Lookout - yesterday I bought one of those "chain saws on a stick" - Remington for $98 at Home Depot.
I am getting older and am tired of going up on a ladder and trimming trees.
It extends to 15 feet long. Has a trigger on the bottom end. Should be fun. I will let you know after this morning's session how it goes.
I have a large wooded lot in Tallahassee Florida. Things seem to grow overnight here and all year. I am not used to that after 55 years in Pennsylvania.
Wife has already had two bouts with poison ivy. I am trying to trim things down and make it more civilized.
I appreciate all the help from the folks on this newsgroup.
I have the exact same thing. It was very useful, but you better have strong arms, cause it will take a toll on them trying to hold the 15' pole with the saw at the end. Overall though, it does help.
Up in the cold white north we really have to coax our trees to grow. I have only a mental visualization of the tool. Operating a 15 foot powered cutting tool at the end of a pole seems a case where the user will have to take the usual safety precautions of wearing a hard hat and suitable goggles. Perhaps some sort of thick long sleeved jacket. To assist holding the tool I imagine a flagstaff harness like the one a marcher uses in a parade.
Are you sure "it" extends that far? You may find that "The big print giveth and the fine print taketh away." Chances are you'll find that a good part of that "15 feet" will be made up of your body and arms.
Has a trigger on the bottom end. Should be
I hope it goes better for you than the one I bought a couple of years ago. I couldn't get the telescoping twist clamp to tighten down enough to keep the joint from twisting, even when I used Channelocks on it. The offset of the saw blade introduced a torque which twisted it.
I returned it the next day.
I've gotten by without that power pole saw just fine. I make do with a rope operated lopper (which I extended by about 5 feet with a piece of PVC pipe, slotted at the top end and hose clamped on.) It does have a stationary saw blade which can be wing nutted on for cutting stuff too thick for the shear blade.
For the occasional taller limbs I use a rope saw, which can easily reach
30 feet high, though I gotta confess I'm no Joe Nameth when it comes to flinging the weighted end of the rope through the spot I want it to go....that part usually takes me five or six tries.
If you're not familiar with them, here's the one I have:
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I think they're the cat's ass for keeping my clumsy body and chain saw safely off a ladder.
I just have to remember to not stand there admiring my work when the limb starts to pivot down and fall. That's the time to yell "TIMBER!!!! and run like hell out from under it.
I just got done with four hours of use of the chainsaw on a stick. This one is made by Remington.
Wife loved it. She would point at the branches and I would cut. Four hours was tiring - the cutting was easy - the carrying away of the limbs was hard :-)
It is a nice tool for $98. It seemed very safe to use. I tried to keep it at an angle so the stuff would fall in front of me. On larger branches - I would saw it off in pieces from the extremities to the crotch (of the tree).
In some cases - I went up onto the roof of our house and reached out horiztonally.
My review - it did what I wanted - easier than a pruner with the rope - I cut a six inch thick branch with no problems - looks like th esaw could take bigger. I never cut from the bottom up - always putting the saw blade on top of the branch. When extending to the full length - the lock had a cam to hold it tight.
This one was made by Remington and purchased at Home Depot for $98. I figure I got my money's worth out of it with one use. A local tree surgeon wanted $500 to do what I did today in 4 days - again - the worse part was hauling the stuff to the curb for pickup. anything you get to the curb - our city picks up no extra charge.
I don`t think cutting from the bottom is smart nor is one cut or bark can peel off the tree. 2 cuts from top and watch out it can and will swing back into you fast, Helmet and faceguard time. Remington, check the chain often if it is to loose it could bind and come off the track in the cut and get stuck up there. Working under a falling branch is not for an amateur.
Huh. Around here, the only 'chain saw on a stick' I have ever seen is an air-powered one the pro tree trimmers use. Keeps the weight at the end down to a minimum. It also had the pointy things at base of saw arm to jam it in to the branch being cut, to reduce kickback, I assume. No harness, but a big side handle a couple of feet up the stick.
Remember you are cutting from the bottom. If you don't watch out and plan the cut(s) you will pinch the saw, then what will you do to get it unstuck?
Happened yesterday to a professional in the neighbors yard. He also had a pole saw (one of those curved saw blades that can extends about
20-25 feet) made by Stihl which he used cut the branch and drop the chain saw. The Stihl was one slick saw. Most of the time he could cut a 3/4 branch with one quick slice. But a replacement saw blade costs $200 he said. Always cut the bottom side a little bit before you try to cut the top. Good luck.
I have the Remington pole saw also. Got mine from Lowes last fall and got a $15 rebate off the $98. I've trimmed about 50 trees with it and it works pretty well. (I have learned to watch my head though). On the
6-8" limbs, I start far out on the limb, cutting about 4' off at a time. I cut about 2/3rds of the way through the limb, and lift the saw when the limb starts to hinge downward, then finish cutting all the way through. That seems to prevent pinching the chain in the cut, and also controls the fall. The only problem I've had is with the pole - when storing it upright, oil seeped out of the reservoir and loosened the black grip on the pole. It slides a bit now, but doesn't affect operation.
"World Traveler" wrote:> This procedure is from the Florida Master Gardeners program -- if you want
Thanks World - I will try your advice next time. This time I was doing mostly small branches around two inches. Only one cut was a six inch branch on a Live Oak. I was lucky I guess because no bark was stripped. Harry
Your first cut should be on the underside of the limb, cutting completely through the bark layer -- up to perhaps 1/3 of the thickness of branch, but not enough so that branch will bend and bind the saw.. This cut can be a few inches (or more) away from the trunk, and the purpose of this cut is to prevent any chance of the bark layer ripping off beyond that point once you make the next cut. Then cut from the top, with a cut that it outboard of the first cut. When you get most of the way through the limb will break off, but because of the bottom cut you won't strip off the bark beyond the cut or create a wound that could start rot in the tree. Once the branch is cut off, you can remove the stub with a single cut, starting at the top, angled to minimize the surface area of the scar.
Without starting with a bottom cut, you risk creating an open wound on the trunk, and almost certainly will if you're cutting trees such as Live Oak.
This procedure is from the Florida Master Gardeners program -- if you want more info, check with your extension service or the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods manual.
I suppose it depends on the saw make/design. All of the saws I have seen are just continue the same direction as the pole. Cutting is thus more or less vertical (you can not get the saw horizontal above the branch). If you have a saw blade that is perpendicular to the pole that would be great.
Sounds like you have the technique down for you saw, if you didn't get it stuck at least once. The reason for the under cut in addition to helping prevent a pinched saw is keep the under part from tearing back to the tree when the branch flips down. I'm surprised that a 6" branch didn't do this, but your technique of taking a bit off at a time starting with the tip, helps control the weight and reduce tears.
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