Pruning Trees With Tree Loppers

Pruning shrubs, small trees, and larger plants is a crucial task that can keep your garden looking neat and tidy or become a huge chore. Quality loppers can turn this back-breaking work into a cinch, but using a dull pair or those that are not well-suited to the job can be more harmful than helpful. They can also create a lot of mess, clog up your tool bag, and possibly even cause injury.

Loppers are typically categorized by their blade type, either bypass or anvil. Both are useful, but one works better for different types of stems and branches. For example, anvil loppers have a base (anvil) and a movable blade that slices past it to close the cut. The force that the anvil exerts makes it good for thick or dead wood, but it can crush softer stems and limbs. For this reason, they are best used for clearing dead limbs and making a rough cut before trimming with a saw or bypass loppers.

On the other hand, a set of bypass pruning loppers is ideal for cutting live growth. They work much like a pair of scissors, with the upper blade slicing past a sturdier lower blade in side-by-side fashion. This style is more delicate on green growth, leaving a clean cut behind and making it suitable for thinning out or shaping the canopy of valuable trees.

Whatever you’re doing with your loppers, it’s essential that you don’t just snip them away, as this can starve the plant of its vital nutrients and weaken it. Instead, use a single, swift, controlled cut with sharp, high-quality blades. The best loppers have a balanced sharpness and hardness for durability and long-lasting performance. Look for a coating like Teflon or titanium, as this helps to reduce sap residue on the blades and makes them easier to clean.

The handles of a good pair of loppers should feel comfortable in your hands and be sturdy enough to resist wear and tear. Many feature a padded rubber or foam grip designed to reduce hand fatigue, slippage, and blisters. While these features can make a big difference, they aren’t the only factors to consider when choosing a pair of loppers.

A telescopic handle is a great option for reaching taller trees and getting into tight spaces. However, it’s important to know that most telescopic handles have a second cutting mechanism that increases the force they apply and can lead to choppy cuts.

When purchasing a telescoping pair of loppers, it’s important to understand that the extending handle can be extended at any point along the shaft, which can impact the overall reach and cutting ability. This is because each extension adds to the length of the handle and therefore the lever action. Whether or not this is an issue for you depends on your needs and what height you need to prune at. For most people, this will not be a problem. For others, it may be a deal-breaker.

from Treby Tree Services https://trebytreeservices.wordpress.com/2024/07/07/pruning-trees-with-tree-loppers/