Farmers have gone into overdrive

[NULevo]

I'm trying to get out most days to get fitter for the spring, riding single track lanes, bridle ways and fire roads and the like, but the local farmers aren'y making it easy

Over the past week or so I've noticed most of the farmers are trimming the hedges en mass. whichever route I take, 12-16 miles, I just cant avoid them. Is this a local thing or is it happening everywhere?

This was the third thorn I pulled out in 5 rides, but I was able to keep going - Thank you Tannus

 

[stiv674]

Yeah it's probably happening in most places, they have to get them done before the bird nesting season.

 

[steve_sordy]

It's called hedge flailing!

A couple of years ago, I went down the Viking Way near where I live and the hedges had been flailed. I don't know whether the farmer was trying to make up for not having done it for the previous five years or not, but the devastation was awesome to behold!

Both sides of the bridleway had been flailed and the 15'-20' wide way was a 2" deep mulch of shattered wood, bark, spiky thorn bits like in your tyre, mangled beer cans, tattered plastic of all description and also whole shattered branches from where trees had grown through the hedges and succumbed to the flail. There were probably a few shredded animals in there too, but who could tell?

This was where plenty of sealant in your tubes or tubeless tyres gets you through (as it did me).

 

[NULevo]

It's called hedge flailing!

A couple of years ago, I went down the Viking Way near where I live and the hedges had been flailed. I don't know whether the farmer was trying to make up for not having done it for the previous five years or not, but the devastation was awesome to behold!

Both sides of the bridleway had been flailed and the 15'-20' wide way was a 2" deep mulch of shattered wood, bark, spiky thorn bits like in your tyre, mangled beer cans, tattered plastic of all description and also whole shattered branches from where trees had grown through the hedges and succumbed to the flail. There were probably a few shredded animals in there too, but who could tell?

This was where plenty of sealant in your tubes or tubeless tyres gets you through (as it did me).

Now I understand why there was more foliage off the the hedges than on them, they just don't seam to care about the mess they make or damage they do

 

[Deleted member 7464]

You would have thought that in this day and age they would have come up with something a lot less destructive than a medieval flail contraption.it beggars belief

 

[steve_sordy]

I've seen cylinder mowers used, but the blades were blunt and the effect was the same.

 

[Twin Valleys]

at least in your area they are trimming them but not cleaning up after themselves, in our area many farmers plow the hedges under and no habitat left for pheasants, partridge and such. Actually on my acreage I need to trim as the bigger the hedge the bigger trap for snow on the road on other side of hedge, but each day I go to the garage and look at the hedge trimmer and the Levo and the Levo always wins out and I'm off

 

[Giff]

The farmer behind us used a contractor a few years ago as our hedges back onto his fields. He used a 12" circular saw blade on a tractor, which ended up 50yds away from the hedges in our garden....we keep our heads down when we see him...
Nice clean cuts though..

 

[laustin956]

we have a blower on the back of are hedge cutter

 

[NULevo]

The two I've see were blowing the cuttings straight down the middle of the lane, the units certainly looked like there should be funnelling the cuttings into a container.

 

[laustin956]

ares blows it right to the edge of the road and back in the hedge if there not a lot of grass or mud

 

[Gary]

This thread isn't a wind up?

wow!



Glad your Ebike has got you outdoors though dude.

 

[OldBean]

In Suffolk There is a farmers competition to see who can cut the most hedges with the most mess and thorns...first time in 2 years that the thorns have defeated my Stanns . But I did get home .
Roll on summer

 

[laustin956]

It's better when we cut them every year the thorns are softer

 

[OldBean]

It's better when we cut them every year the thorns are softer

Thought the Euros had banned annual hedge trimming .....but pleased you guys still cut as we would have some very narrow tracks to traverse! If you didnt.

 

[laustin956]

no just stop cutting from and of feb till end of sept but can go in aug if your planting oilseed rape

 

[Bontee]

I'm trying to get out most days to get fitter for the spring, riding single track lanes, bridle ways and fire roads and the like, but the local farmers aren'y making it easy

Over the past week or so I've noticed most of the farmers are trimming the hedges en mass. whichever route I take, 12-16 miles, I just cant avoid them. Is this a local thing or is it happening everywhere?

This was the third thorn I pulled out in 5 rides, but I was able to keep going - Thank you Tannus

View attachment 24884

 

[Bontee]

yep an absolute bugger,thorns everywhere ,are they really cutting more or are we just so bloody bored we think they are cutting more because time is just dragging soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much