French for motorised garden tool

[Magie2]

Please can anyone help with a translation for the following item we hope to hire in France next week. Regret I don't know the English word either (good start!) but here goes.
It acts like a scythe or powerful strimmer.
It doesn't connect to the mains electricity but has a motor on its top instead, and you pull a cord to get it going.
The task in hand will be clearing a very overgrown garden.
Hope someone can help.

Thanks in advance.

Magie

[Peuvinaud]

A quick run down to the recycling bin to retrieve the 'flyers' that have been delivered recently with garden tool adverts.

Debroussailleuses are what you are looking for. They also come in debroussailleuses a roues (apologies for the lack of accents - I can manage the euro sign....) which are like a lawn mower but with a big blade underneath that hacks its way through brambles. We were surrounded by undergrowth and optimistically attacked it with a petrol strimmer - soon went down to the shops for the thing with wheels!

Best of luck!

Pat

[Stevens]

Just vfor the record I "think" you mean an allen scythe in english,good luck

[McCallum54]

Hi Magie,

We bought a Stihl strimmer last year to tackle the brambles which were everywhere, even in parts of the house which have no roof. It was expensive 300. It has both the metal cutting blade and the head with plastic line. You should wear a safety helmet which comes complete with face shield and ear defenders. Gloves, wellies and thick clothing are important too.Initially we used a heavy duty line because my wife was apprehensive about using the metal blade. When we eventually used the metal blade we realised it was the by far the best tool for the job. The garden is about half an acre and we now cut everything with the strimmer,the majority with the plastic line. We have just returned from France and to cut the whole garden took about two hours. The beer tastes "tres bon " when the job is finished.

Best of luck. Tony.

[Dshart2]

I have a commercial strimmer with various blades but the best tool i have found is a petrol hedgecutter . A large area can be cleared with the hedge cutter but the trick is to let the stems re-grow .At this point use a weedkiller such as roundup . This then kills the roots , which eventually rot so making clearence easier.

Doug H

[Magie2]

Well, a lot of info to take in! Thank you all very much.
Where did I see half-an-acre dealt with in 2 hrs? This is the stuff dreams are made of - had anticipated at least a week for our 700sq m!
However, protective clothing, numb hands and ringing ears did scare me more than a little - I do hate those savage electrical machines like hedge-trimmers - make me wonder if back-ache and a whole week with secateurs/scythe is preferable. However, husband gets on well with them, says he has protective gear - pas de probleme. So I'll just stick with my secateurs over a little area and take photos of him shaking and numbed doing the big work very fast.
Brushcutters (debrousilleuses or something similar) are available for hire from Bricomarche so that's the answer.
Thank you!
As for what happens after plot is cleared, please add your support to my request for LF Gardening Forum. On Living France forum, below Postbag.
Merci beacoup!

Magie