Can You Use Your Hedge Trimmers To Cut Wet Shrubbery?

Many homeowners often wonder whether they are able to cut through wet shrubbery or whether they will have to wait until it dries. The good news is that your hedge trimmer will not be able to tell the difference between wet growth and dry growth – it will cut through both with little difficulty. The bad news, however, is that there are a number of additional safety and maintenance issues that you must overcome before you can do so.

Ensure that the cutting teeth are sharp
You will need to make sure that the cutting teeth are sharp, as cutting wet shrubbery will reduce the traction of each tooth on the branches. If the teeth are dull, this traction will be even further reduced, which will make the growth more difficult to cut through. If there are bent or damaged teeth, they will need to be replaced.
Ensure that the teeth are lubricated
You will need to make sure that the cutting teeth are properly lubricated, as water can reduce the mobility of their motion. Whilst this effect is fairly minor, it can pose issues for the gears inside the cutting head if the teeth are also dull. The proper amount of lubrication will also prevent water from entering the sensitive parts of the trimmer.

If water is left on metal, it can oxidize and start a buildup of rust, which will ruin your hedge trimmer’s cutting teeth and other parts of the machine. To prevent rust from developing, you will need to dry all of the metal areas once you have finished cutting the shrubbery. This can be achieved by leaving the machine in the sun for a few hours; never put it away wet.

There are a number of safety precautions that homeowners should take when using a hedge trimmer to cut through wet shrubbery that will protect them from instances of injury. When your shrubbery is wet, it is also likely that the ground will be, too. This means that it is easy for you to lose your footing; as trimmers don’t have an emergency break, you could very easily fall onto the teeth. Make sure that you wear boots with good traction and never work alone.

1 comments:

  1. Eugbug said...:

    Hedge trimmers are also quite effective at cutting grass, weeds and other vegetation growing from the ground upwards. As the article states however, the blades need to be sharp to effectively shear the vegetation.

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