OMEF TG hydraulic hedge trimmers

The OMEF TG series is the lightest family in the mechanical pruning range and the only one built purely for fine growth. It covers two models, the 800 mm six-knife TG2 and the 1,200 mm nine-knife TG1, and both are hydraulic hedge trimmers on a mini excavator rather than branch cutters. Buyers who respect that distinction get far more linear metres out of either one.

Where the TG sits in the range

OMEF divides its pruning tools by vegetation class rather than by carrier size, and the TG occupies the bottom rung: fine hedge and young growth up to about 20 mm on carriers between roughly 1.8 and 5 tonnes. Above it sits the BF cutter bar at 30 mm, then the TRI pruning bar at 100 mm, the BTD disc trimmer at around 150 mm, and the individual-cut CS forestry pruners from 100 to 420 mm. The full progression and the logic for choosing between families is set out in the mechanical pruning buying guide.

Picking between the two is mostly a question of carrier and access. The TG2 suits a 1.8 to 2.5 tonne machine in tight landscaped areas and narrow footpaths, where an 800 mm head can be swung without touching what should stay. The TG1 adds 50 per cent more width and three more knives, so on a long formal hedge or an orchard row it covers noticeably more face per pass, but it wants a 2 to 5 tonne carrier and more room.

What the published figures mean on site

The 20 mm vegetation class is the number that matters. A high-speed knife system produces a clean, even finish on soft growth because it makes many small cuts quickly rather than a few large ones. Push it into woody stems above its class and the result is torn material, a poor finish, and knife and drive wear the tool was never priced for. If a neglected hedge has 40 or 50 mm framework in it, the reclamation pass belongs to a BF or TRI and the TG comes back for the annual maintenance cut.

Cutting width and knife count together describe coverage. Nine knives across 1,200 mm is the same knife pitch as six across 800 mm, so the finish is comparable; the wider head simply does more of the face in each sweep, and on a tall hedge that can be the difference between two passes and three, compounded across a kilometre of verge.

Carrier matching

Both models are aimed at mini excavators, and the low mass of a hedge trimmer means lift capacity is rarely the constraint. What does need confirming is the auxiliary circuit. No flow or pressure figure is published for the TG in our model data, so ask Machinery Specialist for the current data sheet for the exact model and quote your carrier make, model and auxiliary flow setting. Confirm which circuit the TG uses, the return arrangement, and whether any case drain is specified. The general procedure is in the hydraulic matching guide, and the 1 to 5 tonne class page covers what a mini excavator can and cannot run continuously.

Reach matters more than mass here. A tilting bracket or a hydraulic angle adjustment lets the head follow a hedge face, a batter or the underside of an overhang without the operator fighting the boom geometry, and that is worth asking about at quotation.

Typical work and production considerations

The TG earns its keep on council and landscape maintenance programs: formal hedges, parks, school boundaries, roundabouts and landscaped verges, and the annual clip on orchard and shelterbelt rows. Production is measured in linear metres of finished face per productive hour, and the honest way to price it is to time a representative length including repositioning and pedestrian or traffic management, then divide. On a footpath verge in a built-up area the traffic control can cost more per hour than the machine, which is the strongest argument for a wider head that finishes faster. Cleanup is light because clippings are fine, but they still need blowing or raking off hard surfaces. See council parks and urban vegetation and farm shelterbelts and orchards for how this work is typically scoped.

Limitations and when to choose a different family

The TG has no business in woody vegetation. Anything with regular 30 mm stems is BF work, anything approaching 100 mm is TRI work, and anything that needs an individual limb removed is a job for a CS head. Nor does a wider TG cut bigger material; the TG1 simply covers more face per pass at the same 20 mm class. Clippings at this size fall harmlessly, but the moment a job involves pieces that must be held rather than dropped it has left this family altogether: see the grapple saw guide and the mechanical pruner versus grapple saw comparison.

Options and configuration to settle at quotation

Settle the bracket and hitch interface for the carrier, the angle adjustment (mechanical or hydraulic tilt) and whether it needs a third hydraulic function, hose length and routing for the dipper, and whether a spare knife set is included. Confirm the delivered weight in the ordered configuration and the current hydraulic requirement in writing.

Wear parts and support

Knives, knife bolts and the drive components are the consumables. Ask for the knife set price, sharpening interval on the vegetation you actually cut, and whether Machinery Specialist holds knives in Australian stock for the model quoted. On a seasonal council program it is sensible to carry a full knife set on the truck. The general approach is in the wear parts guide.

Confirm before ordering

• Vegetation on the program is genuinely fine growth up to about 20 mm; neglected hedges with woody framework need a BF or TRI first
• Carrier make, model and auxiliary flow supplied to the distributor and the current TG hydraulic requirement confirmed in writing
• Which auxiliary circuit the TG uses, the return arrangement, and whether a case drain is specified
• TG2 (800 mm) versus TG1 (1,200 mm) chosen on carrier class and site access, not on cutting capacity
• Angle adjustment type and whether it needs an additional hydraulic function
• Bracket and hitch interface, hose lengths, and delivered weight in the ordered configuration
• Knife set price, availability in Australia and a spare set on order
• Pedestrian and traffic control allowances priced into the linear metre rate

Frequently asked questions