I've got a few post oaks that got weakened by the 2011-12 drought and have died with that rust fungus or whatever it is. A few I can safely take down, but I have 2-3 that are close to a shed or barn or a powerline that must come down from the top down in pieces.

I have a pole chainsaw and a generator I can run it with, and it cuts great, but I need to get higher to take out the canopy a limb at a time until it is short enough to fell the trunk.

Anyone ever done this with a bucket truck or man lift or some sort of scaffold?

Pay a tree service to do it. It will likely cost less than the time and effort and equipment rental, and they have insurance you can draw on if there is a FUBAR. Just my $.02.

Have I done it from a bucket? Yes.

Would I advise it or condone anyone else doing the same? I'd say if you're a thrill seeker, go for it.

Tie a rope onto the pieces/sections you cut. Get the slack out to keep it from swinging as much. After a couple of cuts you will get the hang of it. Don't overload the lift.

Edit: Schmellba's advice is probably the best

I have a friend who owns one of these. Very cool machine.

I've done a few of them now with a boom lift. Redtail has them for ~$230 for the weekend and will let you pick them up on friday if they aren't rented that day. I suggest getting a telescoping one vs. the multiple pivoting sections as it's easier to get in and out of the branches as there is only one motion is needed.

A top handle chainsaw is also nice to have for the limbs. I got 12" Tanaka on amazon and it hasn't missed a beat.

Well, everyone here knows I am both a cheapskate and thrill seeker.

I have a fairly light CS400 saw that I can use also, but I figured the pole saw would give me reach so I could get a few limbs from one position possibly and have them fall well away from me or the lift.

In all seriousness I know a guy who did a job like this for his church. He was shocked by an electrical line. Fell over backwards off the ladder onto a stone wall and broke his back. It was about 8 years ago and he is still not whole.

When I was 18 I would do this in a heartbeat. Not today. And I am a known cheapskate as well.

I am sure there are people that depend on you being around. Pay someone with the right equipment.

Mouth- If you decide you need a good tree guy, let me know (in Austin). Had our guy remove and haul a mature dead redbud and a dead pear tree for $200.

Billy I will take that referral. I'm in Round Rock and need one good size limb cut down that grown around my electric line. My contact info is in my profile

Thanks

SteveBott said:

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Billy I will take that referral. I'm in Round Rock and need one good size limb cut down that grown around my electric line. My contact info is in my profile

Thanks

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I'll post it here for anyone else needing it.

Robert Hebel with D&H Tree Services. 512.791.8956

I'll 3rd the advise of hiring someone. We had a 40ft dead oak due to the drought. After all the work and bs, I regret not hiring. I cut trees in college for part-time. So, I knew when quoted fair prices that I still balked at bc of being cheap. Ironically, my neighbor asked me to cut hers down, and I told her no problem. Two days later there were two guys that cut down the tree, grinded, and hauled after 3 hours. I asked her why and she said she saw how long it took me and that she didn't want that crap in her yard for so long.

I took down two hackberry trees about a year ago in a50ft man lift between my hose and my neighbors. Had a man on the ground on the working end of the rope. I wouldn't tie off to the lift. Way too easy to overload it.

I didn't enjoy the work, i wish I'd had a harness, but I'll do it again if needbe.

Edit to add, i had a 69,000 volt transmission line behind the tree.

Mouth,

I'm a DIY first type guy, but I had (3) large persimmons on some land I'm clearing up in and near the powerlines and brought in a pro to put them on the ground in pieces for me.

He didn't need a boom truck or anything like that. He put on his climbing spikes, had a strap/harness around his waste and chest, tied them off with a big rope, and put them on the ground in pieces.

Find a guy like that, pay him to take them down in pieces, and deal with the rest of it yourself on the ground if you're trying to save a few bucks.

This guy was insured (and had the papers to show it) and made $350 for a little over an hour's work.

Obviously, your oaks need to be sturdy enough to climb, otherwise ... well, you know.

Thanks Foster.

My limb is a f-cking hackberry. I've carved as much as I can on my own without getting too close to the power line. I'm not OP crazy.

And damn hacks are mesquite tough. Wore out my 10inch pole saw blade.

Hackberry are pretty soft but lots of water in them.

Not this one. I cut it myself. Granted my chain took a beating before I went after this limb. I've cut four loads of this truck mostly with an electric poll saw.

This year so far.

https://imgur.com/gallery/iSmMj

Had a limb partially on the roof a couple years ago. Paid a company $175 and 4 hours later it was gone. They had insurance. This is the route I prefer.

I took down a ~40' tall, ~36" trunk red oak a few weeks ago. 3/4 of the canopy was over my house with clay tile roof. You need an articulating boom lift. The cheapest tree guy was $3,500 to remove my tree. The lift with delivery, pick up and tax was $1,600. I rented it for a week just to be sure, but one Saturday was all I needed. My dad and I cut the tree down on Saturday and my wife and I cut and stacked the wood on Sunday. It was a full weekend of work, but worth the money saved.

I'm in the hire it out camp due to the obstructions. That's what we had to do for a 90' pine that was 15 or 20' away from our garage, it had to come down in sections.

SteveBott said:

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Billy I will take that referral. I'm in Round Rock and need one good size limb cut down that grown around my electric line. My contact info is in my profile

Thanks

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If a tree is near a power line, call your power company. They will either remove it all, or take it down until it is below the power line and save you time and/or money.

My mom had an enormous oak that was over the power line in her back yard and they cut it to about 4'. She then hired someone to cut the rest.

I had power out a year ago. They agreed to cut under their main line but stated that they would leave any limb over my property alone and I was responsible for it. Basically cut a 'V' in the tree.

Oh and I'm still waiting on them to do anything.

COCS utilities is very responsive. Tree cut within a week.

Just got off the phone with Oncor. They told me it's my problem and f-ck off

SteveBott said:

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Just got off the phone with Oncor. They told me it's my problem and f-ck off

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Guess you live in the wrong city.

I'll ask Bluebonnet.

I can take the individual limbs down well clear of the line, but if the entire tree comes down the wrong, the top would reach the power.

I basically need to get at the limbs so they drop straight down, and they are fine. I just can't take the whole tree down at once or it will hit stuff on the way down.

The fact your Pole Saw needs a generator leads me to believe you are not prepared enough for this task..

It's an electric chainsaw polesaw. It works pretty good when I have done trimming and cutting in the past. Much lighter than a gas pole chainsaw.

My previous posts I used this electric saw about 95% of the time. I do have a 16 inch gas saw for big cuts. The electric is two in one where you connect the handle and saw direct or insert the extension between. 99 bucks and best money I have spent in awhile

https://m.lowes.com/pd/Remington-10-in-8-Amp-Corded-Electric-Pole-Saw/1000273797?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-SeasonalOutdoorLiving-_-Chainsaws-_-1000273797:Remington&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000273797&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=778&k_clickID=a4e224ad-634d-4b64-99e3-114b8297a8a9&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz5276umy2gIVHEwNCh3VXQrdEAQYAiABEgKd6vD_BwE