In the late 70's I had a diseased elm tree behind my home, about the same size as the tree in this video, that was difficult to access and very expensive to have it professionally removed. I used this method along with a number of other strategies to engineer removal of the entire tree, branch by branch. Attacking it for a short time each day, it was two and a half months before it was completely removed and my back and shoulders got a hell of a workout, but I saved about $1,800 dollars.

To me this is the real value of KZfaq, offering excellent How-To videos which contribute to higher learning and saving a buck when someone really doesn't have it to give away. Sir, thank you so much for having the desire to share your experience with us! Problem solved, ordering my chainsaw and rope! All the best!

A few tips I found that make this method a little easier: spray the chain saw with silicone or WD40. It will make sawing a little easier and prevent binding. Also use leather gloves as it’s very easy to get rope burn.

A few comments, based upon having done this many times over the years. Forget throwing the hammer. I used a Wrist Rocket sling shot, a fishing lead weight, and fishing line. The line is coiled loosely in a can so it doesn't tangle. I used the "football" shaped weights to reduce getting caught on tree bark and twigs. You could paint the weight for hi visibility. And neon line for same. The reasons are: It's fin. You can reach higher up a tree. The thin fishing line is used to pull up the heavier cord for sawing. Also the light line could be snapped off if tangled in the tree.. You could tie it to the lead weight with a non locking knot. If the weighted part gets stuck, pull real hard and either the knot unties under load. Or the line snaps. You could use a much lighter strength line just at the weight to allow it to break free if needed. He used the correct cord for sawing. You do not want any stretch when pulling. Some of those chain saws have weighted tabs that can indicate which way the teeth are facing. Some chain saws are too good, and bite into the wood to aggressively. I bent small pieces of copper wire over some teeth so they wouldn't cut at all. This meant less binding, but still effective sawing. Since I over think things like this, I once "topped" a tree by sawing the tree, not the branches, horizontally about 30 feet up. How? I used the sling shot method to tie a couple pulleys to a nearby tree. So the saw lines pulled horizontally, which you can't do otherwise. It took time (I wasn't in a hurry) I made mistakes. It was free. The tree was tall but to thin to climb, and if felled by just cutting the trunk, it would hit the neighbor's property.

I am a climber that has been cutting trees for 18 years and owns his own company and I approve this method if you don't want to pay arborist prices, it was easy and safe, I have gotten a few customers that have hurt themselves trying to do their own tree work and like I tell everyone "Its a lot cheaper than a hospital bill". Great Job

Your branch broke off clean, but what you might do at first is to stand along the fence line and take a few initial strokes to score the bottom of the branch, then come back to the camera side to get the other bottom-side. Then you can go at the top. That will increase the chance of a clean break.

This is easy for you, you're a young guy! I'm hurtin' just watching you and I'll still be feeling it tomorrow! 🤣

Love it! This reminds me of a palm tree hanging over our backyard pool. The darned thing was way overdue for a trim, but this guy (me) doesn't do heights. I bought a very small, lightweight, electric chain saw and taped it to the end of two 20 foot aluminum poles. Running an extension cord to the business end of the pole, I had my wife 'plug me in'. Even though it was small, the saw's weight made it tough to control the end of my contraption, and neighbors all around me brought their kids inside while I was working! An electric chainsaw taped to the end of a long aluminum pole, stretched out over a swimming pool full of water... what could POSSIBLY go wrong, right? 😂 Thankfully, I retained my title as the "awesomely cool neighborhood Dad" and no one got hurt. ❤

Man, you are a genius. I have been staring at my tall maple trees, like 50 feet tall, how to cut off the top branches so that it won't be too brushy to fall down in one shot. You just save my life. Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your tips. God bless you. From Toronto.

Just did this on a limb about 30ft high (pole saw only went to 15ft), and worked like a charm! A little tricky as the target branch was protected by some other branches, but my water bottle and QB accuracy did the job 😉😆 Thanks for the video!

I'd recommend having another rope tied to the limb (throw the rope over the branch, make a loop on one end, pull the other end through the loop until it's snug up on the branch) that someone else can pull to direct the fall of the limb. That fence could've been messed up easy, and it could swing back on you. Also, in the event that a strip of the limb stays intact on the bottom (so the limb "falls" but stays hanging on), that second rope can give you some tension to reposition the chain and finish the cut. Edit: And if you don't have someone to pull the limb, that second line can be tied off to another tree. It's not going to pull the limb in a direction like a person would, but it'll still give you more control over where the limb falls. Can do a "trucker hitch" or use a rachet strap at the anchor point if you want a good bit of tension.

This is why I love KZfaq. It is a how to get it done tutorial. Thank you and thank you for not pushing a product to buy or begging for subscriptions.

Wife filming this---- you are so blessed to have such a creative and motivated man! 🙂 Now, 'divorced senior woman' going to go and try this for myself 😧 Already fell out of the tree last time, so I am not going back up there.🤪

Who knew the Nard Dog would teach me how to cut a tree down.

I like how he started the video in 2018 and then it was cut to 2019 after sawing manually every day for a year. I can see him branching out into other money saving ideas for the common man.

What a great DIY tip this is! I've got a big oak tree that I have been trying to figure out how to trim the dead branches. Got one of those saws that I picked up years ago at a thrift store. It was in a home made pouch, probably for backpacking use. When I opened it & saw what it was I thought it was just the coolest thing, now I actually have an equally cool use for it!!! Thanks for posting.

For dead branches, this is great! The issue I have with cutting live branches is that there's no under-cut to on the branch to prevent the bark from peeling/tearing towards the main trunk once you've almost completed your cut. It's not the end of the world of course, but that "tear" created by this method (or possibly created) can absolutely invite pests and fungus into the injured area, which can lead to major damage down the road. To prevent this issue you should use the "3 cut method", but obviously that's not possible with the tools used here.

Okay, we actually did this for our tree in the backyard which had a branch hanging a little too close to our fire pit. Can't thank you enough for this tip. I was able to do most of the work, but my husband enjoyed pitching in to make the throw and the last part of the sawing. Get 'er done!!!!

Great video. Shows a cost-saving way to trim high branches in my yard, and explains the effect of gravity on dismembered tree branches. Bravo!

I used this exact method over the weekend to cut down four high branches ... ranging from 4" to 6" in diameter. I worked, but I found it to be a bit risky. I was able to stand somewhat behind the tree to shield myself from the falling branches, but one of them still managed to graze my arm as it came down. Make sure your health insurance is paid up before attempting.

I've had an orchard for decades, and the one big problem you'll run into doing this regularly, is that cutting from the top without the bottom cut first will cause many fruit trees to tear the bark down the trunk as the top cut falls first, some trees can take a little tear, but many trees will die from the event in a couple years. You can minimize this by only cutting when it's dry, but without the bottom cut, your running a huge risk of killing your tree doing this method, and yes I've killed trees doing this, it seemed like a great idea till the limb ripped down the side of a huge old 40 year old apple, it half died the next year, then fully a couple years later.

Great video! After reading the comments, I agree that undercutting with a pole saw (if possible) is a good idea. With a branch that long, a cut halfway along the length and then a cut near the trunk could save a fence or shed. Thanks for posting!

Very well done Sir! I have trimmed trees with the best amateurs on the block. This is genius and bloody brilliant. Thanks for a great bit of knowledge.

Okay, I just succeeded using your hack. The one difficulty that I encountered was that the spruce tree branch moved as I was trying to use the rope saw. I found that the saw worked more efficiently when I repositioned myself closer to the trunk, i.e. perpendicular to the limb. This also prevented the saw from jumping out of the groove as the limb bobbed up and down. Thank you for the video!😀

This is great simple idea that any person can do. I offer one additional safety tip though. If its possible to rope a limb above and over the one you want to trim, do it, and use that limb to secure a rope to the limb you actually want to cut. This added step can help you control the descent, or guide how the trimmed branch falls; especially if its near your fence. It would really suck to save bunch of money on the trim...only to have to shell out the dough anyway to fix your fence, if a large branch crushes it.

....Wow. Ain't that great???!!! Dude, you saved me $650 - $800 ....which is what I was quoted from 2 tree trimming companies to take down some huge branches from my oak trees. Thank you for sharing. Feel free to share all of your $ saving tips! We need more people like you in this world!!! I will have several top shelf adult beverages in your honor this weekend. You da man!

I think this video was for me! My wife didn’t want me to climb a tree!😂👍

I had a similar setup that came with a sandbag to throw over the branch. It worked great at my house on smaller oak branches. I managed a 3 story apartment building in NorCal that had a 50 foot Chinese Elm tree in the front yard near a busy street. The limb drooping over the sidewalk was about 10'' diameter with brown water dripping from where it joined the tree trunk. Obviously, a dangerous limb. I tried the rope chainsaw from the ground and decided that the big limb might end my life if things went wrong. So, I bolted 2 pool cleaning poles together and put a limb saw on one end. I operated it from the 3rd floor apartment balcony and struggled and sweated to make a cut. It was like playing billiards with a rope. The limb finally started crackling. I hauled in my pole saw and sat on a stool resting my burned out arms on the balcony railing. The limb might have been 25 feet long and its weight made the cut widen and crackle. It was about to break on its own. Traffic was stopped and some soccer mom in a minivan was looking up at me just sitting there. I heard some ominous cracking so I stood up and made the Superman one armed flight gesture while shaking my hand menacingly at the branch. The lady had the WTF face on (the ''dude, you're crazy'' look) when the branch snapped off with a big noise and fell 30 feet to the lawn. By now I'm all smiles. I waved to her and she had her hand covering her mouth in disbelief. There was a rag close by to pad my hands and I dabbed my forehead with it like I put some hard mojo vibes into magically breaking that branch. She was staring at me, wide open mouthed now, wondering what she just witnessed. I shook my head ''NO'' and put my finger across my lips like shhhh, don't tell anybody. Traffic moved and she kept looking at me. To the minivan lady on West Street in Concord , Calif, I ain't no space alien nor a bewitched paranormal destructor unit demon. You missed the 20 minutes I spent sawing and sawing until my arms gave up. The limb broke on its own and you just happened to be there.

ARBORISTS HATE HIM!

This worked for me. Getting the chain oriented the right way to start the cut is very tedious, but when it starts it works almost unbelievably well. When you are getting close to the end, stand over to the side! A small issue I had was the chain (and then the rope) was stuck in the kerf on what was left after the branch broke off. I had to climb up a ladder and then push it out of the kerf with a pole saw. Never let the end of the chain come out of the cut or you may find it really hard to get it back in there. This may be less of an issue for you depending on the chain you have.

As an arborist this is funny as hell. Whatever works, just don’t hurt yourself. Had a family friend at age 65 get knocked out of a tractor bucket while trying to do some DIY tree work, now he’s wheel chair ridden and will not have the same standard of mobility for the rest of his life. Really sad. Just use caution, doesn’t take a very large branch to destroy you.

not in a million minutes would I ever come up with something to simple yet so genius like this!! Thanks Bro.

Kudos bro, where there is a will there is a way. Most businesses rely on people not wanting to bother with formulating a way to do it themselves.

"You dont wanna stand under it" /cut to him standing under it..hehe

Thanks! That was AWESOME! I have been trying to figure some branches out (I've tried a pole saw and a ladder, and my wife would have been a widow, or taking care of a paraplegic if I had not stopped). I have had one of these chain saws for years (it was a gift) and never had a use for it. Now I need to go find it! I was not looking for this - just stumbled across it! Woo Hoo!

Also remember to wear some safety glasses as saw dust or chips / debris can get in your eyes. You also want to watch out for falling chain saw blades along with falling limbs so a hard hat may not be a bad idea either.

This is actually really clever. I had low expectations for this video but I'll remember this trick for the future. Thanks!

For very high branches, this is indeed a superb idea. If you have lots of tree branches to cut, a cheap electric pole saw tied to a pvc pipe extension also works well and is faster (but only good up to 20-25 feet maximum).

This is easily one of the most entertaining videos I’ve seen in awhile, great idea and seriously happy the disaster didn’t strike! Also love how proud he looks of himself at the end!

Oh my god, that's brilliant. We got a wet heavy snowfall last month and I found a solid crack on a large branch about 25ft up. I have a 15ft little giant ladder and a 12ft pole saw that I was able to reach it with, but now it's at an awkward angle, drooping down. It's hanging straight down, so I'm just getting an electric pole saw to finish off the rest of it off. I will remember this technique in the future when I have something this far out of reach. Love the shirt, and again, brilliant. Oh, I was quoted $350 for the removal. I could absolutely finish it on my own with the manual pole saw, but I have an excuse for a new tool, so...

I was thinking of doing this for years now and hadn't got around to it. I was thinking a chainsaw blade, how could I get it to not flop over to non cutting side. But evidently was not too much an issue. My thinking was to get some kind of handle connected to the chain and that handle connected at two points, to control chain from flopping over(rope twist etc.). I was even thinking of using bow and arrow with a lighter string first to pull rope up. Also anchor one end to ground and use a spring or bicycle tire tube to pull rope back. That way I could pull rope from long distance away. But hey! your way works and way simpler...! Much appreciated.!

This is the first rope saw video I seen then I watched a few others and ordered a double sided chain from amazon. It took about a minute per inch on a six inch branch. The hardest part was setting up my rope puller to get the branch to fall where I wanted it to fall. I plan to drop two 60 foot gum trees with the rope saw and rope puller. Neat and addicting gadget.

Cool idea. However for the health of the tree it would be helpful to provide a "relief" cut so that it doesn't cause damage to the branch collar. Otherwise the weight of the branch will cause last part of the cut to tear away from the tree. By making a relief cut, in this case first cutting the branch further away from the collar, hopefully it will reduce the amount of tear out caused from the final cut. This would reduce the amount of damage and help the tree recover quicker.

I gotta say was a little skeptical in the beginning but you did it! Awesome! I will be attempting in the future. Thanks for sharing!

I immensely enjoyed your resourcefulness . You did it safely and cheaply. Great job ! Fresh air and exercise too. No gym needed. Stay well and thanks for the fine vid and info.

Thank you, you’ve provided me all I need to know for the same job!

I appreciate this video. I ordered the blade. I used it. I successfully cut three branches. It saved me money. Thank you !!!

"And you don't want to stand underneath the branch because..." I like how you felt the need to explain that.🤣

Wow, truly amazing! You demonstrated obstacles are just limitations of our minds!

This guy's a friggin' genius! Thank you for solving a big problem I'm having in my yard. I thank you for updating the description. Yes, getting someone to do it for you is expensive. But now I can get my wife to do this for me. "What's that, Honey? I can go to where??"

brilliant. didnt know where this was going until the chainsaw reveal. would never have thought of this. kudos, sir!

I've done this 15 years ago and it was very easy to cut down a very high large tree. success!

Two hours later....I still gave you a thumbs up.

Nicely Done! They make a two sided chain with teeth on both sides. I have seen the single side chain turn or flip over. Once flipped, it becomes a nightmare to get it out of the groove to flip it back over. PVC pipe worked well to get under it and walk it up.

This is dang near genius! So simple. So effective. Thank you for sharing.

BRILLIANT! Been having tree problems. What an arm work out. My problem would be getting the tooth side on the tree.

Dude thank you for sharing this idea!!!! Got my blade and rope today and already took down some massive tree limbs that ive been wanting to for years. Not sketchy either, I was able to stand way out of the way. That blade in the description is awesome, cuts like butter

Little tip that can save a huge headache. If the limb your cutting is hanging over your house or structure, tie a cable from limb few inches away from where your cutting to trunk so the limb will swing inwards towards trunk. Shorter the cable the quicker the limb will start to swing away.

Wow! I was skeptical at first but you did a great job and saved all that money. Obviously not everyone has the arm strength you do but still a genius technique for some.

Very cool! We have a massive Ficus Amplissima (Indian Bat Fig) tree in the backyard, with several overhanging branches that I desperately wanted removed to give other smaller trees there the opportunity to grow taller. Will definitely give this method a try! 🙏🏼👍🏼

Well done, and thank you. You taught me a good lesson.

Nice and you made it look very easy. I'm sure I'd probably spend about 8 hours just getting the cutting edge facing in toward the branch.

Great job. I've never seen these chainsaws before and I will have to buy one. Thanks for the link and the video too!

Omg you just saved me lol. No one answers or shows up, and I have branches touching my roof and shading my yard so much grass won’t grow. I was planning to just climb the trees, but googled “how to cut tall tree branches”…why isn’t this taught at school??? I guess tomorrow is arm day 😅

This is my new favorite pastime.

In all due respect, just a word of caution to viewers researching this topic... Cutting back/removing a limb requires three cuts to prevent potential damage and disease to the tree. The first and second cut prevents the limb pulling bark back into the tree when the limb falls (leaving entryway for disease). The third cut removes the remaining small section with a good clean separation from the tree. Lots of videos on this.

I felt like I was watching an episode of what could go wrong on Reddit. Good thing that branch didn’t land on the guy cutting the tree or the fence or any other horrible place. Proper equipment and insurance are priced into that $300 you just saved. Amazing ingenuity. Lucky outcome.

Brilliant, I have a spare chain saw blade. Going to sharpen it and use that method. BTW that child the you can hear in he background has a great dad, going to be a lot of fun growing up.

The Office Web Episode: Andy Cuts a Tree

This is incredible helpful. Thank you

Looks like a good workout, thanks for the video! This is the only option for a few limbs around my yard, might have to use a crossbow to get a rope over, I’m surprised they don’t make better cable saw blades for this, but this is exactly how they cut ships apart

Dude you just saved quite a bunch of money for all of us. Thanks and you got a big beer any time you visit Poland 😉

Great job! I had this same idea. However I think I will use fishing line and a ball instead of a hammer.

Gotta be careful. There’s no way to do an undercut first so if the branch is alive at all it may peel significantly. Could open the tree up to a secondary infection and before long you have a entirely dead tree. Keep in mind you often get what you pay for. A good climbing set and hand saw would run $1200 to $1500 and the professional tree guy is going to have all that stuff.

Love it! Thanks for showing me how I may finally be able to cut my neighbour’s high-up branch from my property.

Oh wow, this is a super cool idea on how to cut a branch up high!! Thanks for the video!!

May work for a dead limb, but it can't make the required bottom cut (first) to prevent damaging the tree when the limb breaks at the cut and strips the cambium below the branch collar. This will likely lead to a diseased area below the limb.

This should have way more views

I got to say... you're brilliant . You made it look so easy. Thank you for sharing this great idea.

Thanks i really appreciate your video...i've got an oak limb thats headed towards the power line in the next couple of years so your idea will be put to use right away and save me alot of money...thanks again from the Alamo City.

I am in process of taking down a huge tree with this method but using a fiberglass hot stick rather than a hammer. I also use additional ropes to lower the cut branches. Take your time, be safe, be patient. Thanks for this fantastic idea!

I tried the same thing, I realized that after (four hours) of shimmering back and forth it was time to climb the tree!

Never thought about The Hammer toss! And what a Great arms/upper body workout!!😂

This was the best thing I saw on KZfaq in weeks

I got the same idea but I hate throwing so many times so i end up buying a $30 drone to route fishing string which is attached to my rope saw.

I use a nut, in a slingshot attached to a fishing pole. Use the fishing line to pull up bigger rope. It's really accurate, no getting stuck, no hundreds of tries.

Great idea! Never knew there was such a thing as a flexible chain saw! So useful and great $$ saver! Thanks!

Thank you sir. I do believe this is the answer I have been looking for. Just ordered my saw!!

Genius, but phew glad no one got hurt. Definitely wanna be safe all around! Great video!

He told me $600 I did the same thing you did but the hammer flew and hit my truck

when he said now we're gonna pull the chain saw into the tree, cracked me up. great advice - watch out for the hammer and don't stand under the branch.

Looks like in previous takes of the video the chain saw came off and hit this guy's jeans a couple times....brilliant editing!

How much damage was done to the small tree the branch landed on?

i know this is wrong but.i kept waiting for the tree to fall and the branch to stay aloft,too much bugs bunny in my youth

Liked the addition of the gloves😜 Personally I would have tied the branch end to the trunk of the tree so when it breaks free it only slams against the tree trunk & not the fence. Thank goodness he got the right branch & didn’t lose the tire swing😎

I had this same idea. Glad to see it in action!

What was the length of time from when you began actually cutting to when then branch was cut off and fell to the ground?

Looks like you killed a smaller tree while dropping the limb. You needed a second rope with someone controlling the fall.

Definitely something to brag about around the camp fire👏🏽 Job well done, Sir👏🏽👏🏽

❤😂🎉. Lots of manual labor but it worked and saved you $280 or so. I'm going to try it. I have an extra chain saw blade and rope. Now I just wait for cooler temperatures in October maybe jan or Feb when the tree goes bare. Until then go to the gym to build up strength and stamina. I've had the two trees trimmed 3 times and they have not done what I asked them to do.