Battery powered chainsaw

[Angus]

I gave away my ms170 when we last moved to best friend in exchange for helping with the move as I didnt need it at the new place (he also stored my 041av with 28" bar which i re-aquired). Recently moved again to property here in Oregon that needs saws around, we picked up a Dewalt 20v (already have many of their tools)and its perfect for the occasional limbing/trimming/felling that we do . Have only needed to break out the big Stihl once.
Bonus is i use it for trial maintenance on my motorcycle at the local OHV area. Carry a spare battery in pack and it lasts till im worn out from riding/clearing...

 

[ultrarunner]

The Christmas tree farm in the town that I live in hands you a hand powered bow saw when you walk into the field. Customers, not owners do the cutting.

Insurance has changed many things plus the farm is subject to ADA rules for barrier free parking, wheelchair accessible toilet etc.

Only employees 18 and older allowed to operate gas saws.

The wording is quite specific.

Maybe a loophole but we allow all employees to make the fresh cuts with the tree horizontal on the bunks with battery saw.

Bow saws available to adults but many now pick out a tree and staff cut and transport.

 

[ultrarunner]

I love the smell of two stroke in the morning...

I hope this trend continues with battery, it should bring some good old powersaws to market. Then I can scoop them off you old farts.

There is so much gas equipment on the curb on bulky pickup day I thought of having a business on the side.

Mowers including Honda, chainsaws of all kinds… many craftsman and no Stihl yet.

Trimmers and blowers galore…

 

[Idleb]

who owns owns one ? Brand ?

i Cut Ashe Juniper in the Texas Hill country with a 13" for smaller branches or access to trunk and a 14" for thicker branches - both are Ryobi electric. Batteries are not cheap but they last long enough to wear me out. For trunks and larger branches I use my Stihl 14" gas chainsaw - with new chain it cuts like butter. I have other Dewalt tools and they are great.

 

[RoyJackson]

However, for serious loggers, power line work, disaster clean up and such, I think you will see gas saws will live a long time.

Exactly!
These battery saws are great for a residential or hobby farm user

 

[ultrarunner]

… and Christmas Tree farms moving 3,000 trees between Thanksgiving and Christmas…

 

[CCSO5514]

I have the battery-powered M18 chainsaw and M18 pole saw, as well as a Stihl Farm Boss gasoline chainsaw. I have not touched the Stihl since I got the Milwaukee tools. For an unbiased review with a scientific approach, check out these videos:

 

[JRH02]

Thanks for this thread. I've been considering a battery saw to add to the gas saws. We have more forest then we'll ever be able to keep up with and am considering the battery for either the wife, who hates pull cords, or me for quick jobs of dropping lower limbs or small jobs. We also have concerns with needing to keep going in burn ban season.

To burn ban season: I've often sawed into the evening when one can easily see sparks. The sparks I have seen ALWAYS come from the chain and bar. The closest I've ever come to a fire is from very hot exhaust on dry bark or the chain/bar throwing sparks into dry duff. I think the battery saw would have a lower chain speed which would lower the friction from the bar/chain and consequentially the incidence of sparks? Thoughts?

 

[NEPA guy]

I've got the Stihl MS 220 C. I like it. Don't need earmuffs, works well enough. Easier to handle. Great for taking off limbs.

For the bigger stuff or if I need to go at it all day, I'll use the gas powered Stihl MS 290.

 

[Diggin It]

To burn ban season: I've often sawed into the evening when one can easily see sparks. The sparks I have seen ALWAYS come from the chain and bar. The closest I've ever come to a fire is from very hot exhaust on dry bark or the chain/bar throwing sparks into dry duff.
Thoughts?

More bar oil.

 

[qnordique]

Like ultrarunner I bought into a single manufacturer's 'line' due to the battery. In my case it's the Makita brand as they make very decent hand tools and garden tools. I use a 6Ah battery, either single or double as the 'skin' requires.

The only complaint that I might have about the chainsaw is that you have to be very conscious of the chain tension as it loosens quicker than a conventional two-nut bar hold (does that make sense?). Mine has a 'fold-away handle' bar hold although you can buy the same model with the two-nut bar hold configuration.

The twin-battery Makita chainsaw is a lot lighter than my Stihl 2-stroke chainsaw.

I also have a Makita. I had issues with the bar tip binding up. I ended up buying a new bar & chain which was fine as I bought a longer one. I do however find that battery life is poor.

 

[ridgerambler]

I bought into the Stihl AP line both home and Christmas Tree Farm and no complaints other than the cost.

Now have pole saw, blower, 3 hedge trimmers and 3 saws.

Use something every week.

I would like Stihl to develop more uses for the AP... maybe lighting, USB, etc.

The hardest part is the first tool because it's the tool, charger and at least one battery and it adds up!

There is some good conversation to be had here regarding battery powered saws. I have a 30A tract and a good portion of that is wooded, so I use chain saws every day. All are gas powered and all are either Stihl or Husqvarna with bar lengths from 12" on MS192 to 48" on a Husky pro saw. I keep chains sharp and saws well tuned, so no problems with hard to start gas saws. For several years now, I have also used a Milwaukee Sawzall (old 18V with adapter to use newer battery) and Milwaukee hackzall (not sure that is spelled right). I use Milwaukee only because I already had a bunch of other Milwaukee stuff and hence had batteries and chargers. Those have worked well for me, especially in pruning and cutting around stumps or other areas where dirt would ruin a conventional chain. I have seriously looked at Milwaukee's line of battery saws, but am really considering the stihl battery equipment line. For the Stihl stuff, I would have to buy batteries and charger whereas with the Milwaukee gear, I have batteries. I am interested to follow the conversation of this thread to see if professional users like ultrarunner are finding battery saws work to their advantage. As to battery tools becoming obsolete as battery technology evolves, I have older Milwaukee 18V tools and Dewalt 18V tools that I have converted to use the Milwaukee red lithium batteries and they work just fine. There are some jobs I will always use gas powered saws, but I think there is also a definite place for the battery saws and I would like to hear more SERIOUS conversation regarding the experiences of those of you who use chain saws of all types in your professional work. By the way, I guess I would be considered an "old guy" who still has a working poulan bow saw which I bought new in 1967 on my 21st birthday.

 

[ultrarunner]

I’m going to use same chain and bar length for saw and pole saw.

As bought chainsaw 14” and pole 10” if memory serves but both have 12” option.

 

[ultrarunner]

There is some good conversation to be had here regarding battery powered saws. I have a 30A tract and a good portion of that is wooded, so I use chain saws every day. All are gas powered and all are either Stihl or Husqvarna with bar lengths from 12" on MS192 to 48" on a Husky pro saw. I keep chains sharp and saws well tuned, so no problems with hard to start gas saws. For several years now, I have also used a Milwaukee Sawzall (old 18V with adapter to use newer battery) and Milwaukee hackzall (not sure that is spelled right). I use Milwaukee only because I already had a bunch of other Milwaukee stuff and hence had batteries and chargers. Those have worked well for me, especially in pruning and cutting around stumps or other areas where dirt would ruin a conventional chain. I have seriously looked at Milwaukee's line of battery saws, but am really considering the stihl battery equipment line. For the Stihl stuff, I would have to buy batteries and charger whereas with the Milwaukee gear, I have batteries. I am interested to follow the conversation of this thread to see if professional users like ultrarunner are finding battery saws work to their advantage. As to battery tools becoming obsolete as battery technology evolves, I have older Milwaukee 18V tools and Dewalt 18V tools that I have converted to use the Milwaukee red lithium batteries and they work just fine. There are some jobs I will always use gas powered saws, but I think there is also a definite place for the battery saws and I would like to hear more SERIOUS conversation regarding the experiences of those of you who use chain saws of all types in your professional work. By the way, I guess I would be considered an "old guy" who still has a working poulan bow saw which I bought new in 1967 on my 21st birthday.

It is also a consideration I had…

One thought is Stihl is dedicated to current AP series in professional line and battery improvements so far pop right in…

just about everyone in the trades seems to have a box with perfectly good battery tools that outlived their batteries and manufacturer support.

The deals often made upgrading not that much more than purchasing batteries.

The quick charger added expense is worth it to me but some friends use standard charger around the house.

One thing I really liked with early Makita is the car charger for their line… mounted one in my service truck so I could always charge on the fly… I’m guess larger batteries of today might be too much drain charging from the truck?

 

[adsittler]

80V Greenworks Pro with 18" bar: My wife bought it for me to clear path for fence line. This saw came with full chisel chain which cuts with very little applied pressure. Standard battery lasts longer than I do and recharges while I am getting lunch or coffee. A battery charge is about equivalent to a tank full of gas. Manufacturer claims 30 minutes of cutting per charge. I refill bar and chain oil and grease the roller nose with every battery charge, no different from gas chainsaw.

It is much easier to start than a gas powered chainsaw. I just pull the switch and I am cutting. It runs with much less noise or vibration than gas chain saw. It is heavier than the lightest gas chainsaw I have used, a Homelite 350. Most of the weight is the battery pack.

I keep the battery charger, a bottle of bar and chain oil, and a small toolbox with the saw. My chainsaw tool box includes roller nose grease injector, spare chains, chain and depth guide files, and chain sharpening and depth gauge file guides. I bought two spare chains so I can swap chains when the chain stretches or if I hit the dirt cutting a stump to ground level. My custom is to replace the bar, drive sprocket, and three chains as a set when the chains wear out. That will be a long time with as little use as I put on my saw. The current original three chain cutting set may last longer than I will.

I expect less maintenance issues than needed for gas chain saws. Gas chainsaws have given me problems with carburetors, fuel lines, and anti vibration intake port boots. The maintenance I expect is battery pack replacement, which is more costly than gas chainsaw maintenance but involves no labor.

 

[charles todd]

who owns owns one ? Brand ?

Ryobi. 18 volt. 12". Brushless. With a 9ah battery it will cut for a while.

CT

 

[charles todd]

I've thinking about buying a cheap one (Ryobi) I have a 15% off coupon at HD.
A friend has one and he really likes it. Says it has plenty of power and he can put it down, do other things and not have to pull the start rope to get the engine going, Just push the button and start cutting.

I already own 3 gasoline powered saws, and just thought this battery saw is something that would be handy to use around the farm.

Personally have the 18V, 12" Brushless Ryobi. Can fill the bed of a side by side up 2x with a 9ah battery.

CT

 

[charles todd]

In thirty years I will be able to start my small top handle stihl saw, while a battery saw will be in a box will all the other outdated battery tools.

I have gas and battery saws.

CT

 

[Hoho223]

Rancher 460 24 inch bar
My wife has a 10 inch Black and Decker that I call her Barbie saw. Works for her.

 

[Branson Bob]

I was an arborist for 10 years and have many thousands of hours operating a chain saw. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the battery and gas saws have very different power characteristics. Almost without exception the battery saws will have more torque and less HP (speed).

When you are limbing and bucking wood on the ground either will do.

However if you are felling or topping out a tree there are a few cuts that are not possible with a battery saw because they do not cut fast enough. You can try to compensate in some cases by making your notch bigger but there are some back cuts that require speed that the battery saws do not have. This will lead to things such as inadvertent holding wood in the back cut.