Battery powered chainsaw

[ernemats]

I find that the battery saws are not any heavier than the near equivalent gas chainsaws. Depends on the brand I suppose in some cases it might not be true.

 

[WinterDeere]

Think someone mentioned the battery saw weights were with batt installed and b+c attached?

If that is true then totally understand why they show so heavy.

That was me. Yes, of course pro gas saws are all power head only, no bar, no fuel. The older (1990-2010) 50-70cc variants run about 1.6 to 1.8 kg/kW, with newer EFI saws sometimes running even lighter than that.

The battery saws from Greenworks list their weight with a 4Ah battery, even though they sometimes give performance spec’s with a 6Ah battery. They do not state whether the given weights are with or without bar, but since they are sold pre-packaged with a bar, it seems reasonable to assume the weights might be with bar installed.

Either way, even if battery saw weights are with bar, that’s not nearly enough to close the gap.

I find that the battery saws are not any heavier than the near equivalent gas chainsaws. Depends on the brand I suppose in some cases it might not be true.

Let’s look at hard numbers: The Greenworks 82CS34 has power (2.9 kW) comparable to any 55cc saw, comes with a 20” bar, and is listed at 7.8 kg, which might include weight of the bar. Stihl 20” Rolomatic ES sprocket nose bars run right around 1.3 kg in standard weight or 0.9 kg in lightweight variant. But 55cc gassers will run around 5.0 kg without bar, so we’re looking at 5.9 to 6.3 kg, depending on 20” bar type. Fill it with 14 - 16 oz. of fuel mix, and you’re adding another 0.35 kg, so perhaps 6.25 - 6.65 kg at full tank.

If the Greenworks numbers indeed include the bar (not clear), and if you only use the 4Ah batter (never upgrade to 6Ah), then the Greenworks saw is 25% - 32% heavier than a comparable Stihl gasser with an ES Light bar. If the Greenworks numbers do not include the bar, or if you upgrade to the 6Ah battery they actually used in the article that started this conversation, then the gap widens further.

 

[xyz123]

My 88 goes from 22lbs 6oz PHO dry to 32lbs 11oz full of mix and oil and 36" b+c.

 

[WinterDeere]

My 88 goes from 22lbs 6oz PHO dry to 32lbs 11oz full of mix and oil and 36" b+c.

View attachment 834579

You say your saw holds 10.3 lb of fuel and oil? That’s 1.7 gallons, based on most fuel/oil mixes running about 6 lb/gal! The 088 had big tanks, but nowhere near that big. Or was first weight without b&c? If so, what size and type bar?

Either way, we’re not talking about monster milling saws. The Greenworks saws are all 2-3 kW only. Even the “big” pre-release one that started this conversation was only 4 kW, whereas the 088 was something like 6.3 kW, more than double the saws used in the comparison above. It was basically a dirtbike engine with a bar and chain bolted to it.

 

[xyz123]

You say your saw holds 10.3 lb of fuel and oil? That’s 1.7 gallons, based on most fuel/oil mixes running about 6 lb/gal! The 088 had big tanks, but nowhere near that big. Get your scale checked.

Wow ok here I go again. Like I said in post.

First weight is PHO dry like OEM saws weigh them.

2nd weight is as used. Full of mix and oil plus the 36" b+c.

Dang just read my post it is all there first time.

 

[LouNY]

Actually, a magsafe connection to a battery worn as a belt or backpack sounds like an excellent idea. Not only for chainsaws, but also string trimmers, leaf blowers, edgers, and several other OPE's.

I would have serious doubts about the benefit of such a connection. To be short enough to act as a safety if dropping the saw it would be way to short to allow reaching up to trim limbs and such.
It would be handy as a way to keep the weight of the battery of the saw or other tool.

 

[WinterDeere]

Wow ok here I go again. Like I said in post.

First weight is PHO dry like OEM saws weigh them.

2nd weight is as used. Full of mix and oil plus the 36" b+c.

Dang just read my post it is all there first time.

No. You didn’t say first weight was without bar and chain, and you also didn’t say what size bar. We were comparing 20” saws of half that power, so this is completely irrelevant, even if you had been clear about it.

 

[xyz123]

No. You didn’t say first weight was without bar and chain, and you also didn’t say what size bar. We were comparing 20” saws of half that power, so this is completely irrelevant.

Yes it does. PHO

 

[xyz123]

My 88 goes from 22lbs 6oz PHO dry to 32lbs 11oz full of mix and oil and 36" b+c.

View attachment 834579

Yes I did right there.

 

[WinterDeere]

Yes it does. PHO

Got it. Sorry about that. Missed “pho”.

But again, the 088 is a huge 6.3 kW milling saw, way outside the range of the little 2-3 kW / 20“ saws Greenworks is selling. Is there any battery saw on the market that actually competes with the 084/088?

<— briefly owned an 084

 

[xyz123]

Got it. Sorry about that. Missed “pho”.

But again, the 088 is a huge 6.3 kW milling saw, way outside the range of the little 2-3 kW / 20“ saws Greenworks is selling. Is there any battery saw on the market that actually competes with the 084/088?

That new saw will take up to a 28" they say. 4.3 kW too

 

[WinterDeere]

That’s a good size, if it can reasonably pull the chain with the nose buried in hardwood. The 084 I owned was not the fastest saw in the world, with the factory sprocket, but I’m pretty well convinced it could pull .404 chain thru an I-beam. Felt like I should be riding the thing, not holding it!

 

[xyz123]

Had 5-6 084s back in the day. 3 166's 2 3120. 84 was my favorite stock and ported.

Raced the ported ones for fun learning back then.

 

[WinterDeere]

Those are some serious saws! Most here will never hold a saw much over 60cc. Even a horsepower junkie like me ended up trading my 084 down to an 064 (85cc), just more fun and nimbler, for the felling work I’m usually doing with it. The 084/088’s are awesome for milling, but awful big to lug around in the woods.

Reading this forum, it seems most here are running 50cc saws, and you’ll even find many posts praising the power of little MS 250/1‘s!

I’ve never even seen a 166! Is that a Sachs? Does the damn thing come with wheels and handlebars? VIN?

 

[xyz123]

Well 84's were my favorite on gas. Now alky nitro the stroked bored 3140 shined.

Had woods ported 3120 and stock ones too.

 

[xyz123]

My learning hotsaw was the 84 gas cocktail one piped. Both ported.
Piped race ported. Other work saw that guy milled with later on.

 

[WinterDeere]

Those motors are so big, they make those mid-size bars look almost comically small. For anyone following along, no... those aren't 14" bars! They're just huge saw motors.

Must be like a friggin' light saber through warm butter.

 

[LouNY]

Looking at those saws and thinking back too the 60's with our old blue Homelite I think it was a Zip. Heavy slow hard starting smokey but a dang sight better then the alternative.
My father would drop our firewood and maybe lope off the larger branches, and I'd go along with a double bit axle and delimb and trim. We would keep everything down to about 3 inch in diameter.
Often times skidding logs out to the log yard next to the wood shed to cut up later with the belt driven buzz saw.
Don't miss that a single bit.

 

[WinterDeere]

Looking at those saws and thinking back too the 60's with our old blue Homelite I think it was a Zip. Heavy slow hard starting smokey but a dang sight better then the alternative.

Yeah, true dat.

My Homelite Super EZ Auto was 41 cc displacement. My Stihl 084 and xyz123's Stihl 088's are all 122 cc, literally 3x the size of the Homelites!

What the Homelite had going for it was torque. I don't remember the sprocket size, or if they got it through a longer stroke/bore ratio, but the thing would just keep pulling, better than you'd think a 41 cc saw should. They weren't fast, but they did punch above their weight on torque, compared to modern high speed saws of similar displacement.

 

[xyz123]

Those motors are so big, they make those mid-size bars look almost comically small. For anyone following along, no... those aren't 14" bars! They're just huge saw motors.

Must be like a friggin' light saber through warm butter.

16" muffler 84 and 20" on piped 84 on those 84's above. 20 on the piped 3120.

16 on this work ported 3120. Also 394 ported using same bar goofing off.

Made a meme from it too.