On Sun, 01 Jan 2017 07:10:28 -0800, mike wrote:

Let's get back to the question.
If it's 18F outside, does the limb get more brittle enough to facilitate
just pulling it down? That's all I want to know.

No, if it is a healthy limb, it will retain it's strength through a
freeze cycle.

If you are serious about doing this, wait for it to get a little
warmer, find someone who feels safe on a 6 - 8 ft ladder, use your
13ft pole chainsaw, from the ladder to prune the branch.

Whoever does this should wear a safety bump cap or hard hat, I can't
emphasize this strongly enough. Healthy branches are much heavier
than they look and, when a rookie is cutting above his head, the
dangers are significant.