'High Limb Chain Saw'

[DeanJ]

Hello,
I would like your opinions on the "high limb chain saw"
http://www.right-tool.com/higlimhancha.html
I want to avoid some of the unsafe practices I have read about on this forum,(unsecured ladder, climbing without proper safety equipment, etc.) Do you think this is a safe way for an amateur to prune high branches without getting in the tree? Thanks for your input.

 

[Newfie]

I've seen those before but not used one. I always wondered where you would stand? Right under that limb that you are pruning? Ouch, my head! I would also think you might end of with some poor pruning cuts with the limb wanting to tear away before the cut is completed.

 

[TREETX]

Never used one either. Let us know how it works if you give it a go.

The one thing the picture does not show is a completed cut or the limb breaking away and peeling down the side of the tree.

 

[DeanJ]

Thanks for the replies. If I end up getting one of these I'll let you know how it turns out & post some pics.
--Dean

 

[Greg]

Since no one came out and said it, I will. That thing looks like a piece of junk. It has been around for a while but I have never heard of anyone using one. I'd also like to know how that little rope keeps the cutter side of the chain down against the tree, what would prevent it from rolling over where the cutters would be sticking up in the air not cutting? Also your would need to stand almost directly under it so you could get enough pull to make it cut, be prepared to run or dive out of the way.

I think you would be much better off with a good pole saw. They sell saws that can reach 20ft. Much more money to spend, but you will get a much better cut, a little more safety, and you will end up using it a lot more.

Good luck!
Greg

 

[Acer]

Originally posted by Greg
That thing looks like a piece of junk.

Got to agree, but I don't think you'd ever get to the point where you'd have to run. I reckon the cutters will just jam in the wood. That design of cutter is meant to be travelling at speed, like on a chainsaw at full throttle. The way the picture shows, they'll just dig into the wood and stick.

 

[Newfie]

Course we're all assuming that the thing will actually get up in the tree where you want it.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I had one!

I used a throw ball and throw line to get it up over the limb. I got it in place, a small limb, just to warm up. After about twenty very difficult pulls it got stuck. So I pulled real hard and SNAP! So I pulled real hard the other way, SNAP! At least the ropes came out. The chitty little chain just broke, which was good, because it was stuck in the kerf for good.
Overall performance grade: F-

 

[rbtree]

Dave cut into one of those a while back.. in that nasty cottonwood. It was grown way in....!

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I'm not buying Dave a new chain.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Even if it did work most of the time there is no way to make a good undercut, which will lead to uncontroled rips in the trunk.

Hire someone who knows what they are doing to the tree when pruning. An Arborist.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Why couldn't you hang a retrievable pulley on each side of the cut just above the branch, then string the saw through the pulleys, thus pulling up on the saw?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I think I need a drawing to visualize it Mike

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

You asked...

 

[Stumper]

Nice drawing Mike. I think that all of us can see that a homeowner with 1 or 2 branches to cut is going to be ahead both money and time wise hiring a pro. For that matter Joe Homeowner could buy a professional grade pole saw and skip the agravation of the multiple ropes and pulleys. Of course he/she would still need to learn how to prune and might get thumped on the head while learning.

 

[Treeman14]

That would work, Mike.

Better yet, what if there were some way to attach some kind of motor to that chain, so it would reciprocate or even spin around to make the cut?

 

[Greg]

I was at home depot over the weekend and was surprised to find that they sell these things!! Sorry it didn't work for you Mike, guess you gotta keep climbing.
Greg

 

[treeclimber165]

Least expensive professional quality polesaw

A standard Jameson style polesaw head with standard blade can be had for about $20-$25 at many supply houses. For a handle you can use 1¼" dowel rod from Home Depot at $1 per foot. It should be sanded and sealed with polyurethane to keep it from splintering. For $35 and a little effort using basic wood skills, you have a good quality and functional polesaw.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

But I can reach 25 feet with the rope saw!!

 

[Stumper]

And I can reach 35 feet with my pole saw! (Very much of that will make a man's shoulder width exceed his height-if his arms don't fall off!)