The OMEF CS300 is the point at which OMEF’s pruning heads cross into forestry. A 300 mm cut on a 6 to 10 tonne excavator takes the main limbs off a mature eucalypt, thins a plantation edge or drops a whole medium stem in a single cycle, and the 340 kg head does it without the mass of a grapple or a rotator carrying load.
Where the CS300 sits in the range
The CS family is OMEF’s individual-cut range, as opposed to the continuous TRI and BTD bars and discs that sweep along a corridor. The CS300 sits above the CS200 and the compact CS100, and below the heavy CS400 and CS400H. The mechanical pruning guide explains the ladder, and the tree shear guide covers the gripping alternative for whole stems.
What the published figures mean on site
Three hundred millimetres is large material by any pruning standard. A green hardwood limb of that diameter and five metres long weighs several hundred kilograms, and the moment it separates it becomes a falling object that the head does not control. The capacity is real, but it is a maximum on green wood and the comfortable production diameter in dense Australian hardwood sits below it, as the maximum versus production diameter guide and the Australian hardwood guide explain. The 360 degree rotation is what makes the capacity usable: the head can be presented square to the limb from below or the side so the blade enters cleanly, which matters more as diameter rises.
At 340 kg the CS300 is light for a 300 mm tool, and that is the design trade: no grapple, no second jaw, no load-bearing rotator. The 180 to 250 bar range sets cut force and the 40 to 80 L/min range sets cycle speed.
Carrier matching
The published band is 6 to 10 tonnes. The family’s two double-acting circuit requirement is described on the CS100 page; on this head the figures to check against the actual carrier rather than its class are the 180 to 250 bar relief, since a carrier relieving below 180 bar will not deliver the top of the capacity, and the 40 to 80 L/min flow, which sets cycle speed rather than force. Confirm the arrangement with Machinery Specialist for the exact model, and follow the hydraulic matching guide. On road batters and rail formations the head is often at full reach and height, so run the lift chart with 340 kg plus bracket at that radius; the 5 to 10 tonne and 10 to 16 tonne class pages cover candidate machines and long-reach considerations.
Typical work and production considerations
Large roadside limbs, transmission and distribution easement clearance, plantation edge and firebreak maintenance, rail corridor trees inside possession windows and selective thinning in reserves are the CS300’s work. Production is counted in cuts per productive hour, but at 300 mm the ground handling dominates: each piece may need a grapple or loader to move it and a chipper or mulcher to reduce it, so the fleet is sized around the cleanup, not the cut. Illustratively, if the head can complete a cut cycle every 60 seconds but the ground crew clears one 300 mm piece every three minutes, the effective rate is 20 pieces an hour and the machine is idle two-thirds of the time. On a state road the traffic control crew’s day rate is fixed and on rail the possession is fixed, so matching cleanup capacity to the head is where the money is. See road corridor clearing, powerline easements and plantation thinning and re-establishment.
Limitations and when to choose a different family
The CS300 has no holding grapple, and at 300 mm the consequence is a piece that can weigh several hundred kilograms arriving wherever the cut angle sends it. Where it cannot fall into a cleared zone the tool is a grapple saw that holds and lowers it (grapple saw guide, pruner versus grapple saw comparison); for whole stems needing directional control a tree shear is better; for continuous corridor growth under 150 mm a BTD or TRI will outproduce it. Operators should establish exclusion zones and follow applicable WHS procedures and manufacturer instructions, and cut diameter is never a safe suspended-load figure.
Options and configuration to settle at quotation
Settle the bracket and hitch, the second double-acting circuit, hose routing through rotation, the carrier’s pressure and flow settings, blade options, guarding and any bracket for a long-reach front. Ask for the delivered weight in the ordered configuration and the current hydraulic requirement in writing.
Wear parts and support
The wear items are the family’s, listed on the CS100 page. At 300 mm in hardwood the number to ask about is blade edge life, because an edge that is dull at this diameter turns a clean cut into a crushed one and the cycle time rises with it. Price a blade and a seal kit with Machinery Specialist, confirm Australian stock, and read the wear parts guide.
Confirm before ordering
- The work is selective cutting of large limbs and stems; continuous growth is BTD or TRI work
- Every planned cut can fall safely; retained pieces need a grapple saw
- Carrier has two double-acting circuits for cut and rotation, relieving at 180 to 250 bar with 40 to 80 L/min
- Lift chart run with 340 kg plus bracket at the working radius and height
- Ground handling and chipping capacity matched to the head's cut rate
- Bracket, hitch, hose routing and long-reach compatibility specified
- Blade and seal kit priced and stocked in Australia
- Traffic control, possession windows, exclusion zones and cleanup priced per job
- Native vegetation approvals checked for the corridor or reserve
Frequently asked questions
Why does ground handling matter so much on this model?
Because a 300 mm piece needs a grapple or loader to move and a chipper or mulcher to reduce it. The head can out-cut the cleanup crew, and on a priced job the cleanup rate, not the cut rate, is what you are selling.
Can it fell trees?
It cuts stems within its 300 mm capacity but does not grip or direct them, so the stem falls uncontrolled. For directional felling use a tree shear or a grapple saw.
What carrier does it need?
6 to 10 tonnes, with two double-acting circuits, 180 to 250 bar and 40 to 80 L/min, and a lift chart check at the working radius.
Will it cut 300 mm ironbark?
300 mm is the published maximum on green wood. Dense dry hardwood cuts more slowly and the production diameter sits below the maximum.
Why not go straight to the CS400?
The CS400 needs a 10 to 24 tonne carrier and weighs 550 kg. If your fleet is 6 to 10 tonnes and the limbs are mostly under 300 mm, the CS300 is the better match.
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 CS100 forestry pruner
The compact 360-degree forestry pruner for 1.6 to 3.5 tonne excavators: 120 kg with a 100 mm cut for orchards, councils and light tree pruning.
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 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.