How to choose a pole hedge trimmer?

[Chat]

Hi community,

Help required with selecting a pole trimmer. We have a pittosporum hedge that is about 4 metres hight and about 40metres long. Trying to work out the best pole trimmer for the job. I think I'll need a petrol trimmer due to size of hedge. Open to suggestions if people thing electric will do the job. Trying to keep the budget as low as possible knowing it'll cost a few hundred at minimum for a decent product but hoping a hard cut off of $500. Open to suggestions of types of trimmers (electric vs petrol) or even a brand that has worked well for you.

Thanks in advance.

Chat

[EricL]

Hello @Chat 

Thanks for sharing your question about how to choose a pole hedge trimmer. If you have an existing cordless tool system from any of the major brands, I propose getting a tool based on the battery system that you already have. 

For example, if you have a DeWALT XR set, I recommend getting a DeWALT 18V XR Cordless Pole Hedge Trimmer DCMPH566N-XE. This currently has a battery bonus redemption offer. In essence you'll have your current battery which you own and an extra one from the redemption. This will give you an adequate run time when trimming your hedge.

Another example is if you have a Ryobi 36V One+ battery system, I propose looking at the Ryobi 36V 44cm Cordless Pole Hedge Trimmer. This unit takes the 36V battery giving you an extended runtime without having to change batteries.

Aside from runtime, these units will often have estimated area coverage. So, it's important to look at these features when choosing a hedge trimmer. Both units will have an average reach of 3 meters+ when held by a person. However, in order to reach 4 meters a ladder must be used.

There are a host of petrol hedge trimmers but none in pole configuration. The ease of maintenance and the fact that you don't need to keep petrol, oil and mixing cans makes using a cordless tool very convenient.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Prawns for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Chat]

Thanks Eric. I'm concerned the Ryobi unit isn't powerful enough. It's got very mixed reviews and I had purchased a pole trimmer (different brand) earlier which wasn't powerful enough. I was the unit to seemlessly cut through hedge including some young woody growth. I already have petrol, oil mix and all the cans and tools for mixing so this isn't a concern. So bunnings doesn't offer a pole trimmer in petrol? Thanks

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @Chat 

Thats a decent sized hedge! I am afraid I havnt had any experience in using either electric trimmers or petrol driven ones. I have a petrol whipper snipper and dont think I would go electric for something so hard working. How long did that hedge take to grow btw?

Dave

[EricL]

Hi @Chat 

The only petrol pole trimmer I'm aware of is the Ryobi Petrol 25.4CC 2 Stroke Easy Start 10” (25cm) Pole Pruner. But you'll need to buy the Ryobi Expand-It Hedge Trimmer Attachment to transform it into a hedge trimmer. However, this particular set will cost you more than you're set budget.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[Chat]

Thanks Eric and I'm happy to increase budget for the right tool. I'll definitely consider this option.

[Chat]

Came with the house Dave. We however gave it a hard hack with chainsaw as it was overgrown. It took almost an year to grow decent new growth cover.