Early Fall Yard Clean-Up with STIHL Trimmer

Date
Oct, 05, 2019

Fall Yard Cleanup Made Easy

My husband Ross and I have the perfect agreement when it comes to our home. I take care of the inside and he the outside.  But somehow I always put my two cents into the outdoor projects (as if that would surprise most of you). In past years, we have hired out our weekend yard work enabling us to escape down to the cottage for some R & R. This past weekend we receive a fun package from our friends at STIHL and someone was very excited to try it out ASAP.  So it was only fitting that the boy who grew up and worked on a golf course would be the ideal person to demo STIHL’s newest product the HLA 56 Battery Operated Hedge Trimmer and all the accessories.  Meet my first ever guest blogger on Meme Hill, my husband Ross Brown.

Privacy Hedge

On almost an acre and a corner lot privacy is key.  Tackling this hedge has always been a tough job on our property. Not any more with the STIHL HLA 56 long handle battery operated hedge trimmer. This privet grows like crazy but needs to be reigned in at least once a year.  Essentially, a privacy hedge between our home and the busy main road if left unkempt this hedge grows wild! I have been in the landscape and green industry my entire life and can verify that hedge trimming is a time consuming labor, intensive task.

Tools of the Trade

STIHL just made all of that hard work more enjoyable with this early Christmas gift. An all in one package of high quality equipment to keep you safe, reduce time and make your job easier. There are even pink leather gloves for Amie which means I can call her in for clean up. 

We always used to worry about pruning this hedge until we saw this tool. Professional landscapers have discovered these powerful hedge trimming units in the last decade. And now the home owner can utilize a similar unit.

I have always wanted to try these type of noise cancelling hearing protection combinations. Time to change into some proper work attire.

Safety First

I cannot wait to dive in on this hedge but first things first.

Assembly

When operating any pruning or hedge trimming tools safety is first and foremost. The sheath protects the blades from damage during storage or transport. Always make sure power to the cutting head is disconnected and the battery is removed from the unit.

With the battery out of the machine carefully install the power handle into the cutting head. The two sections can only connect one way. Hand tighten the butterfly nut and you are almost ready to work.

Rechargable Battery

Lastly, insert the battery into power socket on the end of the unit and push into position until it locks, clicks and seats into the operating position.

Protective Equipment

Be sure to wear personal protective equipment at all times. Safety goggles, sturdy gloves and hearing protection are essential for landscaping work. Although the STIHL HLA 56 is quiet and purrs like a kitten it is always good to protect those ears.

The adjustable angle feature on the cutting head is golden. The enables the operator to gain the proper position for cutting as it pertains to the desired shape of the hedge. Also this reduces strain on the operator and helps reduce fatigue because we all know how difficult and tiresome hedge trimming can be. 

Protecting the Ears, Eyes and Hands with SKIHL

The STIHL noise cancelling bluetooth enabled head phones hearing protection combination will keep you in contact connected with mobile devices. But be sure to put the trimmer down when taking phone calls!

Listening to your favorite songs on STIHL Dynamic BT Headsets can help make the task much more enjoyable and keep you motivated to get the job done.

A fine demonstration of the angle adjustment feature of the STIHL HLA 56. The ease at which the operator can approach cutting is unmatched. Look at Amie go.  

Side cutting. Top trimming. Final Touches. Be sure to keep your gloves on and fingers out of the way. This machine can make short work of most any hedge trimming job.

Taking a Break

It’s ok to put the HLA 56 down and rest. Drink some lemonade and admire your work. It is best not to push your limits because landscape work is strenuous work. Try to maintain the uniformity of your hedge by following last years trim line. Step back have a look and make sure your line is straight. Take time to pull or rake the stragglers out of the way while you rest.

Let’s put the safety items back on and finish this job!

Almost there. Looks pretty good but we need to nip some of the woody stubs back and provide a neat finish, The STIHL HLA 56 is built for this work. The heavy initial cuts and the final, nice and tidy trimming will bring us near completion.

The Clean-Up Phase

Let’s get some of the leaves and brush out of the way so we can see how we did. No ladders and no long reaches with these manual hedge clippers. 2 hours in and we are almost complete. What once took 4 hours to complete has been cut in half due to the smooth handling of the STIHL HLA 56 trimmer. And it was fun doing it!

Someone saw all the fun I was having and took over the equipment operations! 

The privacy hedge is trimmed. Look at happy we are when we complete task with such ease.

 Even our supervisor Bo is impressed with the capabilities of the STIHL HLA 56 trimmer and the Dynamic BT head phones.  I am going to have to hide these from Amie.

Thumbs UP to the SKIHL Trimmer

On the proverbial fence about getting a STIHL hedge trimmer? I would highly recommend this easy to use unit and all of the accessories. I plan to take the trimmer down to the cottage this weekend for some needed trimming.  We were lucky to get ours early but you can visit your local STIHL dealer and inquire about your soon-to-be Christmas gift. Many thanks to our friends at STIHL for providing us with this opportunity!  -Ross

  • We have received products from STIHL in exchange for this review. All opinions are 100% our own. 

1 Comment

  1. Reply

    Emily Bennette

    September 17, 2020

    Keeping a hedge trimmed properly does seem like a tricky thing to do. It is nice to know that you will want to have the right tools to do the maintenance on it. It is good to know that a stihl can be a good trimming tool. I wonder how durable one of them is.

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Amie Freling

"Life's too short for white walls .." Amie Freling-Brown, a Rochester, NY-based designer and artist who transforms ho-hum spaces into works of art. Her creative designs can be found in many fine homes, restaurants and businesses. Her work has been featured in national magazines, on HGTV and has been sold through retailers nationwide from True Value Hardware to Nordstroms. She proudly offers such professional services as design, staging, color consultations and fine art.

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