Wood type tool ? - limbing chainsaw

[Peter Kuhlman]

Ok - not really a traditional woodworking tool. I need to remove a very large tree that is overhanging my house and want to do it myself. It is a Bradford Pear that has lots of smaller limbs so is safely removable if done properly. The issue is reaching high enough to do the cutting and I have been stupid enough once in the past to try something like this from a ladder. Amazing how much it hurts when you fall tangled in the ladder, tree limb, saw :o .

So - have any of you used those mini chain saws on a pole? I think they are electric. Do they work? Any specific recommendations on brand/model? Any other ideas short of hiring a professional? Did not see one in my Festool catalog or I would have one :D .

Thanks. Pete:D

[Tom Cowie]

Peter ,

Not knowing your capabilities I'll leave that up to your discretion. I will say that tree cutting is a major part of what I do for a living. They can be extremely dangerous and unpredictable. What seems to be a sure thing with a tree seldom is. Barring some minor limb cutting I would give this plenty of thought. Using a pole saw is tricky at best but they are a very useful tool. Don't stand directly under the limb you are cutting.

Good luck and be careful.

Tom

[Jim Becker]

Peter, yes, they will work very nicely. But Tom's advise is sound...great care needs to be taken to avoid accidents and a tree can kill you. Even a small limb can kill you in some circumstances. Remember that as you cut said limbs, they are going to be moving as they start to let go and the actual direction isn't always predictable, especially since you're not getting a clean bottom and top cut with a pole saw setup.

[Bill Huber]

I have only used it a little but my bother-in-law has an Echo PPT-230. He loves it and he does tree work for a living.
He has a tree climber that works for him and he will use it up in the tree.
It is gas powered and is just like a small chain saw on the end.

[Peter Kuhlman]

Yes - I realize the risks. I have done plenty of tree dropping when cutting for firewood in Michigan - not needed here in Louisiana :) . I can do the majority of cuts from the roof of my single story house. May end up having to call a pro but want to try to get the ones most likely to damage the house during a hurricane. Had a pro remove 3 very tall pine trees that I knew would hit my neighbors house if I tried to drop them. Thanks for the concerns.
Pete

[Jim O'Dell]

Peter, I was going to suggest doing it from the roof if possible. Once you get the tops off, and as much of the other spider trunks as you can and cleaned up, you can do the the remainder from the ground. But take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm the one last year who cut an 8" limb off a tree with a gas chain saw, it swung down and took the ladder I was on out from under me, and I hit the limb sideways with my ribs as I landed on the ground. My feet were at about 5' when all this started. Luckily the chain saw landed a way from me. It was still running after everything was still again. :eek: Jim.

[Mike Jones NM]

As a professional sawyer the best advice I can give ya is to put a cable on it, pull it and put it on the ground to limb it.
Pole saws are a nice item to have around to limb trees but it is safer to limb them on the ground if the whole tree is coming down anyway.

[Jim Heffner]

Pete, I have one of those "pole saws" it is an attachment type that I can use on my Ryobi gas weedeater, the type that a section of the pole extension of the weedeater unsnaps and this snaps on in its place. It works pretty good, I used it a few weeks ago on a silver maple in the front yard that needed some pruning and had no problems with it....
sure beats the heck out of cranking up the chainsaw and working from a ladder ( unsafe way). The manufacturer of the saw attachment says it will work on any brand of gas weedeater that the shaft snaps apart like that mine does, and I bought it at Home Depot. eezlock

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Peter,

I have a Remington eletric pole saw that works well. The biggest proble with it is when you have it all the way out it gets very heavy as the motor is all of the way out of the end of the pole and all the leverage is working against you.

I would look into renting and Echo or a Sthil pole pruner as you can add boom sections to them to give you more reach.

Work safe, the arborist site have a forum devoted to fatalities, accidents, and near misses. That would be a good place to ask this too.

[Greg Cole]

To help limbs fall freely make a starter cut (1/4 through at most) on the bottom and then proceed to cut from the top of the limb... that keeps the limp from partially falling and hanging up against the trunk (saves tearing bark off the trunk and opening up a big ol spot for bugs etc).
I have had to trim some limbs overhanging a Bradford Pear in my front yard and much to the dismay of LOML, I did the trimming from our roof. No worries here.... 2 feet on the roof is better than trying to shimmy up the tree with any cutting implement in tow.
The story from Jim O makes me think of a few events from years past building tree stands for deer season before the era of portable stands.... arms n legs wrapped around a trunk sliding down with a running chain saw in one hand still.... for what I paid for that Stihl there was no way I was letting it go!

Greg

[Jim O'Dell]

SNIP.... for what I paid for that Stihl there was no way I was letting it go!

Greg

Greg, if that had been my line, I would have said "For what I paid for that McCullogh, ain't no way I'm hangin' on to it." :D :D In all actuality, I don't know how or when I got rid of it during the fall. The phrase "Angels watchin over me" comes to mind. Jim.

[Gary Herrmann]

I've got a pole saw attachment on my Shindaiwa string trimmer. I've cut up to 8" thick branches with it.

I tried a neighbor's electric once. It bogged down very quickly. Don't recall the brand.

It might be cheaper if its a one off to buy a manual pole saw. I use mine on smaller limbs and it does just fine.

[Jude Kingery]

Peter, Mike's got the ticket - we've taken down a few huge trees - using tow straps or cable. Tow straps on a few big branches to control the fall and swing. Of course the fall of the tree is directed - tensioned - away from the house and away from you, then limb it once it's down. That seems to be the safest way. Best to you on your endeavors! Jude

[Peter Kuhlman]

Thanks for the replies. All very valid concerns and valued info.You never know what will happen. Just last weekend I was sweating so bad and walking around my pool when one foot went in and one didn't. That hurt bad!! Sprained my knee, my hip, ripped the skin off side of my foot and think I chipped a bone in my knee. Oh - and almost drowned.

Will look into purchasing something - at least pricing. May still go with the smart idea and hiring it out. Having already had the falling experience and knowing I am not climbing that dang tree, the safest is trimming all the little end branches from the roof. Then if can get them trimmed back far enough, I can do the simple large branch cuts from the ground right on the tree trunk.
Pete

[Greg Cole]

If you are going to limb a tree that's on the ground use a little caution and look for limbs that are under stress from the weight of the tree... they can kick, cause the trunk to move during cutting etc.
The only time I've ever really come close to injuring myself with a chain saw is limbing trees after they've hit the ground....

Greg

[Bob Moyer]

Ok - not really a traditional woodworking tool. I need to remove a very large tree that is overhanging my house and want to do it myself. It is a Bradford Pear that has lots of smaller limbs so is safely removable if done properly. The issue is reaching high enough to do the cutting and I have been stupid enough once in the past to try something like this from a ladder. Amazing how much it hurts when you fall tangled in the ladder, tree limb, saw :o .

So - have any of you used those mini chain saws on a pole? I think they are electric. Do they work? Any specific recommendations on brand/model? Any other ideas short of hiring a professional? Did not see one in my Festool catalog or I would have one :D .

Thanks. Pete:D

Whatever you do, do not do it alone!!!!, I have the manual trimmer with the rope for 16' and also a Remington pruner, kickback from the limbs and the fact that the weight can easily bind the saw are things you need to consider. I cleared a lot of trees when I built my home and left as many as possible. I continue to maintain the tall oaks that overhang my house. I also have bradford pears and I know what you are trying to accomplish.

A friend or friends can provide a needed helping hand and a pair of watchful eyes.

[Peter Kuhlman]

Thanks all. Well - I decided to play it safer. Purchased a new hand pole pruner/saw - not powered. My old one is junk. This one is a Fiskars - far better made than my old one. Will try it first as will be much safer than a chainsaw-on-a-stick :) . Have lots of experience trimming a fallen tree and well aware of limbs in tension from the tree falling. All your comments about using a powered tool on a 15 pole kind of got to me.

Oh - and the comment about having someone else there---
Can't be my wife as she would want to wait at least 1/2 hour after the fall/injury to see if she can collect!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Pete

[David Epperson]

I need to remove a very large tree that is overhanging my house and want to do it myself. It is a Bradford Pear that has lots of smaller limbs so is safely removable if done properly. The issue is reaching high enough to do the cutting and I have been stupid enough once in the past to try something like this from a ladder. Amazing how much it hurts when you fall tangled in the ladder, tree limb, saw :o .

So - have any of you used those mini chain saws on a pole? I think they are electric. Do they work? Any specific recommendations on brand/model? Any other ideas short of hiring a professional? Did not see one in my Festool catalog or I would have one :D .

Thanks. Pete:D
Bradfords are a funny lot. How old is this one? How many times has it been trimmed back before? The reason I ask is that almost 2 years ago I took a 35yr old Bradford to the ground. It had been trimmed back several times (the last time it was trimmed it threw me out of it - limb to trunk crotch joints are known to be weak- don't plan on climbing it to do any trimming) and the 3rd level growth limbs (Trunk is 1st level, main limbs are 2nd level) were each on the order of 30' to 40' tall and around 4" in diameter. And there were around 200+ of those to clear before we could even think about felling the trunk. These 3rd growth limbs almost all went straight up, and would not have been real accessible with a pole saw. Well at least not without being directly under it. An electric remington Limb trimmer will handle these though.
Luckily we had two poplars and several gum trees to fell as well, so a boom lift truck was justified, and well worth the rental cost. To put it in perspective - I dropped both poplars, and 3 of the gum trees as well as some side trimming of a few larger trees in the same amount of time it took us to simply clear the Bradfords limb load alone- felling the 32" trunk only took an hour or so.
And the wood makes for decent looking lumber and turnings. The 3rd level limbs are good for walking/hiking stick projects as they are generally very straight. Boy Scout Troop flagpole stock even.:D
Just passing on a bit of experience with a bigger Bradford.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Sthil makes one.

[David G Baker]

Peter,
I use a manual pole saw frequently. It is more labor intensive than a power saw but investing in a good power pole saw won't be cheap. If you plan on doing a lot of tree trimming it will be worth the investment, if not the manual one is inexpensive and stores well.
If you are concerned about larger limbs falling on you, they can be tied off prior to cutting and lowered to the ground safely.
I agree with the danger of cutting any tree, the danger exists and will get you when you least expect it. Safety is the best advice we can give you.