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.

 

[bcp]

I'm thinking about a 12-14 volt battery angle grinder adapted to run from the tractor battery. Does anyone make one?

Bruce

 

[Sodo]

Never heard of any. Would need large wires for the low voltage. I can't imagine it's worth it, what's out there already (DeWalt, Milwaukie, Makita, and others) would be far superior, and cordless too.

 

[ultrarunner]

I think here you would need a shear... the sparks would start the next forest fire in california... I won't even run the dozer in these dry and dusty conditions for fear of getting my name in the paper.

I've had a inverter since 1990 and it has served me well... added a portable one using jumper cables with one end cut off... 4 gauge I think

 

[Silvic]

I think here you would need a shear... the sparks would start the next forest fire in california... I won't even run the dozer in these dry and dusty conditions for fear of getting my name in the paper.

I've had a inverter since 1990 and it has served me well... added a portable one using jumper cables with one end cut off... 4 gauge I think

Sparks are always a concern. The IFPL level has dropped from an IFPL 4 to much lower levels in most of our state but even at an IFPL 1 there are large areas that you still have to meet the "Fire Tool and Pump Truck Requirements are in effect. During industrial operations, you must have a 300 gallon pump truck or trailer on site. The one hour fire watch is required."

Even to use a chainsaw in the woods you have to have a portable fire extinguished on you (small one yes but still carried as you move) On the mulcher I have portable extinguishers and the pump truck within the required distance, but most of the mulching is done once the rains have started for just those reasons.

I will look into the inverter option. My current (no pun) inverters are not robust enough I suspect for the 110v grinder and their amp draw.

Interesting the responses so far. Some say that the cordless tools are great and others say the same as the on-line reviews that say they are under-powered and eat battery power like candy.

 

[bcp]

I think here you would need a shear... the sparks would start the next forest fire in california...

Portable hydraulic shear

Bruce

 

[Sodo]

Hear ya on sparks and IFPL4. Happy to wake up to rain pounding down this AM !!! Wet forest relaxes me, it's been dicey this summer.

A typical 4 1/2" 110v grinder that takes 10Amps (110v x 10A = 1100watts) requires an 1100watt inverter to grind at full power, thats a bigger inverter. One thing about the thin-kerf abrasive blade is you can't bear down on it, like a grinder wheel. It's only taking off a .060 swath of material, so it doesn't take 1100 watts to cut. You probably can get by with a smaller inverter.

Interesting the responses so far. Some say that the cordless tools are great and others say the same as the on-line reviews that say they are under-powered and eat battery power like candy.

There are some things you can trust the internet for and some things you can't! It's good to keep an eye out. In less than 5 minutes I could show you that those reviews, while they could be as true as the day is long for the person who wrote it, are not worth declining a modern (quality brand) battery powered tool.

I could make a cutoff blade disappear in a cloud of dust while making a 1/4" deep groove in your cable. And write a review that cutoff blades are useless. Then take the next one off the stack & cut 10 cables and say they RULE. Same as the reviews.

Anyway, point being that a good modern battery powered angle grinder will solve your problem with no wires and without lifting the hood to chase down your vehicle battery and stringing wires. You just say "oh chit not again?" walk over and cut a cable that's wrapped tightly around a drum.

- after you learn the ways of narrow-kerf cutoff blades
- if there's no fire danger where you are working
- if there's space to get the cutter disk to the cable

I can vouch for a DeWalt, but there are other good brands. This tool is very useful for other projects too.

 

[Silvic]

Anyway, point being that a good modern battery powered angle grinder will solve your problem with no wires and without lifting the hood to chase down your vehicle battery and stringing wires. You just say "oh chit not again?" walk over and cut a cable that's wrapped tightly around a drum (after you learn the ways of narrow-kerf cutoff blades, and only where there's no fire danger, and if there's space to get the cutter disk to the cable). I can vouch for a DeWalt, but there are other good brands.

I unfortunately have a lot of experience in using the cutoff tools/blades. As was detailed in the first post, this has been using a generator to power the cord tools. Now I am looking at the cordless option to avoid what I have been doing.

Since you believe that your experience with DeWalt is very positive how many 3/4" to 1 inch wire rope cuts do you think you can do on a battery before loosing power and having to change powerpacks?

 

[Sodo]

In general I try to post for other readers. And also ya never really know, like reviews, or even my posts.

I have a logging cable that won't pull out of the ground, been trying to remember to cut it out for years. It's raining today, everything is SOAKED - may be a good day to make sparks (it's IFPL3 ). It's out in the middle of a field. I will try it and report back. My eqpt is 10 yrs old, batteries are all 3+ years old - I don't have 2.4 AH in any of them. New stuff would be more robust.

 

[Silvic]

That would be great. I would agree that with the rain the risk is low, but IFPL 3 is what it is don't go illegal on my account. Are you in zone 680 or 675?

 

[Sodo]

675

Can do some stuff in a landing, this is like a landing, no trees for 100 yards. And no spectators either. Waiting for batteries to show full charge then will go.