The OMEF CS100 is a 120 kg hydraulic cutting head with 360 degree rotation and a 100 mm cut, built for the 1.6 to 3.5 tonne excavators that councils, orchardists and landscape contractors already own. It is the smallest tool in the range that cuts one branch at a time on purpose, and understanding that is the whole buying decision.
Where the CS100 sits in the range
OMEF splits mechanical pruning into continuous tools and individual tools. The TG, BF, TRI and BTD sweep along a face and cut everything in their path; the CS family cuts a chosen limb, rotates, and cuts the next. The CS100 is the entry point to that family, followed by the CS200 at 200 mm, the CS300 at 300 mm and the CS400 and CS400H at 400 and 420 mm. The mechanical pruning guide explains when continuous beats selective.
What the published figures mean on site
One hundred millimetres is the same nominal capacity as the TRI bar, but the two tools are not interchangeable. The TRI takes 100 mm stems as part of a sweep; the CS100 takes a single 100 mm limb exactly where the operator places the head, at any angle the 360 degree rotation allows, and leaves everything around it untouched. That is the difference between corridor clearance and tree care. In practice the 100 mm figure is a maximum on green wood, and in dense Australian hardwood the comfortable production diameter sits below it; the maximum versus production diameter guide explains why.
At 120 kg the CS100 is light enough that a 1.6 tonne machine can hold it at height without the lift chart becoming the limiting factor, and the 180 to 250 bar and 20 to 45 L/min requirements fit the auxiliary circuits of most compact carriers. The rotation is what makes the head useful: an orchard limb growing back toward the row or a park branch over a path can be approached from the side or below without repositioning the machine.
Carrier matching
The published band is 1.6 to 3.5 tonnes. The CS needs two double-acting hydraulic lines, one for the cutting cylinder and one for rotation, which is the first thing to check on a mini excavator, since many are delivered with a single auxiliary circuit. If the carrier has only one, budget for a second circuit or a diverter valve and confirm with Machinery Specialist that the arrangement suits the head. The cutting cylinder wants the full 180 to 250 bar; a carrier relieving at 170 bar will leave the top of the cut range on the table. Flow between 20 and 45 L/min sets cut speed rather than force. The hydraulic matching guide and the 1 to 5 tonne page cover the details, and the lift chart guide is worth reading before the head goes to full reach over a fence.
Typical work and production considerations
Orchard and shelterbelt limb removal, council tree maintenance in parks and streets, formative pruning on young amenity trees and light branch management around buildings and fences are the CS100’s work. Production is measured in cuts per productive hour, not linear metres, and the cycle is position, cut, rotate or reposition, cut again. An illustrative model: if a cycle averages 40 seconds including boom movement, that is about 90 cuts an hour, but the number that matters commercially is how many of those cuts the client is paying for and how long the ground crew takes to deal with the fallen material. On a street program with pedestrian and traffic control, the cost of the exclusion zone can exceed the machine rate, so a head that lets one operator do the work of a climber and a groundsman is the real saving. See council parks and urban vegetation and farm shelterbelts and orchards.
Limitations and when to choose a different family
The CS100 has no holding grapple. It is a streamlined cutting head by design, which is why it weighs 120 kg, and it means every severed piece falls. Where a piece cannot fall safely, over a road, a fence, a roof or a live service, the correct tool is a grapple saw that holds and lowers the piece; read the grapple saw guide and the pruner versus grapple saw comparison. Where the job is kilometres of continuous growth, a TRI or BF will outproduce it many times over. And where the stem needs to be felled and controlled rather than pruned, a tree shear is the better tool. Operators should establish exclusion zones and follow applicable WHS procedures and manufacturer instructions for every cut, because branch length and mass matter more than diameter when it hits the ground.
Options and configuration to settle at quotation
Settle the bracket and hitch for the carrier, the second double-acting circuit or diverter, hose lengths and routing through the rotation, the pressure and flow settings to be programmed on the carrier, and any blade options. Ask for the delivered weight in the ordered configuration and the current hydraulic requirement in writing.
Wear parts and support
The blade, blade bolts, pivot pin and bushes, cylinder seals and rotation motor seals are the wear items. Ask Machinery Specialist for a priced blade and a seal kit, the sharpening or replacement interval on hardwood, and Australian stock. The wear parts guide has the general method.
Confirm before ordering
- The work is selective limb removal, not kilometres of continuous growth (that is TRI or BF work)
- Every likely cut can fall safely; where a piece must be held, a grapple saw is the right tool
- Carrier has, or will be fitted with, two double-acting hydraulic lines for cut and rotation
- Carrier relief pressure reaches the 180 to 250 bar range and auxiliary flow sits within 20 to 45 L/min
- Lift chart checked with 120 kg plus bracket at the working radius and height
- Bracket, hitch, hose routing through rotation and carrier settings specified
- Blade and seal kit priced and stocked in Australia
- Exclusion zone, traffic or pedestrian control and cleanup priced per job
Frequently asked questions
Does the CS100 hold the branch after cutting?
No. It is a streamlined cutting head with no holding grapple, so the severed piece falls. Where that is not acceptable, use a grapple saw.
How is the CS100 different from a TRI bar that also cuts 100 mm?
The TRI sweeps along a face and cuts everything in it. The CS100 cuts one chosen limb at a time with 360 degree rotation. Use the CS for tree care and selective work, the TRI for corridor coverage.
What hydraulic lines does it need?
Two double-acting lines, one for the cutting cylinder and one for rotation, at 180 to 250 bar and 20 to 45 L/min. Many mini excavators have only one auxiliary circuit, so check before ordering.
Will it cut 100 mm eucalyptus?
100 mm is the published maximum. Dense, dry hardwood cuts more slowly and the comfortable production diameter will sit below the maximum.
Which excavators suit it?
The published band is 1.6 to 3.5 tonnes, with two double-acting circuits and the pressure and flow above.
Other mechanical pruning to compare
OMEF TG hydraulic hedge trimmers
The light end of the OMEF range for fine vegetation rather than timber: the 800 mm six-knife TG2 for 1.8 to 2.5 tonne carriers and the 1,200 mm nine-knife TG1 for 2 to 5 tonne machines.
OMEF BF cutter bars
Extremely light reciprocating cutter bars (40 to 46 kg) in 1.2, 1.5 and 1.7 m widths for 30 mm class vegetation on 1 to 5 tonne carriers, built for linear metres rather than branch diameter.
OMEF TRI pruning cutting bars
Comb-style shearing bars for 4 to 10 tonne excavators in 1.6, 1.9 and 2.2 m widths. All three cut the same 100 mm class; the difference is linear coverage per pass.
OMEF BTD disc hedge trimmers
Rotating-disc trimmers for continuous woody vegetation up to about 150 mm on 3 to 10 tonne excavators. Two, three or four discs set the working width and the production rate.
OMEF CS200 forestry pruner
A 200 mm hydraulic pruning head for 3.5 to 6 tonne excavators: 210 kg, 360-degree rotation and enough capacity that the fall of every severed section has to be planned.
OMEF CS300 forestry pruner
Where pruning crosses into selective forestry: a 300 mm cut on 6 to 10 tonne excavators at 340 kg, for large roadside limbs, plantation edges and utility vegetation.
OMEF CS400 and CS400H forestry pruners
The heavy pruning heads: 400 mm (CS400) and 420 mm (CS400H) cuts on 10 to 24 tonne excavators. Serious limb and stem capacity with no holding grapple, so piece planning is the buying question.
Get a recommendation, not just a price
Send us your excavator model, hydraulic figures, tree species and typical diameters. We will come back with a carrier-matched configuration and a written specification you can compare against any other quote.