Picking between a bucket truck and a pole saw for a tight backyard job

Had a 60 foot oak over a pool last month in the burbs and the access was a nightmare. Almost rented a 65 footer but decided to try the pole saw with a harness on a rope line instead, saved me $450 for the day. It went way smoother than I thought, just took longer sagging branches down in small pieces. Anyone else prefer climbing gear over a bucket when the setup is sketchy?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennybailey15h ago

Last summer I did a 50 foot maple behind a pool with a fence gate that only had 30 inches of clearance, so no way a bucket was getting in there. Used a 14 foot pole saw and a rope harness like you did, and honestly the worst part was just the time it took, maybe 6 hours all in. But the setup was zero stress, no worrying about the stabilizers sinking into soft turf or the boom hitting the house. The trick is to pre-cut all your drop zones and have a second person on the ground pulling the rope, that saves you from climbing up and down every five minutes. Also, if you can swing a throw line over a high crotch, you can use a bigger branch as a natural lowering point, that cut my time in half. Bucket trucks are great when the access is clean, but for a sketchy backyard, I'd take the pole saw and a solid anchor point every time.

jason_knight13h ago

Ngl that 30 inch gate detail has me questioning my whole life, @jennybailey.