Tell me about Silky pole saws.

[coppice cutter]

I've a few bigger Alders to bring down in tight spaces and while I'm pretty confident about bringing the trunks down where I want, I'm always worried about branches doing collateral damage on the way down so I strip the sides as far as I can reach and then if necessary go up a ladder for any bigger and higher.

 

Plainly a pole saw would be potentially useful and as an avid silky user that's where I'd be looking.

 

But the range seems unnecessarily complicated as you're just looking for a good curved blade on top of a big stick essentially.

 

Can anyone summarise a bit for me and point me towards a particular model, or indeed should I just buy a larger curved handsaw and work on with the ladder?

 

Thanks.

[Peasgood]

I use Silky hand saws but my pole saw is Stihl, I think it is called a Turbocut.

I bought it based on using my sons and it is phenomenal in my opinion, I have cut some very big stuff with it.

Biggest issue with them (any brand) is the branch can slide down the pole if you are not careful and you are at the end of it.

[rapalaman]

I use the 6.3m hayauchi and have the sintung lopper head as well - never go out without it as it’s got me out of some tight situations before. Managed to take weight off unclimbable split limbs, dangerous bits that I’d never dare to put weight on etc, as well as general reductions and removals where space is tight. Getting the 7.7m hayate next 👍

[Grassyass]

We have the silky hayate 7.7 m,and Jameson sectional poles , but in my experience once you go north of 6m they get hard to control ,if you’re only be using it once ,we had the stallion 6.3 from f.r jones ,a third of the cost and dose a job ,

[Dan Maynard]

I use a pole pruner a lot, it can save a lot of climbing on reductions and a longer pole is useful for that, but what you are asking about is slightly different.

 

Personally I'd say more than 4m and you don't want to be doing much sawing with it due to the weight and awkwardness, but in general you are safer with a pole saw than working off a ladder because you've got space on the ground to get out of the way.

 

I'd go for silky zubat pole as a simple pole with a good saw blade on, light and not too long, same spare blade as the handsaw. As long as the branches aren't thicker than say 3 or 4 inches that will be fine. The other types of pole are then about longer saw blade or longer pole.

[Stere]

Have used a rope pocket chainsaw yrs ago on pretty big branches think treeworker used to sell a decent swedish one with a chainsaw chain was good but it needed 2 people to work best....at wide angle

 

 

 

tripod ladder plus  a polesaw  can be useful ....

Edited March 26, 2022 by Stere

[coppice cutter]

3 hours ago, Dan Maynard said:

I use a pole pruner a lot, it can save a lot of climbing on reductions and a longer pole is useful for that, but what you are asking about is slightly different.

 

Personally I'd say more than 4m and you don't want to be doing much sawing with it due to the weight and awkwardness, but in general you are safer with a pole saw than working off a ladder because you've got space on the ground to get out of the way.

 

I'd go for silky zubat pole as a simple pole with a good saw blade on, light and not too long, same spare blade as the handsaw. As long as the branches aren't thicker than say 3 or 4 inches that will be fine. The other types of pole are then about longer saw blade or longer pole.

Yes I think this might be the way to go.

 

I'm also cutting lime and willow at the minute, both of which can clog the blade of the Natanoko a bit as they are so soft, so I going to give a Zubat Arborist a try as it's the coarsest they do.

 

In the description it says that it's blade is interchangeable with the Zubat pole saw so I could also switch blades between pole saw and hand saw as appropriate.

[Stere]

Zubat is very good, main   difference is it hasn't got the hooked end that is useful sometimes for hooking stuff.....

 

 

[MattyF]

Hayate is the only one if you want the best ... Zubat is ok but if you use the hayate you won't go back.

[Stere]

 I have a samurai one thats decent, there hand saws zubat equivalants are decent also.

 

https://www.buxtons.net/catalog/product/view/id/88168/s/bahco-samurai-pole-kit/

 

My skills/attempts sharpening silky blades wasn't a sucess..... samurai are near as you can get to silkies but alot cheaper... spare blades/with handle  15 quid...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Stere