Large knife for brush clearing

Both of the tools in the links posted by knifetester are very much smaller than my brush hook. Mide is 4 feet long, with a foot long, 6" wide blade with a full 90 degree hook. The blade is collared over the wood shaft with 3 crosswbolts in a triangle pattern. It's a very good tool for that type of work.
 
ghost squire said:
I'm basically searching for a tool with a 8"-13" blade, easy and light enough to swing at fennel/marijuana plants, and heavy enough to cut through hard, dense branches with one or two strokes, and with enough reach to swing at dense, prickly brush without my hand scraping on those hated oak leaf type things. The blade needs to roll or dent instead of chip and shatter when it impacts knots and rock.

Also it would be nice if it could chop quartered pine logs (firewood) into kindling.

I was thinking the Swamp Rat Battle Rat, possibly the Ontario Marine Bowie, or the Becker BK9.
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That a scope of work is pretty much what the long bowie style chopping blades are designed to run across. The can function well from grass to logs.

The Ontario Marine Raider bowie has too low of a primary grind, the BK9 has low light a balance. THe Battle Rat is decent but I would get the Rat Daddy as it is a bit longer which will give you more reach and tip speed.

Some of the other tools mentioned will do some things well but not others. A 12" machete will handle the brush work well with a nice relief to the edge, but it will bind heavily on the log work and be frustrating.

Some of the dedicated scrub tools like billhooks or a heavy scythe (they do have blades for wood cutting) will even outcut the machete on the brush but be useless on the log work.

If you split up the tasks you have more choices, a decent small axe (small forest axe from Gransfors Bruks) and solid machete with reworked edge would be a very functional choice.


-Cliff
 
Some of the other tools mentioned will do some things well but not others. A 12" machete will handle the brush work well with a nice relief to the edge, but it will bind heavily on the log work and be frustrating.

Some of the dedicated scrub tools like billhooks or a heavy scythe (they do have blades for wood cutting) will even outcut the machete on the brush but be useless on the log work.
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I totally misse the log part when I read his post.

Yeah, a machete or billhook is not gonna be much help here, and a brush blade like the heavy machete or golok would not be optimal either.

I think an BAS class bowie would be great here, but pricey. In the production range, maybe a Ranger RD9 or even a custom longer version. But you better have strong wrists.

For me, the two tasks (brush and splitting) really require different tools, as Cliff points out, sine I would not want to be swinging a heavy baldeed knife for serious amount of time as required with trail clearing, but it is not nearly as tiresome with a machete class blade.
 
Were talking about a 1/2 to 1 mile section of brush to clear, max. I swung a 23 inch Tramontina for over an hour with no problems except blistering, probably due to the ****** handle. Also sore inner elbow the next day. See the problem with carrying a hatchet and a brush hook on a backpacking trip (overnight) is bulk. I don't like strapping more than I have to down to my frame pack. There is weight too, not as big a concern for me.

Thank you all for your suggestions, I think I have narrowed it down to a large swamp rat or khukuri, and a few other options. Cliff I don't see the Rat Daddy on the Swamp Rat web site, am I going to have to buy it used?
 
ghost squire said:
A scythe wouldn't cut through this stuff.
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A scythe is really intended for grasses and thin stalk grains. And even then, if they get to be too tall, the scythe ends up being a slow tool--it tends to cut partial swaths, as the cut grasses fall and weigh down the next row. You cut everything flat (or so you think), bale up the cut stalks, and find there's about a third of the field remaining, slowly standing themselves back up.

You might need an axe on some of those thicker stalks.
 
Were talking about a 1/2 to 1 mile section of brush to clear, max.
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I would NEVER be able to do that much work over a short span with a heavy knife, especially a Khukuri. My wrists could not stand it.

So, what is the best choice for a tool can often depend on user ability as much as tool characteristics.
 
A machete would be good, too. For the Bushman, you can try insert a stick to the hallow handle, helps a bit for chopping.
 
The Rat Daddy isnt ever going to be produced again, so Look for it on the secondary market, assuming anyone would be willing to part with one.

I just realized what you really need for clearing the brush you describe-
345fx.jpg

Husqvarna makes some really nice brush cutters- they can take down saplings as well, up to about 4" diameter. they work excellent, and are far more efficient than chopping at the brush. they also can cut close to the ground where you wont be able to swing a blade. :thumbup:
they might even be available to rent, if you dont want to buy.
 
I was thinking a Brush-Hog mower. If you don't keep it mowed, it'll grow right back again. Is it an area that really needs to be cleared?

Also it would be nice if it could chop quartered pine logs (firewood) into kindling.
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Can't beat a hatchet for that.

Good Luck in your quest,
Bob
 
I'm not humping a gas powered weedwhacker 2 miles, thats just a little too much. BTW the area only needs to be cleared and remain that way for a few weeks. Thanks for the input though.
 
BTW the area only needs to be cleared and remain that way for a few weeks.
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We occationally had to clear small areas in Arkansas (briars, honeysuckle, saplings, etc. for archaeological excavations. Inexpensive machetes (mine is a Tremontina from Brazil) and bowsaws did most of the work. There was also some sort of odd brush-cutting tool I used quite a bit while a caretaker on a farm. Wooden handle, replaceable serrated blades. It did pretty well on large but soft brush. Beats me what it was called, but it sounds like just the right thing for your 'marajuana' weeds.

Pruning clippers worked best for briars. You don't want to smack a bunch of greenbriar with a machete. :)

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
ghost squire said:
I'm not humping a gas powered weedwhacker 2 miles, thats just a little too much. BTW the area only needs to be cleared and remain that way for a few weeks. Thanks for the input though.
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They actually are harnessed to your torso, so it is easy to carry. Not as easy as a knife or machete, of course.- and then there is the question of extra gas. :(
 
If you got 1/2 to 1 mile of trail to clear, you need something with an engine.

I clear many many trails in brush,I use chain saws, tractors and brush hogs on much shorter trails. You could hire a local guy to clear that with a brush hog for not much money. I've had a local cut a few hundred yards for me for a case of beer! Well he did not want anything I just dropped off a case.

Or rent one of those brush mowers that you walk behind 1/2 a day rent is around $50 0$75.
 
Bob W said:
We occationally had to clear small areas in Arkansas (briars, honeysuckle, saplings, etc. for archaeological excavations. Inexpensive machetes (mine is a Tremontina from Brazil) and bowsaws did most of the work. There was also some sort of odd brush-cutting tool I used quite a bit while a caretaker on a farm. Wooden handle, replaceable serrated blades. It did pretty well on large but soft brush. Beats me what it was called, but it sounds like just the right thing for your 'marajuana' weeds.

Pruning clippers worked best for briars. You don't want to smack a bunch of greenbriar with a machete. :)

Best Wishes,
-Bob
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slingblade.jpg

It is often called a SlingBlade- I have used them extensively and I am not fond of them. But, they are cheap!
 
We had those, and when they're sharp they work well on tall grass. The tool on the farm was similar, but different.

Aha! After a bit of Google-ing, the tool I'm thinking of is a Swedish Brush Ax (aka Sandvik).

-Bob
 
Bob-
At first I thought you were describing one of these:
17_1_b.JPG

I've seen some of these old hay knives that the serrated edge was replaceable in sections.


To the origional poster-
Dude, I may be misunderstanding what you're trying to accomplish here, but from the sound of things I'm throwing in my vote with the guys who say you need something gasoline or diesel powered. I'm not necessarily talking about something you'd carry with you all the time- just do it once quickly ahead of time and be done with it. Then you can carry the blade for the occasional branch that escaped.

Blazing a path a half mile long through tough brush that's so thick you can't even swing an 18" machete.... You might be able to win a few beers at arm wrestling contests by the time you're done, but otherwise it just sounds like a waste of time.
 
That's a neat old tool. I don't think many farmers would want to cut hay with one of those today.

Here's a Swedish Brush Axe:
P125858.jpg

Seeing this picture has reminded me of the negative aspect of these. See how the bits on the top and bottom stick out in front of the blade? You have to really center the blade edge on your target, or you'll smack those.

-Bob
 
I have used that Brush axe, it is one of the most horrible brush clearing/limbing tools I have ever seen. The brush will not only get caught up in the neck and around the knobs, but it also goes up into the open face of the tool, and the blade doesn't even cut that well anyway, and will get mauled if you take it to small hardwoods and if you use it for hard woods, you can drive the blade backwards and split the metal frame of the head.

Nice handle though.

-Cliff
 
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