quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

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.

To trim branches as high up as the O.P. is discussing, that sort of positioning very likely won't be possible.

And, even so, a branch that swings or breaks unexpectedly can cover 5 or 6 feet in no time, especially with more than 10 feet to fall. And 40lbs or so moving with momentum is more than enough to knock a person off a ladder or knock a ladder out from under the person standing on it. The initial swing isn't the only time a falling branch can hurt you, either. My buddy got injured by the branch falling, compressing against the ground, and then springing back into him.

The big problem with being on a ladder is that you are stuck. You cannot react and move in any meaningful way, and you're usually ill positioned to defend yourself or apply force or leverage.

I bought a 14' manual pole saw last weekend and had a lot of fun on my roof. I don't find them the easiest things to use at full extension. The snipper works much better for me than the actual saw blade. Being on the ground is much better than on a roof braced against the chimney.

I borrowed an electric chainsaw on a stick thing once and it was somewhat difficult to use fully extended with all the weight at the head. Something with the weight more evenly distributed sounds like a better option.

In either case I'd be very careful on a ladder.

Rented an Echo version from Home Depot this year. Well balanced, but it got damn heavy after awhile. Still, got the limbs trimmed away from my deck.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
with the motor on the back and chain on the front.

I don't have much experience with chain saws but... aren't they all like that?

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
with the motor on the back and chain on the front.

I don't have much experience with chain saws but... aren't they all like that?

I think he meant the motor at the bottom end of the pole and the chain at the far end. I believe I've read some electric pole saws have the motor out at the working end. That sounds unwieldy to me.

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
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.

Yep, I think for most limbs in hard to reach places a multi section manual tree saw is the way to go. My brother has a Stihl HT 131 gas pole saw which I have used. It's very nice, and very expensive, but it's also heavy at about 18 lb.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
My brother has a Stihl HT 131 gas pole saw which I have used. It's very nice, and very expensive, but it's also heavy at about 18 lb.

I have an HT-133. I have not found it to be particularly heavy or unwieldy to use. I've done a couple one hour or more sessions with it.

<looks...> Hmmm... The HT-133 appears to be quite a bit lighter than the HT-131. The 133 weighs 16 lbs. with bar and chain. The HT-131 weighs 17 lbs. without bar and chain.

Yeah... it's not too bad when you get the weight distribution right, and if you don't have to hold it too far away from your body.
But... the manual pole saw is lighter and you can reach farther. You just have to take your time because it's manual. But I wouldn't want to use a manual for more than 7" or so diameter branches.

I have a Stihl Combi system and the pole.saw attachment. Works great.

My best recommendation, and what I use, is a Silky Hayauchi blade on fiberglass 6 foot pole extensions. Three is about the maximum that is easily useful and controllable. You don't need the expensive Jameson commercial extensions, there is a green "landscapers" version available. They can be bought by mail order at www.sherrilltree.com
The saw blade is pricey, but with a little care will last a decade or two with occasional use.

Limb cutting and ladders don't mix. I was an ISA Certified Arborist for 12 years and active in the field. We rarely used ladders, and never cut from them unless the ladder was secured to the tree, AND we were secured to the tree.

Best of luck to you and be safe!

Louieh

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
with the motor on the back and chain on the front.

I don't have much experience with chain saws but... aren't they all like that?

I think he meant the motor at the bottom end of the pole and the chain at the far end. I believe I've read some electric pole saws have the motor out at the working end. That sounds unwieldy to me.

Aha! Thank you for the clarification.

Silky brand three section pole saw is super easy to use. Great work out as well. Get a basic safety hard hat too. Stay off the ladder.

It all depends how much cutting you need to do. Run it all the way out to 11.5’ (their so called 17’ reach) and run it for a couple hours with your arms over your head stretching for tall stuff and you will wish you didn’t. Don’t ask me how I know...

Also, consider the length of the branch and the geometry. I cut an 8-10” oak limb that was twenty-five to thirty feet long one time. I was off to the side a little bit, cutting overhead. I undercut then laid into the top of it. All this was on a hillside in oak leaf litter, not super steep, but some slope to it. When it started to break, the end of the branch went down and hit the ground, getting closer than it was while up in the air. Then it came completely loose and the cut end started coming down. By then I’d gotten the saw out of the way and was backing up the hill in the slippery leaf litter as fast as I could (which wasn’t very fast). The end of the log hit the bill of my ballcap, knocked it off my head, brushed my chest but not hard enough to leave a mark, and landed on a foot. Thanks to the cushion and give of the leaf litter, it smarted for a little while, but the bruise went away in a few days.

It is extremely difficult, if not impossible to cut yourself with a pole saw, unlike a regular chainsaw, but you can still get yourself hurt easily.

Given the choice, I’ll take a cherrypicker or manlift and a regular chainsaw. If I have to use a polesaw (and we have two and do use them), I don’t cut anything overhead or close to that I can’t handle dropping on me.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
with the motor on the back and chain on the front.

I don't have much experience with chain saws but... aren't they all like that?

I think he meant the motor at the bottom end of the pole and the chain at the far end. I believe I've read some electric pole saws have the motor out at the working end. That sounds unwieldy to me.

Aha! Thank you for the clarification.

Yes, some of the electric (corded) pole saws have the electric motor at the end of the pole with the bar and chain, they're very hard to control because all of the weight is at the end of a long pole. Others have the motor (especially the gas ones) at the opposite end of the pole from the bar and chain so they balance fairly well usually.

Get this:
Troy Bilt String Trimmer

Plus this:
Pole Saw Attachment

I've had it for a couple years now, and I'm very happy with it. I also have the brush trimmer head (like a string trimmer with a metal blade)and it too is great.

Starts easy, lots of power, and nicely made saw head. You don't need extension cords or generators.