How Can a Pole Saw Make Your Day Easier?

Recently, I have been finding myself using the pole saw more and more when it comes to removals. I know that may seem weird seeing as it’s usually go time when it comes to removing a tree and the climber is almost always up there laying brush on the ground as fast as possible, right? We recently bought a crane that we are running a Mecanil saw head on and we have really found that smaller lower limbs are a total pain to deal with when you are trying to clear an area to set the brush down. Too many times we were fighting with dinky little limbs that were guaranteed to catch a hydraulic line or hydraulic track when they could have simply been cut off with a pole saw, or even a pruner pole!

This summer we removed a ton of Colorado Blue Spruce trees that were infected with Rhizosphaera needle cast. These nasty things have no needles on the inside and barely anything on the outside. The needles that are on them make a mess when the tree hits the ground and end up everywhere. The Notch Sentei pole saw is great for these types of trees. Usually, my ground guy will start cutting the lower limbs off with a chainsaw, once he gets to about the 5’ mark he grabs the pruning pole saw and goes to town. The Blue Spruce limbs can usually be cut with a long swipe or 2 of the pole saw. He can easily clear the limbs up to 20’ in a matter of minutes, usually while I’m setting a line in the trees to drop the tops. The work flow is great when it comes to these types of trees and having the right piece of equipment, like the Notch pole saw.

Another thing it is great for is the removal of dead wood. Many times you can get yourself in a comfortable position while climbing to just use a tree cutter pole saw to do a complete 360 of your area, knocking out the deadwood as you turn. Then by extending the pole saw out in different intervals, you can almost work the entire canopy of some of the medium size trees that we work in. The Notch pole saw is especially helpful while chasing dead wood in large Northern Red Oaks that are tall and spread out. Pairing it with a pole pruner or hand pruner for the tricky spots for those precision cuts makes the job even faster.

The fact that the saw isn’t a solid pole but actually extends is its greatest attribute. You can use the pole as a 5’ pole saw then extend it out to every length you might need up to 21’. That’s pretty impressive! The other amazing feature is the Silky Sentei blade. If you have used any Silky saw before I don’t think I have to say much but if you haven’t… you don’t know what you’re missing out on! Silky pole saws cut smoothly and fast making for a great finished product as well as less fatigue on the climber. That’s a win-win for sure! At Bartlett, we’re always putting Silky pole saws and hand saws to the test, especially popular products like the Silky Bigboy, Zubat, and Tsurugi. That means we’re constantly sharing tips, techniques, and favorite products, so be sure to keep an eye out!

I never really found myself to be a pruning pole saw type of climber or worker but in the end it all really comes down to using the right tool for the job. Many times, we are finding ourselves reaching for the pole saw or pruner pole more than we ever thought we would and it is working out great for us. From removing those pesky limbs that are too bothersome to reach with the Mecanil head to removing small hangers that a climber would have to otherwise climb up and get. It may seem like a small job that this extension pole saw is performing but in the long game, it’s making all of our jobs easier and you can’t beat that!