Doe John wrote:
Hi:

I need to cut down very thorny, woody brush, about a quarter acre to
half acres worth. Machete doesn't do the trick at all. Just bounces
off the brush. Trimmers with cords, forget about it. I need a hand
held brushcutter with a saw at the end. The ones with toothed saws
from Stihl and Husqvarna top out at around 800 bucks. Cheapest ones
are under 400. Too much for one day's need.

I have a John Deere C1200 gas trimmer. At Lowes, I saw a Troy Bilt
brushcutter blade attachment for 69 bucks. A four pronged blade, not
saw-toothed. COuldn't find info on the web whether this attachment
could be used for this John Deere brand. I remember the box stated
works on most brands of gas trimmers. I am assuming it is best for
Troy Bilt products.

Anyone here used the Troy Bilt brushcutter blade attachment?

I also saw pruning and edger attachments at Home Depot and Lowes. I
wonder if the pruning attachent could be used since the brush I have
is essentially small branches. Not sure if continuous use of an
electric pruning attachment like a trimmer is recommended.



The key is the trimmer needs a straight shaft with a solid driveshaft;
not a flex-shaft (even if it is straight).

That 4-tooth blade is "weed blade" and does a fine job of cutting heavy
grass and non-woody weeds. A "brush blade" look just like a circular
saw blade with 20 or more teeth. They don't work as well as a weed
blade on grass and tender weeds, but can handle anything up to 1/2" or
more saplings.

I have an Echo SRM-2200 trimmer that I bought over 15 years ago. It can
take metal blades and would handle trimming 1/2 acre of brambles, but it
might be a *little* underpowered for the job. You can buy comparable
Echo trimmers for about $300. Don't buy a big monster trimmer like my
dad did; they are too heavy and unwieldy.

A quick google search looks like the C1200 probably has a curved shaft;
if so, I wouldn't try to adapt a blade for it or you will spring the
driveshaft.

Best regards,
Bob