Scaffolding

[fred]

Have to tackle a Leylandii hedge that I haven't cut in about 7 years. At th is stage it is nigh on 18' high. I have managed to get up to about 12/14' w ith a Stihl Kombi pole pruner with an extension pole but now have to tackle the remainder. Some of these branches are up to 50mm diameter and while I was once happy tackling the top of the hedge off a ladder don't fancy that now for fear one of these branches brings me down. Its still going to take the pole pruner to tackle it.

Ideally I'd like to use a Cherry Picker but cant get one in as the hedge is behind a bed of shrubbery. While there is a 6/8' gap behind this bed, acc ess is limited.

So am thinking about scaffolding. The question is how high can I get with b asic slot together scaffolding as opposed to the bolted stuff the professio nals use. Last time I used this stuff I was only going up to a platform hei ght of 6ft and it rocked alarmingly. This time I'm going to have to get to a platform height of at least 14/15'

Also at that height is it going to be possible to move it without dismantli ng the whole thing or will it be too heavy ? This hedge is about 75 yards l ong.

If it was my hedge I'd have taken it out of it years ago but unfortunately it was planted by a neighbour.

Any and all suggestions welcome

[Eric]

At this stage it is nigh on 18' high. I have managed to get up to about

12/14' with a Stihl Kombi pole pruner with an extension pole but now have to tackle the remainder. Some of these branches are up to 50mm diameter and while I was once happy tackling the top of the hedge off a ladder don't fancy that now for fear one of these branches brings me down. Its still going to take the pole pruner to tackle it.

behind a bed of shrubbery. While there is a 6/8' gap behind this bed, access is limited.

basic slot together scaffolding as opposed to the bolted stuff the professionals use. Last time I used this stuff I was only going up to a platform height of 6ft and it rocked alarmingly. This time I'm going to have to get to a platform height of at least 14/15'

dismantling the whole thing or will it be too heavy ? This hedge is about 75 yards long.

unfortunately it was planted by a neighbour.

Chainsaw - at the bottom

Not really your problem is it ?

[Dave Liquorice]

Agent Orange followed by napalm... B-)

Donno about Leylandii but many coniferous trees don't take kindly to a hard prune and never grow back.

Rocked due to a poor base, not leveled etc or just slop in the slotting together? The ali stuff I've used does slop about a bit which can be alarming but it stays together which is the important thing. Diagonal braces make it a lot firmer, 6' might not have had many (any?).

Steel will be heavy but ali should be moveable and go to that height, it will required the outriggers though. Get (hire...) a set with adjustable height wheels and provide boards(*) for them to roll on. I suggest that two people would be required to move it.

Fortunately?

(*) Scaffboards will do but are a bit narrow and any sort of bump/incline will give the tower a mind of it's own. Wide boards would help...

[newshound]

stage it is nigh on 18' high. I have managed to get up to about 12/14' with a Stihl Kombi pole pruner with an extension pole but now have to tackle the remainder. Some of these branches are up to 50mm diameter and while I was once happy tackling the top of the hedge off a ladder don't fancy that now for fear one of these branches brings me down. Its still going to take the pole pruner to tackle it.

behind a bed of shrubbery. While there is a 6/8' gap behind this bed, access is limited.

basic slot together scaffolding as opposed to the bolted stuff the professionals use. Last time I used this stuff I was only going up to a platform height of 6ft and it rocked alarmingly. This time I'm going to have to get to a platform height of at least 14/15'

the whole thing or will it be too heavy ? This hedge is about 75 yards long.

was planted by a neighbour.

6 x 4 "alloy" towers are lighter and less wobbly than the cheap 4 x 4 steel. I bought mine second hand for about £600, it has 3 1/2 stages plus outriggers. 2 1/2 stages will do your hedge. (The "half" stage is the top one). It's easy to roll on concrete, you probably won't be able to roll it on a lawn unless you put down scaffold planks as "rails". But two ordinary men can pick up and move the fully assembled 2 1/2 stage even with the planks in place. Two fit men could probably move the full 3 1/2 stage assembly the same way. I find it is perfectly stable without outriggers at gutter height on a two story house.

[Brian Gaff]

Get the neighbour to cut it?

Brian

[Brian Gaff]

The way this growth should have been handled was to top them all off at agiven height and then they tend to bush out and can be pruned sparingly while keeping a dense hedge. Now from what you say its way too late and some kind of accidental fire in a dry spell might be best!

Brian

[fred]

_____________________________________

Well for years we kept it trimmed back and topped it off at the height the neighbour had selected, about 12'. Neighbour then did nothing to his for ma ny years until a few years back he cut his side right back to the trunks.

Despite having been topped many times it eventually grew to its existing he ight.

The garden is 1.5 acres and this boundary is behind shrub beds backed with specimen trees we planted so the appearance of this Leylandii monstrosity doesn't really impinge. Except now it has started to annoy me. It is way t oo late to put manners on it now but as the finished job will be hidden it doesn't really matter. Topping it and trimming it way back will let a littl e more air and light in but that about all it will do.

[Mark]

A relative of the wife just bought a house with a row of 20ft Laylandi out back

it was cheaper to get a tree surgeon in to take 10ft off the top and clear away then buying/ hiring a safe platform and d-i-y ing.

-

[harry]

this stage it is nigh on 18' high. I have managed to get up to about 12/14' with a Stihl Kombi pole pruner with an extension pole but now have to tack le the remainder. Some of these branches are up to 50mm diameter and while I was once happy tackling the top of the hedge off a ladder don't fancy tha t now for fear one of these branches brings me down. Its still going to tak e the pole pruner to tackle it.

is behind  a bed of shrubbery. While there is a 6/8' gap behind this bed, access is limited.

basic slot together scaffolding as opposed to the bolted stuff the profess ionals use. Last time I used this stuff I was only going up to a platform h eight of 6ft and it rocked alarmingly. This time I'm going to have to get t o a platform height of at least 14/15'

ling the whole thing or will it be too heavy ? This hedge is about 75 yards long.

y it was planted by a neighbour.

There are laws about hedges like this.

[mark]

Ideally I'd like to use a Cherry Picker but cant get one in as the hedge is behind a bed of shrubbery. While there is a 6/8' gap behind this bed, access is limited.

So am thinking about scaffolding. The question is how high can I get with basic slot together scaffolding as opposed to the bolted stuff the professionals use. Last time I used this stuff I was only going up to a platform height of 6ft and it rocked alarmingly. This time I'm going to have to get to a platform height of at least 14/15'

Also at that height is it going to be possible to move it without dismantling the whole thing or will it be too heavy ? This hedge is about 75 yards long.

If it was my hedge I'd have taken it out of it years ago but unfortunately it was planted by a neighbour.

Any and all suggestions welcome

[mark]

Ideally I'd like to use a Cherry Picker but cant get one in as the hedge is behind a bed of shrubbery. While there is a 6/8' gap behind this bed, access is limited.

So am thinking about scaffolding. The question is how high can I get with basic slot together scaffolding as opposed to the bolted stuff the professionals use. Last time I used this stuff I was only going up to a platform height of 6ft and it rocked alarmingly. This time I'm going to have to get to a platform height of at least 14/15'

Also at that height is it going to be possible to move it without dismantling the whole thing or will it be too heavy ? This hedge is about 75 yards long.

If it was my hedge I'd have taken it out of it years ago but unfortunately it was planted by a neighbour.

Any and all suggestions welcome

A ladder with a 4ft by 1ft board fixed to the top to spread the load and for greater stability. Towers would be too wobbly and too time consuming to move.

mark

[fred]

Just so tired hearing this suggestion. Tried it years ago . Despite the plank ladder still sinks too far into hedge making it impossible to climb up to trim the top

[The Other Mike]

stage it is nigh on 18' high. I have managed to get up to about 12/14' with a Stihl Kombi pole pruner with an extension pole but now have to tackle the remainder. Some of these branches are up to 50mm diameter and while I was once happy tackling the top of the hedge off a ladder don't fancy that now for fear one of these branches brings me down. Its still going to take the pole pruner to tackle it.

behind a bed of shrubbery. While there is a 6/8' gap behind this bed, access is limited.

slot together scaffolding as opposed to the bolted stuff the professionals use. Last time I used this stuff I was only going up to a platform height of 6ft and it rocked alarmingly. This time I'm going to have to get to a platform height of at least 14/15'

the whole thing or will it be too heavy ? This hedge is about 75 yards long.

was planted by a neighbour.

A gallon of diesel, a rag and a match. Or if you want to wait a few months, a large dose of sodium chlorate.

[Fredxx]

Where do you get sodium chlorate from these days?

[Tim Watts]

On Tuesday 11 June 2013 15:15 Fredxx wrote in uk.d-i-y:

You don't sadly...

[The Other Mike]

Probably stuffed if you didn't stockpile it ahead of the ban (and have a calendar permanently set to 2009 or something)

alternatively

[Martin Bonner]

Why? Surely you want to return it to approximately 12' high? If so, you need to cut the trunk at about 10' (to leave room for smaller sprouts to form the eventual top of the hedge), which means you want to be standing at about 7'.

Note: I am fairly sure Leylandii are pretty good at regrowing from even a hard cut-back ... and even if they aren't, does it matter?

Have you discussed it with your neighbour (wlog)? In particular, he might be prepared to let you take it out. (They make good firewood after quite a short time.)

[Steve Firth]

They are. I cut back a 17ft Leylandii hedge to 6ft. Some extra surgery was done to open the interior of the hedge to sunlight. Within five years I had a perfect Leylandii hedge that was compact and dense. The shock of getting the top chopped off caused new shoots to start from old wood.

[fred]

I don't think I would take it out now. I've become accustomed to it and it does provide a back drop and wind break for the specimen tress we have plan ted in front of it. I just want to get it manageable again. Our neighbour has a nursery and the alternative to looking at the Leylandii is looking at his polytunnels.

[Martin Bonner]

Actually (subject to agreement from the neighbour) that might be the simplest solution: cut back to 6ft (which can be done quite simply from a step-ladder), and then wait a bit until it grows back to the required height.