My Dad is wanting a pole saw. I'll probably buy it and let him use it. So I want a decent gas operated one. What should I look for? Stay away from? Thank you.
Just to be clear here...........................We're not typing saws made in Poland.......................correct??!!!
I have a Stihl HT101 that I use for trimming/pruning around my property - nothing commercial. I like it very much and it gets the job done and is reliable. I believe the HT100 and HT130 are fixed length pole saws at 7', and the HT101 and HT131 are telescoping and go up to 11.5'. They're great saws, but expensive when new and seem to stay high even for used. My uncle has an Echo (no idea of model) and he has high regards for it. Regardless of brand my recommendations when searching for pole saws (a.k.a. pole pruners) are as such... Get a telescoping version. 7' or 8' may seem like a lot, but you'll find yourself constantly staring upwards in disappointment. Get the largest displacement/power engine you can within your budget. When you only have 20cc or 30cc turning a 12" or 14" bar via an extended shaft you lack power very quickly. If you're buying used make sure you know how it should sound & run. I can't speak for other brands, but the telescoping shafts in the Stihl saws can go bad and they start to vibrate and make noise that some sellers will try to tell you is normal with pole saws.
Stay away from the lighter duty homeowner ones at Walmart etc (But I'm sure you knew that already ) If you're short on storage space I recommend the Husky 327P5X. Its the only one that breaks down into 2 pieces for compact storage/travel.Still very durable for commercial use if needed.Total length is 137" when together.I can reach up to 17 feet from the ground with this one.Main reasons I went with this model is my pickup bed with topper is just 6.5 feet long & storage shed is barely 7 feet to the ceiling & 8 feet corner to corner.Other telescoping brands are 7 to 8 feet at their shortest position. http://www.husqvarna.com/us/forest/products/pole-saws/327p5x/
I bought the KM 130R, large power head of Stihl's KombiSystem. A Multi task tool that you can use different attachment with. I currently have the pole saw and the weed eater. They are expensive. But I thought about eventually having at least three different tools for all the work I want to do for home and property, so decided to have one tool. I am really impressed with it.
The cool thing about those Kombi units is that you can buy extensions for them that make them as long as a telescoping unit would be. Also you obviously can buy other tools to run on them which you can't do on a dedicated polesaw. I don't think I'd settle for anything under 70cc and I'm pretty sure I'd want to get it ported too.
I have the KM110R, I think,its the middle powerhead. ...I got the weed whip head, the polesaw attachment, the saw blade sapling head and the blower. I bought the pole saw and wheedwip with the powerhead as a present to myself when i bought the house. great investment.. used it a ton clearing 15' of neighbors overgrowth on my property. later on I bought the blower attachment. I have two 4' extensions.. With the power head, two 4' extensions and the pole saw attachment, it is HEAVEY. good reach though. the blower is stronger than any backpack blower Iv'e used or seen. Its a great system, but a little pricey for just a pole saw.. the head, one 4' ext and pole saw attachment will run you about 600 bucks at the minimum and get you about 8-9' of reach. I use the pole saw 6-8 times a year and the whees wacker head weekly. Its been a good unit, but wish i would have bought the larger powerhead for the pole saw. the medium powerhead works great for everything else, weeds, saplings, blower. I tried making making the 372 work on a pole, but once I got it up there, the duct taped throttle to a piece of rope wasn't the best throttle control. took two guys to hold the pole up. worked great. Stihl only recommends one length of extension to be used with any attachment. I see why after using two, it takes a lot of power and there is a lot of weight on the joints when suspended in the air. I'm working on a 10mm 044 upgrade for it now.
I have a light weight one from sears. It is an attachment to the weed trimmer. I don't know how much your Dad will use it, but know that they are heavy and awkward to those of us who don't work a lot. If it is just for a few limbs now and then, try to go light. If he plans to use it many times and is up to it, try for a better one, but be aware they are heavy and exhausting to use.
The other cool thing about the kombi attachments is that if you have a straight shaft stihl trimmer the kombi attachments slide right on also so a new power head isn't needed! Most dealers won't tell you that bc the kombi sells for more $
All good thought points. My dads got some trees to trim up at the house, may use it around the deer stand, and then the rest will be to me. I know it wont be used all the time, but it would be handy around here and there. Dad started mentioning it when he saw the special ad on Thanksgiving.
My Husqvarna came with a free very well designed harness that spreads the weight around when using it for long periods.Much better for your back & shoulders.
I have the HT131 and it has been very useful around the farm, but it is a heavy sucker. I have heard good things about the Echo units.
Just to add/clarify here: Stihl attachments generally come in two versions, the gearbox and the Kombi. Gearbox versions are just the attachment without the half-shaft and will work on any straight shaft trimmer or full length tool like the HT polesaw, HL hedgetrimmers, or KW powersweep. Some things do not switch over well because of shaft length (blower is one) and you can't use the extensions on the end of the trimmer shaft. Kombi attachments cost a bit more because they come with the half-shaft and coupler to make them a tool-free changeover. But you can indeed buy gearbox attachments for a bit less $$ and swap a Kombi shaft amongst them.
I have a HT131 and I like it. The engine revs really quick. It has great torque. The telescopic shaft is very nice. The kombis are nice because of the versatility. I think you can only add one shaft extension to them. I was going to gt a kombi but I got a good deal on my HT131 used. I previously had a troybily trimmer with the polesaw attachment. It only had a 8" bar which never seemed to be enough. A plastic sprocket ran the chain. The power head was noisy and did not have much power. I think it was the same as the Poulan polesaw trimmer combo that TSC and NT sell. I think a good manual polesaw would have been better.
