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Unapologetic Old
School Curmudgeon
Picture of Lord Vaalic
posted
I want to trim some tree limbs. They are fairly high up, probably 10 - 20 feet in some cases. For the lower 10 foot ones I was thinking I could use a small ladder and a 6 foot pole saw.

But I haven't used one, how unwieldy are these things? A small chainsaw on a 6 foot pole seems like it might be a huge pain to use. The limbs are about 4 to 8 inches diameter.




Don't weep for the stupid, or you will be crying all day
 
Posts: 10782 | Location: TN | Registered: December 18, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Dances With
Tornados
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Check out this, really good info, I need to get one too.

Another thread here.

.
 
Posts: 12064 | Location: Near Hooker Oklahoma, closer to Slapout Oklahoma | Registered: October 26, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I use this one from Harbor Freight. Along with a generator on a trailer to trim limbs as high as 10-12 feet. Works pretty good. Easy to handle.
https://www.harborfreight.com/...-pole-saw-62896.html


ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
 
Posts: 252 | Location: Middle Georgia | Registered: June 26, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Green grass and
high tides
Picture of old rugged cross
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Depending on how big they are you can use a manual pruning saw. Work good. Looking up for long periods of time will give you neck strain. I would not spend several hundred $ if it was something that you would use once and then it would sit. Just my random thought and experience on the subject.



"Practice like you want to play in the game"
 
Posts: 19959 | Registered: September 21, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I never used one with a chainsaw on it, but had a much taller one (10-12 feet extended?) that was quite easy to use. The limbs I was after were around 2-5" diameter, and I was impressed with how easy it was to use. It had a fiberglass shaft, and I used it around electrical wires without worries.

I'd recommend starting with the simpler one first, see how it works for you.


--------------------------
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-- H L Mencken

I always prefer reality when I can figure out what it is.
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Posts: 9437 | Location: Illinois farm country | Registered: November 15, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Nullus Anxietas
Picture of ensigmatic
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Are you talking manual or powered?

Manual pole saws can be a PITA at their more extended lengths. (Though there is one brand members here really seem to like. Maybe that one's easier?)

Power pole saws, like my Stihl, are pretty much immune to height. They get a bit harder to maneuver into position, but they cut about as well.

Either way: Hint: Don't try to take the whole limb, back to the trunk, in one go. Cut it first a couple feet from the trunk, then take the rest of it. Saves having to deal with under-cutting the limb (almost impossible with a manual pole saw, anyway) to avoid tearing a strip of bark off the trunk Smile

I don't know as either of them go to twenty feet, though. My Stihl HT133 goes to 11'6". Add ±6' for my height/reach and that means ±17'.

You should never use a chain saw from a ladder.

8" diameter limbs are pretty darn big limbs. I don't know as I'd want to be standing anywhere under a limb that big when it came down. This sounds like a job for a climber with a climbing saw. (See member Southflorida-law's subsequent comment, re: The vindictiveness of tree limbs.)



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
 
Posts: 26032 | Location: S.E. Michigan | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Key to cutting limbs with pole saws is knowing where that branch is heading once cut. Branches are evil and vindictive, they dont like being cut and will make every attempt to hit or pierce you on the way to the ground.

But the saws themselves are easy!
 
Posts: 2044 | Registered: September 19, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Make sure you have stable footing or are well braced if on a ladder. When the branch comes off, the weight of the saw (I'm talking about gas) at the end of the long pole can easily knock you off balance.
 
Posts: 9098 | Location: The Red part of Minnesota | Registered: October 06, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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It really depends on which one you have. The pole saws are very easy to use and my preferred tool for cutting any limbs up to 8" thick. You don't get any crap on you from the chain, stuff falls far enough away from you, no worry about kick backs etc. and I find them easier to use than a regular chainsaw. That being said I have an echo gas pole saw 6', the ppf 225 I believe and I've had it for 5 years now. It is super easy to use on the top of a 8' ladder because it is well balanced with the motor on the back and chain on the front. I don't cut things directly overhead, no more than a 45 degree angle or 10 o clock from my body, so the chain is far away and have never had the feeling of falling off of a ladder with it, the chain stops right away if you let go of the trigger I use it every 2 weeks at a minimum. The Stihls and Echo's that extend much further in length are also really easy to use, but you have to be careful in stopping them (the momentum) once they cut through the limb. The electric pole saws have the same issue because the motor is on the end of the pole also and while easy to use, have to be careful to stop the momentum once it cuts through the limb. I also have a fiskar 16' manual pole saw and it completely sucks using it compared to the echo gas.
 
Posts: 21428 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Repressed
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Don't trim limbs from a ladder. YouTube is full of plenty of videos of folks learning this lesson the hard way. I also have a buddy who has a permanent dent in his head and is lucky to be alive after trimming branches from a ladder with a pole saw.

You have nowhere to go when the branch starts to move and you're on a ladder, and folks almost always underestimate how close they are to the path of the fall. It doesn't take much of a branch to spear you, knock you off the ladder, or knock your ladder over, either, and it can all go wrong very quickly - quicker than you can get off the ladder.


-ShneaSIG


Oh, by the way, which one's "Pink?"
 
Posts: 11059 | Location: MO | Registered: November 19, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by ShneaSIG:
Don't trim limbs from a ladder. YouTube is full of plenty of videos of folks learning this lesson the hard way. I also have a buddy who has a permanent dent in his head and is lucky to be alive after trimming branches from a ladder with a pole saw.

You have nowhere to go when the branch starts to move and you're on a ladder, and folks almost always underestimate how close they are to the path of the fall. It doesn't take much of a branch to spear you, knock you off the ladder, or knock your ladder over, either, and it can all go wrong very quickly - quicker than you can get off the ladder.


With a 6' pole saw, my reach is 9'. If I'm cutting branches from a ladder, they are 6' away from the ladder and me, not overhead. As with cutting any tree branches with any type of saw, you do have to use common sense and always keep safety in mind. But at 5-6' away from the ladder, I have never had anything come anywhere close to hitting me or the ladder. I also cut the branches in stages, basically around 4' long pieces or pieces that are less than 40 lbs, so they both fall straight down and are easy to carry without trying to cut them on the ground.
 
Posts: 21428 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I have a Ryobi lithium battery powered and I like it. It is about 8 feet I think.
 
Posts: 987 | Registered: January 23, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Lawyers, Guns
and Money
Picture of chellim1
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quote:
Depending on how big they are you can use a manual pruning saw.

Landscaper Pole Saw with 18-inch Total Reach by Jameson
around $100

https://www.tractorsupply.com/...0EAQYAiABEgLVj_D_BwE



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Posts: 24871 | Location: St. Louis, MO | Registered: April 03, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Nullus Anxietas
Picture of ensigmatic
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quote:
Originally posted by jimmy123x:
... I have an echo gas pole saw 6', the ppf 225 I believe and I've had it for 5 years now. It is super easy to use on the top of a 8' ladder because it is well balanced with the motor on the back and chain on the front. I don't cut things directly overhead, no more than a 45 degree angle or 10 o clock from my body, ...

Uh huh.

I was working on this small tree near the back of the yard, from a ladder, with my small, top-handle "climbing" saw. Small limb (maybe 1-1/2" dia.), at a comfortable reach and at about a 45° angle from me. I estimated the limb should fall straight down.

Nope. Cut that sucker free, it moved in an unexpected way--going out of its way to whack me on the noggin. Luckily it was a small limb. It was more surprising and embarrassing than anything else.

And educational. I no longer assume live wood, after being freed, will go where I expect it to. Now I wear one of these



most times. Always wear it when cutting anything above about waist height.

quote:
Originally posted by jimmy123x:
The Stihls and Echo's that extend much further in length are also really easy to use, but you have to be careful in stopping them (the momentum) once they cut through the limb.

If you're controlling the saw there should be no such issue. And you should always be controlling the saw. This is why cutting from a ladder is a Bad Idea. Not only does it greatly limit your options if things don't go as planned, but you cannot possibly be as stable as you can with both feet planted solidly on terra firma.

I've trimmed plenty of limbs with my Stihl HT133 and never experienced any problem with controlling the saw at the end of the pole.



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
 
Posts: 26032 | Location: S.E. Michigan | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I have used a pole saw with electric chain saw. It can be very exciting at times. Watch how the pros do it before you attempt. I would not advise using a ladder. Sometimes it is better to find someone else to do it. My neighbor got a broken jaw and a pretty large bill for dental reconstruction because a limb struck him. He was pretty handy with a chainsaw but won't go near one now.
 
Posts: 17701 | Location: Stuck at home | Registered: January 02, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Ripley
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Lots of good advice here, this may not be the conventional wisdom but I wholeheartedly agree --

quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Manual pole saws can be a PITA at their more extended lengths.


Even manual saws become a more out of balance tool at extension. More than likely you'll want max your reach, start working with your arms above your heart and the difficulty multiplies. As you fatigue, keep track of where the saw may end dropping into if it gets that tiring.

Also take note on ensigmatic's way of dealing with undercutting difficulty. A lot of bark can be stripped beyond your targeted limb.




Set the controls for the heart of the Sun.
 
Posts: 8662 | Location: Flown-over country | Registered: December 25, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
That's just the
Flomax talking
Picture of GaryBF
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Don't ever cut anything while standing on a ladder.
 
Posts: 11875 | Location: St. Louis, Missouri | Registered: February 04, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I needed a pole saw, as I had been using a ladder and a chain saw.......I decided that was poor planning on my part. I purchased the 40 volt battery operated pole saw that Harbor Freight sells. I purchased it three(3) years ago, and use it each spring.....NO LADDERS!!! It has done exactly what I needed/wanted it to do. I am pleased with it.
 
Posts: 6771 | Location: Az | Registered: May 27, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Get my pies
outta the oven!

Picture of PASig
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Sounds like you need to call a tree service and leave it up to people who know what they are doing.


 
Posts: 35160 | Location: Pennsylvania | Registered: November 12, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Bought a multi section manual tree saw from American Tree Service Supply a number of years ago. Have used it to cut many branches up to 30’ above ground without having to use a ladder. Takes a little time, but it will go through an 8” branch as long as your arm muscles can keep it moving back and forth.
 
Posts: 1245 | Location: NE Indiana  | Registered: January 20, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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