Pruning trees below freezing?

A 2 inch twig 20 feet up .. Go ahead and make your neighbour angry. Keep us all posted. John T.

Trees are basically "designed to" flex due to wind.

I think you need two more things: A motor vehicle, and beer! : )

Good luck!

Branch that small is not going to bring down the house but could cause annoying dent. I learned this the hard way on the roof of my car.

With a ladder and an extension pruner, it could be nicked enough to pull down without damage.

Don't break it, cut it.

Rent a man lift and cut it wherever you want. We took out a 60' tall Fichus in small enough pieces that nobody got hurt and no property damage

That would be perfect. There are extension pole cutters, but I think they go to about 16 feet so you'd have to stand on something and not have much leverage. All you need here is a good arm to get the first line across.

The first thing you need is a video camera. After that all you need is a few beers as was suggested. Once you have concocted a plan to eliminate that pesky branch, look straight into the camera and say, "Hey, y'all, watch this!" Make sure you post the video where we can see it!

It appears from his OP that he was able to get a rope over the branch last time, so it sounds like he's got the arm. It might take a rope *and* the rope saw if he wants to control where the branch lands.

I have a fiberglass pole pruner that extends to just over 12'. Every couple of years I trim some branches from a 2nd floor bedroom window. It's pretty awkward pulling the rope to close the blade while hanging out of the window. The nearby power lines don't make it any easier.

Turns out that I have one of those. Never got it to do anything. Pulling down on the rope just digs the cutter into the wood and bends the branch.

Not only that, unless the trunk is at the border of your yard, you'll be trespassing.

Why not get a chain saw? Not a chainsaw but a chain saw. It's a piece of flexible chain (as all chaln is!) with teeth for cutting branches, with a rope on either end. You through one rope over the branch and then pull alternately on the two ropes and it saws.

What if it breaks inside his property line?

See above.

Indeed.

ROFLOL

If it doesn't go well he can use a sling-shot and some fishing line, or string. Ham radio guys have high quality sling shots with attached fishing reels that they use to send a leader over a high branch. They use that to pull up a radio antenna. But for less frequent use, one should be able to make one.

This is not an answer to your question, but it might be a good idea to contact a lawyer and have them send a formal request to your neighbor. Not to threaten them, but to document that you had requested the trimming. That way when it falls and causes damage, your neighbor will be liable for damages rather than being SOL for an Act Of God.

Why not break off smaller parts first?