What is the good Chainsaw for clearing?

[TimberFarm]

Battery chainsaws are almost here. My primary chainsaw is a Stihl....but it is picky about just what gas it likes - and there are days I just don't want to pull that cord or wrestle with it. I've been cutting our firewood since building the cabin in 1971 and don't need the hassle.

So I decided to try a portable electric. A Makita XCU03. It runs on two 18 volt lithium batteries and comes standard with 4 batteries & dual charger..
Frankly I've been surprised at how handy it is. It's a lightweight nicely balanced saw and one set of batteries will drop a mature 10 inch ponderosa pine, then limb and dice it up into 16" rounds. 4 batteries will do two trees, which is more than the FEL bucket can hold.

There are downsides: It does use a chain with smallish teeth, and lacks any low end torque for getting unstuck. Bring a mallet and plastic wedge - but then I do that anyway. Plus it has just about the worst bar oiler - or non-oiler - that I've yet seen. It has an adjustable oiler which allows for multiple settings that don't work. So also along comes the shampoo bottle of bar oil.

It's a nice trimming and limbing saw that will also do enough small tree work to make it worth bringing along. I'd buy it again.
rScotty

I have this set up.
Stihl FarmBoss with a 20" bar and I have two Makita 36v 12" and 14", plus a Makita pole saw.
Unless I am cutting something big, the Makitas are my go to saws. So easy. No noise. No gas to mix. No smell.

Prior to the Stihl though I owned a HomeLite SuperXL with a 20" bar. Not the cheap fake HomeLites. The real deal from back in the '70's. Talk about a beast, that thing had power to spare. Unfortunately after 30+ years of use, it swallowed a valve and that was the end of that. My friend had the exact same saw. We bought them from the same dealer at the same time. I tried like heck to get him to sell his to me since he wasn't cutting wood anymore, but he had promised his brother he could have it. When that SuperXL fired up it made the Stihl sound like a toy.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

I have this set up.
Stihl FarmBoss with a 20" bar and I have two Makita 36v 12" and 14", plus a Makita pole saw.
Unless I am cutting something big, the Makitas are my go to saws. So easy. No noise. No gas to mix. No smell.

Prior to the Stihl though I owned a HomeLite SuperXL with a 20" bar. Not the cheap fake HomeLites. The real deal from back in the '70's. Talk about a beast, that thing had power to spare. Unfortunately after 30+ years of use, it swallowed a valve and that was the end of that. My friend had the exact same saw. We bought them from the same dealer at the same time. I tried like heck to get him to sell his to me since he wasn't cutting wood anymore, but he had promised his brother he could have it. When that SuperXL fired up it made the Stihl sound like a toy.

If there is a decent shop nearby, go see what they have in their “not worth fixing”, and “no parts available” piles.

A kid I work with, loves old saws, and has gone all over Central Idaho, and Southwest Montana, gathering them up. He goes to shops that sell and service saws, and then goes to the hardware store, lumberyard, and if it is still running the saw mill. And just asks people if they know of guys with old saws.

 

[big bubba]

get a pro saw. this is the one to have for your work. go for a 25"bar

https://thehardwarestorefayetteville.stihldealer.net/products/chain-saws/professional-saws/ms500i/

i'll stick with my ms460, the $1500 sticker price is just too steep.

 

[TimberFarm]

If there is a decent shop nearby, go see what they have in their “not worth fixing”, and “no parts available” piles.

A kid I work with, loves old saws, and has gone all over Central Idaho, and Southwest Montana, gathering them up. He goes to shops that sell and service saws, and then goes to the hardware store, lumberyard, and if it is still running the saw mill. And just asks people if they know of guys with old saws.

When it died on me I did search through EBay, CraigsList, and other for sale ads looking for another SuperXL, but none were around. It got to the point that I needed another saw for firewood season so I had to get the Stihl.
I gave the dead SuperXL to the shop who had been servicing it for all those years so they could get any parts off of it.

 

[Root Cause]

I bought a similar blade, but, it is a carbide tipped 10" blade.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097QVNMHN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The blade is so thin, it goes through most woody plants and small trees effortlessly.
I guess it is similar to comparing a circular sawmill to a bandsaw. The thin bandsaw takes WAY less horsepower.

I used one for about 2 days. It cuts awesome but...........the spin rate and weight keeps that blade moving for a long time.

I was in a heavily wooded area with lots of mountain laurels- stiff branches you cannot break. I was well aware of it being dangerous. I let off the trigger when a big limb unexpectedly came at me. I instinctively let go of the trimmer with right hand to protect myself. The trimmer swung around in my left hand intentionally sweeping away from my body. The trimmer swung around behind me and the blade caught my right arm. It all happened in a second and have a nice scar on my forearm now. Great tool but I like my limbs better.

Not trying to detour others from using it but user beware. It would be a lot better if a trimmer had a brake.

 

[RalphVa]

My wife has done a huge amount of work with both Kobalt 40v ones and now a Stihl MSA-120. She wore out 2 Kobalts, with the 1st one being replaced on warranty, and has worn out one Stihl with the head (all but bar and chain) replaced on warranty. The Stihl is 36v.

She started with a 100 yard long pile of debris left by a flood about 5 years ago and then proceeded to rid our hillside down to the creek of all autumn olives and downed trees.

Never saw you cannot do much with a battery or 12 inch bar. She's 105 # soaking wet. If you're bigger and have to have a whopping big gas chain saw, you're a whimp.