Top Rated Battery Chainsaw – Easy To Cut Trees

April 15, 2023 by Justin

We all know a top rated battery chainsaw can be a useful tool and sometimes they come in very handy depending on the type of work needed to be done. While the most common use for chainsaws are to cut trees or firewood, they can be used during many other projects.

Often times a construction worker will have a chainsaw in his truck. The battery powered chainsaws are a great tool to remove trees or branches where there is going to be construction.

The Top Rated Battery Chainsaw

One of my favorite battery chainsaws are manufactures by Greenworks. They have a wide range of chainsaws with common battery voltages ranging from 24 volts, 40 volts, and 80 volts.

This top rated battery chainsaw brand has common bar lengths ranging from 12 inches through 18 inches! The 18-inch bar is big enough for almost everything except the stump on large trees!

These chainsaws have safety features to prevent kick back and other accidents from happening.

A battery and charger come with the chainsaws, eliminating the need to purchase them separately. Another feature is tool less chain tensioning, which can be handy to quickly tighten a loose chain!

The Greenworks brand is quite large with a wide range of outdoor battery operated tools and equipment.

Is A Battery Or Gas Chainsaw Better?

This is always a popular question. But ultimately it will matter on how much cutting will be done.

A few of the benefits from the top rated battery chainsaw will be how quietly it runs while cutting. So ear plugs won’t need to be worn while cutting. Nearby neighbors won’t be complaining about noise if cutting is done in the early morning or late evening!

A battery chainsaw is quite simple to start, just press a button or squeeze the throttle! Gone are the days of struggling to start a stubborn saw by yanking on the pull rope until exhausted!

You won’t need to keep a smelly gas can around to refuel or worry about running out of gas! All that is needed is an electric outlet to plug the charger into and there can always be a charged battery waiting.

Cutting smaller branches or logs is an easy job for the battery chainsaw, it can even cut large logs as long as the chainsaw bar is long enough. But on these large logs is where you will probably wish for a bigger gas chainsaw.

If it is occasional cutting of big logs you can survive with a battery saw, but doing it everyday I would recommend something bigger.

Maintenance On A Top Rated Battery Chainsaw

On the battery chainsaws there is very little maintenance. The engine is electric so there is no spark plugs that need changing.

The carburetor on a gas chainsaw can often cause problems if the chainsaw is not used very often. Especially with the ethanol gas which gums up inside the carburetor.

Eventually the chain will become dull and need to be replaced with a sharp one. But that is normal and will happen with the gas chainsaws as well.

Basically all you need to do is keep a charged battery on hand and the top rated battery chainsaw is always ready to begin cutting at the press of a button.

Don’t forget to keep bar and chain oil in the reservoir. That will keep the chain lubricated and from getting hot as it works!

Why The Top Rated Battery Chainsaw Is A Good Fit

This battery chainsaws can be the preferred choice for occasional cutting. Especially if somebody has a driveway through a wooded area. Sometimes during a storm branches will break down and this chainsaw can cut them into pieces so they can be cleared off so the car can drive out the driveway!

Other times a top rated battery chainsaw will come in handy is to remove a few lower limbs from a tree that has branches hanging to low and scraping the lawn mower as it goes under.

Many people like to have occasional campfires in the backyard, I sure do! This saw can easily cut firewood into nice sized pieces for the campfire. Then hot dogs and marshmallows can be roasted!

Is This Chainsaw Better Than STIHL?

The STIHL chainsaws are one of the very best, at the top of the commercial line of chainsaws used by arborists, landscapers, and loggers.

In my Tree Pruning and Removal Business we mostly use the gas STIHL chainsaws. The biggest chainsaw has a 36-inch bar! That is too big for battery so we use the gas engines.

STIHL does have a few battery chainsaws but they are quite expensive. These saws will be of better quality and could have more power than the more common chainsaws.

STIHL chainsaws are sold through certified dealers, so to put your hands on one of these gas or battery chainsaws find your nearest dealer and browse their selection!

Ultimately it comes down to the person shopping for chainsaws. Do you want the commercial grade, more cost but better quality? That depends on how much you plan to use the saw.

Or maybe a top rated battery chainsaw from Amazon or other online store will be the best if occasional cutting will be done.

I would be happy to answer any questions, just leave them in the comment section below. Have a great time cutting wood with a chainsaw!

Your Arborist Friend

How To Use Ear Plugs – Quality Hearing Protection

April 5, 2023April 5, 2023 by Justin

Today I want to explain how to use ear plugs. These little foam plugs that go in each ear are very important when I am operating or near loud equipment! Without wearing any ear protection there would eventually be gradual hearing loss.

An ear plug is a small cylinder shaped object. Usually made from foam or some other soft pliable material that is safe to put in the ear to quite loud sounds.

While there are many different kinds of ear plugs, I prefer the 3M classic E.A.R. earplugs and they are common enough to easily be found!

How To Use Ear Plugs The Right Way

First of all when you look at an ear plug you may think there is no way that it will fit into your ear! I can assure you it should fit if the proper steps are taking while inserting it. I have learned how to use ear plugs years ago and following these steps will help anybody learn quickly!

First of all make sure your hands are clean, we don’t want dirt to get onto the ear plug and pushed into the ear!
Pick up the ear plug packet and take out one ear plug.
Begin rolling it between the thumb and fingers, squashing it into a narrow cylinder.
After it is rolled hold it firmly to keep from expanding and select an ear for the plug.
With the other hand grasp the top of the ear and gently pull the ear up and away from the head to open the ear canal.
Slowly begin putting one end of the ear plug into the ear, wiggling or rolling the ear plug a bit if needed.
As the ear plug goes in the ear I am able to carefully push it in until the outer edge is no longer sticking out past my ear.
I can feel if the ear plug is in correctly because almost immediately I can feel the foam expanding and sound is muffled.
Get the remaining ear plug and go through the same process.
Sometimes it is difficult to get the ear plug into the ear, that may be because it was not rolled tight enough or already started to expand. If that is the case, then don’t try to force it in. Pull it out and roll it again, tighter this time and try again!

Where To Find New Ear Plugs

New ear plugs can be found at hardware stores and other places that sell tools and machines. They are a popular item at stores, but because they are so small they seem to be harder to spot on crowded shelves.

I have also found these ear plugs while shopping online. There you will have many different brands and colors to choose from!

How To Use Ear Plugs More Than Once

Depending on the job I am doing I doing sometimes I will need to use ear plugs more than once a day and it would be wasteful to keep using a new pair

If you are wondering how to use ear plugs more than once, the manufacturer is even helping here. My ear plugs are often in a small cardboard box called a pillow pack. Each of these pillow packs have a pair of ear plugs in it. The pillow packs are all in the one big box. Sometimes instead of a pillow pack the pair of ear plugs will be sealed in a small plastic bag.

Before operating a chainsaw I need to protect my hearing. So I pull the ear plugs out of the pillow pack and put them in my ears. Then I save the pillow pack by putting it into my pocket. When my cutting job is finished I can pull the pillow packet from my pocket and easily put the used ear plugs into it, keeping them clean and safe from getting lost!

At the end of the day I usually bring my used ear plugs home. There they will get washed and dried and then they can be used again at another job!

Sometimes I forget to take the ear plugs out of my pants pocket and they go through the washer! That will clean them but they can also be washed under a facet.

Its important to occasionally wash the ear plugs because ear wax will stick to the ear plug and dust will stick to the ear wax. And eventually that buildup of dirt would get pushed into the ear.

My Favorite Ear Plugs – Trusted For Years

Now that I’ve explained how to use ear plugs, I want to show you my favorite ear plugs which are the 3M classic ear plugs. They are yellow foam cylinder shaped ear plugs.

The main reason I like these ear plugs so much is because the foam is slower to expand than most other brands. That gives me a few more seconds to wiggle the plug into my ear before it expands and needs to be rolled again.

Winter’s cold weather makes the foam stiffer and harder to roll, but that is fine because it will open up slower. That gives me more time to get it in my ear. The summer warmth will make these ear plugs expand faster, but it is still slower than other brands!

Working in the summer you know it will be hot, and with that comes sweat! Eventually the ear plugs will become wet from sweat. That is normal, but will make it slightly harder to keep them clean throughout the day.

How To Use Ear Plugs At Work Instead Of Ear Muffs

Often I see people wearing ear muffs instead of ear plugs. Maybe they don’t know how to use ear plugs or believe ear muffs are easier to use. I have found ear muffs can be bulky and feel kinda heavy on my head!

In construction and other areas where hard hats are worn it would be difficult to wear both ear muffs and a hard hat. Ear plugs come in handy for these workers.

In my Tree Pruning and Removal business we usually use hard hats that have an ear muff system attached to them. But sometimes those don’t press firmly enough against my ears so I like to wear ear plugs underneath, especially when using a chainsaw or chipping branches with the chipper.

Ear plugs have the advantage of being much smaller and still doing as an effective job as the much bigger muffs! Plus they can be put in my pocket and always carried with me so I have them whenever I need them!

I hope you have learned how to use ear plugs! But if you have any questions be sure to ask me about them in the comment section below!

Tree Branch Cutting Tools – The Hand Tools

April 2, 2023April 2, 2023 by Justin

Having a few tree branch cutting tools in the garage is a good idea by anybody that has at least one tree near their house! While nice big shade trees are great to have near my home, they eventually need some work done to them as the branches tend to hang down a bit to low.

If it is a small tree or shrubbery in the flowerbed, then you will need a different set of tree branch cutting tools that are capable of precise pruning. A young tree needs some selective thinning and lower limb removal as it grows. The established shrubs in the flowerbeds beside my house need to be pruned every fall or they will grow way too big!

I want to explain how I use some of my favorite pruning tools while working in my Tree Pruning and Removal business!

Pruning Shears – One Hand Operation

A pruning shears is a small pruner that is operated with one hand. My favorite pruning shears is a Felco pruning shears. It is a commercial grade quality and we have used ours for many years. I like it so much that when we lost the Felco pruner we had, I bought another just like it! With the bright red handles it is easy to find in the toolbox!

It is one of the easiest tools to use, especially on small branches or shrubbery. A lot of times when I am using my pruning shears it will be on shrubbery like a butterfly bush or holly shrub. It also works when pruning fruit trees where there are many small branches that need to be pruned each year.

Most of these tools are about eight inches long and you will use it with either the right or left hand. The cutting jaws open pretty wide, but the thicker branch you select to cut, the harder it will cut. Especially since normally only one hand is used to cut. However, on the thicker branches it does work well to place my second hand over my primary hand to help squeeze harder. These tree branch cutting tools can cut up to roughly a three-quarter inch branch.

Bypass Lopper – 2 Inch Tree Branch Cutting Tools

A bypass loppers is an important member of the tree branch cutting tools. These bypass loppers have a cutting blade that slides past the bottom bar so it makes a clean cut. A clean cut will help the tree heal faster where the branch was removed.

There is a variety of sizes in these loppers. The length usually ranges from 20 inches to 32 inches. Usually the longer the loppers the bigger branch you can cut because of the extra leverage from the longer handles.

With the varying lengths they also have varying branch size each lopper can cut. Normally the cutting size for these tree branch cutting tools ranges from one and a quarter inches to about two inches. Although they will cut smaller twigs just fine!

I’m going to be using the bypass loppers on pruning a white pine tree or something similar to that when the tree needs to be reshaped to a normal pine tree look. Or sometimes on a small tree when doing slight crown reduction and removing the low limbs.

We used to have a Corona Bypass Loppers that I really liked, but eventually it broke from abusing it by trying to cut branches or roots that were to big! We usually take the bypass loppers along when a stump grinding job is scheduled. This loppers works well to cut off any small roots sticking out of the ground after the stump is finished being ground out!

Hand Saw – From The Tree Branch Cutting Tools

The hand saw is pretty much what it sounds like. It is a sharp toothed curved blade attached to a wooden, plastic, or medal handle. Usually this cutting blade’s length is seven to 13 inches long! The blade length is something to consider when deciding how large of branches need to be cut.

But do consider that using this type of hand saw does take some effort. A sharp blade really helps reduce cutting time. Remember all the cutting is done by sawing through the wood. The bigger the branch, the more effort it will take!

There is a certain satisfying emotion that goes with using this saw. Back in the day lumberjacks would cut down massive trees with a hand saw! A much larger version though!

While these tools are great for a few cuts, or sporadic tree maintenance, you probably want to consider a chainsaw if pretty much cutting is needed to be done on average size limbs. I rarely use this tool because it takes quite a bit of effort and we have a selection of chainsaws and other cutting tools in the bucket truck toolbox that cut the branch faster!

Pole Saw / Pruner – Reaching Higher

When I am working from the ground and reaching up into the tree to either remove branches or to prune the sides of small or medium trees the pole saw pruner is a great tool I use.

There are several lengths of these tree branch cutting tools. Some are extendable up to about 16 feet. Others are about 10 to 11 feet long but then they have extra poles to add to the handle! These can be extended as high as I want!

It doesn’t matter if you prefer the extension or extendable pruner, each of them have the same basic design at the cutting end. It is a pruning head attached to the end of the handle. This head has a hooked shaped end on it that gets set over the branch to be cut.

There is a rope attached to the pruner cutting blade, and after the pruner head is set in position on the branch I simply pull on the rope and it will snip the branch! After the cut is made, springs mounted to the pruner head will reopen the blade and I am ready for the next cut! Just watch out for the falling branch you just cut off!

Also, these units normally come with a saw mounted onto it, much like the hand saws. Those are for sawing off the bigger branches. The pruner can cut up to about two inch diameter branches. Anything thicker than that is when the saw blade comes in handy.

The pole saw I use in my tree pruning business is made by A.M. Leonard. It has a strong fiberglass handle and extension pieces can be added to it. I don’t often use the saw for it, but the pruner head with the rope attached gets used! It works great for pruning small branches. I also use this when a tree limb is growing to close to a sidewalk or house. We have several handles to add on for higher projects.

My Tree Branch Cutting Tools

As a professional tree pruner for 15+ years I have quite a bit off experience with different tree branch cutting tools. When using a tool very often I am going to want something that will last a long time! So I usually buy the sturdy and more expansive brand. Felco pruners or Corona loppers are trusted name brands for professional use. A.M. Leonard or Jameson pole saw pruners are excellent quality and can reach high!

While these are the tools I recommend, they might not make sense for the projects you have in mind! Do you have any experience using similar tools or have a question you would like answered? You can simply ask them in the comment section below and I will be happy to discuss!

Your Arborist Friend: Justin

Bucket Truck Outrigger Pads – How And Why We Use Them

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 by Justin

I want to show you how to use bucket truck outrigger pads. All bucket trucks should have outrigger pads as they help protect the ground or driveway. These pads are always wider than the outrigger foot on the truck. The extra width helps spread the crushing weight to a reasonable level so the area beneath the outrigger isn’t harmed.

You don’t need a big bucket truck outrigger pad, even a medium size pad can more than double the square footage on the ground over the original truck outrigger’s pad. Any extra square inch will help against compacting whatever is below the pad. Which is important if the outrigger will be on the edge of a driveway or on a brick or stone sidewalk. Each of those we don’t want to break or smash.

You definitely know the primary reason for bucket truck outrigger pads is to provide a strong base for the outrigger to press against. The outriggers job is very important, it must keep the truck steady while the boom and bucket are in operation pruning the tree. That is why it is crucial to have strong and trustworthy footing for the outrigger. If the outrigger moves or slips that movement will be magnified in the bucket.

Why Must We Use Bucket Truck Outrigger Pads

My bucket truck has a sixty-foot boom on it and that size boom requires two outriggers. There is one on each side of the truck, they are mounted directly behind the truck cab and beside the pedestal that holds the boom to the truck.

Since the boom is mounted pretty much in the middle of the wheel base on the truck, the suspension and tires can support the boom when it is working out the front or back.

But when I want to work at the tree out the side of the truck, then the outriggers play a huge role. The bucket truck is much narrower than it is long, so when I swing out to the side I won’t have the length of the truck acting as a support.

My bucket truck has it’s outriggers extending on about a 45 degree angle. The outriggers are about 3 feet wider than the truck when extended to the ground. That is enough of width, plus it is very solid against the ground so it will be able to keep the bucket truck from leaning over. If you wouldn’t use an outrigger and fully extend the boom out the side of the truck, it would lean very much! So far that it would be in danger of tipping the truck!

So now you can see there is a lot of weight on these outriggers when the boom is in operation. The bucket truck outrigger pads are crucial to keep the main outriggers from sinking into a softer driveway or lawn. These pads can be twice the footprint or even bigger than the small steel pad attached to the truck outrigger. With no outrigger pads the outrigger will sink significantly into grass if it is a softer area of the lawn!

How Do I Use The Bucket Truck Outrigger Pads

Using my bucket truck outrigger pads is not hard at all. First I determine where to park the truck at the tree I am going to prune. Then park the truck on as level ground as possible and make sure the brakes are locked.

Then if the wheel chocks are needed I take those from their compartment. They get firmly placed against the tire on the downhill side to prevent the truck from moving.

After I’m certain the truck can’t roll I will pull the bucket truck outrigger pads from their compartment. The pad is placed on the ground where the outrigger will come down. This needs to be a flat and sturdy place. Flat so it doesn’t slide downhill when the outrigger presses down on it. And sturdy so it doesn’t sink into the dirt or driveway.

While the outrigger is coming down toward the pad I need to make sure it is going to be centered on the pad. If it won’t be, I need to stop it is descent and rearrange the pad until it will be centered. Continue putting the outrigger down until it touches the pad. Double check that it is still in the center of the pad. Keep putting the outrigger down until the frame of the truck starts lifting a bit and the truck is level.

I repeat the same steps on the other side of the truck and make sure the truck is as level as possible when finished.

My Favorite Bucket Truck Outrigger Pads

We have just recently upgraded our bucket truck outrigger pads and I am really happy with them! It was time for new outrigger pads, the old pad was only an inch thick and was starting to bend a bit when it had a lot of weight pressing on it.

I’ve upgraded to the Mytee Products outrigger pad! It is one and a half inches thick, easily thick and strong enough for our truck. The color is black and it has a rope handle attached to the one side because these pads are pretty heavy. Its rope handle is a loop and makes it very nice to pick up from the flat ground. The smallest outrigger pads weighs around 15 pounds, but some of the wider pads are quite a bit heaver.

This outrigger pads has a crush rating of 200 PSI and the vertical load rating is around 60,000 pounds! Both of those are strong numbers, easily strong enough for our truck.

The material used to make the outrigger pad is high density polyethylene, famous for it is tensile strength and durability. An outrigger pad like this can be used for a lifetime!

Storage Compartment For The Outrigger Pads

Our bucket truck is important because it has the boom on to lift me up to prune the tree. But it also has many toolboxes to carry all the tools and equipment we need to work on trees. Chainsaws, leaf blower, handheld pruners, ropes, rakes, and pole saws are all essential tools and we have a toolbox for each of them!

The outrigger pads each have a compartment near the back of the truck, one on each side. This compartment is built specifically for outrigger pads. It is the perfect width and about 3 inches high. There is enough room on each side to easily slide the pad in and pull it out.

The compartment slopes down a bit, that keeps that pad in place against the back. It shouldn’f fall out while driving but for safety there is a small chain to close in the front. That chain has a snap on so it is easy for me to unhook when I want to pull out and use the outrigger pad.

Which Bucket Truck Outrigger Pads Are The Best

There are a several brands of high quality and trusted outrigger pads, all with varying size and thickness. But two brands stuck out to me.

The Mytee Products are a brand that is popular and trusted. I chose them because I wanted the inch and a half thickness. That specific size was a bit harder to find because the one inch or two inch thickness is more common. I thought the price was reasonable as well and so far am very happy with these pads!

Mytee Products also makes the one inch and two inch pads. You can choose their round outrigger pads if those fit your needs.

The other very good bucket truck outrigger pads are from Buyers Products. Their pad is very similar and they offer one inch and 2 inch pads in a variety of sizes. Their standard pad does have rounded corners, but they make square and round pads as well.

I have used other products from Buyers so I know they make quality tools and equipment!

If you have any questions be sure to ask them in the comment section below and I will do my best to answer them for you!

Your Arborist Friend: Justin

Highest Rated Leaf Blowers

March 28, 2023March 28, 2023 by Justin

A leaf blower or simply a blower is a power tool that can be held and operated with one hand. There are many different blowers to chose from, but today I want to talk about the highest rated leaf blowers. All leaf blowers have a primary job of blowing air to move leaves, small sticks or other debris.

There are different sizes to chose from among the highest rated leaf blowers, starting with small battery powered blowers, on through the standard hand held blowers, and then the large powerful backpack leaf blowers. Each of these have an engine, either gas or battery which forces large volumes of air through a narrow tube that is aimed in the direction we want to blow the debris. Most of the air tubes have a round nozzle at the end, but sometimes the nozzle can be flat for a wider but not as high force of air.

Highest Rated Leaf Blowers For Ease To Use

highest rated leaf blowers

The battery powered leaf blowers have really grown in popularity over the last few years as they are small, lightweight, and very easy to use. Even better they use the same battery as a compact cordless tool set, so you may not need to buy extra batteries or charger. Everything is much simpler if all the tools use the same size batteries.

Some of the highest rated leaf blowers among the battery lineup can compete with the handheld gas blowers in wind speed and the more important, cubic feet of air per minute. While the m.p.h. of the wind is important as well, the more c.f.m a blower has makes it able to move more debris at once.

These battery leaf blowers are excellent for blowing grass clippings from recent lawn mowing. With very little effort the grass clippings on the sidewalk or driveway are blown back into the lawn!

A few advantages of a battery leaf blower is how quietly they run. You won’t need earplugs or disturb the neighbors. I can tell you firsthand how far and loud the noise of a gas leaf blower travels during the stillness of evening. Peaceful quite in the woods is ruined by somebody in the distance blowing leaves from their yard or driveway!

With an electric engine there is very little maintenance needed, pretty much just put the leaf blower away when you are done and then when you need it again you can fully expect it to be running smoothly. Also, another advantage is there is no pull rope to start it, simply just a button or throttle to fire it up and get to work!

Handheld Gas Blower – My Favorite Of The Highest Rated Leaf Blowers

In our Tree Pruning and Removal business we use a handheld Husqvarna blower. It has a gas engine, but for us that is not a drawback. That is because our chainsaws use the same gas. A gas can is in the truck for whenever the blower needs refueling.

The Husqvarna leaf blower we use is one of the highest rated leaf blowers in the industry. Its built tough enough for commercial use, we have been using ours for several years now and it is holding up well.

I especially like the compact size of our blower and it still does a tremendous job blowing debris. Most of the time we are using the blower to clear sawdust, wood chips, small sticks, and leaves from the lawn, flowerbeds, or driveways. But it gets used for other things. You can pretty much use you imagination for the numerous task a handy leaf blower can do.

A single handle mounted directly on top of the machine makes it easy to change the blowing direction by simply turning my wrist. The overall length is reasonable, plus the blowing tube can be adjusted to different lengths. A shorter length is especially helpful when blowing leaves out from under shrubbery in a crowded flower bed or working in tight spaces.

Another nice feature is the throttle has a cruise control, meaning it can be set and locked for the longer periods of blowing. That can be helpful so I don’t have to constantly keep my finger on the throttle trigger.

Backpack Blowers – The Biggest Carriable Blower

highest rated leaf blowers

No discussion of highest rated leaf blowers would be complete without mentioning the true workhorses in the leaf blower family. The backpack family of leaf blowers are worn on the back, held there by straps similar to a normal backpack.

We have a pretty big backpack blower that gets taken to some jobs, but it doesn’t get used as much as our handheld blower. Its bigger and bulkier so we usually only take it with to a job that we can use the backpack blower. Also, the weight of the blower is heavier than the handheld blower.

Most times we are only using our leaf blower for a few minutes at the end of each job. It doesn’t make much sense to carry the big blower with just to save a minute of time.

However, some jobs have a lot of debris to blow, then the biggest or highest rated leaf blowers cubic feet of air moved per minute is needed. During spring cleanup when the lawn needs to be cleared a big powerful blower can blow sticks, leaves and other debris from the grass.

In the fall when leaves are falling from trees there is an easier way than the hard work of using a leaf rake and raking the leaves onto piles to be hauled out. Pull out the backpack blower and start making leaf tornadoes! Blowing the leaves onto a pile or along the road can be an option. But first be sure the township has a truck that comes along to collect them! Or sometimes it is better if we load the leaves into our truck and haul them away ourselves so the leaves don’t have a chance to scatter in the wind! It is a letdown watching stray leaves blow back over the clean lawn!

Using The Highest Rated Leaf Blowers During Winter

Did you know a blower can be used for clearing snow from sidewalks, porches, and other areas that have foot traffic? It sure can! Usually the bigger the blower the better for blowing snow, but a smaller blower will work, just will go slower and not be able to handle deeper snow.

We’ve used our backpack blower quite a bit blowing snow from sidewalks at properties we do snow removal. A coating of snow is easily cleared just by walking down the sidewalk blowing snow as I go. An inch of snow can be blown off but will take a bit more time and persistent aiming of the nozzle. At a certain point, probably when the snow depth climbs above a couple inches it is best to put the blower away and get out a shovel or snowblower made to remove snow from sidewalks.

A handheld leaf blower or battery leaf blower will be enough to blow small amounts of snow from your homes sidewalk or deck. Although they are a bit small to use for commercial snow clearing.

Don’t forget to wear gloves when outside blowing snow. Without warm work gloves the hand holding the blower usually gets cold first because it is gripping the blower and not moving enough to keep itself warm.

Storage For A Leaf Blower

Like everything else you will need a place to put the leaf blower when it is not in use. Often a shelf is a great place to set them, or perhaps a hook to hang it on along a wall or from the ceiling. An outdoor shed or garage is an ideal place that way no unwanted fumes from a gas blower can escape into the house.

At home my leaf blower is stored under a shelf in an outdoor shed. At work our handheld leaf blower has a designated spot in the truck toolbox so we always know where it is and so the leaf blower goes with to each job.

Do you have any questions about leaf blowers? Be sure to ask me in the comment section below and I will be happy to answer them!

Your Arborist Friend: Justin

How To Prune Apple Trees – You Will Quickly Learn How

April 15, 2023February 4, 2021 by Justin

Do you have one or more apple trees and wish they would be producing more fruit? You will learn how to prune apple trees and why it is important to do so every year! We will go over when is the best time of year for pruning and why the timing is important.

Its possible your trees are not being pruned correctly or during the wrong time of the year which will drastically affect the fruit production!

Who Can Learn How To Prune Apple Trees?

Anybody can learn how to prune apples trees, especially if you only have a few trees you can do it yourself and save money instead of hiring a professional to do the pruning.

By using information you learn in this article along with watching a You Tube video you will be ready to tackle the job as soon as you have your tree trimming tools handy!

How To Prune Apple Trees

Tools For Trimming Tree Branches – Learn How To Prune Trees

April 15, 2023January 6, 2021 by Justin

Are you trying to figure out which are the best tools for trimming tree branches? If you have a tree with lower limbs that need to be removed or shortened because they are bumping your head while you mow the grass or maybe the limbs are hanging over your driveway and are beginning to scrape your car as you drive in and out. Either way that needs to be taking care of as it will continue to get worse!

There are several tools for trimming tree branches you will be able to chose from that will do the job for you. Some of these tools are better for small diameter limbs and some are better for much bigger branches, it depends on what type of work you need done.

Below you will find several tools for trimming tree branches, ranging from a small one handed pruners to the powerful chainsaw. Using cutting tools like these are an important part of my work trimming trees and I want to show you what each tool is used for.

What Is Felling Trees – Easily Cut Trees Down

April 15, 2023December 3, 2020 by Justin

You may be wondering what is felling trees or why it is said that way instead of cutting trees down. Maybe you were talking to your friend about some trees and the work that needed to be done with them and some would need to be removed. The person giving you an estimate probably wondered if it would be alright if they could fell the trees into the neighbor’s yard since that was their only option to safely remove the trees.

Best Tools For Christmas – Favorite Gifts

April 15, 2023December 1, 2020 by Justin

Look at the calendar and Christmas is just around the corner. Already!? Well it’s never too early to buy Christmas gifts, especially if you can find a tool you want or need on sale. Snap it up before the sale ends and you have an early gift for yourself or someone you love. A few of the best tools for Christmas include tools to cut or trim trees, branches, shrubs, and firewood.

Chainsaws – The Workhorse

Aah the master of wood cutting. The powerful chainsaw, fire it up and listen to the powerful roar of the engine and feel its power in your hands. A chainsaw could be one if the best tools for Christmas, but of course that depends on where you live and if you ever have any trees or firewood to cut.

I have seen a lot of positive on the fairly new battery operated chainsaws. The battery usually last about as long as a tank of gas would and a huge benefit is the instant start, no need to pull the starter rope on a stubborn chainsaw that doesn’t want to run!

For those who only use a chainsaw several times a year a battery saw could be a one of the best tools for Christmas gifts, they don’t need to worry about a gas carburetor gumming up and basically if you have a few spare chains you are set for years!

My favorite chainsaw brand is STIHL, we use mostly STIHL in our family owned tree pruning and removal business. However, STIHL and Husqvarna are the top brands and geared toward commercial use. They do make a few models for residential use and there are many other brands farther down the ladder to choose from depending on your color and price preferences.

Hedge Trimmers – Finesse Pruning

Hedge trimmers may not be quite as common but what better way to trim you own shrubbery and landscaping? Maybe you prefer to let the experts take care of your outdoor work, but if you are feeling ambitious or need to get Dad out of the house and trim bushes away from the sidewalk so you can actually walk on it instead of through the lawn, then a Hedge trimmers could be a great Christmas gift!

Here again you can choose between a gas engine or battery powered, the battery powered hedge trimmers seem to really be taking off as people are adding them to their collection of outdoor battery powered tools!

STIHL is the brand I use but of course you can decide which best fits your budget and plan accordingly. If you have a cordless tool set you may be in luck if they also make a hedge trimmer!

Leaf Blower – Heavily Used

We have arrived probably the most popular outdoor power tool, the leaf blower or blower and or whatever you prefer to call this nifty and efficient machine! Simply pick it up and with a few yanks on the starter rope or simply pulling the throttle on a battery operated one and you will have your driveway and sidewalks cleared in no time!

A leaf blower is defiantly used year round and therefore an excellent item to include in the best tools for Christmas list! In early spring you will use it during spring cleanup, for leaves and small broken down sticks in your yard or driveway. In summer any grass clippings on the sidewalk can quickly be blown away! And the most popular use is in the fall when leaves fall from the trees.

Less common, but still works like a charm is to blow light coatings of snow off sidewalks and driveways! We actually use a backpack leaf blower at hospital outpatient buildings to keep the entryways clear for their customers! Works amazing for cold dry snow!

Hand Saw – Strenuous Work

If your still reading and hoping to find the best tools for Christmas that are non motorized and hand held you are in luck!

Can you believe they used to saw lumber by hand back in the old days, now we complain when the chainsaw don’t start or we need to use a hand saw to cut a few limbs. I agree it’s a lot of work to use a hand saw but keep the blade sharp and stick with small branches.

Try to use a thin blade for a narrow cut and a smaller saw for less weight. Keep an even and steady pace so we don’t tire as quickly and prepare yourself for the appetite you will work up!

Hand Shears / Pruners – Delicate Pruning

A hand shears is similar to a large scissors, with its blades about 12 inches long. The two handles open and close the blades and it’s designed to quickly shape a shrub. It is best used to cut small twigs roughly a quarter inch or less.

The hand shears could easily trim the top and sides of your shrubs if you only have a few and don’t believe it’s worth purchasing a motorized hedge trimmer.

For larger branches up to three quarters of an inch a hand pruners is ideal. This pruners has a smaller blade but is designed to cut much nearer the hinge point for more torque. It can usually by operate with one hand while the other hand throws out the branches that are being cut.

A tough and resilient hand pruners brand I love is Felco. We have been using it for years and a little oil to the hinge and an occasional sharpening keeps it performing admirably!

Leaf Rake – Who Hasn’t Used One?

best tools for christmas

The good old leaf rake! It can be used for just about anything the needs to be cleaned up or moved. And so many sizes, lengths and brands to choose from. Should it be made of wood, plastic, or metal? What about the handle, wood or metal? Should it have soft hand grips?

First you need to determine if you will be mostly raking leaves or sticks, then decide on the rest. To rake sticks you will want a strong aggressive rake, probably with steel tines and only a medium width.

To rake mostly leaves a wide rake is excellent and it can have metal or plastic tines. Although they generally are plastic for less overall weight.

Then pretty much just pick out the color or look of the rake you like and it will do the job for you!

Merry Christmas Or Whatever Time Of The Year It Is

I hope you enjoyed learning about tools we use in our business and which could be the best tools for Christmas gifts. Or even Fathers Day, Mothers Day, or a Birthday! Enjoy your own gifts and the holidays!

Your Arborist Friend: Justin

How To Trim Trees Correctly – Keep Your Trees Beautiful

April 15, 2023July 25, 2020 by Justin

Today you decided to trim your tree! But of course the burning question, how to trim trees correctly? You certainly don’t want to permanently damage your beautiful trees by making bad cuts or cutting branches that should not be cut. Making random cuts and stripping or tearing bark from the tree trunk is detrimental to the health of the tree!

Tips on how to trim trees correctly:

Make an undercut on the bottom of the branch to prevent the bark from stripping off the tree trunk.
Remove lower limbs for more clearance and for more sunshine beneath the tree to promote thicker grass.
Cut away small limbs or twigs from the middle of the tree, any dead limbs you find can also be removed.
Limbs that are being removed are cut at the branch collar, the bulge where a tree and branch connect.
Usually 20% to 30% of the tree can be reduced without harming the tree when doing crown reduction.
The best time to trim a tree is autumn or winter when the growing season is over, although they can be trimmed year round.
And last but certainly not least, you need a sharp tool to make clean and smooth cuts to promote faster healing, like a chainsaw, hand saw, loppers, or hand pruner.

I want to share some tips and advice I have learned over the last 15+ years cutting down and pruning trees! I love my job, it allows me to work with my family, and I want to share useful information with others so they are able to prune and maintain their own trees correctly!