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Pole saws
Thanks for the info JDF415. You seem to be quite the Deere historian. Do you work for them or something?
I'll certainly check out the Deere pole saw before plunking my money down on anything.
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It is both Ken, you can buy them off the shelf, but they are MUCH cheaper to build, and I have done so. They are expensive because the people who make them, for liability reasons, have to maker them dielectric so that when some idiot touches an electric line they don't get sued into oblivion by his widow.
If you only have to take the leaders off the tops there is an easier and cheaper way to do it. If you need to prune lower limbs the power pruner is the only real option.
Best of luck.
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I work for a JD Dealer. I have worked for John Deere Company or a John Deere dealer for 15 years. That's where the JD415 came from. My wife and I lived in the Ukraine (1996-1997) while working for JD. JD had sold 1050 of the 9600 model combines and we went over to help set up their parts and service support for these machines.
The compact utilty tractors, lawn & garden tractors, hand held stuff is what I sell now. And the fact is I just love my job. I feel fortunate to get paid to do what I love doing.
Entering info on this tractor web site isn't something I do because I am tring to sell anything. I just like to help people by sharing what information I have. I wouldn't try to stop someone from buying Kubota or Sthil. Even though they are my competition. They do make some good quality equipment as well. I just try to point out some differences and somthings to think about that might not be considered otherwise.
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It's great to have a knowledgeable JD dealer on board. I think you've been very even-handed and unbiased in your postings which is very welcome here.
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Ken, I just got back from my local Stihl dealer. The extendable (recommend this model) is $559. If you wait, Stihl is phasing out the 2 strokes models of these pruners and fielding their 4 stroke version at about the same price. You still use 2 stroke fuel mix so it is a wash unless you prefer one over the other.
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Thanks Chief. I plan on going out this afternoon to both Stihl, Husky, and my JD dealer. Good thing they're all close to each other. Not sure if the Stihl is worth $200 more than the JD. itsgottobepaint said something about echo, too, and their prices for commercial saws seem about the same as the JD unit. I'm thinking that the lightest saw will be the best for me since I'm (not) looking forward to hours and hours of using it, even if that means a saw that won't last as long.
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Murf, we used to have a manual version of your hydraulic pruner. A long rod attached to the handle would pull the cutter through the branch. I remember noticing that it took surprisingly little force to cut a branch. The cutter had two fixed outside hooked parts with one moving inner cutter.
If you made one would you have to use hardened steel or could you get by with softer plate? Would you mount a hydraulic ram near the cutter or at the bottom an again use a long rod to the cutter? It seems that you would want the weight of the hydraulics to be as low as possible.
Dave
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I should add that the hooked part of the cutter allows you to rest the entire weight of the device on the branch for a few seconds which greatly reduces the stress of holding it in position. Especially after hours of use.
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You're on the right track Ken. What I was talking about is almost exactly what you're describing.
The one I made had to be ultra light because it had to be 20' long, every ounce out that far is a big deal. I acheived the light weight needed by running a combination of hydaulic and pneumatic. The hydraulics pushed against an air cylinder which in turn fed air to a slave cylinder at the business end of the pruner. This also made it dielectric since it was not steel air line and the pole was fiberglass.
Regular steel for the non-cutting parts is fine, but it won't hold an edge for long. I used a standard replacement cutter from a mechanically operated model.
I also did a full-on version for a Christmas tree farmer near here. It was just the cutting head from an old sickle bar style hay mower. I just mounted it on the side of a quick-tach plate for the FEL of their tractor, it was powered it with a hydraulic motor, although you could use a small gas engine, and it could tilt by means of a small tie-rod cylinder. The operator could adjust height of 'cut' by raising or lowering the FEL and driving up & down the rows topping the trees as he went.
Best of luck.
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Thanks for the info Murf, but it was shortmagnum who made that suggestion. Is shortmagnum also a Ken? Not sure about that... Anyway, a hydraulic manual cutter seems to be a good idea but if I can't buy one somewhere I'll just have to go the gas saw route.
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