Hedge trimmer

The power source of stand-alone hedge trimmers can be human power, gasoline, or electricity.

• Manual hedge trimmers (sometimes also called hedge shears or hedge clippers) are designed as large scissors or large pruning shears. They do not need anything to operate and are cheapest/most environmentally friendly.
• Motorized hedge trimmers allow work to be done faster and with less effort than manual ones. Their cutting mechanism is similar to that of finger-bar mowers. Powered trimmers are generally designed with safety devices such that they work only when both of the operator's hands are on the handles.
  • Gasoline-powered trimmers tend to be more powerful but can be heavier and more difficult to start.
  • Electrical trimmers tend to be lighter and less powerful (than gasoline variants) as well as less polluting/noisy, yet still require an electrical cord with most types (if not equipped with rechargeable batteries).

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  A manual hedge trimmer with telescopic handles
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  An electric hedge trimmer
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  A gasoline-powered hedge trimmer

Tractor-mounted and tractor-driven hedge trimmers also exist but are uncommon. These machines consist of a moveable arm (hydraulic boom) with a large hedge trimmer attachment at its end. Their cutting mechanism is similar to that of finger-bar mowers.

Such large hedge trimmers are often confused with tractor-mounted reach flail mowers (booms with flail mower attachments), which appear similar due to the use of booms. And in colloquial language both, tractor-mounted hedge trimmers and reach flail mowers, are imprecisely called hedge cutters, or brush cutters. In contrast to tractor-mounted hedge trimmers, reach flail mowers have a different cutting mechanism and are not only used for trimming hedges but also in several other fields of application (mowing taller grass, road verge cutting, ditch maintenance, etc.).

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  Unimog with a flail hedge and verge trimmer implement used in agroforestry
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  A tractor-mounted hedge trimmer ("hedge cutter")
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  Detail view
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  A reach flail mower used for cutting hedges