tree trimming
#1
08-19-19, 05:29 AM
tree trimming
Have some trees i want to get away from the house.The long armed saws i see people using. How far do they reach and how good are they doing the cutting>any tips appreciated bob s
#2
08-19-19, 12:29 PM
Group Moderator
Depends on size of tree limbs and how far you have to reach. I have a pole saw that I use to trim palm fronds on the two in the front yard, but that's pretty easy cutting. I've also used it on smaller branches on the big live oak we have. Sometimes take a fair amount of sawing. The reach on mine is about 10' total I think. 
#3
08-19-19, 01:33 PM
Mine adjusts from about 7' to a bit over 12', and works well. The loppers on mine will take up to about 1/2" or so, and I've cut 4-5" limbs with the blade but will tell you that's a workout when fully extended. You want to plant your feet so that you're comfortable and stay with it because it's not always easy to find your kerf if you have to start over. And of course the limb you're cutting is hanging in midair so you need to pay attention as it starts to break or could end up with the saw hanging 10-12' up in the tree. No, I've never done it myself but have come close a couple of times and have seen a couple dangling as I've driven someplace. In addition to vertical, I've extended mine a lot of times extended horizontally to trim dead lower branches that are otherwise hard to reach. Sometimes a bit of workout on the shoulders and upper body, but yeah they work good. I have a power one too, and that works great, but a lot of weight out there so you need to be in pretty good shape to handle one of those.
#4
08-19-19, 02:00 PM
Originally Posted by bsa_bob2
Have some trees i want to get away from the house.The long armed saws i see people using. How far do they reach and how good are they doing the cutting>any tips appreciated bob s
About the same effort as using a sharp new hand saw.
The saw head is mounted to a 6' long pole, you add more 6' sections as needed.
I worked for an arborist during highschool summers. My boss had the wooden pole segments, highest I ever reached was roughly 40, but that required 4 segments and standing on roof of the box truck.
For most people 1 or 2 segments with a fiberglass pole are workable, but the real issue is learning the coordination and balance.
Imagine holding an upside-down mop in the air, and balancing it with your eyes closed.
If you're well clear of electrical wires, you might be able to borrow aluminum pool poles and mount the pole saw on the end.
#6
08-20-19, 05:50 AM
Yeah, sorry Bob, didn't mean to overstate the physical part, but had in the back of my mind that you had said something about a shoulder or whatever back in some previous post so figured I would mention it. And it's not that it's that bad, just not as easy as it might look, so might be worth getting one, giving it a try, and worst case scenario hire a neighbor kid or whoever to operate it. At least you'd have it. And like I said, the loppers will go up to around 1/2" or so, and that's just a matter of holding it up there and pulling the rope, so you might get quite a bit yourself with that.
