Benefit of a 20' pole saw? | The Tree House

You really need both, but I'd want the PP.

20' is pretty danged long!!!

Thanks Butch. I'm thinking of the 21' Hiatchi in the Sherril catalog Merle mentioned.

It is collapsible/extendable so it doesn't have to stay at 21', right? .... I was going to use the 21' for cutting limbs for dismantling.

Eventually, it is nice to have both. The power pruner would typically see more use and would be the better first step.

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Thanks FJR. I appreciate the perspective.

I disagree. A PP is pricy and a pole saw (is cheap!) should be standard gear on even the smallest treeco.


;>)

Thanks Butch.

A set of poles, pole pruner/ pole saw/ pole hook is a useful set of tools. Pulling a trigger sure is easy, though.

Sounds good, Sean. Hadn't thought about the set. Maybe different heads?

And sure is heavy, too!

Yeah, that is definitely a factor for how much I could use it.

Hiatchi 21 foot with a pruner head is about $325. I use it often for an occasional cut or tripping a dangerous limb from 20 below and to one side. (The pruner head from Sherril is a little weak and should be thought of as for 'occasional' snips that save re climbing a tree to get one more bit etc.)

Power polesaws are about $650 and get tons of work done frequently.

I need them both, if I lost all tools today would re buy the power polesaw first.

Thanks for the detailed perspective, Merle.
When you say "pruner" are you talking about the *saw* at the end or the blade with the pull cord attached?
I believe that is the one I was looking at in the Sherril catalog... I'll have to look at the catalog to see which "pruner head from Sherril" you are talking about. I lean toward heavy-duty all things being equal (as long as it isn't to heavy in weight).

We are the opposite, rarely use the pp but very glad to have it when we do. The silky saws are great but maybe too high end for entry level. The best value I have gotten for fiberglass is a Stihl pole saw\pruner combo, great deal and 4 years strong. A 20 foot polesaw of any kind is pretty inefficient, in my opinion.

Thanks Levi, I'll check the Stihl.
What do you find inefficient about the 20 foot polesaw? Thanks!

And wobbly as a beeyotch!

But if you weren't making precise cuts at 20 feet it wouldn't be bad, right? (or wrong?)

Hell yeah, that would be a last resort for me! Not to say I have not made cuts with three 6 foot poles before, but if there is another option Im all ears.

Thanks for the perspective, Levi.

Wow, I am surprised! In 20 years in this business, I've never owned a pp before. To be honest, I just never thought I needed one. A nice pole saw is definitely a must, but I've never felt the lack of a pp.

Thanks Bounce. Another take on it!

Robert, throw line skills to install ropes for removal can be very effective. Ropes in the right places can help a lot, compared to releasing branches from above you. You can secure a tree, pull a tree where you want, snap out rotten pieces, hang whole trees from other trees. Set highline rigging points.

Sean, I can't quite picture exactly what you are talking about.... Are you talking about something besides putting a rope in the tree and pulling it as part of the felling process? ... or are you talking about rigging limbs from the ground? Thanks!

I have nine 6' fiberglass poles (3 core filled for around wires, 6 hollow core), 1. 21' Silky, and a ht101. The ht 101 comes out maybe once a month, the Silky maybe once a week, and two 6' fiberglass are everyday use.

Thanks a lot flushcut.... but can't you compress the 21' Silky down into 8' or so?

The only benefit I see to a pole saw over 12' long is it will benefit your chiropractor or sports medicine Dr or surgeon.

haha, good perspective CurSedVoyce... I have been trying to work on my posture

I have both but a PP is a must in my area...I could never do without!

Thanks Scott!


FYI..... my inquiry is being driven by the 3 trees I'm trying to get the removal job for. If I can get high enough to cut back the canopy/top of the trees (all of them Silver Maples, I think, with a lot of arching horizontal limbs (it seems to me)).... then I can easily fall/fell the trunk. And I feel safe and comfortable with this especially with the advice to beware of letting a big limb come down on you.

Robert, throw line skills to install ropes for removal can be very effective. Ropes in the right places can help a lot, compared to releasing branches from above you. You can secure a tree, pull a tree where you want, snap out rotten pieces, hang whole trees from other trees. Set highline rigging points.

I mean that in more than one way. One part, avoid the pole tools. The other part throw lines for helping reduce risk when working with pole tools.




I hang small trees off other trees without leaving the ground sometimes. Similarly, I rig tree parts off the same tree with setting the rigging (natural crotch/ tube friction saver, or ring and ring friction saver) from the ground. Rigging can do wonders over free-dropping, especially when pole tools often put you in the drop zone.
Sometimes you have to make a tree smaller from the ground with a pole saw/ tool for felling into the dropzone versus hanging it whole



To use a rope with a pole tool, setting a rigging point/ crotch, and running-bowline or other choking-knot/ biner termination on your rigging line, from the ground is sometimes better then cutting unsecured limbs overhead, with an unwieldy tool, where you have to do some awkward moves and dodge stuff, when you're at your max reach.


One or multiple guy lines and/ or pull lines can make a whole tree felling possible where the tree's hinge-fibers alone wouldn't work, such as a hard side-lean with poor hinge conditions. Can avoid pole saw work to try to shrink or lighten the tree.

That one terrible tree (maybe in the backyard) that your were bidding, that was down to the punky trunk, no fine branches, might just be broken off with a rope set from the ground, rather than cut (partially or fully).



If a dead tree almost fits a dropzone for felling, you might be able to break the top out if you can get a rigging line in it. This is out of the reach of a pole saw.


I've use a Bigshot to pull many dead fir limbs at an easy 80'+. Lowest limbs in the canopy, shaded out and dead. Mitigated the risk of them falling. Broken stubs were left where there are lots of other dead, broken stubs, on forest trees. I was not under the limbs when pulling. Sometimes this will take off the dead limb, leaving a stub to prune.


Storm work, staying away from dangerous places by remotely setting a rope, helps.




P.S. the "hook" is not only a hook, but a pushing tool, and a way to help set a rope above you, without a throwline.
http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=93
http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=




Use gravity when you can. Fight gravity effectively, using many tools in your toolbox when you can't.

I mean that in more than one way. One part, avoid the pole tools. The other part throw lines for helping reduce risk when working with pole tools.




I hang small trees off other trees without leaving the ground sometimes. Similarly, I rig tree parts off the same tree with setting the rigging (natural crotch/ tube friction saver, or ring and ring friction saver) from the ground. Rigging can do wonders over free-dropping, especially when pole tools often put you in the drop zone.
Sometimes you have to make a tree smaller from the ground with a pole saw/ tool for felling into the dropzone versus hanging it whole



To use a rope with a pole tool, setting a rigging point/ crotch, and running-bowline or other choking-knot/ biner termination on your rigging line, from the ground is sometimes better then cutting unsecured limbs overhead, with an unwieldy tool, where you have to do some awkward moves and dodge stuff, when you're at your max reach.


One or multiple guy lines and/ or pull lines can make a whole tree felling possible where the tree's hinge-fibers alone wouldn't work, such as a hard side-lean with poor hinge conditions. Can avoid pole saw work to try to shrink or lighten the tree.

That one terrible tree (maybe in the backyard) that your were bidding, that was down to the punky trunk, no fine branches, might just be broken off with a rope set from the ground, rather than cut (partially or fully).



If a dead tree almost fits a dropzone for felling, you might be able to break the top out if you can get a rigging line in it. This is out of the reach of a pole saw.


I've use a Bigshot to pull many dead fir limbs at an easy 80'+. Lowest limbs in the canopy, shaded out and dead. Mitigated the risk of them falling. Broken stubs were left where there are lots of other dead, broken stubs, on forest trees. I was not under the limbs when pulling. Sometimes this will take off the dead limb, leaving a stub to prune.


Storm work, staying away from dangerous places by remotely setting a rope, helps.




P.S. the "hook" is not only a hook, but a pushing tool, and a way to help set a rope above you, without a throwline.
http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=93
http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=




Use gravity when you can. Fight gravity effectively, using many tools in your toolbox when you can't.

Great info Sean!

Would you please clarify 2 points:

1. When you say you use a Big Shot to take down many dead fir limbs.... are you saying you set the throw line over the target/victim limb with the Big Shot... and then either use the throw line itself (i.e. draped over the limb) and pull on both ends of the throwline to pull down the dead limb? ---- AND/OR .... once the throw line is over the target limb, then set the rope and (e.g.) hold both ends of the rope, now draped over the limb, to pull down the limb?

2. On the very rotten tree are you saying an option might be to get a rope around some of those dead branches and/or top and just pull on it and see what might give?

Thanks again for taking the time to post such great and detailed and helpful info.
I believe I get it now (at least to a point) about rigging from the ground -- from the same tree or e.g. a larger tree next to it.