NEED SOME SUGGESTIONS

[Golddollar]

I have a huge Norway spruce tree in the middle of my back yard. It started out as a potted plant I bought for my second Christmas in this house and now it's taller than the house. There are now some branches reaching over to the gutter and I decided I'd better trim the tree back. So I got my limb loppers and cut off limbs as far as I could reach up. Then I decided to try standing on my 3 step ladder to reach farther up. On the second step I decided this was not a smart idea, climbed down and put the ladder away.

So I went to the computer and tried to search out long handled tree pruners. Just looking at pictures just didn't seem to do the trick for me. So I'll probably go out to the stores this week to look at long pruners and hopefully find one that I can use that won't cost a whole lot of money. Has anybody had any experience with such a thing and can recommend a brand?

On the other hand, is it possible to rent such a tool for a day rather than lay out a stack of cash for something I might only use once a year?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[DWalt]

I have owned several long-handled electric chain saws and shear trimmers. My current one has a telescoping handle that extends to 10'. Where one can be rented I can't say. Try your friends and neighbors. They are common items for anyone having trees in their yards.

My current electric chain saw on a pole (a Sunjoe) has a blade about 8" long so it can cut through a fairly large limb. It wasn't that expensive. The shears do not work very well on anything much more than maybe 3/4" diameter. Sun Joe SWJ806E 2-in-1 Electric Convertible Pole Chain Saw

 

[coltle6920]

You weren't very specific about the reason for trimming some branches.

Possible damage to the gutter is one thing. The gutter getting clogged from needles is something else.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

If I was 40 years younger I would put on my tree hooks and climb it for you. Trim all the way up and down. LOL.

 

[soFlaNative]

I'm picturing a 40+ foot Christmas tree, yea or nay?
Evergreens are a PITA to keep pruned.

 

[jimmyj]

Advice / Personel Experence : Hired a professional tree person / company.

 

[Tom S.]

If you already have battery powered tools, see if that brand has an electric pole saw. I have the DeWalt pole saw since I already own more than 1/2 dozen of their batteries, and love it. Just the saw alone is $180 on Amazon. Since the battery mounts on the handle, it balances pretty decently. Using it along with my 12 foot step ladder, I've trimmed some pretty high branches.

 

[Vtgw938]

I use pole saws all the time around the house but they came from my father who worked for the power company. Most are old wood ones but I do have a section or two of fiberglass. You can get a saw attachment as well as a pruner which clips small branches off, or a combination of both. I would think whatever brand you can find would work for most jobs. As you add sections, it becomes very wobblily and requires more effort to saw branches. That is where a quality fiberglass pole with good connectors would be helpful.

 

[Golddollar]

I'm picturing a 40+ foot Christmas tree, yea or nay?
Evergreens are a PITA to keep pruned.

About 25 feet right now, with a potential to reach 40 feet if I remember correctly from the label on the pot.

 

[kamloops67]

trim it at about 8” from the ground, future you will appreciate it
Your lawn will thank you as well

 

[444 Magnum]

Before you invest in a pole saw, make sure you can handle the extended weight. Not the easiest thing to manage depended on age, agility, and strength.

 

[Golddollar]

Before you invest in a pole saw, make sure you can handle the extended weight. Not the easiest thing to manage depended on age, agility, and strength.

Good advice. I'm sticking with manually operated tools. Anything resembling a chain saw is totally outside my realm of experience.

 

[BC38]

I have owned several long-handled electric chain saws and shear trimmers. My current one has a telescoping handle that extends to 10'. Where one can be rented I can't say. Try your friends and neighbors. They are common items for anyone having trees in their yards.

My current electric chain saw on a pole (a Sunjoe) has a blade about 8" long so it can cut through a fairly large limb. It wasn't that expensive. The shears do not work very well on anything much more than maybe 3/4" diameter. Sun Joe SWJ806E 2-in-1 Electric Convertible Pole Chain Saw

Harbor Freight is your friend

Here's the manual saw & shear I have. Like DWalt said the shear is good for branches up to about 3/4" or so, but the saw blade is OK for branches up to around 3" - if you have the strength and stamina to use it
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And here is the electric version I bought for even bigger branches. It is really easy to use. It weighs about 7.5 pounds and about 4-5 pounds of that is in the head. The rest is the handle. Once you lift it up and lay the chain on top of a branch its weight will make it dig in and cut without you having to apply any extra pressure. Works REALLY well!
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Both work great, and are reasonably priced.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I have a huge Norway spruce tree in the middle of my back yard. It started out as a potted plant I bought for my second Christmas in this house and now it's taller than the house. There are now some branches reaching over to the gutter and I decided I'd better trim the tree back.

So I went to the computer and tried to search out long handled tree pruners. Just looking at pictures just didn't seem to do the trick for me.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I have this one below, bought it at Lowe's, but you can get it from Amazon. It will reach 16 feet with the pruning saw and about 14 feet with the lopper, but it gets harder to manage the longer you have it extended. The lopper will cut a limb about an inch thick. The saw blade cuts on the pull stroke and will cut something almost as thick as the blade is long if you have the patience and endurance. I've used mine for 4 years and do a lot of trimming with it (I do landscaping) and it's held up well.

You must have a small yard if the tree is in the middle and you have limbs hanging over the house eaves. I also have a Norway Spruce in my front yard, it was our first Christmas tree 29 years ago. The tree was 4 feet tall when I planted it, it's over 40 feet now. I love the tree, wish all the trees in my yard were like it. No leaves to rake in the fall and they are beautiful with a coat of snow. I have never trimmed mine and don't plan to.
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Chain-Drive-Extendable-Pruner/dp/B01N5610H6/ref=sr_1_2?crid=DHMIXOVK2WRR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hr6Z8hEAp4ZwsVrGMUEpK9VkKy2F2-_scc16dIiOz54b8n6bh2xwWfmgQ4KaPkOnTkS-QpHRXO9-W8_xOvTON2w-G8pKilSCRSAeWmAIIScfsOQAozwtUflGnwGP9Zry2MJaoN1xW2EgPFQQBWz4SKk9gFyVOJ2ojrcMXjevrDPMdAgS5P_nBsVCfgxGZcl88tIxFgNTJJ9sO6Rx-O957HSWyZqVEy2leCzuBaeCWVqd6mVKgZU23bS0bVHNP7OCl9mKzi5HluB6dMEfjhPKdoubjqU_k5TWJfykvH-3m8E.VnN-v-9LrT37G-l5P0wDHLNQaw0rvy1FbZ_oWfRiJes&dib_tag=se&keywords=pole%2Bsaws%2Band%2Bpruners&qid=1719529876&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=pole%2Bsaws%2Band%2Bpruners%2Clawngarden%2C89&sr=1-2&th=1[/ame]
Click on the blue box at the bottom of the Amazon logo

 

[Golddollar]

Well, it looks like a solution has come to me. I have a guy who has been cutting my grass and shoveling my snow. My cousin suggested asking him if he had the tools for pruning trees. So I asked him today and it turns out that he acquired a long pruner when his parents gave up housekeeping. So he'll call to see when I'm home and come over to prune the Norway spruce while standing on the ground. Thanks for all of your suggestions.

 

[BC38]

Well, it looks like a solution has come to me. I have a guy who has been cutting my grass and shoveling my snow. My cousin suggested asking him if he had the tools for pruning trees. So I asked him today and it turns out that he acquired a long pruner when his parents gave up housekeeping. So he'll call to see when I'm home and come over to prune the Norway spruce while standing on the ground. Thanks for all of your suggestions.

HEY! Even better - you don't have to buy OR use the tools!

 

[Golddollar]

HEY! Even better - you don't have to buy OR use the tools!

My lawn guy came over with his long limb pruner and we proceeded to trim up my huge Norway spruce tree. He took 3 big contractor bags of wild limbs off the tree which cleared the branches away from my house and really shaped the tree up. I was so glad that he was able to do the work without having to get up on a ladder. Maybe this will become another side line for my lawn guy.

 

[Aggie1906]

I live sorta in the woods. Have had a manual saw/lopper for years. Good buddy bought a Ryobi pole chain saw, 40v. I sued it happily and successfully. Beats that wobbly, tiring manual sawing stuff.