Getting more reach with a power pruner

[Ax-man]

This is like a sister thread to along with the other power pruner(s) thread.

Any thoughts as how safe it would be to have some kind of secure type station or platform secured to a pick-up to get a little higher reach with a PP to trim limbs.

I have trimmed from the bed of a truck a few times. Did not care for it at all, one can get knocked off the truck very easily. If I could be secured in better, and felt a little more comfortable, it could come in handy on a few occasions.


Any thoughts on this?? Anyone tried it yet ???

 

[Nickrosis]

Something like a ladder rack frame? If you could lanyard in or clip in somehow and be able to rely on the frame to hold you.

As long as you could still move easily if a branch came back at your something, otherwise, you're chained to spot and left defenseless.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Ha!

Maybe this...

 

[Nickrosis]

Yeah, that's what I was describing.

 

[SilverBlue]

There is a limit to how high you are going to cut before you break out the climbing gear to get the job done right. Besides pruning from the bed of a truck is a bit too Mickey Mouse Not to say a wide base step ladder on secure ground has been used by many.

 

[Nickrosis]

Yeah, you want to prove to the customer that you can ride without the training wheels.

 

[Ax-man]

Is that an Asphlund truck??

Reminds me of my first boom trk. power ladder truck or sign truck, got me up a whole 32 ft. guy that sold it said it was a 40 footer.

Darn thing had a fold out little platform you stood on when you extended the ladder ,, if you pulled the top ladder section in to far it would fold up, with you in it, LOL. Real safe the good old days, Ha Ha. It got me up about half way up for most trees, darn handy for street and road trimming, no need to pull up any outriggers.

That was quite a bit higher than what I was thinking.

Larry

 

[Ax-man]

Silverblue,

Are you talking about an orchard ladder? I've thought about getting one of those, some day.

How stable are they??

How about this for a wild and crazy idea that is totally stupid. Sherrill sells those stilts for pruning ornamental trees. How about a guy on stilts using one those PP s. Kinda like the Jolly Green Giant with a power pruner.

Larry

 

[Stumper]

You would have to be better coordinated than I to use the Power Pruner on stilts. Orchard ladders are extremely stable-A wonderful tool for picking fruit or shearing large shrubs. I have made a few power pruner cuts off of an Orchard ladder but they must be carefully planned-your ability to dodge is limited.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by Stumper
I have made a few power pruner cuts off of an Orchard ladder but they must be carefully planned-your ability to dodge is limited.

I work with a guy that does that all the time, especially on working the lower limbs on a trim. I'm waiting to see him bust his arse one of these days. You can do it, but like Justin says, it takes a 'lil finesse. And don't be skeered to throw yur sadle on, and tie-in to the limb.

 

[SilverBlue]

Larry,
I use a regular class 2 stepladder myself at times but an orchard ladder works better in some situations. I recently used my HT75 on a 2 storey roof top to clearance a locust, it was the right tool for the situation and cut the work time in half. Stilts?

 

[Greg]

I frequently stand on the grappel of the bobcat for a poor mans bucket. It is not comfy, and is not very safe, but it gets the job done. I saw another local company who uses a tractor with a welded up box/platform that they attach to their shovel to use in the same manner.
It only gives you about 8ft extra but that is all you need sometimes to get those low hanging branches.
Greg

 

[Tree Machine]

Here's a shot of my rig. Not highly polished, but exceptionally functional. Below the chip bed is where the power pruner is stored. The entire deck above the truck is designed 1) to protect the truck (especially windshield) from falling limbs, and 2) to be walked.

Atop I have two eye bolts mounted, one fore, and one aft, so you can 'tie in'. I've found this to be restrictive, and more of a hazard, since having that much walking space allows you to really stay clear of what you're cutting.

I prune from atop the deck frequently and I find it exceedingly helpful. Two weeks ago we did a real-time video shoot, pulling up under the trees, power pruner slid up top, tree guy goes up top, start the power pruner and start raining deadwood. In less than two minutes of tape the utility rang clear. It takes me more than two minutes just to put on my saddle and get a saw and rope to the base of the tree.

Streetside trees are a pleasure to prune from up top. I sort of take it for granted, the luxury of the extended reach in pruning from up on the walking deck. It's really nice.

 

[John Stewart]

Originally posted by Ax-man
Silverblue,

Are you talking about an orchard ladder? I've thought about getting one of those, some day.

How stable are they??

How about this for a wild and crazy idea that is totally stupid. Sherrill sells those stilts for pruning ornamental trees. How about a guy on stilts using one those PP s. Kinda like the Jolly Green Giant with a power pruner.

Larry

Hey Larry

A 16 foot orchard ladder is totally sturdy if placed properly and is one of the best ladders going. Very versitile and a good investment
Later
John

 

[NeTree]

Why not just climb it?

 

[Ax-man]

Originally posted by netree
Why not just climb it?

____________________________________________________

You ever get in a situation when your trimming a tree and you have just one or two cuts to make to make it look real good, but are just out of reach from the ground with the power pruner, but using a pole saw would be time consuming, getting the gear out would be a hassle, or maybe you don't have your gear with you.

Having those few extra feet some times just makes a job so much easier and less complicated. Or, I'm just getting lazier, most likely the later.

Larry

 

[glens]

Originally posted by Tree Machine
Here's a shot of my rig. Not highly polished, but exceptionally functional.

It helps to know that Jim's mom re-married when he was yet a young child and his step-dad Clark adopted him.  His birth name was Haney.

:<tt></tt>^)

I've walked around and eyeballed that truck closely and its virtues definitely lean toward the utilitarian end of the spectrum (at which it excels), but at some expense to appearance.

Glen

 

[NeTree]

Originally posted by Ax-man
____________________________________________________

You ever get in a situation when your trimming a tree and you have just one or two cuts to make to make it look real good, but are just out of reach from the ground with the power pruner, but using a pole saw would be time consuming, getting the gear out would be a hassle, or maybe you don't have your gear with you.



Larry

Nope

 

[MasterBlaster]

Those street clearance's are sweet gigs. Just stand on the bed and power prune for that 14 to 16 feet. Easy money.

 

[murphy4trees]

I alwys try to keep it under 25MPH when pruning from the ladder racks of the van....

And seriously.... I use the power pruner from time to time and find it a big time saver in certain situations, but I don't like the cuts.. they scratch up the tree and don't make good target cuts...
I leant the power pruner to a guy where I dump chips and didn't need to pick it up for a month... then used it on three jobs in a row....

And now a totally different story:
A friend of mine works at a local college as their head roofer... they had a little cherry picker van they used to clean gutters on long runs... He was in the bucket with the blower and the driver slammed him right into the building hard enough to crack the boom... He wawsn't injury but mighty pissed!