Search for Mobile Cutoff Tool.

[Silvic]

I am looking for a mobile cutoff tool. Basically like the standard 110 volt 7" grinder or 4.5" grinders that everyone has that you put a cut-off wheel on instead of the grinding wheel.

The need for this is on my mulching operations with a forestry/landscape mulcher. I have been using my 7" grinder with a cutoff wheel and a portable generator but when you pick up a 3/4"+ cable and it wraps on the mulching head the only way it comes off, is with it being cut at every wrap and removed. Either you drive the mulcher to the truck where the generator is or you carry the portable generator to the machine which may be a long way.

The only cordless tool I have or have used is a drill and driver set from Makita and the batteries have been less than impressive. Does any one have a cordless grinder that they really have been happy with. A sawsall type tool does not do well with wire rope/cable especially when wrapped tight on the drum of the mulcher so was not looking at that tool.

I want to be able to keep it with me in the machine so I don't have to "hoof" it to the truck which maybe a good distance away.

 

[BertZegers]

I use a 12 volt DC to 110 volt AC converter for a 4.5" grinder and for a drill.( For sale at Canadian Tire last week for $30 Canadian.)
Does the job, but if I work it hard it stops. Buy a larger one for professional use. And have the engine running while using it. It takes a high current from your battery. Mine stops before the battery gets below starting voltage.

 

[Mace Canute]

A friend has a Dewalt cordless cutoff tool with either a .045" or 1/16" cutoff wheel that's 4 1/2 inches in diameter. He picked it up super cheap on Kijij since he uses a lot of Dewalt 18 V cordless tools and it's one more cordless tool that can share the same batteries..

It's super handy of course and cuts like a bearcat but since he's never used it continuously on a job I'm not sure how long a fully charged battery lasts. Fortunately since he has so many Dewalt cordless tools, he always has a good supply of batteries ready to go.

OTOH you might be better off with an inverter to run a small cutoff tool but you'll need to consider the efficiency of an inverter when sizing it and they draw a TON of power on the input side with all the attendant wiring requirements.

 

[newbury]

What they said.
I've been using a Dewalt 20V Max sawzall to cut bamboo and separately a 14 amp cutoff tool to cut 1/4" metal for welding. As good as the batteries are, a 5 amp battery under continuous usage like a cutoff tool on 3/4" cable may not last long enough to cut through many wraps.

If you can swing it a good inverter would be a sure solution. Plus then you could probably plug in a frig, tv and microwave in the cab

 

[DFB]

Milwaukee FUEL grinder 2 models either paddle or lock switch

Using a cutoff wheel far from electric power is the exact reason I decided to get one

And the new brushless outperforms the older models...same goes for the sawzall's too


Makita has their cordless grinders also brushed or brushless. LXT models are nice tools. What Makita batteries do you have already?

These are definitely high draw battery tools, and a 4.0 amp hr battery is about the smallest you want to use to get any decent run time. Milwaukee now has a 5.0 and a 9.0 high demand battery is coming soon. (that battery will probably cost more than the grinder :confused2: )

Makita has fewer battery options right now but their bare tool brushless grinders are less than a Milwaukee.


I have a small power inverter I bought cheap but I don't think its enough power to run my 4" corded Makita grinder.

 

[chim]

A friend has a Dewalt cordless cutoff tool with either a .045" or 1/16" cutoff wheel that's 4 1/2 inches in diameter. He picked it up super cheap on Kijij since he uses a lot of Dewalt 18 V cordless tools and it's one more cordless tool that can share the same batteries..

It's super handy of course and cuts like a bearcat but since he's never used it continuously on a job I'm not sure how long a fully charged battery lasts. Fortunately since he has so many Dewalt cordless tools, he always has a good supply of batteries ready to go.

OTOH you might be better off with an inverter to run a small cutoff tool but you'll need to consider the efficiency of an inverter when sizing it and they draw a TON of power on the input side with all the attendant wiring requirements.

I went from an 18V DeWalt to the newer 20V with the 5AH batteries Mace spoke of. There's a very big difference between them. The 20V tool has a much longer run time. I kept a number of 18V tools, but switched out the grinder and sawzall and added another 1/4" impact and DCL040 LED light in 20V. A vendor shipped us some 20V 2AH batteries by mistake and told us to make them go away. Since the tools deserve either 4 or 5AH batteries, the 2AH batteries became freebies with what had been bare tool flashlights. I have several hours on the flashlight and it still shows all 3 bars on the gage of the first battery.

When we toured DeWalt the rep said the first (18V) grinder was called a "cutoff tool" because of the short battery life. When the 20V Max was introduces they felt it had enough run time to call it a "grinder".

 

[bjr]

I get that you need small portability. But if that's 3/4" steel lifting cable I would be looking into a small Oxy/acetelene cutting outfit and you then you would be able to get going quicker. I'm talking about the small sets that a man could carry. Maybe have a helper standing by with fire extingisher or shovel, but that would be the case with the grinder style as well. bjr

 

[k0ua]

I have the cheap Ryobi battery powered angle grinder, and it works pretty well, but it is a HIGH current machine. It will flatten a 4 amp hour battery after you have cut a few 1/2 or 5/8 rebars with it. I cant remember exactly how many it will cut, but I think it was under 20. It is useful but having a spare battery or two would be a good idea. But if you think about it, you are asking for a lot of power to cut through some pretty tough steel, and it takes its toll on even a healthy battery. A 120 volt angle grinder uses a lot of power too, but it has a pretty much unlimited supply from the old power plant down the road.

To put it into perspective, I can take that same 4 amp hour battery and put it in the Ryobi battery powered weed wacker, and I am usually worn out going around trimming before the battery is dead, but put it in the angle grinder and in just a few minutes and a few cut off rebar, the battery is crying uncle.

 

[Zebrafive]

I second Milwaukee fuel brushless. It's on my wish list.

 

[Sodo]

First of all, a sawzall can't cut high-strength steel cable, PERIOD. If this is logging cable, you need abrasive cutter and (a shower of sparks ! )

Carrying a battery powered angle grinder would be my first choice. Hard to say how many cables you can cut with one battery. I would guess that one battery and one blade can cut ten 3/4" cables, and this is once you've learned "the ways of the cutoff blade". Cutting out in the open is no problem, but if wrapped around something, I can imagine some situations where the wires spring into the groove and grab the blade - this can be "problematic". You have to think bout how the strands will spring out as they are cut. But it can be done, and done efficiently (if there's access).

Keep in mind there's a "learning curve" to cutting with a thin cutoff blade. How you hold and position the grinder is extremely important and will be real hard to describe by typing. If its chattering and making a lot of dust, you will use up the blade in one cut. You kinda have to learn how to use the thin blade, that's about all I can think of. But once you figure it out, it will be very efficient and you always have it. Need to carry eye protection too.

I buy my cutoff blades at harbor freight, they are about 80 cents each in a pack of 10. I also buy (elsewhere) a couple 6" diameter blades to have around for special cases where I need a little bigger disc (for longer reach).

I'm using a DeWalt 18V angle grinder that has seen intensive use since 2005, so you could conclude I am very satisfied with it. It has 2.4 AH batteries, which I like. It stands to reason that I'd like 5 AH batteries (twice the power) at least twice as much. I'd look at the new 20v DeWalts, if they are better than my 18V stuff I would be satisfied. If I wasn't already heavily invested in DeWalt kit - I'd look into the Milwaukie setup they had a sensible system.