Tree-Care Specialist Invents New Pruning Device

RICHBORO, Pa. – Don Hill can cut down the tallest tree limbs without ever having to leave the ground, thanks to a handy device he has invented.

His Reach It Add-A-Pole electric saw extends upward in 6-foot increments, making it long enough to trim branches that once required an experienced tree climber or a cherry-picker truck.

"Necessity is the mother of invention," Hill says he gets ready to take down a trio of ash trees in a Northampton family's yard.

For Hill, that necessity was born six years ago, when he moved to Pittsburgh to help a friend salvage a struggling landscape business.

During one job, the person who was supposed to climb a tree to trim the branches didn't show up. But instead of canceling, Hill headed for the nearest hardware store and bought a $110 traditional electric tree saw, which looks like a small chain saw attached to the end of a 12-foot pole. He then attached the saw to a series of metal poles to extend its reach. It can be extended to whatever height is needed by adding more poles.

Thus was born Add-A-Pole.

"I don't climb trees," says Hill, who returned to Richboro after six months in Pittsburgh to resume control of his own company, Don's Best Price Service. "I cut them."

Hill admits people who make their livings as tree climbers don't like his idea. But he says they could benefit by using the system to cut limbs even they can't reach. And, he says, others would be able to expand their businesses without hiring a climber.

"Climbers don't come a dime a dozen," Hill says. "They're hard to find."

The Add-A-Pole isn't a new concept. Electronic reaching saws are on the market now, but they only go about 12 feet in the air and can be cumbersome, Hill says.

Add-A-Pole is made of lightweight aluminum poles, each painted bright yellow. The motor can be started by a remote control that looks like an automatic car starter.

Hill, who's been in the landscape business for more than 30 years, won't say how much the device cost him to develop.

"A lot," he says. "Trial and error. You always ordered the wrong thing first. You have to keep persevering."

In the past six years, he said he's sold about 25 devices to landscape contractors. A full system costs $450 and extra poles are $36.

He has obtained the trademark for his product's name and is awaiting a patent.

One day, Hill, 62, hopes to retire and sell the Add-A-Pole nationwide. Not only can it trim trees, he says, but with the right attachments, it can unscrew outdoor light bulbs, clean gutters and perform other hard-to-reach chores.

"You're going to extend your reach," he says.