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Looking for recomendations on a pole saw

Started by g_man, August 06, 2010, 08:24:13 PM

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g_man

I think I want to retire my manual pole saw. I'm not getting the job done anymore.
I'm not a professional user but I spend alot of time in my woods trimming several miles of trails and branches on promising young hardwood trees. I probably don't need the best saw but I hate junk tools. I'd like recomendations on what would be a reasonable choice. My manual saw is 18 feet with my home made extension so I can reach over 20 feet when I have to but I've not seen any pole saws that long.
Thanks

gg

beenthere

I've had good performance out of my Stihl pole saw. Not always long enough, but then holding it up there has its limitations too.  ;D

Last I used it was to saw off a 6" dead walnut limb about 20+ feet up. Could reach it ok from the bucket raised high as it would go.
Too big in diam for the shotgun method.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

terrifictimbersllc

I have a Silky Hayuchi 21' from Bailey's.  I think this is still the same one at this link:

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=17939&catID=205

It is a fantastic saw and I would not hesitate to buy it again.  Cuts very fast and is very well built and can buy replacement parts from Bailey's.   I think I dropped it or dropped something on it which made a little ding along the shaft.  Since there are 3 telescoping sections this made it a little harder to open but still satisfactory with WD 40 on it.  Just don't drop something on it.
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Al_Smith

Now laugh,giggle ,roll on the floor or call me dirty names but I have a cheapy Poulan power pruner .Light weight,not of professional quality and cost me all of 2 hundred bucks 3 or 4 years ago .

Now let me tell you though that little cheap thing has saved me tons of work .In all that time I haven't ran it long enough to even needing to  sharpening the chain but it has saved me countless hours of time .An idea perhaps or an option if you choose .

sharkey

If your looking for a power model, we have an older telescoping type Echo power pole saw with a 5ft extension.  The regular reach is a standard 8-12ft + the extension is 5ft for a total of 17ft, plus whatever half your height would be.  Add another foot for the bar and chain.  You can stand on the bed of a truck for another couple ft.  Its been a good unit always starts easy and hasnt needed anything.     

g_man

Thanks for the replies. I'm not against inexpensive I'm against stuff that when you look at it you immediately know it won't stand up to normal use. Like some chinese screw drivers whose bits twist before the screw is even tight. I'll check the Poulan out.
Sharkey how do I learn more about your Echo? I saw them in a Bailey's catalog.

Magicman

I have an Echo, but If I was in the buying market, it would be a Stihl.  I haven't had any trouble with the Echo, but.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

g_man

Sharkey,
I may have interpreted your post wrong. At first I thought you had one for sale but maybe you were just giving a subtle plug for Echo.

Left Coast Chris

I do alot of pruning on my english trees which are 40'-50' in height.  I use the 8' Husky pole saw from a bucket lift and can only reach 30' or so.  From the ground I have a Fanno hand saw with a fiber glass pole that is about 18' long.  I do use it from the bucket from time to time to reach 45' or so.    I would not like the manuverability of a gas saw with the weight of the head out even 12' if you are cutting very much.   It simply wears you out not to mention tweeking your back.   A good sharp hand saw (pole saw) is really fast and easy......

Suggest trying the power saw before buying is possible to see if it is really practical.  Food for thought.
Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

g_man

Thats a great suggestion - I should rent one and use it for a day. Maybe I'll find out the hand saw isnt so bad.

Magicman

At the end of the first day, you will never buy one.  They will give you a workout.   ;D  :D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman


Rocky_J

You don't need to spend a fortune to use what the pros use. Look beyond the cost of the initial unit and look at the cost of replacement blades. Some of those fancy aluminum extendable jobbies use blades that cost $75 each. I own one and it sits in the shed unused. I use a standard polesaw head like this one http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=FM+U1R&catID=205 with a standard blade like this one. http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=FM%20S20 I use the fancy fiberglass pole sections http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=21661 but that is because I work around power lines a lot and my storage boxes on the truck are only so long. You can make a pole handle whatever length you like using 1¼" dowel rod. The wooden dowel rod is actually stiffer than the fiberglass sections and many wise old tree guys use them instead of paying through the nose for bright fancy stuff. Shave the end to fit the polesaw head tightly and then paint the whole thing with a couple coats of polyurethane.

Buy a few extra blades so you can replace them when they get dull or bent. They are cheap so it doesn't hurt to put a fresh blade on once every 6 months.

D._Frederick

When I was looking at power pole saws, I fast came to the conclusion that the extended ones would be too heavy for this old man to use. When they are fully extended and horizontal, it takes all my strength to lift it to vertical.

I ended up buying a fixed length  Husqvarna that I can reach to about 12+ ft and I just love it. It will zip thru  a 5inch limb real fast and I can use it to cut fire wood lengths. I use it to cut up old fruit trees, you can just about stand in one spot with no bending or stooping. It will also make short work of eliminating blackberry bushes.

g_man

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.  They were not at all what I expected.
I am really curious now about power pole saws and will rent one very soon.
Maybe I'll find out all I really need is a new blade on my hand pruner  :D
That would be nice.

gg

bill m

I have 2 each of both the Stihl and Echo power pruners and the Echo is the best. They both have the same reach and weigh the same but the Stihl has some drawbacks. The splined shaft inside the Stihl is weak and will twist. It's happened 3 times to me so far. When that happens you can no longer extend or retract it. Also the outer shaft is smaller in diameter, so when it is fully extended it is a lot more flexible and can bend real easy compared to the Echo.
NH tc55da Metavic 4x4 trailer Stihl and Husky saws

g_man

Thanks Bill - Thats the kind of info that is real useful

Magicman

Made me glad that I have an Echo after all.   :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Al_Smith

Quote from: bill m on August 08, 2010, 09:17:26 PM
The splined shaft inside the Stihl is weak and will twist. It's happened 3 times to me so far. When that happens you can no longer extend or retract it.
It's not so much the twist but if they get dropped in will warp the shafts .

I did a thread on another forum of attempting to un warp  out an HT 75 Stihl ,if that's the right model number .As it turned out the job was only partly successful .It would extend and retract part way .The cost of new shafts exceeded the value of the pole saw .Eventually some low life stole the thing any way so my work was in vain .My only hope is they drop a limb on their head or something . >:(

Dancing Bear

Quote from: Al_Smith on August 07, 2010, 12:28:12 AM
Now laugh,giggle ,roll on the floor or call me dirty names but I have a cheapy Poulan power pruner .Light weight,not of professional quality and cost me all of 2 hundred bucks 3 or 4 years ago .

Now let me tell you though that little cheap thing has saved me tons of work .In all that time I haven't ran it long enough to even needing to  sharpening the chain but it has saved me countless hours of time .An idea perhaps or an option if you choose .

I have the same one and for the fairly light duty I need it for I've been happy with mine too. I got mine used pretty cheap because the original owner said it didn't cut for beans. I guess the kids at Home Depot don't know  which direction the chain is supposed to go. I changed it around and got a winner.
I use the weedwacker attachment on a weekly basis.

Al_Smith

I've never used the weedwacker because I have a dandy of an Echo already .Now did you know you can also get a tiny little tiller attachment for that power head which is about like a Mantis .I think Sears and Roebuck carries them and they pop up on flea bay every so often .

Dancing Bear

Quote from: Al_Smith on August 10, 2010, 04:42:56 PM
I've never used the weedwacker because I have a dandy of an Echo already .Now did you know you can also get a tiny little tiller attachment for that power head which is about like a Mantis .I think Sears and Roebuck carries them and they pop up on flea bay every so often .

Thanks! Good to know that. I'll keep an eye out for that attachment.

sharkey

No Gman, sorry nothing for sale.  Just trying to explain what we use and how long it is etc..   

HolmenTree

I retired my 10 yr old Stihl HT75 polesaw about 4 yrs ago. Engine still runs perfect but after 2 bent shafts and a broken hand from being knocked off a orchard ladder I said to hell with it.
So I  cut the shaft off about a foot from the clutch, reinserted the nylon bushing and installed a 45 degree angled Stihl hedge trimmer attachment on it. Now I got a perfect easy to use hedge trimmer. I don't do alot of hedges but sure works good. I put the chainsaw head back on and without all that extra shaft it cut alot faster then what it did. But with a 1 foot exstention it doesn't make it very useful :D
Willard.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

caveman

I have used all three brands recently.  I dislike the poulon--it may be a slight improvement over a manual pole saw. It had limited power and stalled frequently. The echo and stihl both performed well.  I was cutting limbs off of a lot of live oaks and some water oaks.  They all get heavy after a couple of tanks of fuel with them fully extended and working over head. 
Caveman

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