Thread: One to think about!!

Hi,
The council workers around my area use a cherry picker for pruning some huge gums. The guy in the c/p uses a stihl petrol chainsaw with an extended straight shaft of about 3 metres in length. When the council upgrade their tools the old stuff is auctioned off to the public, I myself have a couple of their used saws. I've also seen these extended shaft type at auction and you might pick one up for $200-$250 with a bit of luck?
Regards,
Gary.

As a generalisation electric saws are very light duty, at least the ones available in Bunnies are and these won't last. You have the hydraulics so using a hydraulic saw would make sense except you won't be able to use it away from the CP if needed. Hydraulic would be my choice as it will always work and you won't want for power.

Hi there Rob

I spent 7 year's in the tree industry. I have some answers to your delema.

1. Hydrolic pole saw is around $2000 last I checked. They are hard and combersom to use.

2. Pertol powered pole saw's are just as expensive and have there own problem's.

3. Personaly I woud buy a 019 still or equivelent. They are around $500 and can be used 1 handed. ( please be carefull, I have used 066 up a 100 foot tree befor hanging of a 12 mm rope. They can be are unforgiving used 1 hand). Thats if your tower gets to the height that you want. For plantation timber an 11 meter tower is ample and this saw would be best.

4. Failing all that. Get a good pair of loppers and a pruning saw, you will be supprised how efficient they are, and have no ongoing cost's.

Hope this helps

Regards Jamie

Thanks everyone - your thoughts are very helpful.
I had throught of a seperate chainsaw but thought that it might be a bit clumsy in the cherrypicker - having to start it etc.

I thought that the hydraulics would be an option but not at that cost.

Thanks again.

Any other thoughts?

A little top handle arborist's chainsaw would be the best, although dont discount a proper handsaw and a good pair of loppers. Those little saws are designed to be used by a guy hanging on a rope, so using one from a cherry picker is no big problem. (well apart from normal chainsaw safety issues). Look for a MS192T (thats the new version of the Stihl 019) or one of the little Echo pruning saws.

Realistically you should be taking off the branches before they are more than a couple of inches dia, so hand tools are practical. Also hand tools let you do a neater job, pruning in exactly the right place and minimising damage to the bark and branch stub.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks Ian - you are right. Pruning is done mostly with a pair of loppers but there is another reason. These eucalypts have some double leaders which may have been caused by boron deficiency - frost - or drought. Most should be alright but some will need this taken out. I usually use the proper saw but as I have an old rugby injury to my neck I can't work above my head much at all. Hence the cherry picker and the thoughts of using the mechanical saw - and not a ladder.
I have been paying someone but the more I can do the better.

Thanks for all your thoughts - and if you have any more please let me know.

Ian, makes sense with the stihl 019. Iv'e got one here at home and they are a decent saw to use. Unfortunatly mine has died and will cost to much to repair as the piston and bore has worn out. I have no comaints about them though as they really do the job. I'm going to trade mine in for a MS170.

You will probaly find that if your platform is just a small trailer mount the motor wont have any spare hurbs to spare.

The energex crews round here have hydraulics in the bucket but they are bug machines with plenty of grunt to spare.

I have a MS190T which is the earlier model of the one mentioned and they are a great little saw significantly better than the 019 to handle ( same mechanics I understand).

getting any other power source up to the bucket is a problem.... getting up the boom is a piece of cake but getting thru the turntable is a bit of a problem.

pneumatic pruners would be good.... but. you gota get the air from somewhere.

cheers

Rob,
I'm an avowed user of all things powered, but I've used an extendible pole saw for pruning and it was very fast and not too tiring. It was a pro tool though, can't rmember the brand (Silky??) but it was Japanese and looked and felt pretty expensive. I've also used a Stihl pole saw and it was actually pretty tiring. I spoke top a bloke a few years back who had a forestry cotract to prune pine plantations and he and his crew just used manual pole saws.

Oops, I wrote this while I was off line and since I first read it you've added the bit about the injury. A mate who had a cherry picker for his orchard had a compressor fitted which ran off a belt on the same motor that drove the hydraulics. The stays/arms of the unit acted as air recievers and the means to get air from the bottom of the machine up to the bucket. I don't think pneumatic loppers or saws would be cheap though.

Mick

Originally Posted by robri

I have just bought a second hand cherry picker (power ladder) to prune some forestry trees for future furniture timber (about 30ha), As you can gather I should end up with an endless supply of timber!

My problem revolves around efficiently putting some sort of mechinical saw to trim the limbs off the trees.

The cherry picker uses hydraulics to run the rams to give it lift - have a 13 hp petrol motor - battery start.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions.

Rob

Rob
before you invest in a saw or other pruning devices, may I suggest you get yourself:

1. a full body (hips and chest) safety harness
2. make sure the cherry picker is fitted with proper attachment points for the harness
3. an escape kit (for when the picker gets stuck in the up position)
4. lessons in how to get back to the ground when #3 happens.

merry christmas

ian

Ian - you are right. My intention is to get the harness and also the training to use it properly.

It is one that is used for picking and pruning in orchards so it will go to a height of about 4.5m - it is not one of these big ones. I will be working on completely flat ground also.

Safety is my major concern so I will be careful. There is always training on how to operate these properly in Shepparton at harvest time so I will attend one of these courses.

Merry Christmas

Rob

Originally Posted by robri

Ian - you are right. My intention is to get the harness and also the training to use it properly.

robri - Firstly I am an engineer for an Energy Authority here in Sydney.

If you talk with some of the local authorities in Vic (your distribution/generators are different to Sydney) you may find that they will conduct accredited training in the correct use of EPV's (elevated work platforms) or can advise who does their training ie TAFE. Its not cheap but you will be trianed in the correct operations including emergency and escape training.

As for pruning trees if your type of EPV is the sort which is towed behing a car/truck then it's not suitable for provision of a hydraulic take off point. This is why there are no hydraulics take off points in the person bucket - the system cannot handle the change in flow.

If you have a vehicle mounted type, is the hydraulics supplied by the vehicle engine or is it a separate 12/24v operation. If using 12/24v then again you cannot have a hydraulic take off point.

In Sydney we preffer Contractors (Active Tree) to use hydraulic pole systems as opposed to chainsaws which are dangerous inside the confines of the fibreglass basket both from a cutting point of view and the gases emmitted. Generally all work is done with a hydraulic pole saw as this gives sufficient clearance to the live mains.

Along with your harness you will also need a layard with an energy absorber. The lanyard should be long enough to let you just hang over the basket edge at the furthest possible point. Never climb onto or over the edge of the basket even with a harness on. It really does hurt (bruises etc) if you fall with a harness on but its less than the impact damage if you fall all the way.

Never use the EPV by yourself or in worst case always carry some form of communication ie an effective working mobile phone. If you go over the edge of the basket and are hanging in the harness, the body can be affected by whats called suspension trauma which is life threatening. All of our support and escape systems are generally designed to be effective within about 3 minutes to prevent suspension trauma setting in.

Cherry pickers are for pu55ies... you need one of these babies.