I've been using a telescopic 7m, five section pruning pole quite a bit, its a good tool, but the end section is too bendy, therefore I usually close that and have just the first four sections extended.

I am probably going to buy the longer 9M version, which will have the same issue. Same five sections but each are slightly longer.

Its almost too light weight, and there would be no problem adding something to stiffen the last section. The section is round tube with a V indentation along the length.
Im thinking a length of slightly smaller alu tube with a slot cut down it, and pushed up inside, followed by some kind of glue, or builders foam.

Any ideas?
I may have some carbon fibre pole sections in the garage somewhere.

no idea how to stiffen it, but beware its likely going to need a certain amount of flexiblity to prevent it snapping

Reach and wash type pole?

id be thinking the same as you i would try mastic/silicone adhesive if the tube is a tight ish fix it only has to stop the pole droping out

i wouldnt get the 9m as the same issue would still exist

if you want to improve what you have add, add ons to the first outside bar

As suggested above, can you add a bit of reinforcement to span the "bendy" joint?
Fibreglass / carbon fishing pole with clips to hold it onto your pole?

Random link to show the type of clip I'm thinking of (if you can get sizes to suit both sections of your pole)

Or look at how the window washer poles work, I've seen them comfortably reach 4th story of office blocks and they seem to be stable

Shove some wooden dowel in there.

Years ago when I was doing tree work I used pole saws a lot, the ones we had were aluminium in 5foot sections that clicked together about 50 mm diameter tubes. We would use 6 or more poles clipped together at that length nothing is going to keep it rigid you just have to learn a technique that copes with the fiex

viagra may help

[oops should have read the thread before posting ,, not just the title]

Kram . Have you ever thought of making your own to your own choice of sections lengths ?

I've modified three 12 foot lengths of domestic blue water pipe as follows to clear blockages in a very long drain run without intermediate access points .& also used them to clear & clean /sweep chimneys that had bees in them .

When BT linesmen had access to pole saws and the same set for dropping a weight down hollow fibreglass poles ( where it was too dangerous to use ladders etc. I seem to recall we had sets of 9 ( ???) off 6-foot rods , with Bailey Lock Fast connectors , a three foot pruning saw head and the weight dropping head .

A decent set of second hand drain rods or chimney sweeping rods ( Bailey lockfast ) will have square male or female lock tabs on the ends . You put them together with two 19mm O.J.spanners and they don't come undone till you put the spanners back on them . I think you can get suitable thick walled aluminium tube in 4m lengths . to cut up as you please

These Bailey lockfast rods are what could work for you , measure the OD of the brass and get tube to suit , or slightly larger and some ferrules to make a tight fit . Then cut off the brass , use Vee block to drill the tube and grind off the brass rivets in the brass connectors & punch the rivets our . Then put you own riveting in using a dome head snap either side of the rivet works well

eBay item number:253970190538

In bending, the material at the centre of a circular cross section contributes very little to stiffness.

Wood is not a particulaly stiff material and has different properties bending across the grain and along the grain (non-isotropic).

Thus a tubular reinforcement of an isotropic material would be a more structurally efficient solutuion

Wood is anisotropic, but the strength is in the direction in which it matters in this instance, just like a pultruded carbon section.

A bit of dowel down the middle is going to be stiffer than the air that's currently inside. Quick, easy and accessible too.

For the end section you could fill it with expanding foam so no weight and will stiffen that section. You’d need a long hose to get it to the end of the section and withdraw it as it fills.

Years ago when I was doing tree work I used pole saws a lot, the ones we had were aluminium in 5foot sections that clicked together about 50 mm diameter tubes. We would use 6 or more poles clipped together at that length nothing is going to keep it rigid you just have to learn a technique that copes with the fiex

Yes I have used those and the fibreglass types, both I remember being significantly heavier, while stiffer they bend more under their own weight and harder to control. Its also a massive advantage on these being quickly adjustable in length and easy to store. Yes there is technique however the last section of these telescopic ones is excessive and just makes it difficult - saps all the energy and bounces the blade out of the cut.

Saturdays job was this, a large amount of ash poking through the conni hedge that would be in my way for topping, coming from two horizontal spreading 10" limbs behind the neighbours.
Then the conni going left into the neighbours, some very long peices and a hazard beam crack on the stem.

I got a lot of ash out and weight off the conni before I climbed and topped the rest.

with certain high trees the telescopic pole is good enough

but im a person that would stick a chainsaw on a long pole as battery exists nowadays

if you combine 2 things a telescopic mast and a swivel arm on the top with a chainsaw on the end you can do a wide cut

That type of machine already exists & is called a pole saw, gaz.

That type of machine already exists & is called a pole saw, gaz.

i wanted to give it a wide cut of 1 metre either side of the pole and use it as a circle cutter for high hedges and trees

pole saw is a basic tool and takes time a chainsaw/hedge trimmer adaption from the head would do it

pole you can see expands to a swivel head at top the chainsaw is on end of a boom arm

you dont have to use square you can use a triangle shape instead

homemade