Minnesota to try and ban gas powered equipment

[Eagle1]

First off, I think banning IC engines is a pie in the sky idea, but I also thought five years ago I'd never own a battery tool of any sort, and now I am replacing my Stihl gas powered stuff with battery powered stuff, they work good and are lighter. Did I do it to save the environment? No, I got sick of cleaning out carburetors when I forgot to drain the gas.

You have point here but the only carb that gets gummed up is on my wood splitter because it sits all summer long. Saws, trimmer, mowers, etc are in use most weeks. I have not seen battery powered 28+ ton splitter, but it will have to run for few hours out in the woods for me to consider.

 

[turbo36]

You have point here but the only carb that gets gummed up is on my wood splitter because it sits all summer long. Saws, trimmer, mowers, etc are in use most weeks. I have not seen battery powered 28+ ton splitter, but it will have to run for few hours out in the woods for me to consider.

That would take quite a battery!

I started to think about battery powered devices when I was in the garage on a great fall day winterizing all my summer equipment and my buddy came over with a beer in his hand and said "do you realize you got 18 gasoline motors in this garage you got to work on today"? I admit I have a few too many, but tools are like guns I'm not really sure you can have too many.

 

[Hay Dude]

First off, I think banning IC engines is a pie in the sky idea, but I also thought five years ago I'd never own a battery tool of any sort, and now I am replacing my Stihl gas powered stuff with battery powered stuff, they work good and are lighter. Did I do it to save the environment? No, I got sick of cleaning out carburetors when I forgot to drain the gas.

I agree that the climate religion folks tend to have a "sky is falling" attitude, however the same could be said for the anti-climate religion folks. The truth is somewhere in between.

I can remember the very first Earth Day, our high school science departments created a room that had the same atmospheric condition of LA smog, us farm boys were encouraged to walk in and see what it was like. Quite honestly, I doubted every thing that I was being told, but overtime a lot of what they said was determined to be true especially about the use of lead in our gasoline.

Facts can change over time as more data is developed. A prime example would be Einstein's theory of relativity, what was accepted as fact for many years is now possibly wrong.
When people start sprouting facts to me, I usually ask them where they're data came from and make up my own mind.

By the way, I gave you a good post earlier because I thought your response was well thought out and well written, it didn't seem to have any personal agenda or attack in it, I enjoy good discussion and like to be challenged.

A homeowner can replace his chainsaw & weed Wacker with battery, but professionals can’t. Speed and power is not there yet. That’s a huge swath of buyers who have to suffer with regulations dreamed up by panels of regulators that are homeowners, not farmers, tree surgeons and landscapers

 

[Joel/ak]

I wanna see someone tell my wife she can't haver saw and logsplitter. I'll buy the beer, that would be a good show

 

[Eagle1]

Plenty of home owners with enough land to require professional tools. I'm in the middle of cutting firewood for home and camp use, lets say 8 cords cut and split. I have just shy of a mile of shoreline around my pond. Many of my ICE tools do 4 to 8 hours of work when called upon.

 

[turbo36]

A homeowner can replace his chainsaw & weed Wacker with battery, but professionals can’t. Speed and power is not there yet. That’s a huge swath of buyers who have to suffer with regulations dreamed up by panels of regulators that are homeowners, not farmers, tree surgeons and landscapers

Valid points today. If the progress made in the last 5 years is an indicator of future progress then I think the gap will close for the majority of users and purchasers of new equipment. Lot’s of HOA’s requiring battery tools today.

 

[IndyJay]

Plenty of home owners with enough land to require professional tools. I'm in the middle of cutting firewood for home and camp use, lets say 8 cords cut and split. I have just shy of a mile of shoreline around my pond. Many of my ICE tools do 4 to 8 hours of work when called upon.

I've got two Stihl gas chainsaws but recently added a DeWalt 20v chainsaw with 12" bar. I must say that I am impressed with the performance. I had intended it for just trimming branches and other light duty work but have been using it for other tasks that I never tought it would be up to. Especially when I take a spare 5ah battery out with me and bring it back unused with 2 bars still on the first battery. Granted, if I am going out knowing I have a lot to cut I take the Stihl, but I am amazed at what this little saw can do.

 

[Oaktree]

Lot’s of HOA’s requiring battery tools today.

Not quite the same thing. In most cases HOA=suburbia. A battery tool should be able to do anything a suburbanite needs to do. Out in the country where we have some "elbow room", maybe not so much. I have a battery string trimmer that works fine trimming around flower beds, etc., but for cutting brush along the side of the road, etc. I want something with a bit more oomph.

 

[Oaktree]

I've got two Stihl gas chainsaws but recently added a DeWalt 20v chainsaw with 12" bar. I must say that I am impressed with the performance. I had intended it for just trimming branches and other light duty work but have been using it for other tasks that I never tought it would be up to. Especially when I take a spare 5ah battery out with me and bring it back unused with 2 bars still on the first battery. Granted, if I am going out knowing I have a lot to cut I take the Stihl, but I am amazed at what this little saw can do.

They do have their place, and have improved significantly over the last 10-15 years, but I still wouldn't want to cut a year's worth of firewood with one.

 

[IndyJay]

Not quite the same thing. In most cases HOA=suburbia. A battery tool should be able to do anything a suburbanite needs to do. Out in the country where we have some "elbow room", maybe not so much. I have a battery string trimmer that works fine trimming around flower beds, etc., but for cutting brush along the side of the road, etc. I want something with a bit more oomph.

Same here. I bought my wife a Stihl FSA 57 battery string trimmer for around the house, but I use my Stihl FS 131 with KM181 Kombi powerhead for serious work. Battery can mean having the right tool for the right job, but rural land owners still need both to make that happen.