Tool for trimming limbs waaaay up there?

[PCustoms]

First off I'm fairly well versed in tree felling and they've always landed where I want. But....

I've got a maple tree in the yard that has a potential split, some backlean/curve and heavy limb load on one side. On top of that, I'm limited to felling in 1 spot due to other trees, a house and high voltage lines. It used to overhang my power drop, but I moved that last summer giving me this 1 shot. I look from 1 angle and it looks good, but if I look the other way I'm worried the combo of factory listed above might be beyond my ability, as if it twists it might hit the house.

If I could limb this higher of to get some of the branch load off I'd feel a lot more comfortable. I've already hit what I can with the fiskars pole saw, really need another 10-15' of reach. Does anything exist?

Had it quoted last year (while the power drop was still there) and it was $800-$2000. I paid less then that to have 2 massive oaks dropped via crane so it was a tough quote to consider.

 

[four.cycle]

I have an ancient "pole pruner" - the wooden stick with the rope-and-pulley affair - with both lopper and saw blade at the business end.
I bought a 10-foot-long "top tube" for chain link fencing, cross-drilled it (and the wood handle of the pole pruner) bolted them together, and I now have 20 feet of pole pruner. There's a learning curve involved - learning how to swing the thing as it flexes wildly with every stroke, but I've lopped off 4-inch stuff that was 25-30 feet above ground with it (either up on a ladder or standing in the bed of my truck.)
Biggest problem I've had was binding on the saw, which caused the saw to get bent a bit. Fortunately Superior Saw was able to straighten it out and put new teeth on it.

 

[Firebrick43]

Is it next to the main power lines?

Here the power companies will happily trim or take down any tree for free if it could fall and land on the power lines. They would rather do this and avoid rebuilding the lines than have harry homeowner or an idiot tree crew do it and cause damage.

I even know one land owner that had nearly a half mile of trees felled 80' from the lines that he then sold the logs to pay the mortgage and taxes that year.

Marvin and Jameson make pole saws that are 18' reach and you can buy extensions that add another 6'. These pruners/saws are not telescoping but are assembled from sections at the tree.

Also there is rope chainsaws. its a section of chain saw chain that has to rings attached to two lengths of rope. You throw a weighted tag line up and over the branch, attach it to one rope and drag it over and grab both ropes, one in each hand and pull back and forth. It ***** to do but works.

 

[PCustoms]

Not close enough to the main power to have them trimmed by PoCo, but close enough I can't fell an 80' tree that direction.

 

[Shiftless]

Any rental yards near you have one of these?

 

[PCustoms]

Any rental yards near you have one of these?

Yes.

I'm not a heights person....

I need someone to come by with climbing gear, go about halfway up and tie the top off and cut as I handle the rope. Once the top is gone I can fell without any issues.

 

[JAYoung]

My Dad used to use a Model 12 Winchester, with limited success.

 

[Shiftless]

Yes.

I'm not a heights person....

I need someone to come by with climbing gear, go about halfway up and tie the top off and cut as I handle the rope. Once the top is gone I can fell without any issues.

Sounds like a good plan.
I also don’t climb up trees. Fortunately I can afford to pay a small crew to trim our big Atlas Cedar every couple of years. Young agile guy with the right gear just climbs right up with his electric chain saw.

 

[Firebrick43]

https://www.baileysonline.com/james...r-saw-package-with-quick-change-adapters.html



plus additional mid section pole segments

https://www.baileysonline.com/jameson-fg-series-6-fiberglass-poles-fg-6p.html

 

[PCustoms]

https://www.baileysonline.com/james...r-saw-package-with-quick-change-adapters.html



plus additional mid section pole segments

https://www.baileysonline.com/jameson-fg-series-6-fiberglass-poles-fg-6p.html

Ouch on the price.

Looks like some kits to 30' on Amazon for around $100. This will pretty much be used 1x so hard to justify a ton of money.

 

[ericm]

I have a pole pruner similar to the Bailey's one above. Without the lopper head. It's pretty hard to manuver in a tree due to the length and it will tire out your arms pretty quick.

They come in versions that are insulated for work around power lines, and ones that are not. I wouldn't use either kind close to power lines.

I think for a 1x use on a sketchy difficult tree its better to hire it out to a pro.

 

[Firebrick43]

Ouch on the price.

Looks like some kits to 30' on Amazon for around $100. This will pretty much be used 1x so hard to justify a ton of money.

Still cheaper than hiring it out or a man lift rental/delivery. And you can sell it after your done and recoup some of your cost.

 

[WWheeler]

Yes.

I'm not a heights person....

I need someone to come by with climbing gear, go about halfway up and tie the top off and cut as I handle the rope. Once the top is gone I can fell without any issues.

Then call a tree company and get a bid.

If you're really on the cheap, find wherever the power company tree butchers are working trimming trees from the power lines, as many many of those guys do work on the side and they know what they are doing. Just drive up to the crews and ask who trims trees on the side and they will point you to one. Just know the gamble you are taking to save that coin by not having a licensed company w/ insurance doing work on your property just to save some coin, so there's that. There is a chance you might even get lucky and find one of those guys that does enough side work they are carrying a business license and insurance, but that's a bit of a unicorn. Also, you typically don't want to piss these kind of guys off, so have the agreed upon cash ready for when the work is done. Don't expect them to take a check or credit card.

 

[four.cycle]

^ that set-up Firebrick posted is pretty much what I'm using, but mine's ancient with a heavy wood handle.

it's very slow going when I've got the pipe on it for the extension because of the way it flexes.

.... and if it's 80 feet up, you should really consider calling a pro. knocking down power lines, fences, or landing limbs on neighbors' cars leads to all sorts of entanglements. (don't ask me how I know this.)

 

[PCustoms]

2 updates:

Old pole saw only goes out 12' or so, so my 30' estimate is way off.

Found a tree guy who quoted $400 to top it tomorrow, then he insisted it's a red oak to me 3 times. Kind of pissed me off, let alone that's 2x what I want to pay.

 

[Snapped-off]

Had it quoted last year (while the power drop was still there) and it was $800-$2000. I paid less then that to have 2 massive oaks dropped via crane so it was a tough quote to consider.

If you paid less than $800 for a crew to show up with a crane to take down 2 massive trees, they must have been doing charity work. That's not even reasonable.

 

[PCustoms]

If you paid less than $800 for a crew to show up with a crane to take down 2 massive trees, they must have been doing charity work. That's not even reasonable.

Crane, bucket truck and chipper. Had 2 ground guys, a climber and an operator. Took down 2 oaks, 26" and 38" IIRC. Chipped anything under 6" plus a pile I had made from other trees,left everything else 10-12' for saw logs. $1000

Not sure how I got the deal but it's tough to pay the same price ($800 was his "cash" price) for someone to top a tree from a bucket truck parked on my driveway.

Might have paid the guy from today the $400 to climb it, but he started arguing with me after he tried correcting me when I called it a maple. Pissed me off, it's my tree and I'm pretty effing sure I can tell the difference between a maple and an oak....

Wish I could find a guy to work with me. I've got 2 ash that are either on my property line or just over that need to come down. Heavy leaners to my property, tops all caught up and starting to die. Beyond that there's another round of 38-48" oaks I need to plan for, but letting those grow until I get a mill setup.

 

[toolmiser]

Wonder which one of you is wrong with the id of tree. There are free phone apps that would settle it. I would hope the "pro" would know his trees, but stranger things have happened.

 

[PCustoms]

Wonder which one of you is wrong with the id of tree. There are free phone apps that would settle it. I would hope the "pro" would know his trees, but stranger things have happened.

Not me.

I've been in the woods since I could walk. Zero issues discerning between a maple and an oak without an app.

The funny thing was he said he'd stop by before he went to tap his trees (sugaring season is about to gear up with this weird weather), I broke a branch off this "oak" tree and it was ******* sap all day.

 

[RTM]

I have a 22’ pole saw, but it wasn’t cheap either. Two section extending aluminum so not too much flex, nice sharp saw of decent length, plus a lopper. If I can’t reach it with that, I’m calling my pro. Not working with that off a ladder or the roof.

 

[rust in the eye]

2 updates:

Old pole saw only goes out 12' or so, so my 30' estimate is way off.

Found a tree guy who quoted $400 to top it tomorrow, then he insisted it's a red oak to me 3 times. Kind of pissed me off, let alone that's 2x what I want to pay.

Who cares what kind of tree this guy thinks it is? He's paid to cut 'em down not raise them.
This guy is going to come to your house, climb high into an admittedly compromised tree, do some cutting and ostensibly haul away the waste. He'll blow half a day easy, use his equipment, risk injury and work harder than, I'd wager, most of us here are willing to.
You expect that for $200?
A neighbor had a splitting silver maple that was overhanging his house. I was on my patio, heard cracking and creaking, looked behind me at this tree to see the gap between the limbs opening and closing as the wind blew. Called the neighbor who hired a pro(one he said was a friend) that charged him $5k to take it down. 8 years back I hired pros who worked "on the side" for cash to remove 3 similar trees on my property, I paid less per tree but that work is expensive. You ain't gettin' this guy 40 feet up there with the squirrels.
Just pay the man.

 

[PCustoms]

Who cares what kind of tree this guy thinks it is? He's paid to cut 'em down not raise them.

I told him it was a maple, he said oak after I sent him a pic at his request. I told him the maple behind that, he replied that's still an oak, and continued to argue with me. The attitude is the issue

This guy is going to come to your house, climb high into an admittedly compromised tree, do some cutting and ostensibly haul away the waste.

Tree is structurally sound in regards to climbing. The potential defect I mentioned only comes into play as it might barberchair when cutting at the base, which he would not be doing.

I specifically stated zero cleanup.

He'll blow half a day easy, use his equipment, risk injury and work harder than, I'd wager, most of us here are willing to.
You expect that for $200?

I expect about an hours worth of work out of a local contractor. In fact he said he'd stop and do it this morning on his way to other things.

So what's an hours time worth for a tree guy? I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure it isn't $400-$2000 that I've seen quoted so far.

 

[rust in the eye]

Good luck

 

[1blink]

Some folks are impossible to please. You may fall into that category.
You ran off your $400 quote. Don't expect it to get any better than that.
The fee is for more than just his time on site. You're paying for tools, risk, the time he spent talking to you about the job, insurance, and the expertise he's developed doing this work for a living.

 

[reader2580]

$400 to fell a tree would be a bargain here. The going rate to fell a single tree here is at least $1,000. I wish I could find someone to fell five dead Ash trees at $400 each. I expect to pay $4,000 to $5,000 to have all five removed.

 

[PCustoms]

$400 to fell a tree would be a bargain here. The going rate to fell a single tree here is at least $1,000. I wish I could find someone to fell five dead Ash trees at $400 each. I expect to pay $4,000 to $5,000 to have all five removed.

Would be here too.

But I didn't ask him to fell a tree.

 

[RAS61]

You could try a rope saw if you can get the line over the limb. I have tried it without much success, the chain ends up binding, but maybe my kit is poor quality, and throwing it over high limbs isn't that easy. When I've cut something large or heavy that I was worried about the drop I've had success by doing it in small pieces with several cuts, maybe 2 ft at a time. I've also used an extension ladder to cut high up, I tie it to the tree at the top so it doesn't slip or move, but you are taking a risk and have to be comfortable working on a ladder

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSXSQ2CB/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PCustoms]

You could try a rope saw if you can get the line over the limb. I have tried it without much success, the chain ends up binding, but maybe my kit is poor quality, and throwing it over high limbs isn't that easy.

I've thought about it, but hesitant for the reasons you mentioned.

No risk of falling limbs, wide open under the tree. Nothing over 3" either.

 

[RAS61]

I've thought about it, but hesitant for the reasons you mentioned.

No risk of falling limbs, wide open under the tree. Nothing over 3" either.

If I could limb this higher of to get some of the branch load off I'd feel a lot more comfortable. I've already hit what I can with the fiskars pole saw, really need another 10-15' of reach. Does anything exist?

In this case I'd at least try four.cycle's suggestion and rig a 10-12' extension to the pole saw you've got. Put on a new sharp blade and you shouldn't have a problem with binding on 3" limbs. You can also use a line under tension to help control the fall and protect the house - Good Luck!

 

[PCustoms]

In this case I'd at least try four.cycle's suggestion and rig a 10-12' extension to the pole saw you've got. Put on a new sharp blade and you shouldn't have a problem with binding on 3" limbs. You can also use a line under tension to help control the fall and protect the house - Good Luck!

I'm probably going to order a 27' saw tomorrow.

My fiskars is well used, needs a new blade and needs the telescope clamp glue back on. It's not made to take an extension.

I've got a wich line about 1/3 of the way up the tree and had some tension on it yesterday. Trying to psych myself up for just felling it, but I've got maybe 1' on either side to keep the branches of the maple out of pine I'm keeping vs. off the corner of the house. If I cut the lower branches off I shift the LZ closer to the house.

Wanted to do this with snow on the ground, now the goal is before the ground gets mushy. Weather not cooperating.....

 

[Notgrownup]

Any rental yards near you have one of these?

This is what I rented for a weekend last year. $350 with a little chain saw and a pruning saw

 

[whateg01]

Crane, bucket truck and chipper. Had 2 ground guys, a climber and an operator. Took down 2 oaks, 26" and 38" IIRC. Chipped anything under 6" plus a pile I had made from other trees,left everything else 10-12' for saw logs. $1000

Not sure how I got the deal but it's tough to pay the same price ($800 was his "cash" price) for someone to top a tree from a bucket truck parked on my driveway.

Might have paid the guy from today the $400 to climb it, but he started arguing with me after he tried correcting me when I called it a maple. Pissed me off, it's my tree and I'm pretty effing sure I can tell the difference between a maple and an oak....

Wish I could find a guy to work with me. I've got 2 ash that are either on my property line or just over that need to come down. Heavy leaners to my property, tops all caught up and starting to die. Beyond that there's another round of 38-48" oaks I need to plan for, but letting those grow until I get a mill setup.

Pretty sure their prices have gone up the past couple years. I had asked around about getting the elm in my front yard removed and had several people suggest somebody. He quoted me 3x what everybody else said they had paid a "couple" years earlier. Sure as heck aren't going to find anybody to even get out of their truck for $200 around here today.

 

[PCustoms]

To close this out, on Monday I happened to drive by a neighbor and see a guy roped up in a tree. Stopped on the way back from lunch and got his contact info. Down to earth, local and maybe a little disorganized, perfect.

Met with him today as he was finishing the other job, quoted me a price, told him I was hoping a little less and we made a deal to start after lunch. Showed back up at 1:30 and was leaving by 3pm.

I've got a pile of branches and a trunk to deal with, but it's done and I've got a guy that will work with me for future jobs that are a little outside my abilities.

 

[carmantl]

My Milwaukee pole saw with 3 extensions (which they DO NOT recommend) will get up to about 20 feet. It's awkward and heavy but it will get the job done! Did I mention it's heavy and hard to wield?

 

[Rickkyyr8]

Oh, you’re one of those homeowners…

 

[PCustoms]

Oh, you’re one of those homeowners…

I'll assume that's not a disparaging remark and say thanks.

 

[whateg01]

Oh, you’re one of those homeowners…

The kind that leaves the mechanic saying, "I can fix it cheaper!"?

 

[bwringer]

Glad you got 'er dun.

If it's not urgent, I have found that tree service (and tree dude) pricing varies considerably depending on how busy they are and how flexible you are. Catch 'em in the local off-season, or just make it clear that it's something they can tend to between jobs whenever they get a chance in the next month or two, and you can catch a break on pricing.

American cash money in hand will also net you a better price in most cases.

Tree dudes are... different. Very different.

 

[Bubba Fett]

You can just use a laser next time.

 

[rust in the eye]

To close this out, on Monday I happened to drive by a neighbor and see a guy roped up in a tree. Stopped on the way back from lunch and got his contact info. Down to earth, local and maybe a little disorganized, perfect.

Met with him today as he was finishing the other job, quoted me a price, told him I was hoping a little less and we made a deal to start after lunch. Showed back up at 1:30 and was leaving by 3pm.

I've got a pile of branches and a trunk to deal with, but it's done and I've got a guy that will work with me for future jobs that are a little outside my abilities.

Glad you found someone to accomodate. It helps when they are already in the neighborhood working.
Whatever he charged you is better than trying to climb yourself or maneuver a pole saw overhead that was,.... how long did it need to be?