Brushcutters or Clearing Saws

When the going gets tough, or at least it gets steep, heavily overgrown or just plain old difficult then you’ll find it hard to use an ordinary motor mower for property maintenance. It’s time to find a more suitable tool for the job!

Brushcutters, sometimes known as clearing saws, are used to manage vegetation in areas inaccesible to motor mowers. Brushcutters can make easy work of cutting through grass, coarse brush and even sapling trees.

A brushcutter is a popular tool amongst commercial landscapers and property maintenance operatives because it cuts and clears undergrowth quickly, regardless of how difficult the terrain.

Essentially a brushcutter consists of a long shaft with a motor mounted on the top that drives a horizontally rotating blade at the bottom of the shaft.

The most powerful machines feature small petrol engines typically 30cc to 50cc in size and are capable of rotating the cutting blade at 12,000rpm.

Brushcutter blades are usually solid fixed blades made of metal or polycarbonate and can even look like a circular saw blade for more extreme requirements.

It almost goes without saying that this tool should be used with extreme caution. Operatives must use a full set of personal protective equipment including head gear with face protection, eye protection, ear protection, gloves, boots, trousers and jacket.

Gas powered brushcutters present their very own set of unique hazards to the operative and people nearby. The combination of flammable fuel and hot engine parts creates a risk of fire and burns, while machines fitted with a catalytic converter present an additional hazard if laid down after recent use; the catalytic convertor can be hot enough to ignite combustible materials such as dry grass and brush!

The rotating blade can throw up flying stones and debris when working, creating a ballistic threat to people and property nearby. The rotational force of the blade also create risk of ‘kickout’ which occurs when then blade is momentarily slowed by material being cut which causes to the machine to be thrown to the right and rear of the operator.

Despite such hazards the brushcutter is an extremely useful tool for clearing large areas of dense grass and brush in a very short space of time. To make life easier for the operator, modern machines features anti-vibration technology, easy start engine systems and carefully balanced harnesses which make the machine easy to use for extended periods of time.

When the going gets really tough, and your mower just can’t cut it a brushcutter is the best choice!