How to Hold a Hedge Trimmer

Learn how to operate a hedge trimmer and you’ll have amazing results every time your hedges and shrubs require cutting and shaping. Using a hedge trimmer is the easiest way to maintain those neat, ensuring your yard looks its best. Hedge trimmers may also be dangerous if not used properly; the blades are strong and sharp, and they can cause significant injuries or damage. Here, we will teach you how to work safely with your hedge trimmer, protecting yourself, others around you, and your client’s property. Before using your hedge trimmer, always follow the proper instructions.

Follow Proper Guide Before Trimming

Area Check

If you’re going to trim a hedge, ensure that, the attachment isn’t causing any issues. It’s also a good idea to prepare the area under the hedge. To catch any fallen twigs or branches, place a groundsheet or protective blanket under your working area.

Safety Protection

When learning how to use a hedge trimmer, it is critical to first safeguard yourself.   Wear appropriate PPE, including eye, ear, hand, and foot protection, and avoid wearing loose or baggy clothes that might become entangled in twigs and branches. Other checks are required in addition to paying attention to trimmer blades. Check that all of the nuts, screws, and bolts are firmly attached.

Start Slowly

To tidy up your hedge without taking any chances and maybe harming it, start with small, steady cuts. For cutting the thinner branches, you may always use a sweeping motion. Keep an eye on the depth of your trim and try not to put too much pressure on the tool.

Care for Your Hedge Trimmer after Use

The hedge trimmer has to be well cared for before being put away if you want it to be ready for the next cut. Try to clean your hedge trimmer blades with soapy water and a towel after each usage. Apply a lubricant to keep them from corroding and to keep them moving easy when you use them again.

How To Hold Hedge Trimmer

Before starting trimming always wear the appropriate investigative gear. PPE consists of robust boots with non-slip soles, eye protection, gloves, and hearing protection. Additionally, you should put on long trousers and avoid wearing anything loose or baggy that can catch on twigs or branches. Avoid wearing jewelry that could get caught in branches or the moving parts of trimmers by tying back long hair. 

When using a hedge trimmer, always Hold the machine as near to your body as possible. as well as to get the balance on the hedge, always use two hands. When available, use a trimmer to provide a solid grasp. Make advantage of the rotating rear handle to obtain various positions and jobs Ensure that you are in a better ergonomic position. If your hands and feet do not come into the plan when this is close to the cutting attachment while the engine is running, you should not hurry the work. This May result in uneven pruning and the possibility of you losing your balance and perhaps you will be hurt if you harm yourself. Greater results if you go slowly and consistently maintain control of the hedge.

When cutting vertically, use an up-and-down swinging motion as you travel along the hedge’s edge. When cutting horizontally, take a step, make the cut, then take another step. The blades are sharp and may be quite hazardous if used improperly. Guide the cutting blade along the hedge while holding it at an angle of approximately 10 degrees. Swing the cutting blade horizontally in an arc towards the hedge, using both the horizontal and vertical methods to sweep the clippings to the ground.

Another thing you need to keep in mind is when you cutting vertically or horizontally carry your trimmer properly. Use the front and rear hand grips and position your thumb beneath the handle. When holding the hedge trimmer keep your hand behind the protective shield to safeguard your safety.

Mistakes should be Avoid

• Even if you are in the middle of a project, the engine should be completely cool before you fuel or refuel.
• Don’t fully extend or let go of the starting cord since doing so might harm the engine.
• Trimming hedging plants too close to the ground might cause stones or twigs to fly.
• You can keep an eye on your work at all times, and avoid taking too much time off at once.
• To unjam the trimmer, turn off the engine, make sure the blades have stopped fully, and then unplug the spark plug.

FAQ About How to Hold a Hedge Trimmer

How long does a hedge trimmer use?

There is an agreement among specialists that each work time should last no longer than thirty to forty minutes, followed by a rest period of between ten and twenty minutes.

Is the hedge trimmer easy to use?

For many people, electric hedge trimmers will be idle. The only drawback is the cord; otherwise, they are inexpensive, strong, and simple to maintain and operate.

How do I keep my hedge straight?

It might be challenging to cut straight, precise edges by eye. To level the top of the hedge, cut a tight horizontal rope tied between two strong batons. Stakes or batons are driven into the groundwork well for vertical lines.

Can you cut a hedge in half?

Remove one side of the hedge this spring, then the other side the next spring or after two years. Both sides can be completed at the same time if you wish to take a tiny risk. Some hedges are impossible to divide or hard cut down.

How do you train hedges?

Trim top and sides a few times a year as necessary to train as a hedge, eliminating roughly half the length of new shoots. While most broadleaf evergreens and deciduous plants develop over a longer length of time, most needled evergreens begin to grow early in the season.

Hedge Trimmer Use & Maintenance

Conclusion

When you will go to work with your hedge trimmer but you don’t know how to work with it, your work will never be completed beautifully. If you continuously follow the above advice, you may make the most of your hedge trimmer for several seasons. While not every one of these recommendations needs to be carried out before every usage, it is a good idea to complete a regular maintenance check-up to maintain your hedge trimmer in the finest shape and operating at its best.