Levelling a Hedge

[DIYWell]

As usual, the hedge has grown taller than I realised and is in need of a good trim. Think 3 feet.

Every two or three years I bring it down to size but it takes an age since it's 30m long. Some branches are too thick for my hedge trimmers so have to be lopped with cutters or a hand saw. Yes, if I did it more often it wouldn't be such a job, but I have a life that doesn't involve much gardening.

Right now I'm thinking of just running my chainsaw across it to take out the height. How do commercial hedge trimmers tackle this kind of thing? Do the have a tool I don't know about, or do they chainsaw it too?

 

[Fred Blogs]

Leylandia! Should be cut down burned then banned. The problem with cutting a hedge like that is getting to it. Mine ( I cut it down eventually and had a fence erected) was about 15 feet tall when we moved in a couple of years ago and half dead. It could only be cut with a scaffold because there was no substance to support a ladder. I wasn't able to get a cherry picker round to my back garden which is on a slope anyway. I got a chap in to cut it eventually, everyone else took one look and said no way, who used a board on the top but he fell through a couple of times. Eventually as I said I had it chopped down and a fence erected. I have another but it isn't mine and my neighbour who actually owns the hedge doesn't want it cut down even though I have offered to pay for it and for the erection of a fence. that one is a mess as well but isn't as high and I have put a fence up on my side which does support a ladder. Even so it is a nightmare to cut.

 

[spader]

Few days ago, I have done the similar job myself for the tall leylandii hedge which belongs to the next door neighbors but bordering with our garden and getting too high and ugly due to no maintenance by them. I wanted to reduce the height, so had to buy a tripod ladder. I used a Bosch hedgre trimmer and Reciprocating saw for cutting off the thick stems. It was very difficult and hard work. When I finished cutting, the top was not very straight, so maybe have to do another cutting to level it.

Hind sight tells me that I should have used chainsaw to cut off the thick stems because the reciprocating saw was not powerful enough and the
blade was not long enough for the job. There are still thick stems uncut and poking out at the top, makng the hedge looks not level.

I have a mains operated chiansaw, but it is very heavy and loud - so it could be dangerous to operate on the ladder of 3 meters above the ground.
Even the small reciprocating saw was getting heavy on the ladder, and gave feel of uncertainty and danger while cutting.

Definitely high quality battery operated hedge trimmers and chainsaws made by Stihl or Makita would have helped the job a lot making it easier, but they are very expensive. But these are known to be powerful, light and quieter, and most professionals seem using them.

Tripod ladders with adjustable legs were also very expensive, so I just got a non-adjustable fixed leg one cheapest for £200. It is definitely problem if your ground is not level making it feel unstable and unsafe when climbing up. But the well known good tripod ladders with adjustable legs cost around £500.

That hedge doesn't look that high, so maybe you could cut it using just builders step or cheap and ubiqucious DIY step ladders

 

[DIYWell]

If I had my way, I'd chainsaw the bottom of the damn thing. But it's on their side so their hedge. They cut their side and ignore the top. I took it upon myself to keep it to height, mug that I am.

Platform to cut it from isn't an issue. Time, patience and willingness are.

 

[StephenStephen]

Commercially it would be cut more often...

 

[DIYWell]

Commercially it would be cut more often...

That depends on the lease

 

[StephenStephen]

That depends on the lease

Yes, but then leasing the top of a hedge is never a good idea...