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Battery operated chain saws

Started by ForestMan, January 03, 2018, 04:02:58 AM

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ForestMan

I am interested in buying a battery operated chain saw.  Reasons include avoiding noise and exhaust and to add portability to my electric chain saw.  I like the fact that with my electric chain saw, all I have to do is add chain oil, plug it in, and I'm cutting.  I don't have to mess with mixes, worry about biofuels messing up my saw, or issues pulling a cord to start my saw.  The drawback, of course, is the length of the cord.  If I could cut the cord and make an electric saw portable, that would be good.  I have heard that batteries have come a long way and you get decent cut time now.  What kind of price and brands are we talking about for a decent saw?  It does not have to be professional, but sturdy.  Thanks for any input you can give me.
There is nothing like the natural beauty of wood.

starmac

There is a couple of active threads going right now, one on the new husky and one on stihl.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

VirginiaFarm

I bit the bullet and bought a Stihl MS200C-BQ this summer- took a month to get here because it was backordered. That was disappointing, but a good sign that others were getting them too.
The saw has been excellent. They say to sharpen it more frequently than gas-powered saws. I use it for many purposes- limbing trees, cutting firewood & close-up work/brush clearing. I have dropped several 12"+/- trees with it.
The saw takes some time getting through thick stuff, even with the 14" bar over the 12". I was cutting oak firewood and had a couple 20"+ logs to cut. Took a lot of effort, but I prefer it to the noise and maintenance of gas powered saws, especially for smaller limbs.


mike_belben

The smaller the bar the faster it will cut.  Also the more agressive and narrower the chain the faster itll go.
Praise The Lord

TKehl

A small generator and a wagon may cost less than a new battery saw.  Just a thought.   ;)

I like my Oregon battery pole saw and have friends that like the Oregon battery chainsaw a lot.  Nice feature for the chainsaw is you stick the scabbard on and run the chain a couple seconds and POOF, it's sharp.   :o

I may get one of the chainsaws eventually.  The batteries interchange between it and the weedeater and polesaw I already have and can be purchased as a bare tool at lower price.   Or swap batteries and keep cutting.  ;)
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

HolmenTree

Whether you buy a Stihl or Husqvarna battery saw, make sure either saw is converted to the Stihl 71PM chain.
This chain is a extended pitch .043" 1/4" chain that takes a small diameter 1/8 " file.

Narrowest kerf semi chisel chain on the market which takes the least ammount of energy to cut through a log and makes more cuts per battery charge.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

Al_Smith

They have their place but aren't for everybody .By the same token not everybody would have use for a 100 plus cc gasoline chainsaw .

starmac

Why would it be recommended to sharpen the chain more often than a gas saw? A gas saw should have a sharp chain too.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

VirginiaFarm

I was told by the Stihl dealer that my battery-powered saw produces less cutting power and therefore puts more wear on the chain. Not sure what cc equivalent gas saw he was comparing it to.

Al_Smith

It would not necessarily put more wear on the chain .It's just the fact the chain would require to be kept much sharper to preform well .
I think these things are like a battery drill motor .They will drill a hole but it would take forever with even a slightly dull drill bit .Like an old farmer once told me .Son a sharp tool will make you money,a dull one will cost you .

zoltar

By the way, does anyone know why most electric and battery powered saws have a different type of throttle trigger lockout switch than gas saws? Except for a few Husqvarna models (436Li, 536Li, and 321EL), all of the electric saws I've seen have thumb-operated switches, while all gas powered saws have the switch on top of the handle that you press with the palm of your hand.

I have not used any of the electric saws with thumb-operated switches, so I can't compare, but the palm operated switches found on gas saws are engaged simply by holding the saw, so they must be more comfortable to use. Maybe the reason for thumb-operated switches is that your thumb would more easily slip away from the switch on kickback, possibly engaging the chain brake or something? If that is the reason, why is this safety feature only needed for electric saws? As far as I know, all gas saws still have the palm operated switches, even homeowner models.

DelawhereJoe

I think that has something to do with children, a small kid isn't going to have the ability to push down with their thumb and squeeze the trigger. Whereas a paddle on top to unlock the trigger is very easily pushed down, kinda like the battery circle saws.
WD-40, DUCT TAPE, 024, 026, 362c-m, 041, homelite xl, JD 2510

zoltar

QuoteI think that has something to do with children, a small kid isn't going to have the ability to push down with their thumb and squeeze the trigger. Whereas a paddle on top to unlock the trigger is very easily pushed down, kinda like the battery circle saws.
Thanks, it never occurred to me that child proofing was necessary here, because my only experience with electric saws is Husqvarna, and they have a "power on" switch that needs to be pressed and held for a second to activate the saw, and it deactivates automatically if the saw is not used for a minute or so.  If Husqvarna is the only manufacturer having an activation switch on their saws, it explains why only they have the gas-style throttle trigger lockout.

Ianab

I'd guess it's not just children that the safety interlock is designed to protect. If anyone picks up a non running gas saw, it doesn't matter how you grab it, it's not going to magically start up and bite you. If it's running, then it's obvious to almost everyone that you need to be careful.

But an electric saw is sitting there doing nothing, but can start instantly. Hence it's a "hazard", and needs some sort of interlock, that requires a particular user action to activate. They certainly shouldn't be able to start simply by grabbing the handle.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

zoltar

QuoteThey certainly shouldn't be able to start simply by grabbing the handle.
Sure, but do the new type of throttle lockout buttons eliminate that risk though? I guess it varies depending on where the button is placed and how you need to press it to engage it, but based on pictures I've seen, it looks like you can still accidentally press both the throttle and the lockout button if you lift the saw by the rear handle.

In my opinion, Husqvarna's solution is the best one. Keep the traditional and more more ergonomic lockout trigger, and have a separate activation switch that you can't easily press by accident.

HolmenTree

I'm still waiting for Stihl to offer a top handle battery saw. So I have to settle for a Husqvarna T536 LiXP which I've run in my operation for a few years now.
Great professional grade aerial saw and does the job well with no annoyances.
Very safe reliable saw to operate.


 
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

zoltar


starmac

I guess I am missing something.

If that little is a great professional quality aerial saw, that does the job well with no annoyances, plus is very safe and reliable, why is it you consider it that you have to settle for it over a stihl? Is it a dealer thing?
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

HolmenTree

Quote from: zoltar on January 08, 2018, 04:31:11 PM
Quote from: HolmenTree on January 08, 2018, 03:13:26 PM
I'm still waiting for Stihl to offer a top handle battery saw.
Doesn't MSA 160 T ( https://www.stihl.com/stihl-msa-160-t-arborist-saw.aspx ) count?
Thanks for sharing Zoltar.  But as far as I know the MSA 160T is still not available in North America.
Still not available here in Canada when I last checked.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

HolmenTree

Quote from: starmac on January 08, 2018, 06:04:54 PM
I guess I am missing something.

If that little is a great professional quality aerial saw, that does the job well with no annoyances, plus is very safe and reliable, why is it you consider it that you have to settle for it over a stihl? Is it a dealer thing?
Still can't buy a top handle Stihl battery saw here yet.
The 160T is available in Europe , Australia but not here in North America yet as far as I can see.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

starmac

I understand that, but is sounds like you are satisfied with the husky you had to settle for. Are you thinking the stihl will be a better saw when it becomes available?
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

HolmenTree

Quote from: starmac on January 08, 2018, 07:39:53 PM
I understand that, but is sounds like you are satisfied with the husky you had to settle for. Are you thinking the stihl will be a better saw when it becomes available?
On paper the Stihl MSA 160T looks  more streamlined and better in ergonomics then the Husqvarna T536. I think they have a really good saw there.
I have to do more research about battery AH etc.
My 536 is old technology and I heard there's a 9 AH size battery for it now. But the 2 smaller 4.2 AH  I have work just fine.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

starmac

Makes sense. Yea, I do not have any battery saws, been considering one though. For some of my uses I tend to think it would be down right handy.

Batteries have come a long ways, milwaukii now has a 9 hour battery for my shop tools, but like you said so far my 3 hour batteries are steadily getting the job done and I have plenty of them to not run out of power.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

HolmenTree

I see Stihl has a AP 300 6AH battery that fits in the MSA 160T.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.

zoltar

HolmenTree, in case you haven't seen it, you might want to check out this comparison of MSA 160T and T536:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiCa-kC09CA

The video is from 2014, so it looks like both models were introduced around the same time. As you said yourself, they've kept introducing new batteries since then, but it doesn't look like much has happened with the saws themselves in the last four years. Not much difference between these two in cutting performance either, according to this video (T536 is slightly faster if you put the Stihl chain on it). Probably comes down to price, personal preference, ergonomics, and dealer support.

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