Reaching a limb and getting to the right place to do a proper job are two different things. A ladder is the wrong place to stand when cutting a tree. Giving a can-do novice the wrong tool for the job is just asking to be the subject of a YouTube disaster video.

The duct tape might work in the near term. For a long-term fix, get a new battery and don't drop it.

JM$.02W

Typically that would be safely done with a bucket truck, since you have a road right there.

As per above Q, which way would you wind the duct tape? Round & round? Or just the sides?

BTW, i never dropped it, i'm very careful!! i'd bought a refurbished PorterCable set long ago (when Lithiums had started to come out) which included warranty, drill, saw, circular saw, two batteries and charger for a major buy, approx. $60 or $70.I believe it was posted by someone on SlickDeals or some such, and they were being snapped up. I remember having replaced the charger during the warranty period, the seller nicely sent a new one in exchange. One of the batteries had probably started becoming undone upon purchase, but i hadn't realized to look out for same, and anyway, i didn't have a screwdriver for their weird type of screws anyway (to check). I used the set alot, and during all that time, never once dropped any batteries.

Re: the tree, I don't have a bucket truck.

I do have this long jump rope that has been used for decades as heavy-duty "vintage" twine. So perhaps the sawzall can be used part-way, and then the rope the rest of the way? I have more twine as well, to supplement it, and also heavy-duty clothesline wiring.

See attached link and photo (of clothesline wire & rope respectively)

The guy is very handy and careful.

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/874e20ef-9b7d-4632-88ec-79ddf3a4865d_1.86c82053b77c8f96d6515fed39165a8d.jpeg?odnWidth=undefined&odnHeight=undefined&odnBg=ffffff

Hopefully you have someone there with a camera as this will be epic. I think your handyman would be absolutely crazy to cut branches from step ladder with a sawzall under those conditions. Hire a tree company before someone gets hurt.

The price of hiring a tree company to trim the limbs is very cheap in comparison to having to pay hospital or funeral bills for someone to cut it for you. Also the risk of being sued. Trimming trees is not as safe/easy as it might appear to be.

I see, thanks for explaining it's the service lines, i'd forgotten.

I hope i can find a tree guy that is "Bond".

But the thicker wiring that's low-hanging - i believe that's the power line.

OK, now, gotta go scrambling. Many contacts to make.

To the lawn guy, to power co. since i'd already set tentative apptmt. online, and to a tree guy.

P.S. I see probably none of you are too enthusiastic about advising duct/gaffer tape, but if it were yours how would you tape it?

• As for tape to fix the battery. as long as you wrap it so that it does not come a part and works, it is the right way to tape it. With the tape it is not going to look like one that comes new from the store so as long as the tape works and the battery takes a charge, use it.

I agree with Krmuttie. The bottom wire is definitely a phone cable. The photos are a bit hard to see the other wires. Understand, that if you screw this up, in addition to possibly killing yourself, the various utilities will come after you (seen that happen) for the damage to their lines.

"As for tape to fix the battery. as long as you wrap it so that it does not come a part (sic) and works, it is the right way to tape it."

Wisdom for life.

OK, i already duct-taped it, at which point when tried it on the drill it was dead (no sound), although it had been soundless directly prior to "popping apart" as well. It had an obvious "split-seam" all along anyway, just i hadn't recognized it was due to plastic-cracking gradually enlarging internally. Then when i put it in charger, within a few seconds, it began flashing at high-speed indicating something wrong with the battery. So now i'm down to one battery.

================

Re: the tree photo, the reason it's hard for you to see is because Houzz doesn't enable closer zooming, whereas on my computer, i can see it clearer when zooming.

Meanwhile, the power co. is sending a guy at no charge (just to assess) within three days.

Note they state that what belongs to them is:

service wire, connection point, and electric meter

and what's my responsibility is:

Drip loop, service bracket, weatherhead & entrance cable

Which begs the question, as to whether any of the latter would be expensive to fix, if that's required.

The fella from the power company will be able to tell you what needs to be replaced at your expense. He should be able to give you a ballpark estimate.

Quote' "Houzz doesn't enable closer zooming, whereas on my computer, i can see it clearer when zooming."

This is why you need an image processing program like Irfanview pinned to your taskbar. In situation where you want to zoom a picture either copy the image, or do a screen copy. Place the image into the image processing program and zoom as much as you like.

If I was you I would buy a 'saw on a stick' aka pole saw, a very sharp pruning saw on a telescoping pole. They usually open up to about 15 ft. It will be cheaper than hiring a tree service to cut that, and much safer than the ladder since you can stand on the ground. Plus you'll have a handy tool for the next limb that needs trimmed. Tools pay for themselves.

Lowe's has a 12' Fiskars for $40. A tree service will charge you 5x that.

Quote "This is why you need an image processing program like Irfanview>>>

krnuttle, I wasn't referring to making the tree-photo bigger for myself - i'm able to do that at my end. I was referring to other poster(s) above who can't see a close-up.

But by now its moot, cuz guess what? It's mostly resolved, thanks to all your advices to contact the power company

...Though note - the email-cancellation w/the tree service co. due to misguided instructions by the power company's personnel WAS awkward! Especially as i'd previously asked them if they're licensed, insured, yada yada!

...anyway, the power-line guys arrived today and trimmed alot of the problem branches themselves, using the exact stick-saw that toxcrusadr referred to.

The workers were friendly, and one of them told me "it's not necessary to get a tree guy, because we already raised our line higher than the phone-wires, and whatever bit is remaining in the phone lines are thin enough that they won't be a problem.

BTW, my lawn guy had told me his friend does tree's, so i might ask him if he can just borrow a pole pruner and do the remainder of the branch. It shouldn't be a big deal now.

Which of these should i ask him to bring? https://www.homedepot.com/s/pole%2520pruner?NCNI-5

...i might also ask him if he knows how to revive the dead 18V battery. He's very nice.

NiCd is obsolete for tools because they don't hold up nearly as well as Li ion batteries. It might be time for a new tool or at least a new battery. You can go to a battery store and they can probably restuff the case with new NiCd cells. Unless the case is too busted to reuse.

Have your lawn guy tell his tree buddy how big the limb is that needs cutting, and how high, and let them figure out the tool selection.

Jally: quote: " I wasn't referring to making the tree-photo bigger for myself - i'm able to do that at my end. I was referring to other poster(s) above who can't see a close-up.

I was not talking about making my image bigger on my computer, but when you see a picture that can not be zoomed on forums like this. Most forums allow you to copy pictures to your own computer, it they do not you can do a screen print to get the picture you want. Once you have the image from the net on your computer, you then blow it up in your image processing program.

For me it is as routine as reading the post, to better see the pictures on forums and the like. That was the first thing I did when I read this thread. Get a copy of the picture with the blue arrows and blow it up so I could see it was the service lines interfering with the tree.

OK, i see, thank y'all.

About 25 years ago, I bought what I called “a manual chain saw” at Sears. It consisted of a chainsaw chain connected to two lengths of rope with a big sandbag on the other end of one of the ropes. You got that sandbag end swinging, then tossed it over the limb you wanted to cut. I was able to wiggle it up to the collar of the branch, and then the sawing began. My arms provided the “engine” and I got quite the workout. I was able to do 4 inch branches easily and once got the chain stuck cutting through a 6 inch thick one. I learned to have someone pull down on the branchlets on the far end of the branch to free it. I worked very well as long as you did not get it stuck in your cut. It was best to keep it moving.

My lawn mower guy did it already - no problem. He's a nice guy. I believe he used a pole saw or some such. I didn't even hear him arrive, so i wasn't looking out the window at the time.