make it hard to pick up, or it'll wrap around the head. I find it very tedious and non-productive. The grass is green so no worries there, and not sure it would be a risk if it were dry.

Thanks about the info on the ornamental grasses. Were they standing loose and could you cut through it quickly or did you have to wait for it to feed through?

Is there someone with a gas hedge trimmer who could try it out on tall brome grass for me and report the results?

You may want to try to grow some grain rye in the garden, mow and save the top and till the rest in. I try to save leaves and grass clippings for mulch and use the grain rye for green manure. It does take a pretty strong tiller to till the rye into the soil. I can sure understand where your coming from I have a hard time collecting enough mulch and organic matter.

There is no way I could cut grass with hedge trimmers. The only tall grass I have around here is Pampas grass, and It is hard to handle because it is so sharp edged.

IMHO you need a scythe. I've attached a link to one, but I'm sure there are other's out there that may be cheaper. think about it, prior to sicklebar mowing machines and Mccormick's reaper, all hay and grain was cut with these. I have an old one that I use to cut tall weeds, etc.

Good Luck,

Ev

Here is a link that might be useful: Scythe

I had seen information on scythes. I understood them to be used for the "experience". They had described it as swinging a few times, then stopping to sharpen the blade. Not sure how they did it in the old days for it must be easier than that. I'd like to just cut some brome or other grass for mulch. Is there someone who can try it with a gas hedge trimmer?

You might be better off trying a "blade" on a Echo or eqivalent (strong) gas powered trimmer. What you're really looking for is a sickle bar mower like we use for cutting hay, Big bucks though.

Is the area "unreachable" with an extension cord, or do you have a portable genset, electric hedge trimmers are relatively cheap. I trim about a third of a mile of fence in front of the house by loading the genset on a carden cart behind one of the little tractors and it's fast and painless.

You might also look into renting a gas powered hedge trimmer (it's your back :-) ) and trying it out before you buy one.

I have a Cub Cadet BC509. It comes with a string head and a brushcutting blade. It is a 4 cycle engine so you do not have to mess with preparing the gas oil mixture, and more importantly the gas does not evaporate and leave the 2% Oil to mess up the gas jets, and other critical areas of the fuel system. Once you pump the gas through the system it starts as instructed.

It cost $230 or about the cost of other brands of string trimmers in the same class.

I use it for all trimming jobs in my 3/4 acre yard. I performs well as a string trimmer around the flowers, house, and similar areas.

Change to the Brushcutter blade and you have a weapon to attack those tall grasses, small shrubs, and low hanging limbs. I use mine routinely to cut back the 4' weeds on a vacant adjacent lot, cut blackberry brambles, greenbrier, grape vine, poison ivy, and other brush that collects around the yard and in the woods immediate to my lot. It can accidentally cut of a 3 foot tall holly tree that you did not intend to cut down, and the small pines that come from nowhere.

Based on my experience with the Cub Cadet BC509, it would quickly take care of things like pampas grass, and other ornamental grass.

Take a look at the string trimmers on wheels that are used to work farm fences. That machine probably has a hard blade attachment and bar to stabilize grass being cut. The wheels would save your back. A large Industrial Rental Supply might have one to rent as a trial. Mulching would be your next challenge. Do you have a neighbor with a tractor and Brush Hog to test (if it would cut and chop to a usable size)?

Yes, I had tried an electric hedge trimmer with an extension cord to see how it would work. It was small, and the grass would bind between the blades, and the grass wouldn't go through the guard teeth.

I've seen blade attachments to trimmers, but the one's I've seen were short. It'd be nice to have 20-30 inches of blade to cut. I don't want it all chopped up like a brushcutter blade or brush hog would do for making compost. I want it as mulch for the garden, like a mat to keep the weeds from growing. I want to cut and let it lay, then rake it up and lay it flat between the plants in the garden. If it's shredded as compost, it's a little difficult to rake and transport. Think more like picking it up with a pitchfork.

Would someone mind testing theirs out for me and reporting the results? Please?

I too am interested in a cordless hedge trimmer to cut grass -- ideally mounted 4 to 6 inches above ground level on a walk-behind carriage. This would offer me multiple advantages -- one being not having to mow the grass oftener than every 2 weeks, another being avoiding the use of any gas equipment or any sort of string trimmer. I'm not interested in anything less, and if such a machine hasn't been put in production yet, it's time a manufacturer got with it.

I did try a hedge trimmer attachment, but it required a bit of force to move it through the tall grass and took some time to cut an area.

krnuttle had good advice on the brush cutter blade I didn't realize at the time. Something about a spinning saw blade on a stick didn't sound safe to me. But I saw someone using one once and they thought it was safe. So I tried one and even though it was 7.5" it cut quickly and in a short time I could cut quite a large area. I think my trimmer would be able to handle a 10" blade and so might work even better. Just make sure you have a harness and handle bars or other limitation because it can cut through a 1.5" tree in one bump. Imagine what would happen to your ankle if it hit it!

Spinning saw blade is very aggressive, and I though of using one. However I have had good luck cutting large weeds and small trees with the following Cub Cadet Brush Blade

https://www.cubcadetpartsdistributor.com/product.asp?itemid=14267&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8q6cvImf4wIVD7bACh0MsQpHEAQYASABEgLTHPD_BwE

I believe this would do a better job on your leg if you were careless enough to get in its way. ;-)