HYDRAULIC CHAIN SAW

woodlandfarms · Apr 30, 2008

I am with you on this one Ken. Seems like a recipe for disaster... Definitly killing a tree or two all for the sake of saving a few minutes.... I mean, the canopy is going to prevent you from seeing up high anyway... I just don't get it.. Maybe someone has some pix?

edit... OK.. Are you guys just handholding this thing? On a boom pole? Not attaching it to the PT except for hydraulics?

SpringHollow · May 1, 2008

Hand held.

But my old stihl chainsaw ran for 20 years of abuse with no problems. That many hours on my tractor would cost a fortune in fuel and maintenance. Using a 25 - 60 HP engine to run a chain saw just makes no sense to me.

ken

Now having said that, I love toys so if anyone wants to give me one..... lol

MossRoad · May 1, 2008

Picture yourself standing on a man-lift running a pole pruner or hedge trimmer. Now picture that man lift supported by the PT lift arms and the pole pruner or hedge trimmer running off of the PT hydraulics. Only one engine running.

Bob999 · May 1, 2008

MossRoad said:
Picture yourself standing on a man-lift running a pole pruner or hedge trimmer. Now picture that man lift supported by the PT lift arms and the pole pruner or hedge trimmer running off of the PT hydraulics. Only one engine running.

That is one scary picture!

The PT hydraulics are definitely NOT rated as a man lift. Given the relatively leaky seals and the very exposed and sensitive joy stick control on the hydraulics I think that using a PT as a man lift is an accident waiting to happen!

RegL · May 1, 2008

Where could you mount the pole pruner on the PT when not using it. The only place I can think of is on top of the canopy, and I can see that turning into quagmire. I have taken my Stihl pole pruner for a ride a couple of times on the PT and it was kind of precarious. The saw end supported by the loader arms and the engine end in my left hand. Add a couple of 6 or 8 foot hoses to that and I don't think it's practical.

woodlandfarms · May 1, 2008

See, now I saw this as you attaching the pole to the boom, trying to drive it under a tree and cut things down.

Still with a now clearer vision of things......

Seems like a lot of money spent on a no pro solution. I just use the "basket" on my pallet forks and use a regular chainsaw off that platform.

It suffers from leakdown and because the bucket is non - leveling you will find ourself pitched forward in a quick and ugly fasion in a short amount of time. We use the PT to trim out our orchard. about 20 apple and pear trees that have not been pruned in over 10 years. Took nearly half a day to do just one tree. If I was by myself it was the basket, a ladder and the chainsaw. I would set the PT, climb up the ladder to the platform and have about 15 minutes before leakdown started making things uncomfortable. Worked a lot quicker with the wife behind the wheel, as she could not only park me where I needed to be but she could see the forest through the trees.

Anyway... I am sure you could do it, now I just need to understand why...

BillCroasmun · May 1, 2008

I actually pictured it a little different for you 4xx'ers. I thought about using the pole saw from the ground with a 4-n-1 or some sort of grapple attached.

Use the pole saw to drop large broken limbs and immediately pickup with the grapple to carry to a more suitable cutting location where it maybe would be cut using a regular chainsaw unless that particular saw detached from the pole fairly easy.

Even if the pole was attached to the tractor though I wouldn't think the ROPS would block visibility as you wouldn't want to cut overhead anyways. With the lift arms holding a 14' pole tilted at 45deg your cutting spot would be almost 10' forward and nearly 10' up from the QA plate. If the QA plate was 4' up that would allow cutting 14' off the ground at a pretty reasonable angle.