Found Decent pruning blade for Invasive Honeysuckle (Sawzall 48-00-1303 )

[elric]

Folks, after dabbling with Zetsaws from Japan, Bosch, Milwaukee "AXE", and a few others that escape me, I came across the Sawzall 48-00-1303 5 TPI Pruning Blade, Swiss Made that is 0.062" thick. Zetsaws at best are 0.050, and tend to snap at the tang. Bosch bend like a banana if you hit a trunk beyond the one you are cutting. Carbide teeth may be useful for cutting in ground, but I don't do that much.

About $30 for a 5pk, but they last longer, haven't snapped one at the tang yet, are resistant to bending, but you can bend slight kinks back. For multi-trunked Honeysuckle, the 12" blade comes in handy. The link is to a retailer here in frigid Wisconsin, where you buy it is up to you.

 

[Seachaser]

The only way to get rid of honeysuckle is a strong herbicide or pulling up by the roots. Spray after you cut.

 

[elric]

WI DNR recommends cut and paint. I don't do foilar. %25 Glyphosate is what the doctor ordered and why the preacher danced. As long as you don't forget to paint the stumps, it doesn't come back.

Cut n paint even works if you have to cut a few feet up from the ground. Useful if you find a Kraken with multiple 5" trunks...

 

[Franny K]

Is this trumpet honeysuckle?

 

[esean]

I assume they're discussing the non-native invasive bush honeysuckles - Amur, Tatarian and Morrow's. Trumpet honeysuckle is a native vining honeysuckle.

 

[elric]

Folks, after dabbling with Zetsaws from Japan, Bosch, Milwaukee "AXE", and a few others that escape me, I came across the Sawzall 48-00-1303 5 TPI Pruning Blade, Swiss Made that is 0.062" thick.

Oops. The KERF is .062, the blade is .050 I was down in a marsh this February cutting on a dead multi-trunked BIG Common Buckthorn. BT wood is HEAVY and even when it's alive, harder to cut
.

The slash pile is MUCH higher. The soil here is Palms muck, when the 5" branches came down, you can FEEL the thud...

 

[dankas]

Folks, after dabbling with Zetsaws from Japan, Bosch, Milwaukee "AXE", and a few others that escape me, I came across the Sawzall 48-00-1303 5 TPI Pruning Blade, Swiss Made that is 0.062" thick. Zetsaws at best are 0.050, and tend to snap at the tang. Bosch bend like a banana if you hit a trunk beyond the one you are cutting. Carbide teeth may be useful for cutting in ground, but I don't do that much.

About $30 for a 5pk, but they last longer, haven't snapped one at the tang yet, are resistant to bending, but you can bend slight kinks back. For multi-trunked Honeysuckle, the 12" blade comes in handy. The link is to a retailer here in frigid Wisconsin, where you buy it is up to you.

Hi Elric! - I may be a bit late to this party but I've done a lot of invasive removal - honeysuckle & buckthorn - with battery sawzalls and there are some pros&cons...

But first, a thought on blades.... you might look at
Diablo Demo Demon Carbide Pruning blades... these are 3tpi, carbide tipped, clear wood cutters that will eat your targets & come back for more... You mentioned the sawzal trouble point of snapping blades - The longer & less broad your blade, the more likely to catch/pinch it then snap/bend it to uselessness. The Diablo are available in 6"-9"-12", a shorter blade suitable for your target diameter is less likely to clinch up and bend/brake.

I've found that using a sawzal in forests portable, effective and versatile but if felling use a directional cut, putting a a 'face-cut' in the direction you judge the target should like to fall depth at least the width of the saws blade (on lager trunks a notch is better...) and then back-cut slightly lower then the face-cut (usually termed a 'snap-cut') will gain you an advantage as the back-cut will open the kerf as the face-cut closes.

Sawzals seem to be safer then chainsaws but two things are always a concern: the sawzals vibration can be very strong if you don't firmly press the shoe plate to the cut & ALWAYS consider that Gravity is the ultimate master...forestry is dangerous anytime something falls if you or someone else is in the way, Gravity will win. Be safe out there...

BTW...if your cutting Honeysuckle in winter and happen to leave a section of cutting on the ground, these plants have a habit of sprouting roots and new plants from that dropped cutting... burn them all.

 

[elric]

Just sorta finished opening up a 700 foot old farm path. Delightful mix of Honeysuckle, a sprinkling of Common Buckthorn, and Prickly Ash. Also, there was some Popples that had head toss and were over the farm path.

I took out two fallen Popples [8-10 inch diameter] that spanned the farm path. So having that foot long blade comes in right handy. Definitely learn about tension and compression... The foot blades also do a good job cutting all the trunks of a Honeysuckle in one pass.

The Zetsaws snapped tangs when pinched, the Sawzall blades will bend back into shape pretty well.

The possibility of Honeysuckle slash rooting again is something that I haven't noticed... yet. If that's a thing, painting the ends of the slash should kill that too..

Not so hot on dropping anything over 5", anything that seems to be big enough to squash me is on my "let it go" list.

There's a Felco #2 slung low on my right thigh. It is really useful for small saplings and opening a hole through the floppy Honeysuckle branches so I can reach the trunk with my reciprocating saw...