Doing some tree trimming

[ovrszd]

I’ve got a Stihl HT131, works great, but it’s a workout over extended periods. I still have my old Echo PAS 240 split shaft with “power pruner” attachment, but never use it. I have a lot of low hanging branches to trim around the field edges that never seem to end.

I'm sure I would benefit from having a good pole saw. I too have constant trimming along field edges. Problem being I can't reach the limbs that are banging off the canopy of the tractor. So if I deal with them at all I end up ripping them off the tree with the Grapple. That sometimes does damage to the tree that I can't accept. Just not sure I'm man enough to meet the demand!!!

 

[japody]

I have the Echo and found that using the shoulder belt takes a lot of the load off your arms. Also found the pole saw is really useful when cutting wild rose bushes. Used to get stuck all the time trying to cut them down with loppers, but not anymore when using the pole saw.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm on the fence about the shoulder belt... did you go with generic or Echo?

Do you spend a day cutting or more for occasional use?

I'm thinking an hour or two at a time a half dozen times a year.

 

[ArlyA]

We use pole saw for hours on end and yes they do get heavy,, but we have no shoulder belts either. I'd guess we do 200 hours of cutting each fall. Our Echo's are not the telescoping types, so they must be lighter than those models.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I looked at the Stihl Kombi engine but just couldn't justify that price. I found a Poulan Pro with split shaft and pole saw for $169. I already had a string trimmer attachment and tiller (from a much earlier Poulan and Troybuilt purchase) The carbs went bad on the Troybuilt and I accidently backed over the Poulan with my Kubota RTV900.
The Poulan has about a 3 foot removable extension so it can be made into a length of around 8 feet or 12 feet which still may not be enough so with help from my brother in law we use the RTV bed to cut from which gives another 4 feet of reach which is nearly always enough to get most low hangers.
We did once but my B-I-L's Troybuilt 8 long extension onto my Poulan with 8 foot of drive and it took both of us to use it but man could we get some reach.

I think the pole saws cut faster than a normal chainsaw, maybe they turn faster and the narrow chain sure helps. Mine only has a 8" bar but I think it would pull a 12" if I could find one to fit the Poulan power head.

 

[ultrarunner]

We use pole saw for hours on end and yes they do get heavy,, but we have no shoulder belts either. I'd guess we do 200 hours of cutting each fall. Our Echo's are not the telescoping types, so they must be lighter than those models.

This is why I decided on non telescopic... weight and less to go wrong... time will tell.

 

[two_bit_score]

20/20 hindsight but I think I should have bought the Kombi system. Pole saw, string trimmer, blower, hedge trimmer, etc. main thing only one power head to maintain a motor.


.

 

[Wagtail]

We use pole saw for hours on end and yes they do get heavy,, but we have no shoulder belts either. I'd guess we do 200 hours of cutting each fall. Our Echo's are not the telescoping types, so they must be lighter than those models.

You could jury-rig something up using an old golf bag strap.

A Mate of mine did this with a hand-held Echo string cutter.

 

[ArlyA]

Like this? We only use our whackers with shoulder straps. We've occasionally done this for more than a 10 hour day, so we do know the importance of using them......

Having said that, we don't use shoulder straps with the power unit while pole sawing.

You could jury-rig something up using an old golf bag strap.

A Mate of mine did this with a hand-held Echo string cutter.

 

[Wagtail]

Yep (in the second photo).

Truth be told, I couldn't stand that type of trimmer. The vibration from the 2-stroke, after an hour or so, left my hands in agony for days after. And that was with wearing diver's foam-neoprene gloves!

I bought a Stihl 'bicycle handle' trimmer with a chest harness and never looked back.