Thinking about maybe getting a pole saw

I have been kind of needing a pole saw off and on. I have never owned one but I have borrowed one a couple times before. Don't remember the brand, but it did pretty good. I remember it was extendable and had quite a reach to it.

Once again because of the dealerships locally, I was considering a Stihl and doing a little research I see that the Stihl HT 132 is fairly well liked. It's only 7ft long though. But that maybe long enough, however, I wouldn't mind a little more reach.

I am in the process of cutting some woodland roads through my property of mostly second growth hardwoods, with a fair scattering of cedar trees. Some of the cedars are pretty big. I have cut probably a couple of hundred feet in, so far, a couple of days ago. I felled quite a few trees, and limbed some more. I have noticed or can envision the trail I want, and can see that I could leave a lot more trees by just cutting the limbs off for a ways up. So far I have just been cutting the offending trees down, and that's doable but creates a mess to clean up, to clear for the trail. And it's sometimes challenging to find a place through the canopy to fall it but I am getting pretty good at that.
No decent fire wood to speak of, Elm and Cedar mostly, and smaller brush, with the occasional Locust or oak that might be worth cutting up for fire wood. The Cedars would make good fence posts, but I don't use many wood fence post anymore, and limbing them up a ways, will be more efficient.

Who has a recommendation for a good gas powered pole saw?

 

Have you considered a Silkey professional pole saw.?

 

No, I am not sure if I have ever heard on one. I will do a little search.

 

Oh, Ok, Yep, I could see how that could work but I have too much to cut, and really want a chainsaw head.

 

I have a Stihl and never had a problem with it yet, I'll get the model number off it tomorrow and post it tomorrow afternoon.

We've been here since 2003 and the old Pines were limbed up first for a walking trail, made bigger and higher for the Rhino and then our Mahindra 4540. The wife was wondering why I bought it (2004 I think) but after I made the trails better with each year, she could see why I wanted it.

 

I'm not sure what it cost when we bought it but this is the Stihl Polesaw we have.
Stihl gas-powered polesaw (HT 101)

 

The Stihl pole saws are good reliable saws. I have one but it’s not adjustable. I will get the number & length off it tomorrow. I am thinking it’s a HT101 also. It’s been a very good saw but I am looking at an Echo for an extendable pole saw.
PPT-2620 Gas Loop Handle Power Pruner and Pole Saw | ECHO X Series

Sometimes you can pick one up used for a decent price.

 

The extendable battery powered Stihl pole saw is the way to go. A lot lighter than gas powered and less noise.

 

I know you said gas-powered but I bought a Milwaukee battery pole saw and really like it. Pretty cool how well it cuts.

 

I've got the Stihl HT 101 as well (and it is extendable). Had it for about seven or eight years and while it doesn't see that much use, it is nice to have when needed. It's not the lightest one out there however Stihl makes a clip accessory that you can use with the pole saw to allow the use of harness. I use the harness that came with my Stihl FS 360 brushcutter and it helps when you're using the pole saw for extended periods.

 

It's on my Xmas List!

I mistakenly purchased the weed wacker from them without the Quick Lock or whatever their interface is called. Now I want the pole saw, so I need to get a whole new unit that has the quick lock attachment, the weed eater, and the pole saw.

 

When I bought my Milwaukee kit, it included a free attachment; I got the polesaw and the hedge trimmer. I have not seen this special sale since but you can always shop around to see if you can find a deal and do not forget Ebay, I have seen special combos on there. I recently bought a 2-battery package deal on there; now I have three large Milwaukee batteries. I also have and like their Sawzall and their wet-dry vacuum.

 

I have an Echo PPT-280 with a 4 foot extension. I got it because I had a branch that needed to be fixed and the price of the pole saw was less than the price of a trip to the ER if I had tried cutting it from a ladder. Most of my firewood is from trees knocked over by storms so the can be kind of nasty, many widow makers in them. With my pole saw I can work on them without being so close to the tree making it much safer for me. I have used the saw way more than I imagined I would.

 

I have the Stihl pole saw that is part of the Kombi system. I find I use it more on downed trees than limbs in the air. Very handy to cut standing 4-6' away from the jumbled top.

 

Yep, they are about $600, my closest dealer has an HT 103 with is about the same thing for around the same price.

 

That is option alright. I have a lot of battery powered Dewalt tools, which have always done pretty good.

 

I have the ht 101 I believe it’s extendable to 14ft. It’s been a decent saw for the most part. That being said I would go with the echo with the hoop handle. I’m pretty much done with stihl.

 

This sounds like the one we used when i worked for the county, super dependable and the extension part of it really helped. Its amazing how big of a diameter tree you can cut down with this pole saw, as well as how high you can reach up into a tree with it. Little spendy, but, well worth the money if you really have a use for it. If i needed one, i'd defiantly spend the extra money, and get the Stihl extendable one.

 

I like my Milwaukee battery pole saw. I've run a pile of gas pole saws & they're good, but get heavy. I've burnt my chaps a few times too. The battery saw I can use my leg as leverage to keep the saw in position without the hot engine to think about. Just a thought.

 

I bought the 20v chainsaw and then the 20v pole saw, both dewalt, as I have plenty of dewalt 20v batteries around. I’ve been impressed with both, but especially the pole saw. Keep it sharp and don’t try and cut a 30” “branch” with it and it’ll do well. I like that it comes apart to haul easily but goes back together quickly also. I’ve had bad luck with tools that “extend” as the friction mechanisms seems to wear or need constant adjusting.
This is what I purchased since I had batteries already.

8 in. 20V MAX Cordless Pole Saw (Tool Only)

DEWALT 8 in. 20V MAX Cordless Pole Saw (Tool Only)-DCPS620B - The Home Depot


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