well, i bought my first pole saw off craigslist, it is a stihl ht131. this thing runs like a champ and has some serious compression and got a great deal on it. i'm looking forward to using it, the only issue with it is that the top pole has a kink in it and makes it hard to slide in and out, i am wondering if someone on here has a pole saw that is a parts saw. i think a 101 pole will fit it as well but i am not 100% sure on that. thanks guys
bought my first pole saw
- Thread starter my82cam
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
Hank Chinaski
Number 37
I've done a pretzel job on mine before (ok, maybe not "full" pretzel lol) and you can easily tweek it back.
Extend it, look down the length, give it a push on the high side, and with a little work it'll fall back in line.
They also are made for the bar end of the pole to slide out reasonably easy. This is so your entire weight of the saw isn't hanging/leveraging by the bar when you stick it (and you WILL stick it). Pull it apart, and go fetch your chip making end.
I highly recommend having a second polesaw or a manual extendable pull saw handy. It makes getting a stuck polesaw out a lot easier/safer.
Extend it, look down the length, give it a push on the high side, and with a little work it'll fall back in line.
They also are made for the bar end of the pole to slide out reasonably easy. This is so your entire weight of the saw isn't hanging/leveraging by the bar when you stick it (and you WILL stick it). Pull it apart, and go fetch your chip making end.
I highly recommend having a second polesaw or a manual extendable pull saw handy. It makes getting a stuck polesaw out a lot easier/safer.
nmurph
ArboristSite.com Sponsor
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2007
- Messages
- 16,162
- Reaction score
- 7,166
I can't help you with your saw, but I can't offer three salient points:
-if the limb is bigger than 1" dia, ALWAYS make an undercut; getting a saw stuck fifteen feet up presents a much bigger problem than getting one stuck fifteen inches from the ground
-remember, you can knock down more limbs in fifteen minutes than you can clean up in an hour; plan accordingly!
-if the limb is bigger than 1" dia, ALWAYS make an undercut; getting a saw stuck fifteen feet up presents a much bigger problem than getting one stuck fifteen inches from the ground
-remember, you can knock down more limbs in fifteen minutes than you can clean up in an hour; plan accordingly!
thanks for the advice, i appreciate it. i will make sure i always bring my old school pole saw too. the dealer wanted 320$some plus tax just for the upper pole. i found a place that sells an aluminum pole for $27 that matches the dimensions of my pole. there are 2 pieces that need riveted on and that will be easy, i am going to try it out. i did try to bend this back straight, but it looked like a branch fell on it and it had a large flat spot that i couldn't pop out. i will see how this works out and let you know!
I've used my new 131 about ten times this year, and all I can say is it is a great piece of equipment. It will cut anything you want. Like others have said, be careful about pinching it or a limb falling on it. Like you said, the replacement parts are not cheap.
oscar4883
Addicted to ArboristSite
I despise power pruners but if you are going to get one you picked the best. I use a 131 several times a week at work and they do cut very well. Even if they don't sound like they are doing much. lol
haha, yeah, the 4 stroke engines sound weird! i was really surprised when i pulled the engine cover off and saw a valve cover. looked it up online and they are a 4 stroke that still uses 2 stroke gas to lube the bottom end, but i'm sure you guys knew that already lol. sounds weird but has great power!
I was going to start a pole saw thread but then I saw this one...
I'm strongly considering getting a pole saw and some of my concerns have already been brought up here.
What do you do to help ensure the bar doesn't get pinched? With most cuts being at an angle and if the balance of the limb is incorrectly estimated I can see the limb simply rolling towards the cut. To help reduce the angle cut situation, would the 30° gear box adapter that Stihl offers be worthwhile?
A post above suggested undercutting directly below where the top cut is going for any limb greater that 1". I'm guessing this would help to encourage the limb to drop more quickly??
Most of my cutting is related to firewood so any high cuts will be to make felling easier (change the balance of the tree, reduce snags). I also cut quite a few blow downs and the pole saw may be a little easier and definitely safer for limbing these.
Comments would be appreciated
I'm strongly considering getting a pole saw and some of my concerns have already been brought up here.
What do you do to help ensure the bar doesn't get pinched? With most cuts being at an angle and if the balance of the limb is incorrectly estimated I can see the limb simply rolling towards the cut. To help reduce the angle cut situation, would the 30° gear box adapter that Stihl offers be worthwhile?
A post above suggested undercutting directly below where the top cut is going for any limb greater that 1". I'm guessing this would help to encourage the limb to drop more quickly??
Most of my cutting is related to firewood so any high cuts will be to make felling easier (change the balance of the tree, reduce snags). I also cut quite a few blow downs and the pole saw may be a little easier and definitely safer for limbing these.
Comments would be appreciated
oscar4883
Addicted to ArboristSite
What I do is take larger limbs in sections. If pruning I leave a stub and finish with an appropriate cut. Undercut with a top cut above or slightly behind the undercut will help keep your saw from going with the limb. An top cut ahead of the undercut can be a saw snatcher in a limb. If unsure about getting stuck you can always lift the saw slightly out of the cut before the limb goes. Lining up your top and under cuts will help with the flat landing of a limb if you do it quickly.
JRepairsK70e
been there ...done that
whats the third salient point?? i only count two lol
