The best brush cutters for orchards

What matters for orchards

Orchard work is about restraint, not raw cutting power. You’re weaving between trunks, often under low branches, and a single careless pass with a blade or a stiff line can ring the bark and set a young tree back for a season. What matters most is control: a light, well-balanced machine, a throttle you can feather down near the base of each tree, and a head that clears grass and weeds without needing to be swung hard. Reach and manoeuvrability between closely spaced rows count for more here than sheer cutting width.

Our picks

The Makita DUR368LZ opens the list for good reason — at under 4 kg it’s one of the lightest pro-grade cordless machines around, and that low weight translates directly into steadier, more precise passes right up to a trunk. It’s line-focused out of the box, which suits orchard work well, provided you’re already invested in Makita’s LXT battery system.

The Stihl FS 70 C-E is the versatile all-rounder: an easy-starting petrol machine that ships with both a line head for careful work around the trees and an 8-tooth blade for tidying the wider grass and scrub between rows. For anyone who wants one machine that covers the whole orchard, this is the safe choice.

The Einhell Agillo 36/255 brings brushless 36V cordless power and a metal blade at roughly half the price of the premium brands. Use the blade well away from trunks for inter-row clearing, switch to the line for anything close to a tree, and it’s a genuinely capable budget option for Power X-Change owners.

The Greenworks GD40BC trades precision for coverage — its wide 40 cm line cut chews through the open grass alleys between rows quickly. It’s not the tool you want right against a trunk, but paired with a lighter machine for the delicate work, it speeds up the rest of the job considerably.

The Husqvarna 128R is a comfortable, dependable entry petrol machine with Smart Start and an included harness — a sensible choice for anyone tending a modest orchard who wants reliable, easy-starting power for the grass without needing a second, heavier machine.

The Worx WG183E is a pure grass trimmer, but at just 2.2 kg with AutoFeed line and batteries in the box, it’s genuinely the gentlest option for skimming right around the base of each trunk. It won’t touch scrub or brambles, so treat it as the precision tool for close-in work, not your only machine.

Which should you choose?

For a handful of trees or a kitchen orchard, the Makita DUR368LZ or Worx WG183E give you the lightest touch and easiest control near trunks. For a larger orchard where you also need to clear grass between rows, the Stihl FS 70 C-E covers both jobs from one machine. Tight on budget but want a blade in reserve? The Einhell Agillo delivers real capability for less. If speed across open alleys matters more than precision at the base, add the Greenworks GD40BC to your kit, and if you simply want dependable, easy-starting petrol power for regular seasonal upkeep, the Husqvarna 128R won’t let you down.