By 
Introduction
When you allow trees to just grow as they like, it can create some serious safety issues with overhanging branches and also ruin the aesthetics of your property. To fix that, you can search for “tree service near me” and hire professionals to trim and prune the trees on your property. On the other hand, if you’d like to do the job yourself, you’ll need the following trimming tools:
The Tools
1. Hand Shears – Hand pruners or hand shears or simply pruners are oversized scissors that can cut branches with a diameter of one or two inches. They are the most basic tool every gardener needs and let you start on your trimming journey. There are different types of hand shears on the market.
If you opt for an anvil shear, it has a blade that is pushed through the plant material onto a cutting board or the anvil. On the other hand, bypass shears work similarly to real scissors. They have two blades that bypass each other to chop off the branch. While anvil and bypass shear look similar, they are quite different in what they do. Unlike anvil shears, when you use bypass pruners you can cut off branches without doing almost any damage to the plant. When you use bypass shears, the tree heals faster.
Basic hand shears don’t cost a lot of money. They usually cost a few dozen dollars and can last you for a very long time. You need to choose shears that are sharp and made from high-quality and rust-resistant steel. As long as you maintain the shear by sharpening its blades, oiling the hinges, and cleaning off the plant sap with steel wool, the tool can last you several decades.
2. Loppers – Think of loppers as shears with longer handles and blades. They are strong enough to cut through branches that are as thick as three inches. Unlike regular shears, you need to use two hands for the extra leverage needed to use loppers. The extra length of the loppers allows you to reach above your height and make cuts at awkward spots.
Similar to regular shears, you have the option of anvil loppers and bypass loppers. It’s best to always choose bypass loppers over the other option. When you buy loppers, apart from the steel, you also need to pay attention to the handle. The handle should be made from a lightweight, yet strong material so that you don’t get tired while using the lopper.
3. Pole pruners – Pole pruners are usually used to cut through two to three-inch-thick branches that are growing at a height. Pole pruners usually have a height of around eight feet. However, those pruners have a fixed handle. Instead, you can buy a pole pruner with a telescopic handle and can adjust the height up to 30 feet. You can do the same by joining multiple fixed handle pole pruners. However, telescopic pole pruners are always more convenient.
These pruners have a pruning blade attached at the top and it’s connected to a thin string or rope that runs along the length of the pole. When you make the blade reach the desired height, you need to work the blade and cut branches. If it’s a decent quality pole pruner you should be able to snap the branch with one pull.
If you need to exert a lot of force to snap the branches or need more than one person to operate the pole pruner, then you have a very poorly designed pole pruner that is made from inferior and heavy materials. On the other hand, some pole pruners even come with nifty attachments so that they can be easily converted to pole saws. With a pole saw you can cut branches as thick as 5 inches. Make sure you don’t stand directly under the branch you cut.
4. Hand saw – Everyone’s familiar with a hand saw. You can use this powerful yet simple tool to cut five-inch-thick branches with ease. If you have the simplest variant, you’ll need to use a ladder to cut high branches. However, some better-designed models come in a folding form that can be used to reach higher branches from the ground.
You can use the push, pull stroke, or both to cut branches with the hand saw. With a push saw, you push the saw away from you to cut branches and you pull it toward you when you’re using a pull saw. If you plan to use a folding hand saw from the ground, a push saw is a great option. On the other hand, if you’re using a ladder, it’s best to use a pull saw so that you don’t lose stability while pushing the saw away from you.
5. Chainsaw – This tool is extremely powerful and versatile. That’s why it has wide applications across various industries. As a homeowner, you’ll need a chainsaw when you’re doing some DIY work at the garage or when you need to cut branches that are thicker than 5 inches. Chainsaws have gas-powered engines or electric motors to spin the chain around the cutting bar at high speeds.
You can get chainsaws with cutting bars of various lengths, from 6 inches to 20 inches. Usually, smaller chainsaws are electric powered since they don’t demand a lot of power. If you have the option of going electric, you should do that. Electric motors are less noisy, they don’t need to burn fossil fuel, don’t create toxic fumes, and don’t require a lot of maintenance.
To figure out the size of the chainsaw you need, check out the thickest branches on your tree. You’ll need to add two inches and get a cutting bar that matches the size. For instance, if the thickest branch on your tree is 7 inches thick, you’ll need a chainsaw with at least a 9-inch long cutting bar.
Conclusion
Tree trimming is a tiring and often dangerous job. Just pulling up the chainsaw to cut down branches is a risky affair. You can avoid that by searching for “tree service near me” and hiring professionals to do the job for you.
