Brush cutter blades

[johnbryanpeters]

Stihl offers two saw blades for its brush trimmers, a chisel tooth and a scratcher tooth. Does anyone know the relative merits of these two blade types?

J

[Mt.A TODD]

I think a chisel tooth is stronger and sharper, allowing you to clear larger trees than the scratcher blade.

[johnbryanpeters]

After finding a manual and reading it, I think it's vice-versa.

- The chisel tooth has ramps behind the teeth to limit depth of cut, an anti-kickback feature, I think. It's twice the cost of the scratcher.

- The scratcher is a plain old deep fillet buzz saw blade - the manual said it cuts bigger stuff.

My experience so far with these things is that an inch to an inch and a quarter is the maximum effective stem diameter you can deal with unless it's low density wood like sumac. You can eventually hack down larger stuff, but it takes multiple attempts and the blade wants to bind. Better off going for the chain or bow saw for the bigger stuff.

J

[T Grimble]

Trying to hack through big stuff with the brush cutter could also bend the drive shaft resulting in a nasty vibration that will shake your teeth loose by the end of the day. I prefer to use loppers for any wood cutting because you can get the tip of the lopper below the dirt and cut so that the stump will not poke through the trail once the tread gets worn in. A brush cutter is a great tool for making the final pass and clearing grasses and small ground cover. It leaves a good tread but it is not a good tool for taking out the saplings. Just my two cents.

[johnbryanpeters]

It's not my favorite tool. It's helpful for a limited number of maintenance tasks, and as Mr. G. observes, not too good for tread. I happen to be trying to clear a dam face with a 2:1 slope covered with slash, small brush, and occasional trees as a byproduct of joining a conservation group B.O.D.

J