Today I want to show you one of my tools that often comes in handy. My best rated gas pole saw is an excellent tool to use on many jobs, especially to prune lower branches that are hanging near the ground and also to cut high tree limbs.
By using a pole chainsaw we can save a lot of time by quickly pruning or removing branches without needing to climb the tree or drive the bucket truck into the yard to the tree.
Here is a job we have just completed that my best rated gas pole saw was an essential tool! Using it to cut 2 branches that were about 30 feet from the ground!
Looking At The Job
Arriving at the job I noticed the property bordered woods in the back and had trees leaning over their property. We met the homeowner to go over the work they wanted us to do. Walking around the back of the house I saw a swimming pool with it’s winter cover still on. Great, that will keep sawdust out of the pool.
Looking up I noticed a tree that would need to come down, it was leaning over the swimming pool and adjoining deck. I thought, it’s not to heavy, we should easily be able to handle it.
Walking farther I saw a small storage shed beneath an ash tree, sure enough they wanted some lower limbs above the shed removed. Hmm, how are we going to reach them? The highest tree limb I needed to cut was about 30 feet from the ground. Well I will figure it out when I get there! No point in worrying about it.
The last tree was a mulberry that was growing almost horizontal to the ground and needed to be cut off. Cutting this limb off give us an opening to get our tractor in to use for hauling the heavy wood out.
Deciding On The Tools To Use
With all the obstacles to avoid we definitely need to use our rope to lower branches or trees, and of course our trusty STIHL chainsaw to cut the trees and branches.
For the branch above the shed we would need to use our pole saw, I wasn’t sure if it would even reach that high. And of course leaf rakes and a shovel to clean the sticks and leaves up afterward.
And I can’t forget the tractor with pallet forks to carry the heavy firewood and large branches out to the truck.
Tree Overhanging The Pool And Deck
This small tree came down fairly easy, first we used the pole saw to cut some branches off. Then we put a rope over another nearby tree behind the one we needed to take down and tied the tail of the rope to the small tree hanging over the pool and deck. The other end of the rope is tied to the tractor to help with pulling.
As he cut the trunk of the small tree, I drove the tractor and that pulled the rope tight, which pulled the small tree back from the pool and deck. The tree safely landed in the small area between the woods and the swimming pool.
Mulberry Tree
This mulberry tree was much easier, It was growing horizontally toward the house and it was about 40 feet long, almost reaching to the house! We used the STIHL Chainsaw to drop this tree.
After dropping, it we cut it in several large pieces and used the tractor to carry it out to the wood chipper to shred it.
2 Large Branches Above A Storage Shed
Looking at the ash tree towering above the shed, I couldn’t help but wonder how I was going to manage reaching those 2 limbs “you can see the fresh cuts in the top left corner of the picture” and not destroy the shed below them!
Well, the tree is not going to cut it’s own branches of so I guess I am going to have to!
We fasten the rope to the one branch and loop the rope around the other branch to use as a sky hook. I climb onto the shed roof and use the pole saw to begin cutting the branch. Slipping and sliding on the slippery roof, I managed to steady myself by putting a foot on either side of the peak.
I cut the branch and as it fell, the rope held it up and we guided it to the ground beside the shed! Awesome, 1 down and 1 more to go!
Hmm. This one is going to be a bit more complicated. It is angled differently and quite a bit longer and if we would try to use another branch as a sky hook it would hold the butt-end up, but the tips would swing back toward where I have to be standing to cut.
After talking over our options we decided to tie the rope around the branch and the man on the ground would pull the branch as it falls, pulling it away from me and the shed I was standing on!
Well, my pole saw is about 20 feet long and I’m stretching to reach the limb. The engine is roaring beside my ear and I am trying to decide how far I need to cut before the branch breaks the rest of the way off. It is an ash tree so they do not give much warning, some trees have a stringy wood and will slowly bend as you cut. Ash trees don’t usually do that.
Crrraaaaack!!! The branch suddenly snapped off!! The man on the ground pulled the rope and the branch crashed to the ground safely in the drop area!! Yaaaa! All the hard work is done!
We had intent observers as we worked, the family had been watching us and were impressed by what they saw and how we worked together to cut the branch without damaging the shed!
I carried the branches out to the chipper and chipped them, then got the leaf rakes and raked the yard. We used the leaf blower to blow the sawdust of the driveway. Finally, we are done, so I picked up the tools and put them away and headed for home!
Concluding Thoughts
My best rated pole saw is a handy tool to have and it is often used to reach high branches when we can’t drive the bucket truck to the tree that needs work done to it. Our pole saw is made by my favorite manufacturer of chainsaws! This specific model of pole saw has extension pieces that can be added to increase the reach. I was using 3 extensions plus the motor and the chainsaw attachment.
A pole saw can be used in several ways, reaching high branches is the most common. Also, if a tree has fallen or broken down a pole saw with a short handle can be useful to cut branches apart because many of them can be spring-loaded or under pressure from the weight of the tree on top of them.
When those spring-loaded branches are cut they can suddenly snap or spring up and if you would be standing close using a regular chainsaw you could get injured.
With a pole saw you are normally cutting branches above you head, so it could be a good idea to wear some kind of hard hat or helmet to protect your head from falling branches or from dead limbs breaking off. I personally like to use hard hats or helmets specifically designed for working with trees.
Justin