Breaker for roots

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Keitai

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Helped a friend dig holes for laurels, there were roots everywhere. I said reciprocating saw was the best thing, which he uses too but he insisted a breaker (which I forgot to bring) would smash through the roots? Is this true or would it just bounce off?

When planting laurels he put in bone meal and general compost then pushed soil down around edges with fingers.
 
I've not tried a breaker but sounds completely inappropriate as it would bounce off the roots or just get stick in the earth when you miss

I would recommend this, from Wickes, the weight alone breaks the roots, so avoiding the shock you get when using a spade. A hand axe or a pruning saw are useful back ups.

Wickes Professional Solid Forged Fencing Bar - 1.8m | Wickes.co.uk

Wickes Professional Solid Forged Fencing Bar - 1.8m
www.wickes.co.uk www.wickes.co.uk
 
Keitai said:
Helped a friend dig holes for laurels, there were roots everywhere. I said reciprocating saw was the best thing, which he uses too but he insisted a breaker (which I forgot to bring) would smash through the roots? Is this true or would it just bounce off?

When planting laurels he put in bone meal and general compost then pushed soil down around edges with fingers.
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I’ve tried a recip on roots, it’s not great, it clogs up in no time and if hits soil it gets blunt.

a breaker won’t work too well, it will dig itself into the soil or get stuck in the roots.

a mattock works along with loppers, buts it’s slow going

best solution is to get a stump grinder in.
 
Notch7 said:
I’ve tried a recip on roots, it’s not great, it clogs up in no time and if hits soil it gets blunt.

a breaker won’t work too well, it will dig itself into the soil or get stuck in the roots.
Click to expand...

I took a large willow down in my garden and found the best things to use were loppers, reciprocating saw and a small chain saw for the larger roots. A breaker will be useless, it will just bounce. A second even larger willow, I simply cut down, drilled and poisoned the stub, then built a pretend wishing well on top to both disguise it and provide a place to mount an outdoor socket, one of five I installed outdoors. The socket used to be mounted on the tree trunk before it was cut down.
 
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Harry Bloomfield said:
I took a large willow down in my garden and found the best things to use were loppers, reciprocating saw and a small chain saw for the larger roots. A breaker will be useless, it will just bounce. A second even larger willow, I simply cut down, drilled and poisoned the stub, then built a pretend wishing well on top to both disguise it and provide a place to mount an outdoor socket, one of five I installed outdoors. The socket used to be mounted on the tree trunk before it was cut down.
Click to expand...

I forgot - I also used an angle grinder too, with a cut-off blade.
 
I've just looked at this on youtube, seems terror saw would be a better description than terrasaur:


Blup
 
blup said:
I've just looked at this on youtube, seems terror saw would be a better description than terrasaur:


Blup
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So do you fit this blade on a disc cutter or have to buy the machine?
 
In terms of safety it doesn't seem that much different to a circular saw blade in the damage it could inflict on a person.
If I cant get a machine to it I use one of these which is the best hand tool Ive come across for digging roots and stumps. Its much finer with longer blades than a mattock which cuts like an axe
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That's what I would call a grubbing mattock, if you have room to give it a full swing the "axe" side is useful for breaking roots, the "grubbing" side for removal of earth under and around them.

Blup
 
blup said:
That's what I would call a grubbing mattock, if you have room to give it a full swing the "axe" side is useful for breaking roots, the "grubbing" side for removal of earth under and around them.

Blup
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The blade is a bit longer on this and goes by the name of a Corsican axe mattock

Corsican axe mattock, achat/vente d'outils Axe mattock - Leborgne

Corsican axe mattock. Découvrez Corsican axe mattock de Leborgne, un outil indispensable pour réaliser vos travaux
www.leborgne.com
 
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