Pole Saw for hung up trees

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

NYWoodsman

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Messages
21
Reaction score
15
Location
NY
I do a quite a bit of felling in the woods with all the dead Ash we have up here in the North East. I do end up with the occasional hanger which I usually section piece by short piece as high as I can reach with my saw and end up with a bunch of short lengths which I have to get out of the woods.
What about a good quality say Stihl 14in telescoping pole saw for reaching up and making cuts that help get a tree un-hung. Anyone have any experience with this.
 
I do a quite a bit of felling in the woods with all the dead Ash we have up here in the North East. I do end up with the occasional hanger which I usually section piece by short piece as high as I can reach with my saw and end up with a bunch of short lengths which I have to get out of the woods.
What about a good quality say Stihl 14in telescoping pole saw for reaching up and making cuts that help get a tree un-hung. Anyone have any experience with this.
Certainly would be a welcome addition to help you.
 
I have two manual pole-saws, one Stihl (21'?) and one shorter telescoping fiberglass handle (15') that I mounted a Silky blade on. I prefer the Silky, as it cuts better than the Stihl. I use the pole-saw quite a bit in my work, but can't remember using one for freeing a hung up tree. If removing a small branch or two would free the hang-up, then yes I can see that. But if you're thinking about cutting through the top of your tree, that's problematic on two counts. First, you're likely to get the saw pinched in the cut (unless you try cutting up from beneath, and good luck with that), and second, even if the cut doesn't close on your blade, you're likely cutting at a steep angle that will wear you out long before you complete the cut.

For dealing with hung up tops, there's three common methods better than resorting to a pole-saw. First, I usually cut away at the base of the tree--very carefully and studying each cut, as this can be dangerous if done wrong. Most times this works fine, but experience and caution should guide you on this. Second, a cant hook can often be used to roll the hanger to one side. (Did this with a hanger two weeks ago--and rolled the tree to the ground in under a minute.) And third, using either a come-along or a vehicle, pull the hanger out with a chain or rope attached to the base of the tree. This is the most time-consuming method, but probably the safest.
 
I'm going to try it. I figured with a good top cut then an undercut using the leverage a strap over the shoulder to aid in the bottom cut. I'll be able to make these cuts much higher providing longer sections to haul out. I realize this all sounds great but I know there will be risks of getting my bar pinched 16 ft up or dropping a log on the saw causing damage. I plan on doing this with a 30+cc Stihl saw with a 14 in bar. Something with some balls as far as pole saws go. I do realize I won't be able to do this with large diameter trees but it might be worth it.
 
I checked this video. That Oregon batt saw is a great tool but only has an 8in bar. Great for trimming small branches are the house. I have one. It's very light and easy to handle but won't do what a Stihl 30 plus cc saw will do
I actually have both, and also a Husqvarna battery powered pole saw. True a good gas powered pole saw has more power, but also more weight. For me I have tackled some pretty large jobs now with a couple of batteries and a battery powered pole saw. The question for me is which tool is enough for the task at hand. IF I can do a particular job with the battery option, I pick it EVERY time. So much less hassle. Less vibration and weight... I've cut through larger than 8inch branches by hitting it from both sides. If I only have ONE like that, the battery option works for me, if I have a LOT, then the gas powered one comes along for the ride to finish if needed.

Kind of got my dose of Stihl at highway when I was there going "tree crew" work. A few years of pushing those gas powered pole saws all day during the spring time, both Stihl and Husqvarna is part of the reason I've come to where I am now :) While hammer reliable, the "four mix" powered pole saws at the time were SO HEAVY after a couple of hours.

I guess the point is as true with so many discussions, it's not always about what has more or less of anything. Spec sheets and numbers are simple and make discussion easy I suppose for some. For me it's about the experience doing a job with a given set of parameters and options. While there are some I STILL need the "stihl", most I now do with my Oregon with the Husqvarna as a backup. :)

( Also have the Stihl Combi system, use it MOSTLY with the hedge trimmer attachment. One of the best purchases ever for the farm )
 
Cutting chunks off the bottom with a saw that the bar can be detached. Pole saw can help nibble off or allow stand off for final separation when things seperate. What is proposed in post 7 is unrealistic in height expectation to cut top and bottom. None of this is in the manual, pull the butt end is recommended.
 
I pretty much always go out with my pole saw handy. I use it for clearing the area, great for knocking down multiflora rose, and for trimming up dropped trees. It lets me loosen up a lot of stray branches, etc. without having to get in there with all that crap and risk tripping. Knock a bunch off, then clear and go in with the saw. Much easier and safer. I've bent my pole a couple times when things went south.....better than hitting me. Usually a heavy branch will roll and you just can't get the saw out of the way fast enough.
 
Actually cutting at an elevated height with a pole saw and then getting a rope up near the cut and pulling perpendicular with a come along or portable winch is something I think would work. As far as pulling from the butt end goes that's not always an option because the butt end is sunk into the ground. Yea you can set an elevated pulley and attempt an up and out pull to hopefully skate the tree free. I can't get my tractor to alot of my logging areas because of marsh so butt pulling with that is a no go. When I come across a hanger I'll get back on to let everyone know how I've done. I'll post some pics too. And I already purchased a used Stihl Pole saw on eBay which I'm sure will come in useful in other situations also.
 
I pretty much always go out with my pole saw handy. I use it for clearing the area, great for knocking down multiflora rose, and for trimming up dropped trees. It lets me loosen up a lot of stray branches, etc. without having to get in there with all that crap and risk tripping. Knock a bunch off, then clear and go in with the saw. Much easier and safer. I've bent my pole a couple times when things went south.....better than hitting me. Usually a heavy branch will roll and you just can't get the saw out of the way fast enough.
Yea the climbing thru branches like a snake isn't for me and I can see how a pole saw could be very useful for this. I'm always tripping on branches because if BCFS. Big Clumsy Feet Syndrome.
 
It is pretty hard to figure out all the forces on hung up stuff. Whether it is still attached to a pulled up root system or detached. Those 0.043 chain don't cut too much more kerf than the bar. Cutting notches at extended reach isn't near as easy as with a conventional saw. One benefit is that the folks that want the chain brake activated any time the feet move can't comment.

For some strange reason I don't seem to have dead ash trees. One pulled the root system up and fell over and it was making sprouts out of the main stem. Oak and hemlock on the other hand seems to have significant dead now and likely totally dead soon. It is hard to know how deteriorated the top of the tree is and hence how brittle in these discussions.
 
If I have a hang up I try to give it a guy with the old pickup truck if it's in a place where I can have my old pickup there with me. Or I'll put one of those old antique (made better than a lot of today's crap) come alongs on there and just pull em down so I can be in a safer place when they all come tumbling down to earth . And if needed I'll put a few cuts here and there to help em come down so that it don't take as much pulling power as it does when I don't cut em any. I know, thats cheating but I've lived to tell about alot of hung up situations.
 
If I have a hang up I try to give it a guy with the old pickup truck if it's in a place where I can have my old pickup there with me. Or I'll put one of those old antique (made better than a lot of today's crap) come alongs on there and just pull em down so I can be in a safer place when they all come tumbling down to earth . And if needed I'll put a few cuts here and there to help em come down so that it don't take as much pulling power as it does when I don't cut em any. I know, thats cheating but I've lived to tell about alot of hung up situations.
I use my SXS to yank them is the same way.
 
Around my home I bought a Sunjoy electric pole saw it was around $80 us many times on sale cheaper, it really did a great job on a nasty evergreen bush hanging over my back fence.
 

Attachments

  • 76C27AB2-2D38-40B5-A19F-D2045D47CA62.jpeg
    76C27AB2-2D38-40B5-A19F-D2045D47CA62.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 5
I'm going to try it. I figured with a good top cut then an undercut using the leverage a strap over the shoulder to aid in the bottom cut. I'll be able to make these cuts much higher providing longer sections to haul out. I realize this all sounds great but I know there will be risks of getting my bar pinched 16 ft up or dropping a log on the saw causing damage. I plan on doing this with a 30+cc Stihl saw with a 14 in bar. Something with some balls as far as pole saws go. I do realize I won't be able to do this with large diameter trees but it might be worth it.
Stick saws are too expensive and easy to damage for unsticking hung up trees, IMHO. The problem is the head is to far away to see you are getting pinched until it is too late. I would go with a winch if you can get close it an arborists fiddle block kit. The latter takes a while to set up, but once you do you can pull what you are tied to around 15 or 20 ft a lot quicker than a come-along.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top