Chainsaws - Needed on the trail? Battery v. Gas

Zam15

Zam15

Adventurist
So I've been on a tool kick recently, added a few more Makita tools to the family.
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That got me thinking about what else I could add..
:confused::lightbulb:viking

Looks like Makita has a few cordless chainsaws 14" 12" would likely be the ones.. The 12" seems like a nice compact unit.

No need to worry about gas, they are also quieter and seem powerful enough for the random fallen tree encounter. What do you guys think?
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If you must, go for the 14 inch bar.

These are cool and if Milwaukee ever makes an M18 version I’m all in. Stihl makes one too but they’re $$$.

BUT, when you need a saw to cut through a 36 inch Oak or Douglas Fir that’s blown down between you and safety, only a gas powered saw will do.

Make no mistake, real saws are orange, made by Stihl and start at about Farm Boss or numerically higher...

:stir
 
I have the 20v Dewalt.. it's light and quiet... love it... but no.. I wouldn't want to cut real trees with it, or lots of them. But its great for the small stuff and campfire material.
 
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Got a Dewalt 60v a few months ago. It costs as much as a real chainsaw, and won't work as hard, but it does have a lot going for it.

I've only used it around the house so far, but it's great for small stuff. It's a 16 inch bar, and will do anything a 16" bar will do for a little while. It's not going to replace the Stihl for all day jobs, but I have plenty of 60v batteries and a car charger. Battery lasts long enough that I haven't needed a second one for anything I have attempted with it. I've limbed and bucked a few 10-12 inch trees with it on a single charge. I think it will be just the ticket for light trail clearing, shooting lanes, camping, yard work, etc... No need to carry extra gas can, mix 2-cycle, etc.... It always starts, it's quiet, the chain brake always works because it cuts power, there is no noise, vibration, smoke, etc... unless you are actually pulling the trigger . . . .

Bottom line - If the purpose of the trip is camping, 4-wheeling, or hunting, I will take the Dewalt. If the purpose of the trip is to cut trees I will take the Stihl and the Dewalt.
 
I have been eyeing these, but the larger "non-tool" battery ones, I do have lots of makita batteries, but the dedicated ones have a lot more punch.

I have used an Ego (IIRC on the brand name...) and it was good, a little spin up time, but good torque, 16" bar. The green saw ones seem well reviewed as well.
 
I ended up with a Greenworks 40V. Only used it a little, but so far its NICE. Quiet, cuts well. It does have over current protection built in, if you bind the saw it just cuts the power. My wife didn't even realize I was cutting wood. Lives in the back of the truck, under the bed and doesn't stink!

Burying the 16" bar was no problem as long as you went slow. Cut three rounds that size, plus probably 20 6" cuts and it looks 1/4 battery. I got this one as a friend has used his for a couple years and is happy, and it has metal dogs.

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II wonder if you can use a small inverter type generator to charge the battery? I have a few of them, I like using my little Honda EM500
 
ArkansasDon said:
II wonder if you can use a small inverter type generator to charge the battery? I have a few of them, I like using my little Honda EM500
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I am sure you could, it works fine off my 750w inverter in my truck. I can take a peek at the actual load data tonight if your curious.
 
I have a 12v charger for my Dewalt, but I have never needed to try it. I am told it is painfully slow. I have a small inverter, and could probably use that and a regular wall charger just to get reasonable recharging speed. But, truth be told, I can't imagine needing to cut more than I can get out of a couple batteries on a trip.
 
Personally I'd stay away w/ electric. If you're in for a big job, you're kinda SOL because you'd have to wait for the batteries to charge even if you bring like six of them to go w/ all your tools.

The other issue is torque. With the electric motors, you get torque 100% all the time. If you're not wearing PPE and accidentally hit a knot, I hope you brought a tourniquet.

An MS 170 is fantastic, just remember to swap out the bar and chain for a standard configuration (the stock one is too narrow, like a razor blade, doesn't hold its edge as long).

If you're out there doing a lot of cutting in varying elevations, an MS 261 CM is great because it's got electronic fuel management.
 
Ill stick with two stroke. 16" Echo, full tank in the saw and I carry two MSR quart fuel bottles with two stroke fuel, two extra chains, a quart of bar oil. It all fits into a saw carry bag that I put on the roof rack. I've run into miles of blow down on the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route. I don't think you could carry enough batteries for that.
 
WashingtonTaco said:
Ill stick with two stroke. 16" Echo, full tank in the saw and I carry two MSR quart fuel bottles with two stroke fuel, two extra chains, a quart of bar oil. It all fits into a saw carry bag that I put on the roof rack. I've run into miles of blow down on the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route. I don't think you could carry enough batteries for that.
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Good call.
 
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