Poles saw - gas or electric

[LCHIEN]

I'm thinking about a pole saw for my trees, I have 5 oak trees all about 14 years old and they are getting taller and I can no longer so easily trim the lower branches using the pole pruning saw I have, even using a ladder.

Would a power pole saw, gas or electric be the solution? Or is the weight hanging out there just too much?

Since I only prune once a quarter or so, I'm not too enthusiatic about a gas saw due to the expense and I don't think gas engines don't do too well just left sitting. Using an extension cord is not a problem. Will the electric chainsaw pole pruner have enough power to saw through 2-3 inch limbs and be reasonable to balance when standing near the top of an 8' step ladder?

prices - electric "remington" chain saw pole pruner $99
ryobi gas chainsawpole pruner $180
seen at HD this evening.

[Warren]

I'd go with electric since distance is not a problem. Electric are comparatively lighter also. Just keep the chain sharp and you should be able to lop anything you have on your property. Touch it up after every use and check the depth guages now and then.

If, at any time you feel the least bit uncomfortable about safety; get a professional to prune the difficult ones. I have a lot of arborist work on the property and am constantly judging my capabilities as I age. Young and rash, older and a tad wiser.

[LCHIEN]

...
If, at any time you feel the least bit uncomfortable about safety; get a professional to prune the difficult ones. I have a lot of arborist work on the property and am constantly judging my capabilities as I age. Young and rash, older and a tad wiser.

Yeah I hear that! At 50+ I'm definately aware of some limitations I have now. I can imagine falling off a ladder with a running pole saw in hand will be a lot more costly than $250-400 the tree guys want but I do want to be able to do the minor jobs to avoid the tree guys coming but once a year or two.

[wardprobst]

I have the electric and it's pretty handy. I've never used the gas one but I have had two electric chain saws and used many gas ones. I'd say the electric ones are the way to go unless you like fooling with small gas engines.
As to the balance issue, there is definitly more weight as the end than with a pole saw but it's really not too bad.
Good luck,
DP

[Ken Massingale]

I've used both, Loring. I strongly suggest the electric. You won't have any trouble with limbs 4"+. The 2 gas ones I used are just too heavy hanging out on the end of the pole. The small electric saws will surprise you with the cutting ability.
HTH
k

[LinuxRandal]

My hand saw goes further then the electric pole saws I have access to. As trees fight gravity, your fighting a loosing battle, that would be better to make some friends with a tree service, rather then risking making friends with a medical profession.
To see how you like it, you might consider a tool rental place, but my vote is still for your safety, hiring it done.

[jseklund]

I've never actually used either of these saws myself, but the advice you've been given so far seems good. Just to back up what everyone else is saying, I got my dad one of these pole-saws for christmas a year or two ago. We went electric and he has had no problem cutting down limbs with it. Since you don't have a problem with the extension cord, I'd go that route. He said the electric can be a little hard at times because of all the weight at the end of the pole, but this would only be worse with a gas saw. He said it's not too bad...he just notices it after he's been using it for a while. A gas cutter would be much worse I'd assume. And then there's the mess of oil, gas, small engines. Electric for me.

As said before though, don't over-do it, and don't be afraid to hire a pro when necessary. It seems like you know this already though....

[jhart]

I've had the Remington electric for a couple of years and used it quite a few times. Fully extended, it's still a fair amount of weight on the end, but manageable.

For what you are describing as to the amount of use, I would suggest the electric. They do go on sale from time to time, to about the $85 - 90 rande. Picked mine up a Menard's for $85 and bought an extra chain for about $15.00 at the same time.

[TheRic]

I have neither, but I've been looking into them also. Got 7 LARGE maple trees in my yard.

The Remington has the saw and motor on the end. So you are moving the full weight (about 9 lb) around at the end of a 15' foot pole. But it does allow you to also use the chainsaw, as a conventional chainsaw (no pole). I think the pole is adjustable in height (do not quote me on this).
You probably could add something to the end to make it longer.

The Ryobi has the gas powered motor at the bottom of the pole, with the cutting chain at the other end. The pole is 12', with most of the weight (16 lb.) down at the bottom, below were you are holding it. This gives a nice counter balance to the little weight on the other end of a long pole. Since the motor is on one end, and the cutting chain is on the other you can not adjust the length of the pole, or add to the length.

I'm leaning towards getting the Ryobi (or something similar) but the price is holding me up.

[scorrpio]

I have the Remington and it's quite handy. The pole extends to about 15', and the saw itself is light enough to be still manageable at the end of a fully extended pole. I can't imagine handling a gas saw at that length. It can be used sans pole, just like a regular chainsaw, as well.

You basically lift it up keeping the pole vertical, then lean the blade against the limb you will cut. Turn the saw on, and it chews through the limb in seconds. Don't even need to apply pressure.

Be careful about storing it - just sitting on a shelf, the saw slowly leaks oil from its lubricant reservoir. Storing the saw vertically with blade pointing up prevents this.

[Hellrazor]

I have a Cub Cadet Professional Series gas polesaw. Its 7' long, non-extendable. It kicks some butt, but it can get heavy. If I was you, I'd just rent one...

[jnesmith]

I have the Remington electric. I haven't use it much, but had a problem with the head spinning about the shaft. I'm sure I can rig/fix it, but haven't done so. It is handy just as a handsaw, but I've kind of given up on it as a pole saw.

I bought it cheap; I think I got it from HF a while back.

I've decided if I had it to do over again, I would buy a higher quality gas unit, rent, or just cut deals with tree trimmers who happen to be working in the neighborhood. I've found they will give a good deal if they already have the crew nearby.

[Stick]

Yeah I hear that! At 50+ I'm definately aware of some limitations I have now. I can imagine falling off a ladder with a running pole saw in hand will be a lot more costly than $250-400 the tree guys want but I do want to be able to do the minor jobs to avoid the tree guys coming but once a year or two.

Me too! A friend's dad was 82, perched up in a tree with a chain saw and had a heart attack and died up there. Lived alone on a farm. Was up there until his daughter came to visit. She found him by the smell and the ravens.

As to the saws, I've never used either. At work we have hydraulic powered pole saws that the linemen use to trim trees. They're light like electric ones, and they consider gas ones too dangerous to use from a bucket, and this is guys that do this for a living. If it were me, I'd go with the electric.

[HarmsWay]

Hey, I'm all for power tools - especially gas powered ones, but pole-mounted chainsaws just seem like a bad idea to me. I do quite a bit of pruning myself. I use a gas hedge trimmer (haven't decided yet whether that was a good purchase) but I use one of those combo pole saw / bypass pruners for stuff like what you're describing. The pruner will cut up to about an inch and the 17" saw will apparently cut 7" diameter branches (I've cut at least 6" cherry branches). The pole on mine adjusts from 5-10 feet. It's quite easy to use whether you're on the ground, on a orchard ladder or up the tree. Probably easier to snake through a bunch of branches than a chainsaw, not to mention cheaper to buy and run. I've never used a pole saw though.

Edit-> Doh, guess I should have read Loring's first post better. His pole saw couldn't reach from the 8' step ladder, so I would recommend keeping the pole saw and buying or renting a bigger orchard ladder.

[HeavyDuty]

I have an electric ryobi with a selection of attatchments roto-tiller/weedeater/chain saw-pole saw / pruner . The attatchments are by Expand-It . I would recomend it highly for home use it has preformed flawlessly and has handled up to 8" blk jack oak limbs . I am disabled so a ladder is not an option. I hope this helps btw I use it on a 100 ft. xten.cord 10/3 and have had no problems . Bob