Tree service equipment list: buy the safety gear, rent the big iron

Tree work combines chainsaws, heights and heavy falling loads, so this list starts with the gear that keeps people alive and works toward the machines. Items 1 to 16 are what a small crew needs for pruning, smaller removals and cleanup. Items 17 to 21 are the big machines and services many new companies rent, subcontract or buy used once the schedule supports them, item 22 is the plan for the wood, and 23 to 25 cover the phone, software and insurance. No prices here, since they swing with region and the used market. None of this replaces hands-on training under experienced climbers, and the OSHA, DOT and ANSI material is a general summary, not legal advice; states with their own OSHA plans and local permit offices can add rules. Safety rules, licensing and bidding are covered in full in our tree service startup guide, and the tree service industry page describes the website, storm phone handling and CRM we set up for tree companies.

1. A helmet with face screen and hearing protection

Falling limbs, kickback and saw noise all aim at the head. Look for: a helmet built for arborist work with a chinstrap so it stays on when you look up or climb, a mesh face screen, and attached earmuffs. OSHA's head protection rule requires helmets wherever falling objects can injure the head, meeting one of the ANSI Z89.1 editions it lists. Buy, rent or wait: buy one per person, never shared. Safety: saws, chippers and grinders are loud. Under OSHA's noise standard, employers must make hearing protectors available at no cost once exposure reaches an 8-hour average of 85 decibels, and run a hearing conservation program. Replace a helmet after a hard strike or when the maker's service life is up.

2. Safety glasses under the screen

A mesh screen stops chips and twigs but not fine sawdust or a splash of bar oil. Wear safety glasses underneath, every time a saw or chipper is running. Look for: glasses rated to an edition of ANSI Z87.1 accepted by OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.133, with anti-fog coating and a wrap that blocks debris from the sides. Keep tinted and clear pairs for sun and shade. Buy, rent or wait: buy a box; they scratch and disappear. Safety: scratched lenses make you squint at a cut, so replace them as soon as they haze.

3. Chainsaw protective pants or chaps

Chainsaw protective chaps and pants are built to slow or stop a running chain that touches the leg, so they belong on everyone who runs a saw. Look for: legwear labeled as chainsaw protective by its maker, sized so the panels cover from waist to boot top, and climbing-specific pants for work aloft. Buy, rent or wait: buy for everyone who runs a saw. Safety: once you hire, OSHA's PPE standard expects a certified hazard assessment, training on every item, and employer-paid gear in most cases. Follow the maker's instructions on retiring legwear after any cut.

4. Gloves and boots

Hands handle chains, rope and brush all day, and feet stand under falling wood. Look for: boots with protective toes, aggressive soles, and cut protection if your crew runs saws on the ground; gloves with good grip for rope work. For chipper duty, OSHA's wood chipper safety bulletin recommends gloves with no cuffs and close-fitting clothing with no loose straps, citing ANSI Z133.1. In one fatality it describes, a branch may have snagged the cuff of the operator's glove and pulled him into the chipper. Buy, rent or wait: buy, and keep spares on the truck. Safety: no jewelry, scarves or untucked shirts near the chipper.

5. A first aid kit and an aerial rescue plan

A climber injured aloft can't climb down and walk to the truck, so the rescue plan has to exist before anyone needs 911. Look for: a trauma kit with bleeding control, a standard first aid kit, and the gear and training to lower an injured climber. Rules: OSHA's first aid rule requires someone trained in first aid, plus ready supplies, when no clinic or hospital is near the job. OSHA's falls bulletin for tree care also says to confirm cell coverage, make sure every worker knows the job address, set a retreat path, and keep a worker trained in emergency procedures within sight or voice of anyone climbing above 12 feet. Buy, rent or wait: buy and train before the first climb.

6. Cones, signs and a drop zone kit

The drop zone under a climber or a felling cut is where ground workers get hurt. The same OSHA falls bulletin says to mark drop zones with equipment such as cones, train everyone on entering them, keep ground workers at least two tree heights from felling, and keep them at least one and a half tree heights away when a rope is used to fell a tree. It also calls for traffic and pedestrian control before work starts. Look for: tall cones, "tree work ahead" signs, caution tape, and stands that hold up in wind. Buy, rent or wait: buy. Safety: check your city's rules before you put signs or cones in a public street; some require a permit or a traffic plan.

7. Radios or headsets for climber and ground

A climber cutting a limb and a groundworker walking under it need to hear each other over the saw. OSHA's tree care falls bulletin calls for a visual or audible communication system between overhead and ground workers before rigging begins, with clear signals for standing clear and for when it is safe to approach. Look for: helmet-mounted headsets or push-to-talk radios that work through hearing protection, with batteries that last a full day. Buy, rent or wait: buy once you run a two-person crew; until then, agree on hand and voice signals and practice them. Safety: make the signal for "stop" the simplest one you have, and rehearse it.

8. Rear-handle chainsaws for ground work

Ground saws buck logs, fell smaller trees and clean up. Most crews carry at least two sizes. Look for: a mid-size saw for limbing and bucking, a larger saw with a longer bar for felling and big wood, a working chain brake and chain catcher, and a dealer nearby who stocks parts. Buy, rent or wait: buy, new or from a dealer who services used saws. Safety: read the operator's manual for each model, keep both hands on the saw, start it with the chain brake on, and never cut above shoulder height. Gasoline storage and handling fall under OSHA's flammable liquids standard, one of the rules the tree care standards page lists for tree companies.

9. A top-handle saw for climbers

Top-handle saws are small and light for use aloft, where a climber is tied in and positioned. They belong in trained hands only, and never replace a ground saw. Look for: a model built for arborist use with a lanyard ring so it can be tethered to the climber's saddle, a chain brake, and a weight the climber can manage at full reach. Buy, rent or wait: buy when you have a trained climber. Safety: follow the maker's instructions on how the saw is held and started, keep it tethered while climbing, and train new climbers on the ground before they ever run one in a tree.

10. A saw maintenance kit and fuel cans

A dull chain makes a saw pull and bounce, which tires the operator and invites kickback. Look for: round files sized to your chains, a depth gauge tool, a flat file, a bar groove cleaner, spare chains, bar oil, and approved, labeled fuel cans for mixed gas. Buy, rent or wait: buy with the first saw. Safety: refuel with the engine off and cool, away from where you will start the saw, and keep fuel cans strapped down in the truck so they can't tip or slide.

11. Hand saws, loppers and pole tools

A lot of good pruning is quiet: hand saws for clean cuts on smaller limbs, loppers for twigs, and pole saws or pole pruners for reach from the ground. Look for: a folding or scabbard hand saw with replaceable blades, sectional poles that lock firmly, and sharp pruner heads. Buy, rent or wait: buy. Safety: keep every pole away from wires. Unless you are a qualified electrical worker, 29 CFR 1910.333(c)(3) keeps you and anything conductive you hold at least 10 feet from live overhead lines up to 50 kV, farther for higher voltages. Clearing around lines for a utility is separate, regulated line-clearance work.

12. A climbing kit with a second means of fall protection

The climbing kit is life-support equipment. Look for: an arborist saddle that fits, a climbing line, a friction hitch cord or mechanical device, carabiners and connectors, and a work-positioning lanyard. OSHA's tree care falls bulletin says to use only climbing equipment the manufacturer approves for tree care, to inspect it before work and remove damaged or worn gear, and to train climbers to use a second means of fall protection, such as a lanyard or second climbing line, along with the main line. Buy, rent or wait: buy new; never buy used life-support gear with an unknown history. Safety: log each item's first use and inspections, and retire it on the maker's schedule.

13. A throw line and access gear

Getting a line into a good tie-in point is the first job of every climb. A throw weight and throw line let you set it from the ground. Look for: throw weights in a couple of sizes, a throw line that slides through bark easily, a folding cube or bag that keeps it untangled, and a line retrieval tool. Buy, rent or wait: buy with the climbing kit. Safety: test every tie-in point by loading it from the ground before you leave it, and if you climb with spurs on removals, OSHA's falls bulletin says climbers should be trained to use gaffs suited to the tree being climbed. Assess the tree's structure before anyone goes up.

14. Rigging lines, blocks and a lowering device

Rigging lowers cut pieces under control when there is a house, fence or garden below. Look for: rigging lines in a couple of diameters, rigging blocks, round slings, a friction lowering device for the groundworker, and carabiners or shackles rated for the loads. Know the working load limit of every piece and keep loads well under it, since a dropped piece shock-loads the system. Buy, rent or wait: buy a basic kit; add a winch or more blocks as jobs grow. Safety: OSHA's falls bulletin says to decide whether rigging is needed before work starts and whether the crew can use it safely. In the fatal fall it describes, a trunk snapped under the forces of roping down sections.

15. Felling wedges, a felling lever and an axe

Wedges keep a back cut open and help steer a tree's fall; a felling lever lifts smaller trees over and rolls logs. Look for: plastic or composite wedges in several sizes (less likely than steel to ruin a chain you touch them with), a felling lever with a hook for rolling logs, and an axe or splitting maul to drive wedges. Buy, rent or wait: buy. Safety: plan the fall direction and escape route before the first cut, keep everyone out of the felling zone, and never rely on wedges to move a tree that leans hard the wrong way; rig it or call for help.

16. A truck that can tow a chipper

A chip truck or a heavy-duty pickup pulls the chipper, hauls gear and carries brush. Look for: a towing capacity above the chipper's loaded weight, a hitch and brake controller to match, a dump box or chip body, and lockable toolboxes. Check the ratings before you buy. Under 49 CFR 390.5, interstate work in a truck or truck-and-trailer rated at 10,001 pounds or more makes it a commercial motor vehicle in federal eyes. The weight-based CDL groups in 49 CFR 383.91 start at 26,001 pounds: Group B for a single truck rated that heavy, and Group A for a combination rated that heavy when the towed unit is rated over 10,000 pounds. Your state sets rules for trucks that never leave it. Buy, rent or wait: use what you have if the numbers work; the work truck buying guide covers the rest.

17. A brush chipper

A chipper turns a yard full of brush into a load of chips in minutes, and it can kill an operator who gets caught at the infeed. OSHA's 2008 chipper bulletin counts 39 workers killed in chipper accidents from 1996 to 2005 in its records, 78 percent of them caught in the machine. Look for: an infeed capacity matched to your typical brush, a feed control bar with quick-stop and reverse, a long feed tray, and a discharge chute you can aim into the truck. Buy, rent or wait: rent or buy used at first. Safety: the bulletin says to stand to the side of the infeed, feed butt-end first, push short pieces with a wooden tool or long branch, post someone near the emergency stop, inspect the machine every shift, and lock it out before any service.

18. A stump grinder

Stump grinding is often sold as a separate line item on the quote. Walk-behind grinders fit through gates; tow-behind and self-propelled machines handle large stumps. Look for: a cutting wheel and teeth in good condition, a guard and debris curtain, and a size that fits the gates on your typical jobs. Buy, rent or wait: rent, or subcontract to a stump grinding company, until volume justifies owning one. Safety: a grinder chews below grade where gas, power and water lines run. The Common Ground Alliance's 811 site says anyone who plans to dig should contact 811 a few business days ahead, free; ask for locates before every grind and keep spectators far from flying chips.

19. An aerial lift or bucket truck

A bucket truck puts a trimmer in position without climbing, which speeds up roadside work, palms and trees that aren't safe to climb. Look for: working height and side reach for your typical trees, an insulated boom only if you are trained and qualified for work near lines, and inspection and maintenance records on any used unit. Buy, rent or wait: rent with an operator or subcontract first. Rules: under 29 CFR 1910.67, only trained persons may operate an aerial lift, controls must be tested each day before use, and a fall arrest or restraint system must be worn and attached to the boom or basket. OSHA's falls bulletin adds that a lift should not be used as a crane unless designed for it.

20. A compact loader

A compact track loader or mini skid steer with a grapple moves logs and brush to the chipper and truck, saves backs, and on tracks spreads its weight across soft lawns. Look for: a grapple attachment, tracks for turf, a width that fits through typical gates, and a trailer rated for it. Buy, rent or wait: rent by the day for big removals; buy only when you use one most days. Safety: only trained operators run it, and nobody walks between the loader and the log pile.

21. Crane service, subcontracted

Large trees over houses are often safest to remove with a crane lifting pieces straight out. A small company hires a crane company and plans the job with it. Look for: a crane company with tree experience, a clear site plan for setup, pads and load weights, and agreement on who directs the lift. Buy, rent or wait: subcontract; owning a crane is a separate business. Safety: every pick needs an accurate weight estimate. Hold a job briefing with the crane operator before the first cut, and keep everyone not involved out of the area.

22. A plan for chips and logs

Every job leaves wood, and disposal costs can quietly eat a bid. Line up places for it before you start selling. Look for: a mulch yard or compost site that takes chips, a firewood processor or buyer for logs, landscapers or gardeners who want chips delivered, and a dump trailer or chip box that unloads without shoveling. Buy, rent or wait: set up arrangements now; buy a dump trailer once volume grows. Safety: keep chip and log piles away from buildings, fuel storage and parked trucks, and check your local rules for storing wood at your shop.

23. A business phone number built for storm surges

After a storm, phones ring all at once, and the crew is up a tree with saws running. A line that forwards to the owner's cell, fires off a text to every missed caller, and can switch to a storm message with a triage question keeps those calls from going elsewhere. Our phone systems page covers the setup, and an AI receptionist can answer every call and flag trees on houses as emergencies. The business number guide walks through choosing one. When: before the truck is lettered.

24. Estimating and scheduling software with photos

Tree bids happen on site, and the details that drive cost (lean, decay, targets below, access, disposal) need to be recorded, priced and remembered. Your software should store photos and notes per job, build a written quote with options for stump grinding and wood removal, take a deposit for crane jobs, and follow up on open bids before the next storm season. A custom CRM can also track rental needs per job. Our guide on how to price tree service jobs covers what goes into each bid.

25. Insurance that names tree work

Tree claims are expensive: a limb through a roof, a crushed fence, an injured groundworker. Get written confirmation that tree removal and climbing are covered operations under your general liability policy; never assume a contractor policy includes them. Add commercial auto for trucks and chippers, coverage for saws and equipment, and workers' compensation as your state requires before you hire. Property managers and many homeowners want a certificate of insurance before work begins, so keep one ready to email. Each policy, and how additional insured requests work, is covered in our contractor insurance guide.

Where to start

Before any saw upgrade, buy three things: full protective gear for every person on the crew (items 1 to 4), a climbing kit with a second means of fall protection and the training to use it (item 12), and a first aid and rescue plan (item 5). Those come before marketing, too. Then rent the chipper and stump grinder by the job and learn their safety controls before you consider owning. The ANSI Z133 safety standard is worth reading cover to cover. ANSI has approved the 2026 edition, and the ISA offers the digital version, in English or Spanish, free for individual use through its web store. The start a company hub lists every setup step, and a free launch plan puts your site, Business Profile and phones in order before storm season.

Frequently asked questions