Electric tool for digging out thick, tough bramble roots?

Mr S and I were looking at reciprocating saws today in B&Q as neither of us would feel safe using a chain saw. We would use it for branches and clearing scrub, so any suggestions on type and make at a reasonable price would be helpful please.

 

Just come across the ideal thing for digging out tough roots etc, when the local boy scout is not available, 19C-1E | JCB Mini Digger 1.9 Tonnes | JCB.com apparently selling well to hire companies.

 

After doing some more reading I've gone off the idea of using a reciprocating saw, seems that the blade is likely to clog and break and I value my fingers too much.

 

I've actually been considering hiring a really small digger, smaller even that the one you linked to (although I've no idea how to use one). It's tempting but I've no idea how much it would cost.

 

You probalby need a little 1 tonne digger which seem to cost around £100 for the day delivered.
Some sites also include a driver, but more expensive.

What you have not mentioned is the size of the area you are talking about, perhaps a picture to show the area and how big the stumps are.

As mentioned before, what seems like a real back breaker job to those of use who are older or with creaky joints etc, to a strapping young guy, its probably a couple of hours work with a mattock that will just give him his daily exercie without a sweat.

 

Re the chainsaw. You can get electric ones which, with a little bit of common sense, are perfectly safe.....and you don't have to wear a plaid shirt!
I have petrol ones. Chainsaw, not shirt

 

I'd need to measure the area to be sure but at a guess I'd say the area is around 70 feet by 40 feet. There's well over 100 thick bramble stumps that need to be removed.

I may well end up getting somebody in to do it but I want to find a way to do it myself.

 

Then seems like a mini digger may be the best option, assuming you can get it from the road to your garden without any problem ?

Plenty of suppliers in your area, some will do the job for you or just hire out the digger, worth a few phone calls and getting some prices, a skilled driver should make light work of it ..?

Would think a digger with one of those Rake attachments would do it and collect up a lot of the roots as well.

 

Thanks, I'll do some investigating.

I'm also wondering if there's any way that I can use my John Deere tractor mower - it's a good one, it also has a tow bracket.

 

Plenty of grapple hooks around for a tenner+ but you will need to manually hook it onto each stump each time , plus it might slip off and risk the hook and rope springing back on you !

Surely the area you are covering is loose soil so your mover might sink in a bit and damage the cutting assembly ?

Don't think we would risk buggering up an expensive ride on mower for the sake of £100 to £200 to hire the right machine for the job.....?

 

Yeah, that doesn't sound safe does it?

 

I've played with diggers a couple of times in the past. The first time I had to rescue it from being about to fall over - the handyman I'd hired was a bit rubbish and didn't realise about using the bucket arm to help get up and down awkward slopes. You should be able to do some serious damage to those roots over a weekend, and honestly it's a barrel of fun playing with it.

That said, a good operator could probably knock it off quicker, and it might even be cheaper than the hire cost. I do like the satisfaction of being the one to do stuff in my garden though, so I totally get you wanting to do it yourself.

By the way on reciprocating saws, I've just got a Makita one from Screwfix for £90. It's a bit of a beast - definitely better than the ones I've had in the past.

 

Hire places will deliver and pick up for anything that size. Fuel is cheap enough.

The hire people delivering it should at least show you where all the controls are. I thoroughly recommend videoing them showing you, so you can watch it back later when you forget how to do something like winding the treads in and out.

After that, it really isn't too hard - just go slow to start with. The skid-steer thing is a bit odd, but if you're confident reversing a car then you should be a good enough driver to run this. As for the digging, the only thing you really need is a good understanding of leverage, and the fact that if you pick up something too big, too far out, then it'll be the digger that moves and not the bucket! The mini dozer blade can help give a little extra stability BTW, and of course if you've got one with retracting treads then don't forget to wind them back out when you start work.