Not a Stihl Pole Saw

[Magicman]

It's a Ryobi.  I have a ~16' or 18' Echo pole saw but it is a beast to handle, especially since I have had a few birthdays since I bought it.  It's now for Grandsons only.  Sooooo


 
This is on the same 40 volt platform that my weed wacker, hedge trimmer, and chainsaw are on so it should fit into the herd quite nicely.


 
It's first limb.  The electric motor is a bit heavy but I had read about that on the reviews and it is not unreasonable.  It has an extension pole so it will reach about 6½' and 9½'.  

[Tom King]

I keep the 18V version of that in the toolbox on my truck.  I've had one of the telescopic Stihl's for a couple of decades, but it's very heavy to use when you don't need the extended length.

Even the 18V one does a fine job of light limbing.  I'm sure that one is a good one.

It's nice how they break down so easily, and you don't have to use all the extension pieces, if you don't need that height.

[samandothers]

I have an Echo 2 cycle pole saw that uses the same power head as the brush saw and weed whacker.  I use it a lot to clear briars and brush and with out the extension it is a work out.   If I add the 3' extension it does not take me long to feel the burn and give in to the rest time.  I also have this fear of getting it in a pinch point and the extra work that would mean.  I have not started down the electric higher voltage yard tools yet, but I can see a day for it and not to far off.  My grandson is about 15 years out on being able to do this for me!

[SwampDonkey]

Looks like a fun tool to prune fir limbs up. Easier than manual push/pull. ;D

P.S. fir limbs don't get big diameter unless a tree is in a field. A field tree ain't a log tree. ;D

[thecfarm]

I could use one of those.

[HemlockKing]

I could use one of those.

Get the stihl one and you'll have popeye arms in no time lol 

[axeman2021]

I bought a SunJoy since i just have a Ceder Bush that is hanging over my back fence, an 100 foot ext. cord gets the SunJoy where it's needed.

Cost was around $80 from Amazon and with it's 10 inch chain head had the branch's cut off quickly.

[aigheadish]

I bought my wife a cheap, corded China-made pole saw and it works fine but they are a bit unwieldy. 

Does that fat battery pack help balance it a bit? I like the bend at the saw, mine is a straight shot out and it seems like the bend would be useful. 

[Magicman]

Yes, the bend is much better than my Echo which is straight.  It allows the bar to be horizontal when sawing.

Also yes, it is much better balanced with the battery inserted than without.  (runs better too)  ;D

[petefrom bearswamp]

I second the like of the head turning.
My straight Husky is straight and it binds fairly often.

[SwampDonkey]

The Stihl one is big bucks, they know how to charge, a little pun. No charger included, and batteries can be $150 to $1500 bucks. Which works out to $150 bucks every 2 hrs of power. Pass! :D

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah, even a good hand pruning saw is curved. Works a lot better. ;D

[SwampDonkey]

CND$258 at Home Depot Canada, seems reasonable, includes charger. ;D

You can get 6 aH and 7.5 aH batteries to, but that adds more weight.

[SwampDonkey]

You're a very bad man Lynn, just snagged one off Home Depot with the 7.5 Ah battery. :D :D

Free ship

[SwampDonkey]

Hmm, new pole saw, cup of tea out at the lean to at a fire during breaks. 8)

Snowshoes just shipped today, hopefully I can prune some before the snow adds up. ;D

[Tom King]

I was seriously thinking about getting the fixed length Stihl for this one job.  It's about an acre, and a half, behind a rental house.  I wanted to limb up the trees, so I didn't have to lower the rollbar on the big mower.  I don't need it lowered anywhere else.

I decided to try the lightweight 18V Ryobi that I keep in the truck for getting limbs that would scratch the truck or trailer out of the way.  It did much better than I thought it would.  I only needed to swap batteries once.  

I forgot to take a before picture, but thought about it when I had a bunch of limbs on the ground.

One good thing about the angled head is you can undercut a larger limb easier than with the straight Stihl.

Another thing about the straight Stihl:  When you are at max extension, cutting a big limb almost straight up, you'd better be capable of moving fast enough to get out of the way before it gets down low enough in its fall to hit you.



 

 

[SwampDonkey]

I got the bigger capacity battery because I like to work out there at least 4 hrs straight when pruning. We'll see how it holds up, battery charge. It's off the road at least 300 yards and deeper.  ;) No way I could leave it out there, no shed. The bears would eat it for lunch. They love plastic. :D

[Magicman]

Mine came with the 2ah battery but I already 3 of the jumbo batteries with the 3 other tools plus the chargers so I should be OK battery wise.

I am super pleased with the 3 other tools and I have never run any of the batteries down while using them.

[SwampDonkey]

Don't forget the bar oil though. ;) If the motor get's overheated it will blow the fuse. And it is inside the pole. ;D

For longer reach the larger batteries help balance tip weight more.

[Magicman]

If the motor get's overheated it will blow the fuse. And it is inside the pole.

@SwampDonkey Help me with this.  My Owner's Manual makes no reference to a fuse that I can find.

[SwampDonkey]

It's not user serviceable Lynn, it's inside the pole. So rivets in the pole where the connections are have to be removed. Just keep that chain oiled good. If the thing ever stops working when batteries are fine, dead motor, it's likely that fuse blown. It's one of them cylindrical glass fuses (barrel fuse).

BROKEN Ryobi Pole Saw Fix - YouTube

10:40 in. This is the 18V model in the video. Might never happen on the 40V, but something to check if it fails. ;)

Another thing I found out is, if the battery won't charge, make sure it isn't hot before trying to charge. The battery could be fine, let it cool for an hr, try again.

I should have my saw in my hands by Wednesday this week. ;D

[thecfarm]

What trimmer you got? Do you have to buy the pre wrapped spools of string?
I do A LOT of trimming and that would be a deal breaker for me.
I am thinking about buying the pole saw and chainsaw. Buy it as a set, chainsaw is only $60 more.

[SwampDonkey]

My trimmer isn't a Ryobi, it's a Husqvarna gas one. I can wind my own string. I actually don't like it as well as my old $99 MTD one I used for over 10 years. So maybe I'll get a battery trimmer head attachment some day. I hate trimming grass so it ain't a priority. :D

[thecfarm]

I have about a ½ mile of stonewalls to trim around. Have to remember both sides on most of the walls. Was a mile at one time. I hauled off 3 stone walls, so cut it down to a ½ mile. ;D  I'm a working on another 100 feet now.
Trim around the walls or cut bushes, take your pick. But saying that, I use a vegetation killer around the rocks in the fields now. No more walking through the fields with a trimmer. Just carry a sprayer around once a year. Well I say carry, I drive the truck through the field and do 4-5 rocks than move the truck, repeat until done. I spray about a foot around each rock. That keeps the chock cherry bushes from growing around each rock.
I am experimenting with the vegetation around the walls now. I did it under the chain link fence for the dog and that has worked great. But that has only been one year. The stone walls treatment is not working out so well.  ???

[SwampDonkey]

I've pretty much gotta use Roundup on burdock. One squirt and it's over. Takes a couple weeks to see a brown shrivelled up plant, but she's cooked, dead. :D

[Magicman]

What trimmer you got? Do you have to buy the pre wrapped spools of string?

I have the 40 volt Ryobi string trimmer and I refill the string cartridges. 

[thecfarm]

Thanks that is good to know. 
No burdock on The Farm. Not one single plant. If was here, but we killed it. Mowing and trimming will kill back just about anything. My Father use to say, We grow it to death.
We took rock salt to the plants. Make a hole with a crow bar, fill hole full of rock salt, burdock gone.

[SwampDonkey]

Wild turkey are covered in them here from the neighbors, they eat the seeds. And coons have the stuff in their fur so they pull it out. I see little clumps of burdock seeds in the yard once in awhile. Plus I have video evidence of burdock covered turkeys. It's a continuous battle. :D Mowing and whacking don't kill burdock, maybe ours is a super strain. Need a good shovel or Roundup. :D Moving is fine for the lawn to keep in at bay, but there are some more wild areas that require brute force. :D

[SwampDonkey]

That new 40V Ryobi pole saw came in this afternoon. Already tried it out on some firewood that was a little long. It's pretty strong, not fast like a chain saw, but strong at what it cut, which was dry. And I did remember to add chain oil. I'm charging up the battery now to full strength and going up to the woods tomorrow. Get some time in at least before that snow. :D ;)

[thecfarm]

If we would of went to the big city, I would have one. Heading that way next Monday. Might buy the trimmer too. Got to count the green backs before I head out.

[Magicman]

I actually bought mine online from an eBay seller.  It was $25 cheaper than Home Depot's price and then it shipped to me from Home Depot.  :

[SwampDonkey]

I actually bought mine online from an eBay seller.  It was $25 cheaper than Home Depot's price and then it shipped to from Home depot.  :

I hate drop shippers. That goes on all the time via Amazon. Then you either have no warranty since it was bought by the middle man with your money or hope the manufacturer honors it. Might not go well on some stuff because in the paperwork I've got you have to deal with their network of dealers for warranty. The middle man's name is on the purchase from Home Depot, not yours. They use the loophole of buying and shipping elsewhere like a gift. Your receipt is an ebay seller, not a dealer. :

[Magicman]

True, I did not buy from Home Depot.  I bought a Ryobi and I successfully entered the warranty information on the Ryobi warranty site.  I would not expect any warranty from Home Depot, only Ryobi.

[Al_Smith]

Since Stihl had been mentioned I once attempted to straighten the bent shafts on one .it was an exercise of futility with only partial success .That thing had plenty of power though I must say that .I only own an inexpensive Poulan that is a better option than a 12 foot step ladder and a bumble bee saw .Although a Stihl 200T bumble bee is a lot faster . 

[SwampDonkey]

I worked the saw this morning for 3-1/2 hrs pruning fir, fir has fine limbs. I was happy that the saw could cut without damaging the bark. I checked the battery life when I came home and I still have 2 out of 4 bars left. So I surmise one could get at least 7 hrs on the 7.5 Ah battery. Had lots of power. I even cut a few small diameter trees off the stumps, some that was half dead or not going to amount to much if left to grow. The handle bar is mainly for reaching up with the saw. When cutting the low limbs your hand is on the foam padding of the pole. I thought at first the handle should be further up the pole, but soon found out it wouldn't help with stuff to cut up high.

Very happy with the saw. But bring a jug of bar oil. I was refilling the reservoir after every two of three trees were pruned up. The thing might hold 3 oz of oil, not a lot. ;D I only used the main pole on the saw without the extension. That was far enough up for me. ;D

Just registered mine to with my HD receipt. The literature in the box has Ryobi and Home Depot all over it. So probably exclusive tool to them I guess, well says exclusive on the literature at least.

[Magicman]

I had my first opportunity to give my Ryobi a workout yesterday and was quite pleased.  I decided to use the supplied 2ah battery and it still had two bars after about an hour's use.  I probably cut 20+ 1"-3" limbs and felled an 8" Sweetgum tree without any problem.  I used both the 6½ and 9½ options and did not use the strap.  The angled bar is the cat's meow because the straight bar on the Echo gas would have hung up many times but with the angled bar the limb falls away instead of pinching.  I am very satisfied.

[thecfarm]

I decided to use the supplied 2ah battery and it still had two bars after about an hour's use.   

I suppose there is a bigger battery?  
But saying that after using it for an hour there is some branches that need to be picked up. That is what I want it for, at this time. I have a lot of red oak that could be limbed. Not too bad where I am claiming back the grown up pasture. And yet is the key word. Meaning not many are hanging down and hitting the tractor. At the edge of the field, there is a problem. Them trees know where the sun is. Some limbs are 20 feet long.

[Magicman]

Yes my pole saw came with a smaller 2ah battery but my other three Ryobi tools came with much larger 4ah batteries.  Ryobi makes a 5, 6, and also a 7.5ah which is huge. 

[thecfarm]

And I suppose with a higher price for each higher volts too. On well, that 2ah will have to do for a while. The way my shoulder is maybe an hour will be enough.
Limb for an hour, pick up limbs for 2 hours.  ;D

[kantuckid]

Amazon & Ebay are full of off-brand batteries which I've used in limited fashion, not as a FT tradesperson. There are decent reviews of several by FT users. 
My cheapo pole saw is a B&D Amazon new/return warehouse item. I use my wifes girly stringtrimmer batteries  as she has lots. It has a fiberglass pole, oil via your own squirt can and ~ 8" blade. It's fine for trimming EWP's as I've used it. Not an all day, often used level of tool. Well made but limited.  

[SwampDonkey]

I found the strap was fine. But with frequent oiling of the chain reservoir, the on/off thing with the strap got old. But love the saw otherwise.

I purchased the tool only box, the 7.5 aH battery alone, the charger alone. When I compared the money for battery included, it cost a little more than separate boxes. :D And there are two type of chargers, a slower one with USB (I got that one) and a rapid charger. Made no difference to me except price, cheaper for the first one. I charge overnight and that big battery is enough juice to prune all you'd ever want to in a day. ;D

[thecfarm]

I'm a charging.  ;D

[thecfarm]

Finally got a chance to try it out on the red oak limbs. I used it for a half hour and the battery was dieing, but that was the 2ah battery. I pruned off quite a few limbs that was about 3 inches across. Now I have to pick up the limbs, prune for a ½ hour, pick up bush for an hour.  Looks like it takes about 2 hour for a full charge. Or I think it does.  I started this around 4 and came in around almost 6 and it's fully charged. Once I get all the limbs off that I can reach, I will try to keep up on it. much easier to saw a ½ inch limb off than a 4 inch one. These trees are in the grown up pasture that I claimed back. I tried to leave the red oak, all wildlife likes acorns. Gotta pick up the limbs, don't want the deer tripping on the limbs pawing for acorns. I had all 3 extensions on, that thing will reach!!!!

[HemlockKing]

Despite the good news so far on these I'm still very suspicious they aren't worthy 

lol time will tell

[Magicman]

Maybe so....maybe not, but I have several years of success with the 40 volt Ryobi chainsaw, hedge trimmer, & weed whacker.

Soooo, you are basing your suspicions on .....? 

[HemlockKing]

Soooo, you are basing your suspicions on .....?  

Made in China.

[Magicman]

Ryobi Limited (リョービ株式会社, Ryōbi Kabushiki-kaisha, Japanese: [ɾʲoːꜜbi]; English: /raɪˈoʊbi/ or /riˈoʊbi/) is a Japanese manufacturer of components for automobiles, electronics, and telecommunications industries. It also sells printing equipment, power tools, and builders' hardware.^[3] Ryobi Power Tools and Ryobi Outdoor Power Equipment are brands of Techtronic Industries, used under license from Ryobi Limited. Techtronic Industries also owns Milwaukee Electric Tool, AEG (AEG Powertools, licensed from Electrolux), Homelite, Hoover US, Dirt Devil, and Vax.

[HemlockKing]

It’s still made in China, look at the markings/stamp on the saw lol

[Magicman]

Yes, you are correct.  TI is now a Chinese company and their manufacturing is in China.

[SwampDonkey]

Time will tell in deed. But there are quality Chinese items and a mountain of crap to. :D  So far so good from what I see with it. It's not a tool you can get off the shelf at HD here, it's all online orders. I'd try a weed whacker, I see the bare whacker is $200. slap that 7.5 ah battery on and go to it.  I don't weed whack here more than an hr for the whole 4 acres. Probably wouldn't have to charge more than 2 times all summer. 8)

I have a pressure foot feed like on a sewing machine that has wound thousands of miles of yarn in 10 years. Made in China. If it broke tomorrow it's paid for itself a long time ago. Ever try winding by hand with a crank, all them miles? :D I wound 2.6 miles of yarn today in under an hr. Then wound it all over again onto a big wooden beam, just over 1/8 mile every 6 turns. :D

[thecfarm]

As I say, Ask me in a year from now how much I like it.  ;D
The way swampdonkey keeps talking about that 7.5 battery, I will have to get one. I will have to get a bigger battery, if I get that trimmer. A trimmer I can run for a couple hours steady. That pruner I think a ½ hour is all I need at one time.

[Magicman]

I have never run a 4ah battery down with the string trimmer, hedge trimmer, nor the chainsaw.  I had the supplied 2.5ah battery on the pole saw and sawed off 20-30, 1" to 3" limbs plus felled a ~8" Sweetgum tree and still had 2 bars of battery left.

I am hopeful that I will not need to buy any additional batteries because they are expensive $$. 

[DDW_OR]

Hmm, new pole saw, cup of tea out at the lean to at a fire during breaks. 8)

Snowshoes just shipped today, hopefully I can prune some before the snow adds up. ;D

snow + snowshoes = trim higher

[thecfarm]

Well that's good to know on the 4ah battery. Yes them things are pricey.    
So you're saying you can use that trimmer for 2 hours steady? That is what I am looking for run time.
I only got about ½ hour with the 2ah battery that I used on the red oak limbs. 

[Magicman]

No, I'm not saying that because I don't have enough of anything to trim for 2 hours.  Of course I have personally seen your two hours of rocks.  

I do have 3 of the 4ah batteries that came with the other tools I mentioned.

I have had good luck with "knockoff" batteries for my Craftsman and Ridgid drills.

[DDW_OR]

i have the 18v pole saw
used with a 6ah battery
lasted longer than my arms and solders

side note:
I also have the 18v Ryobi 1/2 in impact, 600 foot/pounds
was able to use it with the 6ah battery to jack-up two Dodge 3500 dually's
and swap all 12 tires. and torque the lugnuts to torque or past torque.
found a socket that fits onto the dodge jack handle extension
makes changing tires on the side of the road easy.

[SwampDonkey]

Snow's gone here today, but today's excuse is the SxS is in storage with the battery removed for winter. 8)  I can still build fires in the lean to, got lots of dry wood under cover. ;D

[cuttinstihl]

I've got the 18V version of it. For what it is, it's a pretty good little pole saw, very nice for when I don't want to drag out my Echo PPT2620

[thedoublejranch]

I have a Honda pole saw with the intermediate extension, it has a load bearing harness you wear so arms are only for controlling it, but not holding it up. Its a 4 stroke, bit heavy (UMC435) Harness does have an emergency release to detach from operator.

But that said, I picked up a 20V DeWalt pole saw and absolutely love it and use the heck out of it. I was already heavily invested in the DW 20V with loads of other tools and 5AH batteries, so this bare tool was $150.