Pole Saw

[EddieWalker]

I have the Poulon model from Lowes. It cost just under $200 and it works great. I have to leave the choke on about halfway, but I think that's just a bad adjustment. With the choke on halfway, it just goes and goes.

One thing is that you will still need a ladder to get those low hanging branches. They hang down in your face, but are attached to the tree about four feet further up than you can reach!!

It happens every time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Eddie

 

[Spiffy]

I bet that Poulan is nearly identical to my craftsman. It splits in the center for using other tools than the pruner.

Sure works slick; the rope has been known to stick on a cold day and I do find that the locking knob rattles loose after a few branches, but runs fine and really cuts well.

If you are concerned about 100s of trees, I'd go with the Stihl. You're paying a little for the name, but to a large extent you get what you pay for too. For the few trees around here, I don't regret the Craftsman, often even use the weedeater head on it, but only if the Stihl trimmer is at the farm.

 

[ToadHill]

I've used an Echo in my business for the last 4 years, it works great and while it can get heavy with a lot of pruning, the hand operated saw gets just as tiring.

 

[RSKY]

I had an electric Remington and now own a Stihl with the 4-mix engine. The electric was great for trimming around the house. The biggest problem I had with the electric, other than needing a 120-volt outlet in the fields, was tripping over the cord. I have tripped and fell over the cord several times. You will be looking up while using the saw and unless you stop between each cut and check your cord you WILL trip over it. I have managed to fall and cut up my wife's aunt's rosebushes, scratch paint off my mother's truck, and cause my daughters to run for their lives as I staggered around.

My insurance company bought the Stihl for me. I had three chainsaws destroyed in a fire and replaced them with a Stihl chainsaw and the Stihl polesaw. The dealer I bought from had Stihls and Echos and knew that cost was not a factor. Without a seconds hesitation he told me to get the Stihl with the 4-Mix engine. His reason was that the four stroke engine would sit and idle for hours without 'loading up' and stalling. He was right about that, it will sit and pop until it runs out of gas. The engine is a four stroke without an oil sump. Lubrication is provided by mixing oil with the gas just like a two stroke engine. Being able to idle for long periods is a major convinence and safety factor. More on that later. The saw was started last week for the first time this year and it took three pulls with last years gas still in it.

My next door neighbor bought a Shindawa pole saw. His does not extend but breaks in half for storage. It is lighter than mine and easy to handle on high limbs. But it is harder to use on the low ones or reaching in a bush low to the ground. He has had no problems with his saw except trying to get it back from one of his sons. It starts easy on the second or third pull.

One co-worker of mine has an older two stroke Stihl. The only problem he has had with it is that it sometimes dies while idling.

Another co-worker has the Echo two stroke. It got to where it was hard to start and would not reach high enough rpms to cut anything. Dealer told him that he (the dealer) could not legally do it but if the owner removed the 'converter'? from the muffler his problem would be solved. The co-worker removed the converter and the saw now starts easy and runs well.

I have looked at the cheaper Poulans and other brands and all I can say is for you to look at the diameter of the shafts on them and the Stihl and Echo saws. Mine has a shaft at least three inches thick. The cheaper ones have shafts the size of a weedeater. I imagine for use on a lot or just around the house they would be fine. I would not depend on one for anything that an electric could not do.

A pole saw is potentially the most dangerous tool you have ever held in your hands. For years most rental stores did not carry them because they could not be insured if they did (so I was told).

One of the jobs mine does is going around fields before bushhogging to trim limbs that could knock the tractors muffler off. You walk under them and turn around and cut them so you do not have to step over them. The limbs just lay in the field and rot. It is exhausting work doing this on a fifty acre field and restarting the saw every minute makes it more so. When you trim limbs in a yard you are not just cutting off one side of a tree but all around it. The tripping and falling factor comes into play. Cut one limb. Lean the saw against the tree and move your mess out of the way. Then cut the next limb. Once again, having to restart every five minutes is tiring.

Some advice: Get one of the mesh face shields with the hearing muffs. And wear safety glasses under it. You will be looking up with sawdust dropping all over you. The mesh stops most of the dust and the glasses a lot more but I still get something in my eyes all the time using the saw.

Cut one limb at a time, stop and move it out of the way. Either that or have somebody with you dragging the limbs out of the way. Stopping after each limb takes a lot of time BUT tripping over something you cut twenty minutes earlier is embarressing.

On large limbs if possible trim the limbs into smaller pieces while they are still attached to the tree. Start towards the end of the limb and cut six foot sections working your way back towards the trunk. It is easier to do than cutting them up on the ground. If it is not possible to do this then cut the limb about three to six feet away from the trunk. After the limb falls go back and cut the remainder off next to the trunk.

Do not stand on ladders or anything else and cut limbs. You must be able to drop the saw and run. I cut a very large limb out of an old oak tree in my own front yard last spring. It was high enough I needed to stand in the bed of my truck to reach it. I had it all down except for the last six feet next to the trunk. This limb was about 18 inches thick so I had to cut from both sides. When it fell it hit end first and leaned against the tree for a second or two and then fell on the pickup tailgate bending the h-ll out of it. I had three of my neighbors watching me do this.

Finally, do not rush, take your time, watch your feet as well as the limbs. And remember; you can put more limbs on the ground in an hour than you can clean up in four.

Oh yeah, never stand under the limb you are cutting!! Been there, done that!!

 

[rozett]

I'd recommend that you skip the electric and gas models and go with a human powered saw. My recommendation is the Silky Hayauchi .

 

[texbaylea]

I am thinking about one of the gas pole saws since my 12v Makita cordless won't handle any thing larger than about 3 inches. I appreciate the comments about the various brands of gas saws.

I like the Makita for small stuff. It is light, almost silent and extends to about 7'. I do have to carry several batteries with me in a tote.

I am working on a rack to carry it with me on the tractor to get to small branches before they get me in the face. Safe to use too.

Vernon

 

[avorancher]

I have an Echo PT261 and use it quite a bit. I bought Echo over Sthil because of its additional reach of about a foot to 12ft. 8in. Echo also has an optional 5 ft. extension but I don't think I could manage a saw that was 17 ft. tall... the standard model gets real heavy when extended to its max. Of course, most limbs are still about a foot too far away, no matter how far you can extend the model you buy.

I don't remember the price, but it wasn't cheap unless you compare it to falling off a ladder, which was my justification for it. It is the only Echo device I have and noticed it being cold-natured compared to my Sthil products. It takes 5 to 10 minutes of use before it loosens up and runs good.

With all power pruners, pinching the blade or even bending the bar is the most common problem... the bar is way up there and difficult to get free once is gets bound. I've been lucky, but loaned it to someone last weekend who pinched the chain as soon as they started pruning. Cost me about $15 for a new one, so it wasn't too bad.

 

[erich]

Rozet

What do they cost and who sells them?

Eric

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

Hiya Selkirk, welcome to TBN. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I'll be happy to help as best I can. I'm not sure which type of pole pruner you have in mind - powered or manual - but with all those trees to prune, you might just want both. Each has its advantages and limitations.

For powered pole pruners, I've always liked the Echo - I have the PPT-2400 but the new PPT-260 has a little more power; but Stihl offers a telescoping model called the HT-101 that has even more power (31.4 cc. vs. 25.4 cc.) and looks very nice. The Echo has always served me pretty well, especially the engine (Echo engines are amazing) but the drive mechanism runs toward the finicky side, with just a few too many plastic parts to suit my taste. I'm a Stihl man at heart, and I have a feeling the HT-101 is a "better" unit, all in all. The Echo is a little longer (12.6' fully extended vs. 11.5'), and both come with an optional 5' extension. Interestingly, the minimum length of the Stihl is 5.7', and the Echo is 9'; advantage Stihl. They both weigh about the same; 16.1 lbs. for the Stihl, 16.9 for the Echo.

The Stihl comes with the new "4-Mix" class of engines that as I understand it is a cleaner-running and quieter cross between a 2-cycle and 4-cycle engine; I believe it has 4 cycles but runs on a 2-stroke mix, but if someone out there knows better I'm all ears. Lastly, the Stihl has a very innovative accessory that adds a 30-degree bend to the driveline just before the saw for a better cutting angle for high branches; this sounds like a nice thing to have so that you can bring more downward force to bear on the branch being cut.

For manual pruners, check out www.sherrilltree.com. I really like the Jameson foam-filled poles (6' - 15394), Jameson pruning head w/adapter that fits into the poles (28718), and the 14' Fanno "Mondo" double-thick blade (15330). Add a scabbard for the blade (21689) and the storage bag to hold everything (15327) and you'll be styling. Three 6' poles are about the most that you can use without the setup getting too floppy, but you could use 4 in a pinch if you really needed to get up there. They also have 8' poles, but I've always liked the 6's. Maybe you could get some combination of both. [The foam-filled poles cost a little more than the hollow ones, but are a little stiffer and weigh about the same].

Also worth checking out is the Hayauchi telescoping manual pruner (15402) that telescopes out to 20 feet, the ARS Turbo-cut (28755), or other telescoping pruners that they offer that might strike your fancy (or budget).

Lastly, just be careful with any of the pruners, powered or manual. Not only is it very easy to break them by having the branch you just cut fall on them (big $$$ to fix the powered ones), those branches can also (obviously) do quite a number on you. A helmet is a must, and if you have a set of shoulder pads lying around from your football days, that'd be a nice touch too!

Good luck, John

Edit **************

Hadn't read any of the other replies before I wrote mine - glad to know that it seems I described the 4-Mix engine fairly accurately. After reading this thread, I'm leaning even more heavily toward the Stihl HT-101. Also, just wanted to mention something that I forgot - that is, that one of the advantages of the manual saws is their longer reach, making them a very good thing to have in your "arsenal". But man, your arms get tired FAST!

Lastly, a pearl of wisdom from the Echo catalog: "Pro Pointer -To ensure operator safety, never stand directly under limb that is being cut." I'd be tempted to say "well DUHHHHHHH!", except that sometimes you pretty much have to. That's where the helmet comes in handy. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[rozett]

Eric, the Silky Hayauchi comes in three sizes... 12, 16, and 21 feet. the 21 is about $160 plus shipping. They have a small dealer network and they are available from most arborist and forestry suppliers. Just do a web search on Silky Hayauchi and you'll have more sources than you care about. Just watch the price, as I've seen them for as much as $320. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif