Chain saws - most powerful electric or battery preferably battery

[SusanO]

I had the edge of a tornado go through here a few weeks ago and put a lot of trees on top of my fencing. I know I can’t get the big oaks sawed up and I will have to hire that out but the smaller pines on the fence I think I can handle myself. Anything I can do myself will save my insurance check for new fencing and installation.

I do have a gas chainsaw but the carb is gunked up and I have a hard time starting it anyway so my best bet is a battery operated one., I did have an electric one but I killed it and it didn’t cut anything very big. Plus an extension cord will never go all the way to the end of the pasture. Somebody recommended a Makita 18V chainsaw. Any other suggestions that will handle medium sized trees?

[Equibrit]

This is a great deal for a good chain saw; https://www.chainsawsdirect.com/Makita-XCU04PT1-Chain-Saw/p109451.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwjuqDBhAGEiwAdX2cj481IBWrMp-ltdclDGVh5PFU0HscmOAIr8IefLtqDe4rwT3CYuLYZxoCLPwQAvD_BwE

[SusanO]

Yes better than Home depot! Will this cut trees 24" to 36" circumference ( mostly pine so soft wood)? These are already down and on the fence. The battery will not have to last all day because I don’t foresee me sawing all day. Better to do a little at a time because my arm will get tired. Not to mention the gnats!

[Simkie]

@SusanO

Will this cut trees 24" to 36" circumference ( mostly pine so soft wood)?

That saw has a 16" bar. It’s not even going to get halfway through a 36" tree.

It sounds like you have an awfully big job. Battery saws aren’t really “awfully big job” sorta saws. What’s the bar length of your current saw?

[SusanO]

The only tree I measured has a 23" circumference. That is not really that big. I have cut them with a tiny electric chain saw. I didn’t get it all the way through the first time but started again on the other side and cut it through. They don’t have to look good - they just need to be off the fence. They can lie there and rot on the outside of the fence in the woods. I will have to see how big the electric saw is but it is a lot smaller than the gas one I have.

The gas one is a royal pain to get cranked even though it is an “easy start”. Easy for somebody else. And every time you stop it you have to restart. I hate it with a passion. The most tiresome part of sawing with it is getting it to start.

[Simkie]

Oh, circumference. So … 12" diameter or less? Yeah, guess that’ll work. Consider how often you want to be changing batteries?

How long is the bar on your current saw?

Do note that chainsaw chaps might not work to stop the chain on an electric saw.

Does still sound like a big job. A good quality gas saw isn’t hard to start and won’t need batteries every few minutes. Do you have a local power tools store–not a big box, a local specialty place?–that can talk through your job and needs and set you up with appropriate gear (including safety stuff)?

[Equibrit]

It will easily cut a 23" circumference = 7.25" diameter. (I just happen to have a tree tape on my desk) If you buy that package you can always have fresh batteries handy anyway. I usually take out 4 batteries and have not needed to use the second pair yet. I do similar jobs with pine trees. I replaced a Stihl gas saw with this one and far prefer the Makita. No maintenance expenses except oil, and chain sharpening. Cleaning is really simple and you can adjust the chain without tools. (It does turn itself off in case you put it down and leave it turned on).
The REALLY annoying thing about the Stihl was that it would NEVER start for me (followed instructions), but if I asked a guy to do it - no problem. The Makita is a non-discriminatory chain saw that I don’t have to fight with now I’m 70+

[SierraMist]

I’ve had Stihl chainsaws for 40 years and like them for durability. But now I’m old and can’t start the darn things. The good news is that Stihl now makes Easy Start models and they are great! 2 fingers can pull it, it has some kind of self winding mechanism. I have the 16" bar for trimming and can also cut some fairly big trees. It’s very light weight and I have no trouble cutting even overhead limbs. For the big jobs, you’d want to use a longer bar. They make the Easy Start in larger sizes too. Don’t need tools to tighten chain, has an easy knob on outside and easy open caps on gas and bar oil reservoir. Also, a can of Sea Foam is your best friend to keep carburetors clean. I put Sea Foam in everything. If the carburetor on your chainsaw isn’t too gunked up, you can pour Sea Foam in the gas reservoir, pull it a few times to get some down in there and let it sit for a couple days. Sometimes that cleans it out enough to start, Then run it with your normal gas mixture with Sea Foam added. I also use premium gas as that seems to keep engines running cleaner.

[SusanO]

I have an 18" Poulan pro gas engine which I hate. it is supposed to be an easy start but if you have short arms it is a bear to start. I haven’t use it for a while and I am sure the carb is gunked up but I will take it to the shop to get it functioning again. MY electric one is a 16 inch and I think I have killed it. I much prefer this one and it doesn’t seem so dangerous because it stops when I take my finger off the button. And cranking the saw seems like a dangerous part of the job.

I think I need a 16 inch. Any bigger than that and somebody else can cut it. I am not felling trees. I do not want to do that but I need to chop up the trees that have fallen on the fence into manageable pieces. The big stuff I am leaving to a tree company. I still have both hands and all my fingers and I plan on keeping things this way.

I just got out my battery operated weed eater and I am loving it. No pulling to crank it up, no dragging an extension cord, easy to carry and the battery runs out about when I am ready to quit. I want to do the same with a chain saw if I can get enough power from a battery one.

I will look for Sea Foam. I haven’t heard of it.

[Raincityrider]

Throwing in my 2c as I too recently purchased a Makita battery powered 16” bar chainsaw and I am pleasantly surprised by how well it works. I thought it would have a short run time and underwhelming utility and I was completely wrong. We recently had a ice storm that downed dozens of trees and created a ridiculous amount of debris to cleanup. I found my smaller gas saw needed some serious work before it was going to contribute. Generally, I would be one to stick with Stihl gas powered what-have-yous but I’m a bit tired of maintaining gasoline engines so I thought I’d give electric a chance on the smaller end of my saw lineup. The Makita is so easy and quiet I’m finding I prefer it to the same sized gas powered. lt has no problem whacking up 7-8” diameter logs and it’s terrific for limbing out. I was a bit suspicious of the tool-less chain tightening mechanism but so far it has worked as it should. Battery life has also not been an issue for me, with two sets of batteries I generally want a break before the saw does. The only notable difference for me is the electric saw does have a narrower kerf chain and IMO those have a shorter working lifespan.

[B_and_B]

Interesting thread for me! I may look at the Makita. Generally, I’ve taken to asking my DH to do the chainsaw work (he is a professional logger, so a)has the tools and b) has the strength). I sort of got out of the habit of trying to wrestle my Stihl, I simply couldn’t deal with it safely anymore, one hand just doesn’t always stay closed, fun! But, he doesn’t have the time and it would be awfully nice to deal with the storm/winter/regular deadfall in our five acre plus house garden/landscape on my own…

[lorilu]

edited because the error was caught already.

[Djones]

We have a makita battery chainsaw and it’s fantastic. Battery life is exceptional and as someone else said, I’m likely to need a break before it will, lol. Very handy thing to have. I keep the charging base in my tack room alongside my Porta cable charging station for my battery drill. Makes remembering to charge stuff handy. We haven’t cranked the poulan or the Husqvarna in ages.

[endlessclimb]

What brand is your battery weed whip? That’s the brand I’d stick with for the saw.

[SusanO]

My weed eater says EGO. Do they make good chainsaws?

[endlessclimb]

Yes, they do. The whole EGO line is outstanding. They are not cheap though.

Get the one with the battery so you can have one charging while you’re using the other one.

[SusanO]

So what is the difference in the 5AH battery and the 2.5AH battery. The weedeater has a 2.5 AH battery. Is it interchangeable with a 5AH battery?

[Equibrit]

AmpHours measures the amperage a battery can provide in 1 hour. The higher the number the better.
Makita 18V LXT batteries go up to 6 AH.

[endlessclimb]

I would not try to run a saw on the 2.5AH. I’d get the 5, or if you can handle the weight, the 7.5. I have all 3. The 7.5 typically goes in my push mower, because that beast is too heavy. But it definitely packs the biggest punch, I can mow my .5 acre on one charge.

[SusanO]

Good to know about the 5AH. So maybe it isn’t that vital to get the same brand chainsaw as the weedeater because the batteries are not really that compatible?