Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Acreage Mangement Question

Poppy, that's great advice from PF. I'm learning a lot of that sort of stuff, too, with our place that we've had for just under 11 months now. I'll probably be purchasing a commercial grade weed whacker and just mounting a cutting blade on it. I used a friend's Stihl FS90R with a blade for several months at our place and it worked like a charm. I could cut through 3 inch thick brush/saplings without much trouble.

I mentioned this is another post some time back and PF and others said they used similar setups, though with much heavier duty versions. For guys that are doing it on a regular basis, no question their approach is right on - get the bigger machines. My own philosophy, as a couple of days per week farm worker is to just buy as much power as I can reasonably afford, recognizing I'm not going to be using it to the extent the pros do. For that reason, the FS90R is probably what I'll get, though there are also some other great brands out there and I'm sure folks here will share their thoughts. That's the extent of my experience, but it was positive and that is the direction I'm leaning.

For anything heavier than that, as PF said, get a good chainsaw and go to town. I bought a 16" Husqvarna and love it, though I kind of wish I had gotten something with a 20" bar just for added versatility and the fact that it's just more manly than a 16 incher!

Obviously, be ultra careful with all those tools and really make sure you know how to use them safely and effectively because there is zero forgiveness for careless operation. I cut and sold firewood with a buddy all the way through college with a high school buddy of mine and got pretty comfortable with chain saws, but I still err on the side of caution every time I fire it up.

Good luck. I'll be interested to read what the others have to say.