# What tool for best reliability and function for my Acreage



## Asker123 (Jul 7, 2022)

Greetings from Canada,
I bought a house in last fall on 5 Acres and previous owners planted everything possible .
First I have a 20 feet wide 300 feet long ditch at the front near the highway. That currently has water in it and grass is knee length in the water. I mow on the slope using my riding lawn mower but when water dries , I need to clean the ditch to prepare for next year's possible Spring high waters.
On the two depth sides (approx 650 feet each) and the back side ( same length approx 350 feet) has double Tree lines and there is I dont know what in between those. This year's heavy rains have made things overgrow like crazy. These trees are huge and some places branches hanging on the nearby patch of grass. At some places the inner tree line is actually shrubs growing at very fast speed uncontrolled.
Just a 200 feet by 200 feet is an empty field (soil) everywhere else is grass. I bought a new Cub Cadet Z force SX 54 inch entry level pro grade mower to mow it which is doing great job but some places were under water till last 3 week so grass grew above my waist line. Where my mower can not go, the grass and weed are growing above waist line.

Long story short, I have tons to cut and I can not engage professionals as it will be not be cost effective because it is a large property and things will require cutting on a recurring basis. I want to handle it myself. It might be a slow work and not as efficient as pros but will help me in a long run
I initially thought to buy a dedicated string trimmer Stihl FS 240 and a blade ( three or four point or even the circular saw blade) but soon realised that that it will not be the only thing I will need so I started searching online and came across this forum. There is tons of good information here. I realised that I will need a Hedge trimmer and a pole pruner as well along with the string trimmer and that takes me to having only one system (perhaps Kombi) so here some specific questions to start with
1) Am I thinking in right direction with Kombi?
2) Which Kombi engine? KM 94 R (2 stroke) or 111 R or 131 R (both are 4 Mix) for the three main attachments (String trimmer, Hedge trimmer and Pole pruner)
3) Is Kickback from a circular blade ( full circular blade or 3 point or 4 point blade) is a real danger ? I am trying to avoid these attachments because - one I am new to all this and second I am not sure what hard objects will be there in between tree lines so high chances of hitting something hard. Can I just manage with String trimmer? Any other advise
4) Straight v/s adjustable hedge trimmer - which one to go for
Thanks in advance folks....


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## ValleyForge (Jul 7, 2022)

My buddy runs them in his landscape business, he has good things to say about them. He only will run the 131 head.


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## Mad Professor (Jul 7, 2022)

Asker123 said:


> Greetings from Canada,
> I bought a house in last fall on 5 Acres and previous owners planted everything possible .
> First I have a 20 feet wide 300 feet long ditch at the front near the highway. That currently has water in it and grass is knee length in the water. I mow on the slope using my riding lawn mower but when water dries , I need to clean the ditch to prepare for next year's possible Spring high waters.
> On the two depth sides (approx 650 feet each) and the back side ( same length approx 350 feet) has double Tree lines and there is I dont know what in between those. This year's heavy rains have made things overgrow like crazy. These trees are huge and some places branches hanging on the nearby patch of grass. At some places the inner tree line is actually shrubs growing at very fast speed uncontrolled.
> ...


Sounds like Kombi might be a good option. 

Do you have a chainsaw yet? 

Another is an old Gravely walk behind with sickle and rotary cutters. Might have to shop a while to find one in good condition at fair price. They made lots of attachments.

Good running Ford tractors can also be found with rotary cutters for $1-3 K. Both are very simple to work on. I'm not a fan of much new stuff that needs dealer support to work on.


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## Asker123 (Jul 7, 2022)

Thanks Mad Prof
No ,I dont own a chain saw yet but I didnot want to overwhelm the thread and wanted to keep focus on Kombi etc
I guess chain saw needs to be dedicated tool .. right? it wont combine with Kombi etc?
I will look into some used rotary cutter. By the way, I had to clear a narrow path way so I just pushed my self propelled Husqaverna mower into waist tall grass and got decent results that I can finish with my riding mower but the space between tree lines is too difficult to get to . all sorts of vegetation.


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## cookies (Jul 7, 2022)

I would say a tractor with bush hog for the mowing and ditches and cleanup with the kombi, save the rider and push mowers for the area near the house where you want a manicured low cut. Get a decent saw and start removing half the double row and leave the stumps for 6 months so the main roots loose strength and then use the tractor to pull them out otherwise you may need to rent a scissor or boom lift to cut them back with your pole saw. If you want to stunt the grass and fertilize you can mow or harrow/till fire breaks for controllable sized sections and burn it back. This also kills back ticks and other pests.


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## Asker123 (Jul 8, 2022)

Thanks 
Any advise on the Kombi engine models KM 94 R or 111 R or 131 R for the three main attachments - String trimmer, Hedge trimmer and Pole pruner ?


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## cookies (Jul 8, 2022)

Pretty sure any version with a R at the end is the 4 mix version, im not a fan of those myself with the carbon build up issues and would suggest the 2 cycle models with initials RC-E if your not looking at the largest engine versions. If you choose a 4 mix version I would suggest heavily reading about the choices of oil outside of the stihl brand that do not result in heavy carbon build up in the exhaust port and muffler screen and the muffler modifications others have done to increase flow and reduce restriction.


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## Asker123 (Jul 8, 2022)

I am new to all this but what I read on this forum is that R stands for Loop handle.
On Stihl website (Canadian) 94 R is mentioned as "2-stroke engine with stratified charge" 
All others are 4 mix
RC-E is KM 56 which is $160 cheaper than 94 R. What is it that RC-E provides? 
then you have 111R and 131R those are $60 and $110 more than 94R .
I dont mind paying extra. Just trying to see what will fit best for the three main attachments that I plan to run on regular basis ( String trimmer, Hedge trimmer and Pole pruner )
if paying extra means I can do something else with them ( perhaps any attachment that I may need in future) I prefer buying bigger right away


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## cookies (Jul 8, 2022)

KombiEngines | STIHL


The powerful CombiEngines by STIHL are available in four different power versions. Learn more about the differences between them here on our website!




www.stihl.com


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## sean donato (Jul 8, 2022)

My opinion on trimmers from stohl and the time I spent at the township with 3 very large parks. The 131r is a beast of a power head, and our ran great till it didn't. Which was about 3 months after we got it. If a standard 2 stroke would have been available we would have gone that route. We did end up switching over to echo because of the issues we had with the 4mix engines.(This was across the board, many dedicated trimmers, blowers, pole saws ect.) Now when it ran right it was an awesome power head.
I preferred the bicycle handles and a shoulder strap when using the brush head on trimmers. Give better control then the little round handle, but it gives up some maneuverability, when using a hedge cutter attachment. I did like the extended reach of the hedge cutter attachment over a std hedge cutter, also the "blade" could be pivoted at different angles. Really liked that feature.
The pole saw attachment was underwhelming compared to a real pole saw. 
Now I do agree with was mentioned previously about a machine with a brush hog or some sort of walk behind rotary cutter. That will save you a lot of time compared to doing it all by hand. The gravely machines are amazing but not easy to find. There is a company called bcs that makes similar machines, pretty pricey though and I don't know about availability up north. 
Best of luck, hopefully you find a combination that works for you and saves you some time and money.


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## Asker123 (Jul 19, 2022)

HI again, 
I read some reviews of 94R v/s 111R or 131R on this forum. 94R is said a light weight. Checking the website, I found that it is 8.8 lbs whereas both 111R and 131R is 9.7 lbs. That is just below 1 pound difference. Is that really a benefit for 94R? Also the 111R and 131R have different engines. How can the weight be the same. 
I am not a pro but have lots of thick grass in the ditch to clear.
Also I definitely want the hedge trimmer and pole pruner. Will a little weight saved by 94R play a role when operating these attachments

Sorry for so many questions. Unfortunately, I only have one shot at it. I am buying new and the more research I can do before buying the better for me.


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## Colonel428 (Jul 19, 2022)

Not to derail your stihl only train of thought but I've got an Echo PAS 265 power head with the trimmer, edger, articulating hedge clippers and pole saw attachments. I've had the setup for 15 yrs+ and everything still operates well. I personally think Echo has an advantage over Stihl in lawn care equipment.


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