I've got a few mature trees on my property that tend to drop limbs after storms, which can be a hassle to clean up. These limbs range from 2 to 12 feet long and about 0.5 to 2 inches thick, and my wife's 5/8" Fiskars shears can't handle them. I'm not looking to prune the trees, just to efficiently cut these fallen limbs into smaller pieces for composting. I've considered a few options like powered pruners, hatchet pruning saws, and a Hackzall, but I find the hatchet might be a bit much and the powered pruners seem intimidating. Maybe I just need a bigger pair of manual pruning shears?
3 Answers
I personally use a hatchet pruning saw to clear up after storms. It's worked great for me in the Pacific Northwest, but I hear Hackzalls get the job done well too.
I have the Ryobi pruner (the finger ejector 5000 model), and it works really well for branches up to an inch. For anything thicker, I’d recommend using a Hackzall. Even the standard M12 version is dependable for those jobs!
Last year, I was all about my M18 Hackzall with a Milwaukee 9-inch pruning blade. I still haven't had to change the blade! The pruning blade really cuts through limbs efficiently, and I found it works best if you don’t press the limb right against the shoe but instead move the blade back and forth as you cut. It’s made the job so much easier!