High Limb CS-48 Chain Saw For Professional Landscapers 48-Inch Chain

Comment: I had two branches that needed to be cut. One was about 20 feet up, the second about 25 feet, both approximately 6 inches in diameter. I made many of the same mistakes that I read about in previous posts on the first branch. I didn't get the saw close enough to the tree trunk, I was cutting at a slight angle due to my options of where I could stand to do the job. The inevitable happened and the saw got bound up in the tree requiring about 30 minutes of extreme improvisation to get it free. When I finally did free the saw, I was able to complete the job. Total time on branch number 1 - about 1 hour.

With lessons learned from the first branch, I moved on to the second one. This branch should have been more difficult; it was higher up, thicker and was hanging over my fence. Despite the higher percieved difficulty, I was able to get the saw placed in a better position on the branch (up next to the trunk), and everything was easy. Branch was on the ground in under 10 minutes.

This thing works if you do things correctly. I'm not sure how much it would have cost to get a professional to do the job, but I am sure it would be more than the $40 I spent on this.

Comment: Not a bad little gadget. Takes some practice to get it right. Ironically, it seems to cut best when directly under the limb. However, you don't ever want to be under a limb when cutting! Works well with two people, getting out of harms way of falling limbs.

As others have posted, the sand bag clip is very cheap and broke within the first few minutes of use. After a few cuts, the rope started fraying where it attaches to the saw itself. I'll replace the rope with something a bit larger in diameter to see how that holds up.

But then again, for under $40, you can't be too disappointed.

Comment: I had to cut down a few branches that were over 30' up. It took over an hour before I gave up trying to throw the beanbag over the second branch. I finally got a fishing pole and cast a weight over the branch...on the first try! Then I had to pull successively thicker ropes until I could pull the main w/ the chain. The problem is frequently that the rope, especially at the knots, will get caught on tree bark or nicks. Once you get the saw part over the branch, it's maybe another 10 minutes of fighting it to get the chain pointing in the right direction. Sometimes once you get it going, it will get hung up and you have to really work it back and forth to get it to release.

Having said all that, ONCE you get the saw going, it takes maybe 2 minutes to cut a 4" branch down. It works remarkably well. ...until the branch is almost cut through. Then the chain tends to bind and get caught again, esp if the branch is big and breaks under its own weight.

I even cut a small branch and despite the branch falling, the chain got caught in a VERY small crack and I couldn't get it out. It was about 30' up and I finally just gave up. It stayed in the tree for about 3 days until the stump dried up a bit and I was able to start rocking the chain back and forth until it cut through the final little splinter. What a pain!

I'd recommend them putting saw teeth on both sides of the chain and making the connections (rope to chain) more streamline. Where the flat of the rope is bound to itself creates a bit of a catch. Maybe even just tape to make a taper instead of a blunt edge would help. Maybe also include a guide rope. Put a smaller weight on a lighter rope. Throw that over and then pull to the thicker rope and chain. It's surprising hard to throw that beanbag up accurately over a specific branch 30' up!

Ultimately, it's like the nursery rhyme: when it's good it's very good and when it's bad it's just awful! Still much cheaper than hiring a tree service.

Comment: It took some time to throw the bean bag just right.

A good tip is to tie the bean bag to another string then tie it to the chainsaw rope after you get it over the right limb.

It works better with two people so it doesn't bind up as much. When it did bind up I used the bean bag to tie a rope to the end of the branch and pulled it down. ( works great )

I used it to cut down a large ear tree in a small back yard so I had to cut one branch at a time

I am happy with this product . It saved me from climbing a tall ladder.

Comment: I have several of these, in both the 24 inch and 48 inch versions, as I have many limbs to cut of varying sizes and widths. I have read reviews on here with various complaints about the throw bag, the binding of the saw, the limitations of size branch for cutting.....and many more complaints. If one wants to complain about these things, they are probably better off spending several thousand dollars for a tree service. However, if one has the time and the inclination to put in some blood, sweat, and tears, then this is the device for you.

Using this device properly is more of an art than a science admittedly, though it definitely is a combination of both and needs much practice to get right......and even then, it will never be perfect. This cannot be emphasized enough. Two people usually work better than one because of the angles. This device will not last forever!......you will probably need new rope once the original rope wears out if you do a lot of cutting. Oil the chain, especially after getting wet. And getting the chain oriented properly with the righting weight takes practice.....and angle is important once you do start to cut. Some cuts go very fast; others will bind and get caught and take an hour or more, even with similar branches and angles. Even if there was a class on how to use this, I believe these issues would remain as there are so many factors which go into a good cut. Dead trees usually cut through quickly, though I have gotten caught on these too. If the angle is even slightly off, it will bind. (and on large diameter branches, do not even think of using the small 24 inch version of this) The weakest part of this device is the clip for the throw bag.....that will break after a few uses. But this is easily replaced.

And when cutting, it goes without saying to be away from the branch being cut. This is one of the best characteristics of this device......it is probably the only method of cutting trees which can keep you safe and far away from falling branches. (This alone is worth 5 stars!)

All of this being said, anyone with a lot of trees would be well served to have at least one of these on hand.....unless they like writing checks to tree service companies.