Any thoughts on buying a pole chainsaw? (little chainsaw on a pole) (foundation, Home Depot)

[Indigoblue]

I bought one of those manual limb cutters on a pole that works with a rope that you pull to get a saw to cut the wood. I'm told they work but it looks like it would be a pain to do. It cost $40 but is still in the package unopened.

I recently saw that you can buy a gas powered chainsaw on a pole to cut high branches, that costs $100, and has the ability to detach the little chainsaw to use it independently of the pole. However, the chainsaw doesn't appear to have a good handle on it, ie, looks a bit awkward to use.

We have some trees that are two stories tall and will need to be trimming branches now and then. And we have a tree that is growing towards the foundation that we have to demo and is small (maybe 4 inches thick?) but too thick for loppers. We don't own a chainsaw.

So my questions are:

1/ Does anyone have experience using a pulley system saw on a pole tool? Do they really work easily?

2/ Does anyone have any experience with pole chainsaws? Are they easy to use? How about when you detach the chainsaw from the pole? Can it take the place of having a larger chainsaw around for typical home use?

I'm just not sure whether to keep the pulley-saw pole and buy a chainsaw, or return the pulley-saw pole and buy a pole chainsaw, since it seems like that would kill two functions with one stone, and be cheaper than buying a huge chainsaw that we may never need.

Thanks

[Cornerguy1]

1/ Does anyone have experience using a pulley system saw on a pole tool? Do they really work easily?

When you say a "pulley system saw", do you mean a set of loppers on an extendable pole which is operated by means of a rope and pulley system?

If so, these work reasonably well for light duty applications. The loppers tend to be limited to branches 3/4 inch and less in diameter. Some extendable pole units have an optional saw blade which can be attached and used to prune larger branches. The blade is worked by alternately pushing and pulling on the pole. It's more strenuous work than it looks.

2/ Does anyone have any experience with pole chainsaws? Are they easy to use? How about when you detach the chainsaw from the pole? Can it take the place of having a larger chainsaw around for typical home use?

Amongst the various pieces of equipment we have for our grounds maintenance department, we have a Stihl extendable pruning saw. It consists of a 12-inch chain saw head mounted at one end of a two-piece, extendable aluminum pole. The pole length can be varied from between 8 and fourteen feet. This allows the user a maximum vertical reach of about 20 feet. The lower end of the unit consists of a throttle and a small gasoline engine.

The unit is very useful for pruning branches up to 12 inches in diameter, but can be quite tiresome to use when pruning higher branches. Any of these pole saws may feel fairly light while holding them at ground level, but they can become pretty heavy after a few minutes of overhead work. It might not be an issue if your pruning is restricted to a couple of branches at a time.

The downside, for homeowners, for a unit like is this is the price: think $500 +.

There are smaller, lighter-duty units available, and they would likely do a fine job for occasional home use. For home use, I might be tempted to opt for the electric units rather than the gas-powered pruners simply because small gas engines can be finicky if they are not used regularly.

As far as the small chainsaw head being a replacement for a regular saw, I wouldn't count on that happening.

If you have need for a regular chain saw on a very occasional basis, you might be better to see if a neighbour can loan you one, or to rent a chain saw for a day from your local rental center.

[cdelena]

I bought a Remington 1.5 Peak Hp 10 In. Electric Polesaw Model PS1510APK4 for $99.00 at Home Depot... found it after I saw professional landscapers using one. It works great on and off the pole. It only reaches 15 feet but I think that is as far as you can really control a pruning saw. Take a look at one, it may be what you need.

[JBrown]

forget the rope.saw thing..no human can do that for more than a minute


I have the same tool cdelena does. Had it for about 3 yrs now...For it's intended application it works very well. It's not intened to replace a 16 or 20 inch gas powered saw...but for small low branches without having do get out the ladder etc...it's great...wouldn't be without it.

I have also used the gas powered pole saws you speak of. A decent one is a lot more money..Stihl for example. Pro tree trimmmers don't leave home without one. But your talkin hundreds on $$.

for the average weekend warrior the electric does the trick...hint...get an extra chain or two right off the bat so your not stuck in the middle of a job if one goes dull....AND it will go dull.

[EricD]

Just rent a pole saw from a rental place once a year... it'll be a lot easier, and the ones you can rent are generally going to be more powerfull than the ones you can buy from around $100. Plus when renting, you don;t have to worry about it breaking, replacing the blade, and storing it the 11 months out of the year that you don't use it.

Just a thought.

[Indigoblue]

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone It was the home depot $99 one that I was thinking of. Guess it's not gas powered after all. I just assumed it was. I'll prob end up getting that since I have that little tree to cut down too. Good to know rental is an option for big chainsaws.

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by Indigoblue

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone It was the home depot $99 one that I was thinking of. Guess it's not gas powered after all. I just assumed it was. I'll prob end up getting that since I have that little tree to cut down too. Good to know rental is an option for big chainsaws.

FYI, you can rent a lot of different tools from your local hardware type store (true value if you have one) including the pole chainsaw (manual and power). Personally if it's just a few small trees and branches you need to cut down I would recommend renting as aposed to buying especially because it'll save you money. I think we rented a pole chainsaw for $20/day.

[JBrown]

Originally Posted by Indigoblue

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone It was the home depot $99 one that I was thinking of. Guess it's not gas powered after all. I just assumed it was. I'll prob end up getting that since I have that little tree to cut down too. Good to know rental is an option for big chainsaws.

I think you misunderstood somethng....large gas powered chain saws are extremely rare to rent...too many insurance problems for the renter...

[Indigoblue]

Oh ok so you can only rent pole chainsaws, not regular chainsaws?

[pslOldTimer]

Whatg I bought at Home Depot was similar. You buy a gas-powered string trimmer, they are currently pushing Ryobi, cost me $119 last week. Then, you choose from a list of "Expand-it" accessories that will fit the string trimmer motor. The chain saw attachment is around $89. It is a small, slow chain saw, and will cut moderate size branches. You can also buy an extension that will thrust the chain saw higher. However, the chain saw attachment has no motor of it's own, and can't be used except on the end of the string trimmer motor.





If you look at the image of the string trimmer, you will see the connector in the middle of the handle. You can also get edger, blower, hedge trimmer and other accessories that fit the motor.

There are different brands that use the same system -- my chain saw is actually a John Deere brand, fits my Ryobi, and also fits my son-in-law's Troy-bilt string trimmer.