Hey T-Man family !! I am looking at possibly buying a Stihl string trimmer type Brush cutter so I can cut small trees. I had lower fusion back surgery in December and hope I can get back into clearing some red cedar and locust from areas of the family farms without bending over... hopefully this summer. Does anyone use a Stihl like I described. The models they sell now are FS 361.. Fs 461 and a new larger model the FS 561, I believe. They look to be a rather hefty investment price wise. Are they worth the money? How big of tree can a person cut with them? Just a sapling or can a person cut 2"...3" or 4" or larger.? Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions !!

If you realy need the specialized tool, Sthil is certainly a solid brand. But I'd suggest taking a long look at a large split boom powerhead + attachment.

I believe Stihl makes a gear head attachment rated for a blade. With that, you can put lots of other toys on the powerhead.

I have a Stihl Kombi. That's the Stihl split boom weedeater that takes attachments. When I bought it they had a small 2 stroke version, and three 4-stroke versions. The 4 strokes all weighed the same, and were separated by $20 in price. The price bumps bought more power without adding weight. So I got the most powerful one. I love it. I've thought about buying another to have one at both properties.

Stihl will tell you its not compatible with the cheap/unniversal "click link" attachments, but the generic attachments work just fine for me.
The Stilhl Kombi attachments have an extra bump on them, so they won't fit a generic powerhead. But a generic attachment will go in a Stilh Kombi powerhead. Just be sure to get it all the way in, or it will ruin the shaft (so I've read, never done that myself).

I will never own another weedeater that isn't split boom. Its one engine to maintain. I get that for pro lawn care guys, having every specialized tool makes sense. They'll use them all plenty to keep them running good. And the slightly lower weight and specialized construction is worth it for them. But for me, one powerful engine and a pile of attachments is perfect.

Sometimes I buy stihl attachments, sometimes I buy generic. Off the top of my head, my attachment list is: string trimmer, blade trimmer, blower, edger, chainsaw, hedge trimmer. Only the string trimmer and blower are Stihl. I've never seriously used the blade trimmer, so I can't comment on that (I don't remember where I got it, I've had it decades).

Sometimes I specifically prefer a cheap attachment. I'll take more risks with a cheap attachment, and get more work done faster than using an expensive attachment I don't want to break. A couple years ago I bent & ruined a $40 chainsaw attachments. But I got a challenging job done much easier by riskig the tool. I also swapped out the bar and chain with a longer one. The Kombi motor runs a 12" bar fine, and the gear box hasn't blown yet.

This may not be appealing to you, but I've been very pleased with powerful high quality powerhead and a mix of quality and budget attachements.

I bought my 70 year old dad one for cutting eastern red cedar saplings out of fence rows. Must work pretty good his fence rows on the 240 acres he lives on are clean. No clue on how big of a sapling it will handle.

I sold Stihl Products last year and from what all the customers say yes they are worth the money for sure. I do know the FS 391 with the cutting blade will cut 2” to 3” pretty easy. Also make sure to ask if you buy a gallon of pre mixed stihl gas for it at time of purchase you should get an extra year warranty. The FS 391 is the biggest one we sold so I don’t know anything about the bigger ones

Figure 2" dia stuff with a HD brush saw. I have a Stihl and it works very well. Figure a chainsaw for larger stuff.

After 2" material I grab the chainsaw.

The brush cutters work well, just keep it out of the dirt and rocks.

WS

upgrade to the best shoulder harness.....worth every penny IMHO

Thanks all for the comments... going to talk to dealer this week...possibly drive over to look at different models... ck price and saw blade cost !

Had one like that on an echo years ago, unless they’ve made safety improvements I wouldn’t use one, it was very hard to control and bounced around a lot.

If you get one, eye protection, wearing chaps and shin guards would be a good idea.

Keith

I’ve used a Stihl many times not sure of the model but it’s a big bugger. It works great on 4 inch or less but definitely cuts bigger stuff. The best thing I found was rev it up before engaging tree and keep it very sharp.

I like my Stihl extension saw. You can cut small trees at the base with it without having to bend over. It cuts better than a brush cutter.

Optomitrist friend cut his big to off with a saw bade on a trimmer.

That would not be a good thing.........Bummer !!!

if you go over 1 an inch brush cutters start being not great

about 1 1/2 inches you want to go get the chain saw

it binds on the blade after about an inch

sub inch is where the brush cutters shine which is a lot of what your doing cutting brush

steel toe boots not soft or composite toe

composite is better than nothing because it is usually falling weight

but go watch steel toe vs composite toe tests on boots with a chains saw. there should be plenty of videos out there

I love mine great for cutting trails in thickets