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Independent Tool Review
by Peter Brett - October 2008
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01444 440188
Silverline Multi-Head Garden System
Three head are better than one
Between the tiny pocket handkerchief and the multi-acre estate are many gardens that require maintenance. With most people being short of time and with the technology available, it seems that Silverline has come up with a timely introduction to the market - the Multi-Head Garden System. No, not a Hydra for gobbling weeds, but a system that will certainly cut and chop commonly sized hedges, edges and branches. Also, it won’t take up at least half the storage space in the garden shed.
Sounds like a good idea? On the face of it yes, but I am always suspicious of multi-purpose tools because they can be the proverbial jack-of all-trades and irritating master of none. I knew that it would have to have a good few positive attributes to impress me.
The system is based around a 25cc two-stroke motor mounted on the end of an aluminium shaft to which a variety of heads and extensions can be added.
The first of these, in no particular order, is the hedge trimmer, then the grass trimmer (the strimmer) and the mini-chain saw.
The power head can be easily recognized as a conventional looking powered strimmer head with the motor at one end of the pole with a loop shaped front handle and a handle with a trigger throttle. The motor is amazingly small and compact but neatly presented with enclosed airfilter etc so as to protect it from all the debris thrown up by garden cuttings.
I have had trouble starting little motors on garden equipment so I am pleased to report that once filled with the appropriate mixture of two-stroke fuel it only took a few pulls on the starting rope to get it stroking into life.
I started with the grass trimmer because the spread of daisies and long grass outside my front drive was becoming a problem and had been proof against the conventional electric strimmer I had used a few weeks ago.
The head has to be assembled first, simply by attaching the blade guard and the spool of line. This line is designed to auto-feed in use. Then it is simply a matter of attaching the trimming head to the power shaft unit at the correct angle.
Thus armed I headed to the daisy patch and attacked. The daisies proved to quite formidable because the stems had become quite thick and woody. But persistence paid off and the job was completed in half an hour or so.
I was able to find a comfortable angle to work at because the loop handle is adjustable around the drive shaft and there is a black nylon strap that can be slung over your shoulder to support the weight of the machine at the correct working height.
I had to ask a professional gardener friend to help me out with the hedge-cutting head and chainsaw head because, mercifully, my garden is free of hedges and other small timber. Having done battle with cupressis conifers for years in my previous house, I never want to deal with one again.
The hedge cutting head is quite compactly designed and is, in my view the main reason why I would buy this machine if I had a bigger garden. Firstly, it has a number of extensions that can be added to the main power shaft so that it will reach to the top of at least a three metre tall hedge.
Secondly, the cutting head is adjustable for angle from vertical to horizontal with stops in-between. This makes it possible to cut the face and back of the hedge, as well as shapes and angles. Once the head is set horizontally it then becomes possible to cut the top of the hedge flat. (It takes a steady hand, but you do learn the technique after a while.) This saves using a dangerous machine on top of a potentially wobbly ladder and certainly meets with safety approval from me. The only thing is to wear safety glasses so that bits of hedge don’t fall into your eyes.
I found that the bolts and screws holding the head to the drive shaft had to be tightened tightly or the inevitable vibration from the motor and the oscillation of the cutter blades loosened them. In this situation it pays to use a decent spanner and screwdriver to protect the heads and slots of the fixings so that they last as long as possible before replacement.
The last cutting head is perhaps the most dangerous and with most potential for misuse. It is a small 25cm long chainsaw that is perfect for cutting even largish lower branches from trees and large shrubs. Like the hedge cutting head, it is well-designed and made in solid cast alloy. Just like a real chainsaw, it needs to be assembled with care so that the cutting teeth rotate the correct way, the chain tension is correct and the chain can be lubricated properly from the handy little plastic tank attached to the head.
I was glad to see the list of safety instructions in the manual. They were very specific and detailed, leaving a user in no doubt of the correct way of handling and using this machine. I suppose the other obvious danger is that you need to keep out of the way of the branches that you are trimming in case they fall on you.
I allowed my professional friend to do quite a lot of the work of trimming the lower branches off a maple tree before I had a go, but the attachment works well provided you do follow the safety instructions and keep the chain sharp.
All in all I was quite impressed with this machine. All the components worked well enough to justify their inclusion, the motor was powerful enough, even in chainsaw mode, and the motor started easily and ran well. It is light enough to handle and yet also weighty enough to be strong. Gardens of Middle England Beware.
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