Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

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SteveHGraham
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Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

Post by SteveHGraham »

I bought a little chainsaw and a big chainsaw, and I figured I was ready to clear downed trees. Now I find that it's hard to reach a lot of limbs I need to cut, and there are others I want to be far away from when I cut them. I figure a pole saw will help.

Does anyone here know anything about pole saws? I had a crappy electric Remington in Miami. Better than nothing, but the chain came off the bar all the time, and it was not very strong.

I see two possible choices. One is an electric Stihl. They claim it will run 50 minutes and cut 8" limbs. It sounds tempting, but it's not cheap, and the battery will probably die in a year. The other is an Echo gas saw. Not cheap, either. The big drawback with this one is that Echo decided to use a carb consumers can't adjust, so you have to take it to a mechanic if it doesn't run right.

A corded saw is another possibility. I would have to put the generator in the golf cart or truck and drive it to the trees.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
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warmstrong1955
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Re: Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

Post by warmstrong1955 »

I have one of those corded Remingtons. Only problem I have with it is the oiler. If I don't drain out the unused oil, it drains itself.
Works for what I need it for. Few places I need to use 150' of extension cord. Kind of a pain, but like I say....I don't use it often.

I have some friends that own Stihl gas powered pole saws, and we bought one at a job to clear out the trees from around the phone line along the road to the mine. Lot of cutting...weeks worth. I've run 'em. Excellent saw! And, normal mortals can adjust the carb.
If I had a lot to trim, I'd get one.

I haven't been around any of the battery powered saws.
If it's a lithium battery, it should sure last longer than a year. I have a couple that are over 4 years old now. Much superior to NiCAD or NiMH batteries. They don't develop a memory, and they don't discharge laying around. You can charge them a little drained, or drained out. They actually prefer to be charged.

Bill
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spro
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Re: Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

Post by spro »

The Remington looks to be the one HF sold as the 1.5 hp item 68862. It works fine in many cases and not so fine in others. Although the motor head doesn't weigh that much, when fully extended there is considerable flex. The tightening collar is plastic and if the "boom" ( for the operator is the mast ) is at all oily, it doesn't lock up so well. Still is a good deal for the $60 ish they cost. A new Oregon bar and blade costs half that. The newer ones are probably better but the motor head may be heavier. With motor head designs, you can only handle so far out. I have the attachments for the string trimmer type (Craftsman, Ryobi, Toro ) 2cycle engines but these are old news now. They worked awhile but the engines weren't all that durable compared to a Stihl.
Hydraulic gearmotors extending 20'+ isn't what I'm looking for either. Many of us have a well mounted pedestal base in our truck. These were for cranes or swing-out hoists. In addition there were drop down, pinned sections at the corners to act as outriggers. A motor driven, extendable pole saw has been done. It requires bearings inside the tubing to support the extension shaft. The driven shaft is keyed. Wandered a tad..
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steamin10
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Re: Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

Post by steamin10 »

Being the McGuver guy I am, I needed to remote cut some branches to keep my roof line clear around the house and garage. Not wanting the expense of another do-hickey and the fuss of gas and all, I put the thinking cap on.All I need was a way to hack branches, and I have a Makita recipro saw that doubles as a tree trimmer for the saplings that plague my premises. So at mantards box store I bought a ten foot piece of stair round railing and duct taped the business end to it. Some electrical tape of 33 brand kept the cord on the pole and I rigged a light switch to the end of the pole and mumfied it in tape. Although not the lightest thing in the world, a long demolition blade with low tooth count made it a tiger in the trees zipping through fairly heavy branches with just its weight pushing it down. Pre cutting the bottom side was the trick to learn to prevent bark stripping at the end of the cut. It made life easy to get away from saggy branches.

By the way, I have an old fashion grass whip, with the serrated blade that you can practice Gollf swings with. Not being that energetic for weeds or Golf any more I use it around the tall tree to nip small branches off the lower reaches of the soft maples that hang spinfly sticks nearly to the ground. So I give thaem a hair cut about twice a year and keep clearance for the trucks and tractors to clear near the trees, I hate ducking under branches with the mowers, and the paint lines created by little sticks on my (old) trusty truck.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

Post by SteveHGraham »

I decided to get a 12" Echo. I have some pretty big branches to cut. I would post photos, but I don't want to terrify people.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
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steamin10
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Re: Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

Post by steamin10 »

When all plans fail, there is Tannerite. The new age method of tree trimming.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
spro
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Re: Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

Post by spro »

Post the photos. I'm semi terrified about a lot of things already.
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Steggy
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Re: Gas v. Cordless Pole Saws

Post by Steggy »

steamin10 wrote:When all plans fail, there is Tannerite. The new age method of tree trimming.
Yeah, but you have to hit Tannerite with a high velocity projectile to get it to detonate.
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