Battery powered chainsaw

[5030]

Businesses and farms can opt in for time metered power

Lou, we have that on our HWH which is electric and on a separate meter but they can turn it off at will (never have that I know of) and the per KW rate is about half the normal rate.

Ever since the utility installed the 'smart meters', I've been worried, they can probably turn them off as well.

 

[Grumpycat]

Higher voltage = lower current.
Lower voltage for the same power will require more current, which will require heavier wires and generate more heat, so yes, more voltage is better.

No, if you use bigger wires then the heat is the same. But then more current means greater magnetic field. Higher voltage lower current needs longer wires to generate the same magnetic field, upping the resistance. 6 of one, half dozen of the other.

There is an advantage to 80V over 20V but it is not such an absolute advantage as marketing would have one believe.

 

[Grumpycat]

Lou, we have that on our HWH which is electric and on a separate meter but they can turn it off at will (never have that I know of) and the per KW rate is about half the normal rate.

Ever since the utility installed the 'smart meters', I've been worried, they can probably turn them off as well.

I worked 3 years designing "smart meters" for a company that was too stupid to stay in business. They thought they could produce a "collar" to insert between existing meter and meter box, wouldn't eat the cost to develop the actual metering device.

And they wouldn't develop a communications backbone so their collars each contained a data cellphone. And then ethernet for another utility.

Anyway, their product had the option to disconnect power. But when the utility was asked to pay more for that option they only bought 50 or so out of 10,000 with the disconnect contactor.

The disconnect-capable collars were used on problem customers. We were told one remote disconnect the minute the bill was past due was all it took to get timely payments in the future.

In short I don't think very many smart meters have the ability to disconnect your power. The necessary contactor was $20 in 10,000 quantity 20 years ago.

 

[Richard001]

Lou, we have that on our HWH which is electric and on a separate meter but they can turn it off at will (never have that I know of) and the per KW rate is about half the normal rate.

Ever since the utility installed the 'smart meters', I've been worried, they can probably turn them off as well.

Yes they can turn of the smart meter and your house will be without electricity.

 

[5030]

Yes they can turn of the smart meter and your house will be without electricity.

For maybe 45 seconds tops. My diesel powered 27KW standby can assume the entire load (House, barns and shop) after a 30 second warm up and 15 seconds for the vacuum transfer switch to isolate the utility. It sips fuel from my 500 gallon bulk (ORD) tank. Power outages whether storm related or utility related don't concern me.

 

[ernemats]

Anyone tried the new Ryobi 20 inch chainsaw with 8 ah battery. Ad claims to be more powerful than a 50 cc gas saw.

 

[5030]

Said before, any saw is only as good as the chain is sharp. Most people I know don't know when a chain needs sharpening and if they do try to sharpen one, they usually screw it up.

 

[John_Mc]

Anyone tried the new Ryobi 20 inch chainsaw with 8 ah battery. Ad claims to be more powerful than a 50 cc gas saw.

I've not seen that one and not finding it in a quick search. Do you have a model number?

 

[ernemats]

At Home Depot model RY405110 $479.00 40 volt, several times they have had it on sale for $379.00 also have it on Ryobi website for $379. for bare tool. Has good reviews if you can believe them

 

[5030]

The issue with any battery operated tool, no matter what brand it is, is you have to use their proprietary batteries and that means you are 'married' to that line of battery operated tools unless you want to buy another brand and then their battery packs and chargers and that could get to be quite expensive.

I don't buy the blurb about cutting better than a 50cc gas saw. I'll put my Echo Timber Wolf up against any battery powered saw, anytime (running full chipper) not skip tooth chipper with a 20" bar. I bet I can cut more logs on one tank of canned fuel than the battery pack on that Ryobi lasts. Not counting bar oil which both saws require.

 

[John_Mc]

At Home Depot model RY405110 $479.00 40 volt, several times they have had it on sale for $379.00 also have it on Ryobi website for $379. for bare tool. Has good reviews if you can believe them

Per Ryobi, their 20" 40V saw uses the same motor as the 18" model. The 14" & 16" 40V saws use a smaller motor.

I looked for a side-by side comparison with other saws. The only battery one I found was against a Milwaukee M18, but they used a standard 5.0 AH battery, rather than one of the recommended High Output batteries which Milwaukee recommends for the chainsaw. Also, the chain on the Milwaukee was dull, so even with the right battery it would really have been more of a test of chain sharpness than of the saw.

I did not find one comparing it to a 50cc gas saw. I did find one against a Husqvarna 460, but it was not very well done, and that's a 60cc saw.

 

[John_Mc]

I don't buy the blurb about cutting better than a 50cc gas saw. I'll put my Echo Timber Wolf up against any battery powered saw, anytime (running full chipper) not skip tooth chipper with a 20" bar. I bet I can cut more logs on one tank of canned fuel than the battery pack on that Ryobi lasts. Not counting bar oil which both saws require.

I can believe there are 50cc saws out there that the Ryobi can beat, if all you are measuring is time in a couple of cuts. I'd be surprised if it would beat the pro-level 50cc saws.

Battery saws have their place. At almost 16 lbs for 50cc-type performance, that Ryobi is certainly not something I'd want to carry around in the woods all day. I expect they'll continue to make inroads against gas saws as the technology improves. They are getting closer, and the kinds of work for which I find them acceptable is expanding each year, but they are not quite ready for a solid day of work in the woods ... yet.

I own a Milwaukee M18 Fuel 16" chainsaw, and use it occasionally. It seems to cut about like a decent 40cc gas saw (which is pretty much what Milwaukee claims). When I'm out for a day of work in the woods, it's one or two of my gas saws that are along for the ride.

 

[5030]

Until the battery poops out..

 

[tfuller]

Per Ryobi, their 20" 40V saw uses the same motor as the 18" model. The 14" & 16" 40V saws use a smaller motor.

I looked for a side-by side comparison with other saws. The only battery one I found was against a Milwaukee M18, but they used a standard 5.0 AH battery, rather than one of the recommended High Output batteries which Milwaukee recommends for the chainsaw. Also, the chain on the Milwaukee was dull, so even with the right battery it would really have been more of a test of chain sharpness than of the saw.

I did not find one comparing it to a 50cc gas saw. I did find one against a Husqvarna 460, but it was not very well done, and that's a 60cc saw.

Here is a comparison that includes the Ryobi saw.

 

[John_Mc]

Here is a comparison that includes the Ryobi saw.

That's not the same Ryobi saw. The 14 & 16" have a smaller motor than the 18 and 20" saws.

At any rate, I'm really hoping to find a compariso to a GOOD 50cc saw to really test out their claim that it cuts like a 50 cc saw.

 

[John_Mc]

Until the battery poops out..

Yeah, or until the gas tank is empty.

As noted earlier, I'm not using my battery saw when I'm out for a solid day of working in the woods. If I owned a 40 cc gas saw, I wouldn't use that either. (Just like I'm not going to use my 50cc gas saw when I have a bunch of 20"+ oak to cut up.) They've all got a purpose.

I've never actually measured this, but my impression is that when I'm cutting smaller limbs, the 12 Amp hour battery in my Milwaukee will last longer than a tank of gas in my 50cc Jonsered 2152 (sister saw to a Husqvarna 353). Cutting larger wood eats up the battery more quickly, but it's handy for small jobs.

 

[5030]

So, I take it that bulge in your pocket...is a spare battery???

 

[ernemats]

I have the older Ryobi 14 inch 40 v chainsaw and it does good on smaller trees under 8 inches and it will cut 12 inch but not real easily. It has a place but not for larger trees . I just would like to compare it to the 20 inch Ryobi saw to see if it is that much more powerful. Like 5030 states a sharp blade makes a big difference and also chisel vs semi chisel.

 

[Torvy]

The spare battery thing is no different than bringing a gas can.

For me, I'm too old to go out and cut all day anyway. One of the beauties of retirement is I work until I'm too hot or too tired and then I go into A/C and relax. The work will be there tomorrow. The battery will outlast me. On a good day, I can swap batteries faster than I can refill a gas tank.

The only real issue is the technology is developing. That means early adopters will probably have to upgrade. I know echo has just moved to a different battery, so that is probably a fair argument. Most of the arguments have more to do with machismo that the actual saw performance.

 

[ultrarunner]

One of the reasons I went with Stihl AP is I’m betting they won’t abandon the platform…

I now have 3 batteries… 2 bought and one given in lieu for me bringing my blower to work each fall for the leaves.