electric trim saws

[SouthSoundTree]

Wondering if any manufacturer is progressing well with a lithium battery powered trim saw. I'm wondering about it for the occasional conifer prune or small removal. Lots of small cuts, no fumes, no pullcord yanking throughout (my shoulder has been a bit sore lately). Lighter than a 192T. Could be used indoors for messing around with carving a little in the slow winter time. I think Stihl is working on one, but might be wrong there.

Wondering about balance, run time, etc.

Somebody has a Neuton for sale used on Craigslist, asking $75. Haven't seen if its auto oiler or thumb pump. They seem to make a number of battery powered yard stuff, even mowers.
http://www.neutonpower.com/prdSell.aspx?p1Name=neuton_lithium_tools&Name=lithium_chainsaw_pruner

I know its not meant for pro use, or heavy use.

I just dropped a doug-fir for a friend that (40-50) 1.5" or less branch cuts, and three small tops. Dropped two logs off that were 8-10" diameter, which can be done easily enough with a 6" bar. 200t would have been overkill. Mainly, I'm playing around with the idea for canopy raises/ deadwooding conifers.

 

[Tree Reb]

These are getting a good rep here. A bit expensive but for the right job they are good. Back pack battery. http://www.pellenc.com.au/Products/...nHandHeldChainsawRange/tabid/681/Default.aspx

Better go to Products, then Portable tools/green. That has all saws and battery info. http://www.pellenc.com.au/Home/tabid/244/Default.aspx

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[quabinclimber]

Interesting, where I live selling "sustainable" trimming practices would be a hit. I'd like to see it in action. I didn't see a cost...am I missing it?

 

[sawinredneck]

Stihl has a new line of lithium ion tools coming out shortly, http://www.dondickey.com/index.php?...atid=72:new-products-a-information&Itemid=103

 

[Paul B]

Indeed, I tried the hedge trimmer a few months back, at a chow without anything to get it dirty with, seems like its coming along.

 

[Cut4fun]

I use a electric saw for work inside the barn. Real nice when cutting up carcasses in the winter with everything closed up.

 

[sawcollector]

Stihl has a new line of lithium ion tools coming out shortly, http://www.dondickey.com/index.php?...atid=72:new-products-a-information&Itemid=103

Use the prev and next buttons and all the new 36 volt products are listed at this website.
Sorry if this come over as a sales pitch, but I am just sharing what I know, and the 36 volt stuff is very impressive. The saw cuts good, the trimmers are easy to use and have good performance. The blower doesn't have a lot of run time, but for small jobs where noise is a factor it may have it's place. There are 2 battery options, the 80 amp and 160 amp. There are 2 chargers, a regular one that takes about 30 to 40 minutes and a fast charger that has a fan in it and is almost twice as fast. The battery has a charge indicator, and will give trouble codes if anything goes wrong. Be aware that the battery has a thermal overload in it and if it gets too hot, like in an enclosed trailer on a hot day, the overload will trip and the battery is no good and not repairable. There is a diagnostic unit for the battery that will test it, tell how many hours of use it has and how much life is left in it, and show if the battery did in fact get overheated. There is also a diagnostic unit for the units that will test the motor and electronics and indicate what the fault is if anything goes wrong. A nice option is a belt that you can put the battery in and then plug in a dummy battery with a cord on it so you can lighten up the unit, and you can carry 2 spare batteries on the belt as well. If you have 2 160 batteries and the fast charger you could run all day, as the fast charger will charge a battery faster than you can run it down in most cases. The saw uses the new 1/4" PICCO chain, .043 gauge, called 71 PM3, which can also be used on low HP pole pruners. This stuff is not cheap. And while I would not say any of these are meant to replace gas powered units in commercial use, they are well made and intended for some of these situations where noise ordinances may be a factor.
For what South Sound Tree described I think it would be ideal. I am guessing the saw, 2 160 batteries and a fast charger would probably be around $700, so like I said it is not cheap. I don't have any prices here at the house so I am not for sure about that. I have a cheap B&D 18 volt pole pruner obviously made for homeowners and it has very little run time, about 10 minutes on a new battery, so 36 volt is way better as far as staying power goes.
Here is a pic of the entire line:

 

[Paul B]

Thanks man, thats the whole fleet I saw a few items of, the charger too, thanks for the description and details. I heard the charge lifetime of the battery was in the range of 1000 cycles, cost wise it was supposed to be somewhat less than the equivalent cost of fuel over the lifetime.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

The Neuton one looks to be balanced like a tophandle, not that I'd ever one-hand it, and the pigs are fed and ready for takeoff.

Thanks for the info, Sawcollector!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I use a electric saw for work inside the barn. Real nice when cutting up carcasses in the winter with everything closed up.

Now there is a mental image