The brushcutter is the fake of modern times. Depending on its equipment, it can be a good auxiliary of the mower, – to cut the grass where the device on wheel can not access: narrow parts, embankments, etc. But it is also a cleaning material for undergrowth or other neglected areas. Finally, if you have a country house in which you only go from time to time, it will help you restore everything in no time. To work with maximum efficiency, comfort and safety, here are some good tips.
Our tips for good brushing
If the wasteland to clean allows, start with browse back and forth the scrub space to observe what you are going to cut. Remove hard objects (wire, big stones, tree branches …) that can drag on the ground and damage the device or cause dangerous bursts.
Avoid cutting vegetation too close to the groundespecially if the ground is stony or poorly leveled. Ten centimeters high are a minimum to be certain not to plant his disk in the ground or to bounce it on a pebble, a branch or a stump.
Take the time to clear the cuts regularly. This allows you to see clearly in the progress of your work and not to forget an area covered by debris. But before that, stop the engine of the machine, put it on the ground after stopping the blade and get yourself a fork.
Finally, even if you are an expert in handling the brush cutter, do not give yourself a show. Keep your admirers away for several meters, as projections of small wood chips or even stems of woody grass are numerous and very dangerous. In addition, a false movement or bounce can cause you to turn around suddenly, with all the risks that this implies for someone behind you.
Well equipped: the key to safety with a brushcutter
Choose the equipment according to the vegetation. A nylon thread head is enough for the grass. A disc with three or four teeth can cut harder stems such as nettles, brambles or brooms.
Start your tool preferably by placing it on the floor. Place a shim under the cutting head to raise it and make sure that the disc does not touch the floor when turning.
Regularly clean the cutting head, the protective cover and the air filter. Remember also to grease the places provided for this purpose Read carefully the instructions to be sure not to forget anything.
Wear gloves and goggles, a helmet with visor and earmuffs is even recommended if you work several hours in a row and in the undergrowth, where the resonance is stronger.
Adopt a stable position, even more so if the terrain is sloping. You must be able to perform swinging motion from right to left and vice versa, without losing balance.
Hang the brush cutter on the harness ensuring his good balance. The transmission tube must be at hip height and you must hold the handlebars with both hands, with the arms slightly bent.
If the vegetation is very tall, work in two steps. After a first pass at mid-height, clear the cuts, then brush off shorter. Otherwise, the amount of waste will be too much.
For your safety, choose a model with a perfectly streamlined motor. Thus, you will not risk to hang in the undergrowth and especially, to burn you in the muffler, in your back.
Attention danger : never work at height. You must not raise your tool higher than your hips. A brush cutter is not a chainsaw, a pruner or a hedge trimmer.
