Branch shear - hydraulic operated

[Aquamoose]

After building my tree puller, I started to get this “itch” to build an attachment for it that has a pole and a hydraulic operated shear at the end to reach (and cut) branches in the 7’-24’ zone of my large pine/fir trees to reduce ladder fuels.

I tried googling it for ideas and I keep getting the $25 garden variety hand shears. I DO have a Stihl pole saw but it’s hard on my back and I have lots of trees and just about all of them are less than 6”. Tractor mounted chainsaws aren’t attractive to me due to multiple parts that can go wrong, sharpening, pinching, etc.

I’ve already bought a pair of new shears designed for rescue cutters and will tinker with it to come up with a useful tool for me.

For more info, it’s going on my recent home made tree puller that exceeded my expectations. (It can pull a 40 ft tree!) With that in mind, I’m thinking of using the same tree puller to mount a removable arm to it.

Has anyone done something like it? Thoughts?

 

[rd_macgregor]

I think reaching to 24' may be a bit optimistic, unless you have a telehandler, but several companies make FEL-mounted shears designed for limb trimming, for example: EDGE Hi Reach Clipper Goes Where you Can't Reach - YouTube
or TS 8 presentation - YouTube

I just Googled "hydraulic limb shear" and then started following YouTube's links.

 

[mikester]

I've been toying with the idea of making a backhoe mounted shear attachment. Use my thumb hydraulics to drive the shear.

I was originally considering the pivot shear method then realized that a log splitter style would probably work as good and be dual purpose. It would extend my cutting reach about 4 feet for de-limbing as well as be a decent log splitter. The idea was to mount a hydraulic pivot and use the quick attach mount. I want to be able to cut trees up to 15" diameter once they are laying on the ground.

 

[kthompson]

My thought is a shear will require great eye sight and ability to control the shear very well 20 plus feet in the air to get it around the limb, better than my eye sight. They use boom here with large circular blade on it and think that would be easier and faster. Some are only one real large blade like at least 20 inches and some others have 2 or 3 say 16 inch blades. Works good for small branches to right large ones.

I have boom mower with flail cutter head. Oak limbs give it a fit.

 

[bigdeano]

Seems like a shear would work great for branches. The trouble I see for a saw is it could get pinched by a large branch, then what do you do if it's 20 feet up? I've cut branches with a hand saw. You have to cut from the top so it doesn't pinch, then the branch bends down and tears down the side of the tree, unless you cut up from the bottom first. A shear would just be a giant pair of hand clippers, which I use all the time.

 

[jmc]

I've been toying with the idea of making a backhoe mounted shear attachment. ..... I want to be able to cut trees up to 15" diameter once they are laying on the ground.

Ive got a Precision Hy-Reach shear that is rated for 7 inch diameter trees and comes with a 5 inch diameter cylinder to do it. My tracked-loader runs at 18 gallons/minute and it still takes awhile to open and close those jaws with that big of a cylinder. You wouldnt begrudge the cycle time for onesy-twosy jobs but that cycle time really stacks up when youre running a job for hours. And yeah, its about the same cycle time for cutting 2 inch stuff with that 5 inch cylinder. Scaling a shear up to something that cuts up to 15 inches...it might not be very efficient on big jobs with smaller trees.

 

[oosik]

Last year the salesman at the local Kubota dealership has a set of hydraulically operated shears. They had a ten foot handle and the thing I noticed - it was very heavy. Had 25 foot hoses that would connect to and run off of your tractor hydraulics. Customer return - not strong enough to use then for very long.

 

[kthompson]

As I was trimming shrubs in my yard today this thread came to me mind. Wood splitting was sort of compared to shearing and to me there is a good bit of difference in the two. Splitting tools and shearing are good bit different.

I have no problem understanding any tool you use to cut a tree or branch can bind if not used properly. But there are many many saws being used ever day to trim tree limbs of all sizes and not many shears. You decide the reasons.

 

[Aquamoose]

Ive got a Precision Hy-Reach shear that is rated for 7 inch diameter trees and comes with a 5 inch diameter cylinder to do it. My tracked-loader runs at 18 gallons/minute and it still takes awhile to open and close those jaws with that big of a cylinder. You wouldnt begrudge the cycle time for onesy-twosy jobs but that cycle time really stacks up when youre running a job for hours. And yeah, its about the same cycle time for cutting 2 inch stuff with that 5 inch cylinder. Scaling a shear up to something that cuts up to 15 inches...it might not be very efficient on big jobs with smaller trees.

Interesting observation. Hopefully I can size a cylinder properly while keeping in mind the necessary leverage required to cut.

 

[Aquamoose]

Last year the salesman at the local Kubota dealership has a set of hydraulically operated shears. They had a ten foot handle and the thing I noticed - it was very heavy. Had 25 foot hoses that would connect to and run off of your tractor hydraulics. Customer return - not strong enough to use then for very long.

I noticed that you’re close by. Was it at Adam’s tractor in Spokane?

How big were those shears?