Manual tree pole pruner, what's the trick?

stuckmotor · May 18, 2022

Approximately sixty years ago, a right of way crew came through the yard and before my elders snatched me away from the great event, I got a glimpse of a worker using the shear on the end of a pole to nibble away at a large branch and cut it. The closest thing I was able to find to that pole pruner should appear at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09G9TTH5..._product_details#immersive-view_1652926294760
I recently bought that pruner and the problem I'm having is that on the first bite the blade gets caught in the branch and it takes a great amount of manuvering to get it out and take another bite. i've already broken the rope once, trying to cut straight through a large branch. The saw works , but I'd like to lean to use the the nibbling technique with the shear.

If anyone knows the trick to nibbling through a limb with a rope operated pole pruner, please let me know.

newbury · May 18, 2022

It could be the quality of the pruner. I wouldn't trust any of their reviews. I've a couple of manual ones and never found the pruner to be effective, rather 6 cuts with the saw would take down a 1" to 2" hardwood branch.

2manyrocks · May 18, 2022

I have had good success with Harbor Freights electric pole saw that's $60. https://www.harborfreight.com/7-amp...MI7silndHq9wIVmIBaBR2MUw13EAQYASABEgLsKvD_BwE

stuckmotor · May 18, 2022

newbury said:
It could be the quality of the pruner. I wouldn't trust any of their reviews. I've a couple of manual ones and never found the pruner to be effective, rather 6 cuts with the saw would take down a 1" to 2" hardwood branch.

It could well be he quality of the pruner. The right of way crew probably had a commercial model. The throat on this one is larger than that on one I bought from a big box store but, the blade comes more or less, from the bottom causing it to be pinched.

seville009 · May 19, 2022

I use one of those.

The trick is to not put any pressure on it, like you otherwise would with a bow saw. Just let the blade rest on the branch and start sawing. The course blades will start biting; just keep sawing ( fast and shorter bites seem to work better - use just about half of the blade before you reverse into the other direction).

ChuckT · May 19, 2022

First, a rule-of-thumb: Don't stand under the pruner!
If the falling branches don't get you the "sawdust" might fall in your eyes and gift you with a very bad day

.
Secondly, there's a reason you cut, sand, drill, etc against a heavy platform, table, vice, etc - so what you're working on can't move.
So what to do?
Well I favor the electric saw on a pole and reaching out not up. Make a shallow cut up from the bottom and _then_ cut the branch off from the top.

stuckmotor · May 19, 2022

ChuckT said:
First, a rule-of-thumb: Don't stand under the pruner!
If the falling branches don't get you the "sawdust" might fall in your eyes and gift you with a very bad day.
Secondly, there's a reason you cut, sand, drill, etc against a heavy platform, table, vice, etc - so what you're working on can't move.
So what to do?
Well I favor the electric saw on a pole and reaching out not up. Make a shallow cut up from the bottom and _then_ cut the branch off from the top.

I looked for an electric saw with a 20+ foot pole and apparently, there isn't one.

2manyrocks · May 19, 2022

I don't know of a 20+ electric pole saw you can buy, either. There's a good chance there would be too much leverage to handle easily.

workinonit · May 19, 2022

I have one of those I used once and then bought a Stihl pole saw. Gasoline. I love it. The heck with that manual job.

oosik · May 19, 2022

I have a manual limb pruner/saw - just like yours stuckmotor. It works EXACTLY like yours also. I trim the limbs on the pine trees that line my driveway. I do not like - even hate - this job. I know, in advance, it's going to be a frustrating project.

MANY years ago - at the Kubota dealer. The salesman had a hydraulic powered limb pruner. It was just like our manual unit except hydraulics off the tractor activated the jaws. It was a quite heavy unit and NOT something I would want to be lugging around all day. Then there would be the hydraulic hose that you would be dragging around also.

I use the saw portion of mine about 80% to 90% of the time. I use mine until I get very tired OR pissed off. That's it for the day. I'll go again another day.