Home Designed 12'- 24' POLE SAW

[Craig Clayton]

Gentleman
The following are pictures of a electric pole saw that has cut branches at the 24' level. If you are wondering why I have this in a tractor site it is because we all have long drives. This is prototype #3, #1 used the extension pole with a recipating saw but it was too slow. #2 was a 12" electric chain saw on a wooden pole too heavy, and way too much power.
I purchased the Remington pole saw and took it apart to make the single pole trimmer. It works well and the largest limb I have cut was 7" at 17' in the air will standing on the ground. Going to the second pole will let me get to max 26' and that is the limit.I have the post of (5" chipper shredder on garden tractor power) , and now have the chipper back together. I power the pole saw from my portable generator. The prepartation to cut is slow as I need some ground crew. The actual cut is 15 seconds for a 2" limb and the electric saw is very nice for that. The 7" limb I only cut 3/4 the way through as I need to get back and break the limb by grap or rope.
In this way I can keep the drive trimmed back, which helps in the winter with the heavy snow. If there are any questions I will answer.
Craig Clayton

 

[Craig Clayton]

Gentlemen
I forgot the saw head picture. The setup to cut is slow but alot of wood comes down. The pictures of the chippings were just the 2" and less junk of one 4" limb and one 7" limb. The generator I ground with the metal rod.
Craig Clayton

 

[Mace Canute]

Pretty neat idea!:thumbsup: That must be quite the handful at the full length in a wind! Just be careful of any and all overhead lines, some bite back! :laughing:
Why do you ground the generator, btw?

 

[Craig Clayton]

Dear Mace Canute
I am a electrician and some bite big. As the generator is sitting on rubber tires the frame is not referenced to ground. I use a stainlees steel bonding cable on a 3/16" rod as a quick ground. The generator I put about 75' away just so that I can hear the electric saw cutting through the branch. When you are cutting like this I do not even have the ear muffs on my mesh face shield down. There is the chance that the saw may get caught or smashed but it is better it than me. I have the material at home to build a 40' boom lift, now that is going to be fun.
Craig Clayton

 

[GE222]

Great build. I might have to make one myself.

 

[ss4010]

Nice Work.

Wish this thread was around before I bought my pole pruner. I have a PoulanPro which as the motor near the grip and uses a drive cable (ala modular weed whacker) to drive the attachment (chainsaw head). It lasted exactly one branch before breaking. The output of the electric motor connects to a plastic fan/connector which shattered itself to pieces. The unit is toast after one branch. Its under Warranty...but based on its construction may only be good with the string trimmer attachment mounted.

The flexibility of your unit is great.

Never thought of the ground for the generator before. I was planning on suspending mine below the bucket on the tractor leaving the bucket available for large limbs (firewood) and using the 3PH for the blue version of your chipper (Goosen). If I add a ground rod to my generator while its attached to the tractor would you envision any adverse affects to the electrical system of the tractor?

BTW my chipper is mounted to a pallet which makes it easy to move around with the FEL when not attached to the tractor and a good place to carry the larger gas saw when it is.

Does anyone have any good ideas for a pole mounted hedge trimmer?


Steve

 

[BigE_]

Does that homelite have an oil reservoir / auto oiling? I bought the Remington version and it wasn't until after I finally got around to using it that I discovered it didn't have an oiler!

Of course, that was 9 months after my wife bought it, so well after any return period. Plus, I had it at the rental property and really needed to use it.

Anyway, it works, but what a pain to bring it down to ground level just to add oil after every cut.

 

[Craig Clayton]

Dear ss4010
Electric power has effects when you are on wet ground. Your 12 volt tractor system does not have a high enough voltage to hurt people. A generator if it is leaking to ground and sitting on a steel framed tractor and tractors have rubber wheels could have a large enough potential to knock you out. I watched a safety video of a boom truck get into 30,000 volts and the tires were on fire and the landing legs were sparking. The trainer explained in electrical terms why it was possible , and the main power stayed on.
I would think a generator ( 120/240 ) on a tractor needs a safety ground of the tractor. In that way any leakage would prefere to go to ground and not you, as you mount the tractor. In safety training they say if you are in a crane and you touch high volage you jump off a truck and keep your feet together and bunny hop to safety.
Craig Clayton

 

[Craig Clayton]

Dear BigE
The Homelite has auto oiling, I know because when I took the head apart for retooling I had the auto pump off and it is powered by a cam on the main shaft.
I am going to switch to enviro oil instead of petro oil base. I was cutting this spring and noticed a slight oil stain on the puddles where I had been cutting. As it was an electric
saw the only option was chain oil. When I bought my new Husky saw it came with enviro
oil and the dealer said not to store enviro oil in the saw for months like we all do. I changed to mineral base chain oil ( old school ).
The Homelite really pumps oil .
Craig Clayton

 

[Mace Canute]

The neutral and the ground are bonded together on portable generators. They HAVE to be...if they weren't, there is no way the breaker or fuse would open the circuit if a short from hotleg to case happened in a tool.

Portable generators have no need of a reference to ground to work, they are completely self contained. In the unlikely event that a short between the case of the generator and a hotleg develops, there is no potential to earth...it is all contained within the generator's frame. A ground rod is useless.

If you do have a short in a tool and the case becomes energized, having a higher resistance between you and the case of the generator is better than having a ground driven into earth to lower the resistance. Electricity follows all paths to complete the circuit, with more amps flowing in the paths of least resistance. Parallel circuits, eh?