Maintaining green spaces

Tree shear and felling head

On the left, the felling head holds the cut trunk and sets it down without letting it fall. On the right, in conventional felling, the tree falls freely and needs a cleared area. Computer-generated image. — **Left:** the felling head holds the cut trunk and sets it down without letting it fall. **Right:** in conventional felling, the tree falls freely and needs a cleared area. Computer-generated image.

It cuts and it holds.
The tree does not fall:
it stays gripped in the tool, and the operator sets it down where they decided.
It is the holding, more than the cutting, that makes the value of this family.

Other names for this tool: felling head, hydraulic shears, cutting head, grapple shears, felling and processing head, tree shears, felling grab.

The essentials

Family: Maintaining green spaces
Classes (t): 1 to 40 t
Coupler: All, by plate
Power source: Hydraulic — flow and pressure: we calculate it with you for your machine
Principle: Cutting while holding

Compare with the pruning saw →

01 Use

What it is for

**Left:** the felling head holds the cut trunk and sets it down without letting it fall.
**Right:** in conventional felling, the tree falls freely and needs a cleared area.
What sets it apart:
you no longer manage a fall, you manage a placing — the piece cut does not fall.
Computer-generated image.

Two arms squeeze the trunk while a cutting element — a blade or a chain — cuts it through.
The piece cut does not fall freely:
it stays held, and the machine's arm moves it to the heap, the trailer or the mulcher.

That is what makes felling possible where a fall is forbidden:
above a power line, along a road in use, against a fence, in a yard.
You no longer manage a fall, you manage a placing.

That is the whole difference from the pruning saw. The saw cuts and lets fall:
it requires a clear perimeter on the ground.
The shears hold.
On a roadside job or on an occupied site, that difference decides the whole method, not only the tool.

02 Key technical data

On which machine?

They exist for machines from 1,5 to 20 t.
For example, on a 5 to 10 t excavator, the weight is generally from 185 to 850 kg.
For other excavator classes, the weight: we calculate it with you for your machine.
It fits all quick couplers via a mounting plate, or directly on the pins.
Depending on the model: symmetrical S coupler, and mounting compatible with a tiltrotator or tilting coupler, to be checked with you.

What the tool does

It cuts and holds at the same time, to maintain green spaces.
For example, on a 5 to 10 t excavator: maximum cutting diameter from 200 to 360 mm, rotation from 180 to 360°.
It is also available in a rotating version, through 360°.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

It connects to the auxiliary hydraulic circuit.
It generally needs from 25 to 250 l/min, at a pressure from 180 to 250 bar, depending on the size of the machine.
For the other classes, the flow and pressure: we calculate them with you for your machine.

Figures taken from 17 models on the market.
Your study sets the exact value for your machine.

All the measurements found for this equipment →

How to read these values →

03 Your study

Have your machine checked.

Give us your excavator model, the diameter of the largest trees and the working height.
Above all, tell us what is under the tree:
that is what decides whether the holding is essential or merely convenient.

What we need to answer you

Your machine Its make and its tonnage.
The auxiliary circuit Its flow in l/min, its pressure in bar, single- or double-acting.
The coupler in place Its system and its class.
The work The use, and the material.

Without these details, the study still begins: we will ask you for them.

Send my photos

or describe your need

Book an appointment with the specialist

Or call 01 84 16 55 49 · our lines are open 7 days a week, from 7h to 22h.

Written study within 3 working days, once the file is complete.

04 Choice

What determines the choice

01 — The permissible cutting diameter It is checked on the largest trees to be dealt with, never on the average.
A tree above the capacity jams the tool in the middle of the cut, which is the situation you want to avoid at height.
02 — The holding capacity Cutting is one thing, holding is another.
The weight and length of the piece held create a considerable overhang, and it is often that which limits the use before the cutting diameter does.
03 — The rotation Without rotation, the orientation of the grip depends on the position of the machine.
With rotation, you present the tool in line with the trunk and lay the piece down in the right direction — at the price of a second hydraulic function.
04 — Blade or chain A blade gives a brutal but robust cut with no cutting maintenance.
A chain cuts more cleanly and accepts larger diameters, but it is a consumable part that calls for monitoring.

05 Check

What is checked before ordering

The number of hydraulic functions Squeezing, cutting and rotation do not always share a single line.
A machine with only one auxiliary function limits the choice of tool. See the 7 criteria.
The weight at the end of the arm, with the piece held The governing case is not the tool alone:
it is the tool plus the tree it holds, arm extended and often raised.
It is the most unfavourable position for the stability of the machine.
The height actually reachable It depends on the arm as much as on the tool, and the weight at the end reduces it.
The interface Coupler type and size, or pin dimensions.
The tool is supplied with the matching plate — see the couplers.

In the same family

To handle and load

On the interface

To go further

Family: Maintaining green spaces
Trade: Local authorities and roads
Trade: Forestry and silviculture
Compatibility: The seven criteria in detail →