I have 7 acres of woods behind my house and I'm working on a shooting area. The dang forest is covered with mountain laurel. This stuff is like a rhodedendron. The trunks and branches are too thick for just loppers or hedge trimmers. But they are not thick enough for the chain saw as they just shake a lot.

I have a saw blade for my Echo trimmer but it's a pain to swap out and I'm not even sure how long it will last.

I'm debating just getting another trimmer dedicated to the saw blade or some other tool that could make quick work of this stuff. I'm only looking to spend about $200. Any other options I'm not thinking about?

For 7 acres, I'd hire someone with a bush hog.

I'm not going to clear all 7 acres, just the area for shooting and a few other spots. It's not easily accessible so something rather portable would be best.

I've used one of the Ryobi pole saws for stuff like that, or a recip saw. But with the latter you have to hold it with your other hand to keep it from shaking with the blade and you have to cut as low to the ground as possible.

Try a pruning blade with a recip saw. Anti-vibe gloves will be useful too. I use that combo on tree branches that fall in our woods when they need to be removed and it works on bushes as long as they’re larger than a quarter or half inch diameter where you’re cutting.

Take a look at pruning chain saws

Or have you though of a little bobcat just cutting a path.

Yeah a reciprocating saw may work. I would have to buy a cordless for this job.

Perhaps I should just wait a month until all the grass is done growing, change the head on the trimmer and see how it does with the saw blade.

I rented a walk behind brush cutter from Home Depot for a similar project. I was about $100 for a day and it did a good job on brush up to 2.5-3 inches.

We have one of these kits from Lowes. It's the bomb for lake edge clearing. Performance is much better than I expected and the battery lasts a good long time per charge.

I have a brush cutter blade attachment for my string trimmer power head for stuff like that. It has a three-corner blade, not a saw tooth blade (actually, I have a saw tooth blade that fits it, but it is useless). This is the one that works.

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Originally posted by architect:
I have a brush cutter blade attachment for my string trimmer power head for stuff like that. It has a three-corner blade, not a saw tooth blade (actually, I have a saw tooth blade that fits it, but it is useless). This is the one that works.

Interesting. I've seen those blades and didn't expect much from them. Maybe I'll give that a try.

You’re gonna be disappointed with a brush trimmer blade for a weed eater. I’d find a farmer nearby with a bush hog and see if you can swap beer for a trip down and back to the new impact zone.

Unless the topography is not suited for a tractor.

When I lived in the mountains of NC I had to use a chainsaw for our range. It was no fun. 100 yds downhill wasn’t too bad but dad wanted ten yards wide. That’s a lot of mountain laurels.

Actually, a brush blade works great on a good weed eater like a Shindaiwa. It has to be a strong one, not your ordinary Home Depot kind. You hit the saplings wide open with a decent controlled swing, not trying to saw through them. They are kind of dangerous though, even with the right setup with a bar brace and strap. Lots of gyro forces.

Bush hog . Tractor with a front end loader to clear away the stuff you cut .

If you are doing it by hand the correct tool is a gas powered brushcutter or clearing saw (mine is a Stihl, but I think other people make them). Its at least 400% better than a blade on your string trimmer. I would see if you can rent one or if this is a regular project you could consider investing in one.

I recommend buying or borrowing a lightweight chainsaw like a Stihl 194 or similar.

https://m.stihlusa.com/product...in-tree-saws/ms194t/

I have an older model similar to it and they are excellent brush cutters all the way up to good sized pieces of wood if necessary. This design is extremely light and has a handle set up that gives it true one hand operation with brush sized material. Since you are going to be walking on your cut to and from the target, you’re going to want to cut right down to ground level so you’re not tripping over staubs. I’ve used mine to manually remove honeysuckle bushes and it’s perfect for the job and a lot faster than you’d think. I’ve used it to shape rhodo and laurel as well as well as azaleas and even will square up box bushes with ease.

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I'm only looking to spend about $200. Any other options I'm not thinking about?

Yes, more money. If it’s too big for a lopping shears, then another $200 trimmer isn’t going to cut it. There’s nothing you can attach to a string trimmer that will work well.

I think your best bet is pay someone with the right equipment to do the job.

Depending on how much you need removed hire someone with a Bobcat. They had attachments that will rip the plants out of the ground root and all so it doesn't grow back. A friend of mine made his own attachment by welding sharpened teeth to an end loader bucket. He then just drove through the woods ripping saplings right out of the ground.

I think I'm gonna have to go at this slowly with the saw attachment on the weedeater, chainsaw for thicker stuff, and loppers for other stuff. It will take a while.

There would not be an easy way to get a tractor or stand behind brush cutter down there. Lots of rocks, brooks, hills, etc. It's about 800 feet from my house to the range. I have to be 500 feet from a dwelling and this spot is the first place I have fairly level ground and a natural berm to shoot into.

Reciprocating saw with a handful of pruning blades was my first thought. Or someone with a bobcat to scrape the whole thing flat.