Tips on using electric pole saw to safely* cut tree limbs

[stickshift]

*Well, let's say as safely as you can get when using a pole saw on a ladder.

I was cutting off a few tree limbs using a 22ft multipurpose ladder in maxed out stepladder mode and I was up as high as I could get on the ladder while still being able to brace my knees. And I was operating an electric pole saw in full extension (9ft), reaching up as high as I could. Dumb? You bet. Fortunately, I'm typing this post at home and not at a hospital.

Things were going pretty well until I went max/max/max/max on ladder height, the step I was standing on, pole saw extension, and full overhead arm extension to reach a branch that was running mostly horizontal. Because there was so much shear force on the branch given the horizontal position, it snapped before it was fully cut. Because the branch was partially intact, it started to swing down instead of dropping straight down, meaning it was swinging toward the ladder.

Part way through the swing, the severed branch completely broke off, so that arrested the swinging motion, but the branch still hit the ladder, maybe 5ft off the ground. Pucker factor was high.

Looking for some tips on how to make these cuts a bit more safely. Realistically, I'll still have to use the ladder (because you can't reach **** with a 9ft pole saw from the ground). And the nature of using a pole saw on a ladder and reaching up puts you close (vertically speaking) to the cut, so there is some inherent danger in this.

But there must be some skill involved in making these cuts to better direct the branch's fall. Also, next time I do this, I'll use a spotter - a set of eyes on the ground might spot colossal stupidity before it is carried through. Also, maybe a rope could be used by the spotter to help partially direct the branch's fall (i.e., direct it away from the ladder)?

 

[rlitman]

Forget the counting on a rope directing the branch. It isn't going to be pulled that easily.

Aside from the issues of cutting from a ladder (I'm not going there, except to say no), you also shouldn't be pruning a branch in a single cut.

Horizontal branches should be pruned using the three cut method. This eliminates the hinge problem, as well as the damaged caused by peeling bark as the branch falls.



Step 1, make a cut about 1/3 of the way through the UNDERSIDE of the branch, about 4" out from the branch collar.

Step 2, start a cut down from the top of the branch, beginning between hand an inch and an inch out from the undercut. Keep cutting down until this meets or just passes the undercut, and the branch will fall. Note here that the undercut helps the branch fall more cleanly, and prevents bark tearout. It WILL still hinge down to a degree, so if it will be headed in a dangerous direction, consider cutting the branch in sections, and starting further out.

Finally, cut the stub off at the desired location. Now that the weight and torque of the branch is gone, this part will be much safer.

 

[M.Bryant]

What rlitman said...
Stop using a ladder and either go rent a boom lift, find a friend with spikes, a climbing belt and a top handle chainsaw or hire a proper arborist.

 

[rsanter]

I do the same thing using the pole saw on a ladder sometimes.
I never cut big branches in one shot.
I make several cuts

 

[BFBOB]

When I've had to do this, I rig the branch with a 3/4" poly rope 150' long. Tie it to my trailer hitch and put as much sideways tension on it as traction allows. Sometimes it departs the tree at this point! Then I only have a little stub to cut. Usually, it stays put and I cut it with a shallow cut on the far side, then cut through on the near side. The poly rope is a bit stretchy (at least compared to hemp) and the limb will travel a significant distance AWAY from me and the ladder.
Why such a long rope? One - more stretch. Two - doesn't end up flying through the liftgate glass.

 

[CR888]

Tree surgery & 'ladder' should NEVER be used in the same sentence. Please don't use a ladder, its amateur & dangerous. As mentioned above make initial cut on underside of limb then finish cutting from top. This also prevent damage to tree as the bark won't get peeled off as the limb falls. Don't stand under branch being cut. Sometimes cutting a V notch from the top will prevent bar pinching. Given you most likely only have one pole saw, you don't want it getting stuck up in a tree which is easily done if you have little experience. Pls...no ladder.

 

[PugetDude]

I'll just leave this here...

 

[MushCreek]

I do work like that with a checkbook and a six-pack of beer.

 

[bugnut]

My friend was cutting a tree using a ladder and chainsaw the branch came free, knocking him off, with the chain saw landing on him, he could not get up so he called his wife on his cell phone, she helped him get to standing-he reset the ladder and went back up the ladder to finish the job. Got hit in the head with the next branch.
This activity caused him back pain, which led to a rod implanted into his back, with many screws. Now with limited range of motion he still climbs on his roof to clean gutters, he is over 70.
I agree with mushcreek, aborist, checkbook and beer!

My health is more important than saving, or pretending to save, a few bucks!

 

[stickshift]

Forget the counting on a rope directing the branch. It isn't going to be pulled that easily.

Aside from the issues of cutting from a ladder (I'm not going there, except to say no), you also shouldn't be pruning a branch in a single cut.

Horizontal branches should be pruned using the

. This eliminates the hinge problem, as well as the damaged caused by peeling bark as the branch falls.

Step 1, make a cut about 1/3 of the way through the UNDERSIDE of the branch, about 4" out from the branch collar.

Step 2, start a cut down from the top of the branch, beginning between hand an inch and an inch out from the undercut. Keep cutting down until this meets or just passes the undercut, and the branch will fall. Note here that the undercut helps the branch fall more cleanly, and prevents bark tearout. It WILL still hinge down to a degree, so if it will be headed in a dangerous direction, consider cutting the branch in sections, and starting further out.

Finally, cut the stub off at the desired location. Now that the weight and torque of the branch is gone, this part will be much safer.

Thanks for the info.

When I've had to do this, I rig the branch with a 3/4" poly rope 150' long. Tie it to my trailer hitch and put as much sideways tension on it as traction allows. Sometimes it departs the tree at this point! Then I only have a little stub to cut. Usually, it stays put and I cut it with a shallow cut on the far side, then cut through on the near side. The poly rope is a bit stretchy (at least compared to hemp) and the limb will travel a significant distance AWAY from me and the ladder.
Why such a long rope? One - more stretch. Two - doesn't end up flying through the liftgate glass.

Stretch rope makes sense. With non-stretch rope that is anchored to a point on the ground, as soon as the branch drops even an inch, all tension on the rope is lost. Stretch rope would exert a little pull for a longer duration.

I'll just leave this here...

That's a great video - it clearly shows the hinging I experienced. I'll never cut a branch without an undercut from here on out.

 

[stickshift]

How about using a pocket chainsaw so you can stay on the ground?

Other than the issue of positioning yourself so that the branch doesn't smash you, this is probably not so good for the tree given the bark tearout since you cannot undercut.

 

[stickshift]

Very interesting video. In the first part, with all the fails, it seems no undercut was made. Terrifying how that branch moves back toward you as it hinges. You also see some bouncebacks.

Later in the video, he describes the notched undercut as being safer than a kerf undercut.

 

[rlitman]

What rlitman said...
Stop using a ladder and either go rent a boom lift, find a friend with spikes, a climbing belt and a top handle chainsaw or hire a proper arborist.

I'm a ground dweller. I've got a 23' pole with an 18" blade that I can use to saw by hand, and a 14' Stihl pole chainsaw. If those can't reach what I need to reach with my feet on the ground, I'm calling in a pro.

Tree surgery & 'ladder' should NEVER be used in the same sentence. Please don't use a ladder, its amateur & dangerous...

Well, I don't have a problem if a tree surgeon used a ladder to start his climb, so as to minimize spike damage to the trunk. But to your point, it is incredibly dumb to use the ladder to support yourself while cutting limbs. There is a high likelihood of having the ladder knocked out from under you, or being knocked off the ladder. In the very least, you want to secure yourself to the tree before you start to cut, and at that point, you'd better know how to get yourself down when the ladder is no longer available.

 

[stickshift]

Pretty cool extension of an electric pole saw using pvc pipe. Lots of flex, but got the job done, and at much lower cost than an arborist will charge.

 

[acer66]

Forget the counting on a rope directing the branch. It isn't going to be pulled that easily.

Aside from the issues of cutting from a ladder (I'm not going there, except to say no), you also shouldn't be pruning a branch in a single cut.

Horizontal branches should be pruned using the

. This eliminates the hinge problem, as well as the damaged caused by peeling bark as the branch falls.

Step 1, make a cut about 1/3 of the way through the UNDERSIDE of the branch, about 4" out from the branch collar.

Step 2, start a cut down from the top of the branch, beginning between hand an inch and an inch out from the undercut. Keep cutting down until this meets or just passes the undercut, and the branch will fall. Note here that the undercut helps the branch fall more cleanly, and prevents bark tearout. It WILL still hinge down to a degree, so if it will be headed in a dangerous direction, consider cutting the branch in sections, and starting further out.

Finally, cut the stub off at the desired location. Now that the weight and torque of the branch is gone, this part will be much safer.

Thank you.

 

[4 Ever-Fish N]

After watching PugetDude's posted Youtube video, the next video popped up "Falling an old growth redwood tree; Humboldt County, CA, 2002". It is about 6 1/2 minutes long but it get very interesting at about the 1/2 way mark. A guy climbs inside the huge notch they had cut in the tree. I don't know if the jacks had been placed yet or not but it was pretty scary to me.

 

[jdewitt]

I'll just leave this here...

All he needed was to undercut first.... still not the safest from a ladder, but it would usually be fine.

 

[mcbane]

What rlitman said...
Stop using a ladder and either go rent a boom lift, find a friend with spikes, a climbing belt and a top handle chainsaw or hire a proper arborist.

Climbing the tree with a top handle saw is a safe alternative but don’t use spikes - that will potentially kill the tree. These days spikes are only used if the end goal is to remove the tree.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mandres]

If you're going to be on a ladder doing tree work, you damn sure need to be wearing a harness tied into the canopy with a secondary lanyard around the trunk. You're very, very lucky that branch didn't sweep the ladder out from under you. I've seen it happen.

 

[stickshift]

If you're going to be on a ladder doing tree work, you damn sure need to be wearing a harness tied into the canopy with a secondary lanyard around the trunk. You're very, very lucky that branch didn't sweep the ladder out from under you. I've seen it happen.

Yeah, I definitely consider myself lucky. The flared out feet of the multi-purpose ladder probably helped keep the ladder stable when the branch hit the ladder, but even that wouldn't have helped if the branch made a full sweeping motion. I got very lucky that it broke off early on during the hinge (relative to some of those horrifying youtube videos) such that the impact on the ladder was more downward than to the side (the latter would definitely have swept the ladder out from under me). And I was over concrete at the time, so no earth to somewhat soften a fall.

Obviously I'll never cut branches again without undercutting, but as @rlitman noted, even with undercutting, you'll still get some hinging, and from my own experience and watching videos, any hinging at all means the trunk-end of the branch is going to move toward you, assuming you are on the trunk side of the cut (which is where you're always going to be). With the undercut, there will be less lateral movement since the branch will break free earlier in the hinge, but the notion that a big *** tree branch is going to move toward you as it falls is more than a little scary.

Might modify my electric pole saw to add some extension tubing so I can stay on terra firma, kind of like this:

 

[rlitman]

Yep. There's an ideal angle (not sure what it is exactly, you get it by feel), where such a long pole saw is vertical enough to be stable without bending until it snaps, but is still reaching forward enough to keep you out of the danger zone.

Just remember to not let the saw fall when the cut is finished.

 

[stickshift]

Yep. There's an ideal angle (not sure what it is exactly, you get it by feel), where such a long pole saw is vertical enough to be stable without bending until it snaps, but is still reaching forward enough to keep you out of the danger zone.

Just remember to not let the saw fall when the cut is finished.

I'm thinking a super long electric pole saw is a two-person job, both to get it up, and especially to manage the descent as it finishes the cut.

 

[rlitman]

Well, here's a thought. You could put a collar on the shaft, attach a rope and toss it over a different branch to give your pole some support. I can't say I've done that before though.

 

[JerryC]

I've got a corded pole saw and all the weight is at the end. I was using it last week and I was on a ladder and I thought "this is stupid" but did it anyway Cut through the first branch no problem then the weight of the saw took over. I was prepared to just toss it if I needed to but I got under control.

A pole saw attachment to my string trimmer head is on the list of things to buy. I expect the balance to be much better.

 

[rlitman]

I've got a corded pole saw and all the weight is at the end. I was using it last week and I was on a ladder and I thought "this is stupid" but did it anyway Cut through the first branch no problem then the weight of the saw took over. I was prepared to just toss it if I needed to but I got under control.

A pole saw attachment to my string trimmer head is on the list of things to buy. I expect the balance to be much better.

My pole saw attachment is pretty heavy on the saw end too. It doesn't have the weight of the motor on it, but the saw is much heavier duty than those electric ones.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

You guys trimming trees from ladders, do your future widows/caretakers a favor and buy a couple of Go-Pros to record the action. Then they can make some money on YouTube when you aren’t bringing home a check anymore.

Cutting live wood, the one absolute you can count on is that there is no certainty on where the limb/branch/tree will go or when it will go.

 

[JerryC]

You guys trimming trees from ladders, do your future widows/caretakers a favor and buy a couple of Go-Pros to record the action. Then they can make some money on YouTube when you aren’t bringing home a check anymore.

Cutting live wood, the one absolute you can count on is that there is no certainty on where the limb/branch/tree will go or when it will go.

No worries, I'm heavily insured.

 

[Copymutt]

Not just being knocked off the ladder, also the issue of Electricity and aluminum dont mix will. You may well join the circuit should a number of things go awry.

 

[gazza]

One of the issues I have found using a pole saw is cutting from the ground in most cases the blade is vertical, as it cuts into the branch it gets to the point where the weight of the branch closes the cut slot and jams the blade.
I do have a battery operated pole saw with a flexible head, you can swing the blade till its almost horizontal and cut easily from the top using the weight of the blade.

 

[Finky198]

That’s basically means you pole is to short for what your height yours working at.
The longer the pole the better angle you can get while being further away the drop zone.

 

[Bacon!]

1) Take a break when you get tired

2) Do not exceed the capability of the ladder you're using. If you're high up, use a safety harness. If a safety harness is too expensive, even a rope tied around you, beats falling a great distance. There are diagrams out there how to route the rope, basically under armpits, around waist and through crotch.

3) Wear a hard hat - Some limbs will require that you be nearer directly under them. Safety goggles too, gloves, and thick pants. Anything is more protection than bare flesh.

4) Don't try to cut some big heavy limb off with a single cut. If it's heavy enough to cripple someone if it hit them, you can cut less off at a time. This is not always necessary but always keep this option in mind.

5) Have a helper, with a rope tied to the limb, to pull it clear as the cut finishes. If you have no helper, tie the rope far enough out that the limb flexes to put a "little" tension on it, and tie the other end of the rope to a stake in the ground (or to whatever else is convenient). Keep in mind you may not be able to put downward tension on then cut from the underside, it could put the saw in a bind. In that case do the underside cut, then tension while completing the top cut. I'm not suggesting do this every time, just when it seems useful.