In yesterdays storm that hit LI I lost a very large branch off one of the trees in my backyard. The branch is more than a foot in diameter at the base and broke off a few feet from the base. When it broke it took out a power line so we were without power for over 20 hrs.

Anyway, the power company did saw up the branch enough so they could clear it from the wires. But its now covering a good portion of my back yard.

The way I see it I have 3 options; rent a chain saw, buy a chain saw or hire a landscaper to clear the branch. Are there any other options? Can anyone give me ballpark figures on rentals or contractor costs?

Also, if I go DIY with a chain saw, any opinions about gas vs electric?

Scott<>

Go browse the small engine forum and see the questions on gas chain saws. Then go buy an electric one. An electric one is likely on the light duty side for such a job, but how often do you plan on doing it? Better yet, hang a sign on it, ''Free firewood''. Wait and see if somebody stops by and offers you a price. If we lived anywhere close, I would come by and cut it up for $50.

Hope you had a good UPS on your computer. What was it, a crummy silver maple? Our electric company is doing a clear cut of anything within 10' of their lines.

Personnaly I would go buy either electric or gas.
They are pretty cheap at wal-mart.
I would say electric in this case because you don not use it all the time.
If you decide to buy gas make sure you drain all the gas out of it when you put it up or it can jell up the carb.

Lab, according to the guy who did the trimming it was a maple. I have 2 other oaks which seem strong.

An inexpensive electric should fill my needs. They will be light and infrequent. I got to figure a rental place is going to charge me about half of what it would cost to buy. So I'm leaning very strongly towards purchasing. That would also mean I don't have to do the whole thing in one day.

I thought about the free firewood deal, but I've been told that in our area its recommended that you only burn seasoned wood.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by labman

Go browse the small engine forum and see the questions on gas chain saws. Then go buy an electric one.

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That made me laugh. Good one. :)

Gas or electric chainsaw, for light use electric would dod the job.

Or place a sign in the front, "FREE FIREWOOD, YOU CUT AND HAUL"