Pedal-Powered Tree Pruning Pole

Pedal-Powered Tree Pruning Pole WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 29-3-25 "It's like riding a bike," say the manufacturers of the new "Ascender" tree pruning device that lets you pedal your way up a tree like you use a stationary bike. As you ascend, it's a simple matter to nip off small branches up to the 26 to 30-ft. height of the device. "There really is no other safe way to do high forest pruning," says Mark Havel, owner and designer of the Ascender. "Even folks who say they are afraid of heights comment on how safe they feel with the Ascender." Pruning lower branches when a tree is young improves the value of a tree when it's harvested later. When taken off properly, the tree quickly heals over. If lower branches are left to die as the upper canopy fills in, they often leave dead knots in the wood. Designed for production forestry, the 21-ft. Ascender is priced at $2,300, weighs 56 lbs. and makes it possible to prune to a 26-ft. height with a hand saw. The 25-ft. mast model allows pruning to a 30-ft. height and weighs 61 lbs. The units are manufactured with an aluminum mast and a chrome-molybdenum pedaling mechanism that drives a winch. To ascend a tree you lean the mast with its crotch top against the tree. Spikes and pads at the foot of the mast prevent it from sinking or slipping. Ratcheting and locking straps at about head high create tension by pulling against the camber of the mast, spring loading the mast to the tree. This design allows the mast to be placed either uphill or downhill from the tree as long as the feet are horizontal. Once the mast is in place, the operator climbs up a few steps and into the seat. He attaches his safety harness with safety lines (supplied with the device) and toe clips and begins to pedal upwards. At the halfway point, he attaches a second set of straps to secure the mast to the tree before continuing the ascent, removing branches along the way. "There are no locks or cogs, but nothing can bring you down except releasing a safety line that has a cam mechanism like rock climbing harnesses have," says Havel. "It won't let you down until you consciously bring yourself down." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark Havel, Future Forestry Products Inc., P.O. Box 1083, Willamina, Ore. 97396 (ph 503 876 4488 or 888 258-1445; email: contact @futureforestry.com; website: www. futureforestry.com).

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