If a good battery operated chain saw becomes popular enough and the price drops well below $100 I will likely get one. Too much of my cutting is on ladders or standing in the bed of my pickup, totally contrary to the warnings in all the owners manuals, and starting the engine when out on a ladder is a pain. I have climbed 40 feet up in pine trees to drop the tops away from the house and climbing down is considerably worse than climbing up and that belt just never seemed to give me a good feeling when I was yanking that starter. I gave my spikes away last year just to eliminate the possibility of trying that again. Will any current battery operated model operate comparable to a Stihl 021 or similar gasoline saw?
@rod
If all you are doing is limping and cutting soft wood, I feel any saw will do. IMO, if you cut much hardwood, a very sharp chain, especially with an electric is mandatory. I would like to try out the battery one for weight. Can’t imagine though they will be as light as a small gas unless you want a run Time of just a few minutes.
Btw, when a friend of mine, a certified arborist, and I cleared the land for my house 16 years ago we cut down anything that could reach it for the next forty years of growth. He nick named and calls me “clear cut” to this day. Also; since I went to aviation fuel, my gas saws are back to being as reliable as ever after sitting for months. Electrics now don’t have quite the appeal they use to.
My friend the arborist climbs as well and did some amazing things triming the growth between our house and the lake so we can see strategic places on our shore line but our house isn’t easily seen from the lake. This makes it much quieter when the jet skis are playing.
I have a Echo too. I got new in 1980. It sill is best saw I own. its cut 8-10 log cord (4x4x8) into firewood every year. I have had problems with the oiler. Mine has a flow adjustment. Mine is under the air cleaner, just in front of the carb. Twice it closed while running. Now the hose comes off if it gets pulged with sawdust at the bar. I take brake cleaner and clean the port out real good. While you have the bar off this is good to also clean the sprocket on the end of the bar. Then grease it or oil it. Then with the bar off. I start it and run it to make sure the oil flows good.
Good idea on the trees Dag,I share that belief,I like to trim everything back to about 70’ of the house.A lot safer and keeps the gutters cleaner.Didnt realize how windy it was on this slope till I moved here.After the fiasco in June with the “dreco” or whatever you call it wind storm,I cast a jaundice eye at any suspect trees.Trees are wonderful-except next to your house-Kevin
@Kevin "trees are wonderful-except next to your house"
The only good tree is one cut up for firewood…just kidding. It seems living in the woods 90% of our power tools and time is devoted to cutting brush and trees.
As far as wind, unlike you perhaps, we live along a narrows in the lake and are pretty well sheltered. It’s all about direction. During the last blizzard, we had North West gusts of over 70mph and never lost power when southerly 30 mph winds can drop trees on the lines frequently in the summer and fall.
Power company trucks don’t like to come here and we are the last to see power returned. Needless to say a topic of conversation with neighbors leans not as much to who bought what for a new car, but who has the latest/greatest new generator or chain saw.
BYOC…C is for chain saw around here if you plan on staying for long, and yes, we all agreed to buy Orange !
I think a battery saw will be bulky and heavy.
Instead of putting the batteries on the saw how about batteries in a rugged case, tethered to the saw with a cable?
Or a conventional electric saw with a portable generator?
I think it will be a long time before anything competes with a 2-stroke for light & compact power.
I found that my electic is not balanced. The blade is 14" but is narrow and accommodes a small chain. It cuts OK. Its light. Chain stops faster than the gas saw, It’s just not balanced and the feel is too different. Hate the cord and a hundred feet of cord is a pain to untangle and then to roll up.
I have a portable generator to power up my electric saw . The problem is, my gas power saw is more efficient, lighter and more portable.
Cant beat the energy stored in a gallon of petrol.now if we could get our conversion efficiency up to about 80% we could really stretch our reserves.Better then double MPG awesome,the saw would run till you got tired and had to put it down .Electrics are great,but the energy density of batteries is very disappointing-Kevin
Years ago I bought an electric chain saw but really didn’t think it worked that well. I think they are vastly improved now though. Actually you can get a pruning blade for the Sawzall which works pretty good when you want to use an electric outfit.
The one thing that will keep electric saws growing in the market is a combination of infrequent use and ethanol. You put up with the cord if you KNOW it will start. For tha same reason, we went to a propane powered house generator from a perfectly good Yamaha and my son in law gave me his old gas powered gen for my tools so he could get a propane one too. It’s a conspiracy here in the North with so many gas powered small motors. As if gas prices aren’t 't so high to begin with, now they make you use shear crappolla !
Well I want a propane powered generator,but alas I’ve almost talked myself out of it.(seen firsthand what crap gas will do to a briggs and stratton engine) but thats not an issue since unadultrated gas is readily availible and I believe I could probaly keep 15 gallons of gas fresh and on hand.But that being said I’ve always as of late advised local business owners to install propane powered backup versus gas or diesel(look if you ran the diesel everyday it would be fine,but with the bacteria issue and other problems its just not worth it) the power company around here is superlative even with the severe damage around here with the June windstorm ,my power wasnt off but about three days{they have really been paying attention to the right of ways and alot of times,travel to help other locales out during diasters}.
Yes Dag,down with crappolla alcohol adultrated gas! pure gas forever(but keep Steve Harris in mind[a very practical pragmatic guy]-Kevin
@kevin
Propane is “almost” ( lower btu content) the ideal generator fuel. Sit forever with no degradation, fire up when you need it, lower emissions when running. Go ahead, talk yourself into one. You won’t regret it. If you’re looking small, generac makes a self contained model. I would have one for my tools except for the freebie. Generac LP3250.
The company “says” they make their own motors. So far, I like the auto 10k propane for my house. The power goes out, 9 seconds later, the generator starts and the lights come back on.
LP 3250 eh? got it ,thanks-Kevin -But everybody please checkout Steve Harris’s website
I have a Generac Diesel generator. That way if I run out of Diesel…I have 250 gallon tank used for heating oil I can use in a pinch.
Generac motors are made in China (at least the diesels are).
Generac continues to claim they make their own ohv motors for their home propane generators. After research, they appeared to have had at one time, some relationship with Briggs and Stratton for the blocks and finished them off them selves…who knows where BandS made them…but the claim is there. They “say” means I am as skeptical as anyone. I suspect they may have assembled them from parts made elsewhere to the specs they needed for their home generation…who really makes anything anymore. The question is…what does "made"mean anymore. I will give them credit for trying to advertise them as American made…
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/engine.html
Well you Guys are talking about using a chainsaw off a ladder,I shudder when I think about that now.I had some elderly friends who said they couldnt climb,I thought they were just making that stuff up.Well I’ve fallen off a ladder twice in the past 2 weeks(made a believerout of me,I fell about eight feet the first time,musta knocked me out for awile I was doing some irrational things for awhile and did things I dont remember,had a headache for a week and both shoulders hurt for a long time and the must recent,I was almost to the bottom of the ladder and lost my footing and hung my shin between 2 rungs,lost a big patch of skin and had a big knot on the front of my leg.so in the future I’m going to be extra careful and definitely not take a saw up the ladder with me.My back is screwed up and my legs dont always do what I want them to.I’m hoping to be able to work at least another 10 years if possible,but now I’m not so sure.
So the whole thing in a nutshell is,keep your saw in good condition(it will be safer and be extra careful with power tools-fortunately during the ladder incidents I wasnt carrying a chainsaw,a chainsaw doesnt have to be running to seriuosly hurt a person) the advice these Guys have given is very good and you can tell these Folks know what they are talking about-Kevin
Ouch.
I’ve started to use a bike helmet when I am on a ladder or roof.
Ground cutting I only use a hard hat.
Always use a 3 legged ladder on dirt or nonflat ground or a 8-1 ladder on flat hard ground.
Always have a partner when on a ladder and using power equipment.
Yeah I hear ya. A ladder on a tree is not the best but sometimes you have no choice. I always tie the thing off first though. I actually use a pole pruner now quite a bit and even put another 10’ pole on that to reach higher.
It was kind of an eye opener though last fall. I have never hired anyone before but I had a triple birch close to the house and the neighbors that was just leaning the wrong way. I got a bid and the whole thing was $250 to take it down, grind the stump out, and haul it away. They were done in a couple hours and never had to do a thing.
Speaking of ladders, have you ever used a Little Giant ladder ?