I think I posted about this a year or 2 ago. My property is covered with mountain laurel. The stuff sucks. Too thin for chain saw, too thick for weed wacker. So I put a saw blade on the weed wacker and it works good enough.

My range has only about 30 feet. I shoot pistols at it and I still kind of suck, no matter how much I practice or what classes I take. Mostly it's because I'm impatient, cross eye dominant, and need reading glasses.

Anyhow I'm good enough to shoot the bad guy. LOL But my neighbor put a few holes in my steel targets with a rifle. I told him this was not safe. I don't care about the targets so much (he offered to replace them). But I don't want a ricochet killing him.

Soooo... now that I have a few rifles of my own I need more space. I'm thinking I want 50 yards and paper targets only. I have more land but it's too sloped in most spots to get more than 50 yards.

Anyhow, back to the topic.. I hit this crap with the wacker this morning. Made good progress. But man it is work.

Round up.. I used to live in the mountains of western NC and laurels are everywhere. Most were big enough to get em with a chainsaw at the base. But I can see how the smaller ones would be a PITA to get em. Good luck.

Some are definitely big enough for a chain saw. But it’s easier to get to the base with the length of the weed whacker. I won’t be using chemicals. Once it’s clear I will frequently ride over it with the quad to keep them from growing again.

Looks like good copperhead country.

Have you considered a red dot optic as a possibility for helping your vision situation? Would cutting the mountain laurel on the top of your bar work better? This woods looks like good snake country.

I noticed his location, maybe too far north for vipers. Like Indy Jones, I hate snakes!

Not many venomous snakes here. Although copperheads are not unheard of I’ve never seen an actual report of one. Timber rattlers are here but very endangered so you don’t really see them.

Red dots. Yes. I have none on pistols but they are what made me finally get rifles. They defeat the cross eye dominance issue for sure.

Don’t know what a mountain laurel is and I’m not sure from the picture. Sounds like a job for a walkabout and a good machete.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Don’t know what a mountain laurel is and I’m not sure from the picture. Sounds like a job for a walkabout and a good machete.

It’s basically like rhododendrons. Thick trunks like 3” or so. But spindly and winding like bonsai. Most of it would laugh at a machete. In my picture it’s in the foreground.

https://www.earthtools.com/imp...ing/cutterbarmowers/

sickle bar

quote:

Originally posted by oldbill123:
https://www.earthtools.com/imp...ing/cutterbarmowers/

sickle bar

Those are for hay and maybe 1.5” saplings. Mountain laurel would giggle at it. Lol. The stuff doesn’t grow straight. It’s 3” thick and even thicker. It’s all intertwined. It sucks. My saw blade wacker is working. A good day of work and I’ll be all set.

What about a pole chainsaw?

quote:

Originally posted by Tuckerrnr1:
What about a pole chainsaw?

That could work but I’d need gas or a 800 foot extension cord.

Ask and yee shall receive.

I'd use a pruning blade in a szawall combined with loppers depending on the trunk thickness.

quote:

Originally posted by Tuckerrnr1:
What about a pole chainsaw?

I HAD one of those, battery powered.
What a piece of shit it was

Carl suggests:

We used brush clearing saws, growing up. The do have a reputation as being quite dangerous though.

I think as long as you pay attention, and actually use the proper blades, it will be OK.

(They look like circular saw blades, but rotate much faster)

Do you own a good battery powered reciprocating saw? If so get ya a DIABLO 3 pack of 6 in. 3 TPI Demo Demon Carbide Reciprocating Saw Blades for Pruning.

These Carbide 3 TPI rip through smaller wood stuff under 3 1/4", that is not worth firing up the chainsaw for and last a long time. I like them because they are safer than a brush blade on a weed wacker.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DI...-DS0603CP3/304779891

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
We used brush clearing saws, growing up. The do have a reputation as being quite dangerous though.

I think as long as you pay attention, and actually use the proper blades, it will be OK.

(They look like circular saw blades, but rotate much faster)

Years ago I had a blade like that on my weed eater. Worked very well for this kind of job.