OMEF BF cutter bars

The OMEF BF is a reciprocating cutter bar that weighs less than a bag of cement per model and cuts 30 mm material across 1.2 to 1.7 m of width. It exists for one commercial reason: on kilometres of hedge, verge and orchard edge, a light, fast bar on a mini excavator produces more finished metres per hour than any heavier tool, and does so on a carrier that fits on a small trailer.

Where the BF sits in the range

In the OMEF progression the BF sits between the fine-growth TG hedge trimmer at about 20 mm and the 100 mm TRI pruning bar. Above the TRI are the BTD disc trimmer at around 150 mm and the CS forestry pruners for individual limbs. The mechanical pruning guide sets out the whole ladder and why matching the tool to vegetation class beats buying the biggest head.

Width is the only real decision. All three cut the same 30 mm class, share the same carrier band and the same flow window, and differ by 3 kg per step. Choose the BF1200 where the work is between structures, on narrow footpaths or in orchard rows where a wide bar would strike the trees. Choose the BF1700 where the run is long and open and every extra 200 mm of face per pass converts directly into fewer passes. The BF1500 is the general-purpose compromise for a council fleet that sees both.

What the published figures mean on site

Forty to 46 kg is remarkable for an excavator attachment, and it changes how the tool can be used. A 1.5 tonne mini excavator can carry a BF at full reach without the lift chart entering the conversation, and the operator can hold the bar at height for long periods without the fatigue that comes from a 250 kg head at the end of the boom. The reciprocating cutter (a knife section moving across a fixed comb, as on an agricultural mower bar) gives a clean shear on green material up to 30 mm. It is not a saw and it does not tear through dry, dead or oversize wood, so on regrowth that has been left for several seasons the first pass is TRI work.

The 20 to 40 L/min flow window is wide enough to cover most mini excavator auxiliary circuits, which is the second reason the BF is easy to put to work. The distributor’s current material is silent on pressure and case drain, so those are questions for the quotation.

Carrier matching

A 1 to 5 tonne carrier is the published band. At the bottom of it the limiting factor is not mass but stability at reach with a 1.7 m bar hanging off the dipper, so on a 1 tonne machine the narrower BF1200 is the sensible choice and the BF1700 belongs on 3 tonnes and up. Confirm the auxiliary circuit delivers within 20 to 40 L/min at a pressure the distributor confirms, and ask whether the BF runs on a single-acting line with a free return or a double-acting circuit, and whether any drain is required. The hydraulic matching guide explains why a free return matters for continuous-running motors, and the 1 to 5 tonne page covers the carriers this bar is built around. A tilting or angling bracket is worth specifying so the bar can follow batters and vertical faces without contorting the boom.

Typical work and production considerations

The BF is priced by the linear metre. Council verge programs, hedge lines around parks and cemeteries, orchard and vineyard row edges, shelterbelt faces and the light woody growth along minor roads are its natural work. A useful illustrative model: assume a 1.5 m hedge face, a 1.7 m bar finishing the face in one pass, and an average forward speed that yields 400 m of finished face per productive hour. Over a six-hour productive day that is 2.4 km, and on a road reserve the traffic control crew for that day costs the same whether the bar is 1.2 or 1.7 m wide, which is why the wider bar often pays for itself on the first contract. Cleanup is light but real: 30 mm cuttings on a road shoulder need sweeping or collecting before the lane reopens. See council parks and urban vegetation, farm shelterbelts and orchards and road corridor clearing.

Limitations and when to choose a different family

A wider BF does not cut bigger material; it covers more face. Vegetation with regular stems above 30 mm is TRI work at 100 mm, continuous heavy woody growth is BTD work at around 150 mm, and individual limbs are CS work (a piece that must be held and lowered rather than dropped is grapple saw work, as the pruner versus grapple saw comparison sets out). The limitation buyers most often discover late is dry dead wood, which shatters knife sections rather than shearing, so a verge left unmaintained for several seasons is a TRI job before it is a BF job.

Options and configuration to settle at quotation

Settle the bracket and hitch, the angle adjustment (fixed, mechanical or hydraulic tilt), hose lengths for the carrier’s dipper, the flow setting to be programmed on the carrier, and whether a spare knife section and comb fingers are included. Ask for the delivered weight in the ordered configuration and the current pressure and drain requirement in writing.

Wear parts and support

Knife sections, comb fingers, hold-down clips and the drive are the consumables, and they are cheap relative to disc or CS blades but they are also the parts that stop a contract when a stone or a fence wire goes through the bar. Ask Machinery Specialist for a priced knife and finger kit and carry one on the truck. The general approach is in the wear parts guide.

Confirm before ordering

• Vegetation is genuinely 30 mm class green growth; older woody regrowth needs a TRI first
• Width chosen on access and pass count, not on cutting capacity (all three cut 30 mm)
• Carrier auxiliary flow falls within 20 to 40 L/min and the distributor has confirmed pressure and drain requirement in writing
• Single-acting versus double-acting circuit and return arrangement confirmed for the carrier
• Stability at full reach checked for the BF1700 on the smallest carrier in the fleet
• Bracket, tilt option and hose lengths specified for the actual dipper
• Knife section and comb finger kit priced and a spare on order
• Traffic control and cleanup allowed for in the linear metre rate

Frequently asked questions