A Guide On How To Use Brush Cutter [Properly And Safely]

A brush cutter is one of the best things you can use for your garden when needed. While lawnmowers and trimmers can help your job to some extent, the brush cutter is the best tool you have when it comes to intricate areas or dealing with a large area in a short time.

But, starting off with a brush cutter can be a bit intimidating because its controls might seem a bit tedious. It's not too hard, maybe a bit complicated. To save you from the trouble we're presenting a guide on how to use brush cutter. The guide will explain the mechanism of most brush cutters available, their technical aspects, precautionary measures, etc.

So, let’s get started!

How To Use Brush Cutter

Brush cutters have a lot of categories and subcategories. For example, there are different kinds of power sources, such as fuel run brush cutter or electric powered brush cutter. Again, the fuel run brush cutters have different kinds such as a two-stroke or a four-stroke engine. But, most brush cutters have a simple working principle, and this is explained below:

Working mechanism

• Fueling: If you have an oil based brush cutter, it's the very basic thing you need to do. Take your fuels, mix them well and insert them into the cutter, a fully fueled tank is the basic necessity for your Job to start. For your fueling job to be done right, buy a bottle that shows the measurements for mixing.
• Switches and pull string: After adding the fuel (if you're using a petrol brush cutter only) comes to the switch. The start, stop and control buttons are there at every brush cutter type. However, if you have a fuel based brush cutter, you have to pull the string to activate the motor as well. The string generally remains close to the switch so that it's easy to access. Pull it for a few times to get the motor running. However, make sure it's turned ON, if not, the motor won't start.
• Also, most brush cutters will have switches for increasing and decreasing the speed, and a safety switch that engages the throttle to ensure no harm to the user.
• Starting point: To start cutting with a brush cutter, make sure you fix your position. Stand straight, make sure the length is sufficient so that you don't have to bend your body and start working. Too much bending can really catch you off guard and hurt you.
• Techniques: now that the basics are discussed, it's time to discuss the techniques that can help you get your job done fast and efficiently. Some of the more popular techniques are:
• Mowing: use it to trim a large area in the garden. When you're trimming a large area, small patches of grass remains here and there. Hold the cutter upright and walk towards the grass to get the perfect length. It's hard to get the job done perfectly in your first try, but practice makes perfect. Start with longer lengths and adapt. Also, keep in mind that stones and other debris might be brought upwards, so be very careful.
• Trimming: Trimming is helpful when you're using it around trees and other areas around the garden. This is to get a nice finish around the trees and also providing them with space. Hold your brush cutter up to the tree at around 30 degrees and slowly cut it. Be extra careful as it might hit the trees. Use a protective attachment to protect your trees.
• Weeding: this is not your average gardening technique, but rather something that shows the versatility of a brush cutter as a whole. Use it to clean the weeds growing up from the patches in your pavement or patio. The purpose is to cut them as light as possible. So, angle it right and with a light touch, take it around the garden. Don't be too fast while doing this, because hitting a fast-moving metallic blade in your pavement will damage both the blade and your pavement considerably.
• Scything: This is a very powerful method for taking care of a lot of big vegetation or foliage at a time. It's suggested to use a stronger, probably petrol ran cutter for this. And work accordingly depending on the area. Stand upright and hold the machine at a suitable angle. Work in squares and work around the squares as you go time to time and do it right. You might need to do it a couple of times to ensure that you get the perfect length. Choose the length you wanna cut and go around in a scything motion, left to right. However, if you're in a slope, choose a side and go straight in a scything motion, come back and go again. In this way, in this way you can get a lot of areas cleared very easily. It's a bit of a complicated process, but it's not too hard.

Precautions And Safety Hazards

While using a brush cutter is not very hard, it's a bit risky, to say the least. You might end up hurting yourself for the worst unless you're prepared well. There are a number of safety hazards that you really need to keep in mind before getting it to use to prevent hurting yourself.

• Always make sure that the brush cutter has cooled down from its first use before it's taken for refueling.
• Get sufficient safety equipment beforehand, that includes safety goggles, jackets, boots, earbuds etc. to say the least, make sure you're all dressed up before taking the cutter out. Also, buy a guard for your brush cutter before use.
• Due to the noise, you might very likely want to use the ear pods, but don't let it take you away from the reality. There might be people around in your garden especially children, always manage to look up and around before going forward to ensure no one is hurt.
• When working with a brush cutter, try to have a proper footing. The cutter runs on high speed and if you mistakenly trip or fall, you'll hurt yourself badly. So keep that in mind before starting the job.
• There might be animals hiding or wandering around in your garden. Take a walk, scare them away and then start cutting. Or else, you might end up hurting them terribly which you definitely don't want.

Conclusion

Using a brush cutter is not rocket science. However, it's a bit complicated and requires some effort. The above-mentioned steps and precautions are absolutely necessary for you to keep in mind. Stay safe, and enjoy the beautiful thing your garden is!

Looking for the best brush cutter for your garden? Check out our top recommended brush cutter list here.