Battery ground saws

[Maplegeddon213]

Interesting. From my understanding, the high power mode increases power output but that basically translates to higher torque/less chance of stalling in a cut. It does not seem to increase chain speed. Which means the time it takes to complete a cut in low vs high mode is the same so long as you don't stall it. High mode will drain the batteries faster though I do not know by how much. The few stalls I have happen when making large cuts on big wood are resolved quickly with a cycle of the trigger. One could argue that running in low (subjective term as I feel there is lots of power here) mode maximizes battery life which results in fewer stops to swap batteries which means you can delete more trees quicker. I'm just thinking out load here. I tend to try an maximize battery life between swaps. I'll be playing around with both setting to see what I notice.

I have a couple of the 12.0 high output batteries and I ran one in the top handle the other day. It was a noticeable step backwards from the forge battery life span. I got some decent work done but I was surprised when it quit. I have to believe they are working on the next gen forge, or whatever they want to name it, so I'm excited to see where the advancements show up. Put solar panels on the top of my helmet with an umbilical cord going to the saw and have unlimited run time?

I also experienced similar power between low and high on the MSA 300. I actually couldn't tell a difference except that the battery drained faster in high. I stopped fiddling with the power settings because I couldn't tell I'll have to keep experimenting to see which bogs more.

 

[Lumberjack]

Interesting. From my understanding, the high power mode increases power output but that basically translates to higher torque/less chance of stalling in a cut. It does not seem to increase chain speed. Which means the time it takes to complete a cut in low vs high mode is the same so long as you don't stall it. High mode will drain the batteries faster though I do not know by how much. The few stalls I have happen when making large cuts on big wood are resolved quickly with a cycle of the trigger. One could argue that running in low (subjective term as I feel there is lots of power here) mode maximizes battery life which results in fewer stops to swap batteries which means you can delete more trees quicker. I'm just thinking out load here. I tend to try an maximize battery life between swaps. I'll be playing around with both setting to see what I notice.

I have a couple of the 12.0 high output batteries and I ran one in the top handle the other day. It was a noticeable step backwards from the forge battery life span. I got some decent work done but I was surprised when it quit. I have to believe they are working on the next gen forge, or whatever they want to name it, so I'm excited to see where the advancements show up. Put solar panels on the top of my helmet with an umbilical cord going to the saw and have unlimited run time?

The MS362 and MS661 have the same chain speed...by your logic they should cut at the same speed with the same bar length. High mode definitely cuts faster than low.

My hypothesis is with no load on the chain, the battery will last the same time spinning in high or low.

I don't try to maximize battery life any more than I concern myself with how much 2 stroke gas I've burned, or that my grapple truck gets 4mpg if I'm lucky.


12AH is 12Ah. There is no (practical) energy storage difference between a 12Ah HO and a 12Ah Forge battery. The Forge batteries can charge and discharge at a higher rate compared to standard, and should be more resistant to overheating.

 

[Phil]

I don't try to maximize battery life any more than I concern myself with how much 2 stroke gas I've burned

This is a great way to frame it. I never worry about how much mix gas I'm using cus I have an effective unlimited supply. If I had more batteries I would probably naturally adopt the same idea. I was out working yesterday and cut down another couple 22"-24" dead oaks and was flipping between low and high. High definitely maintained chain speed with greater regularity. So while it may draw down the charge a bit faster, it should complete the cut quicker. I'm going to leave it on high moving forward.

While 12.0 is 12.0, I'm wondering if my older HO doesn't hold 100% of what it used to. It definitely did not last as long as the newer 12.0 forge though.

 

[Lumberjack]

This is a great way to frame it. I never worry about how much mix gas I'm using cus I have an effective unlimited supply. If I had more batteries I would probably naturally adopt the same idea. I was out working yesterday and cut down another couple 22"-24" dead oaks and was flipping between low and high. High definitely maintained chain speed with greater regularity. So while it may draw down the charge a bit faster, it should complete the cut quicker. I'm going to leave it on high moving forward.

While 12.0 is 12.0, I'm wondering if my older HO doesn't hold 100% of what it used to. It definitely did not last as long as the newer 12.0 forge thou

You can also lean on the saw more in high, which would increase the load on the motor and increase battery drain. It’s not hard or wildly unusual to overheat a battery, even a Forge. I overheated an 8 last week with the dual battery saw.

Milwaukee batteries don’t balance which can definitely affect effective Ah capacity. The 8 and 12 Ah older batteries are bad about finishing charging with only 3 bars showing on the battery due to cell imbalance.

We normally keep 17 batteries on the truck and the 6 pack Rapid Charger, between that and the gas saws we don’t have “range anxiety”.

 

[Matias]

I imagine that overheating is less of a concern in cold weather, even though starting in the morning is maybe an issue for those in the coldest places, and I think that heat has been addressed before, but most of you battery operators live in places with reasonable summer temps right? I know I stuggle most with battery performance in the summer here, and even lithium batteries don't like going over 40⁰c/104⁰f, which is a regular occurence in summer for me. We try to start early and finish before that heat sets in, but it's hard not to wanna make use of the longer days while we have them and just get more done. I'd be curious to here about y'alls battery performance in high temps.

 

[Lumberjack]

I overheated one battery last week with temps in the 70’s in the dual battery saw. Non Forge batteries overheat much easier with their tabbed batteries and tighter build.

Last summer I overheated an 8 and 12Ah HO batteries within maybe 10 minutes of each other.

The 6Ah Forge batteries work better in my top handle than the larger Forge batteries in terms of power in the cut. Inexplicable thus far, but observable.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Lots of great info on usability of battery saws here and ideas for improving same - thanks everyone. I haven't gone to any bigger ground saws yet so am watching that info closely. I do use top handle battery saws first and foremost every time I go to work unless I'm just cutting round after round of bigger wood with a top handle. Interesting to read people using battery saws a lot that I would have thought would've stayed with gas.

 

[Phil]

Lots of great info on usability of battery saws here and ideas for improving same - thanks everyone. I haven't gone to any bigger ground saws yet so am watching that info closely. I do use top handle battery saws first and foremost every time I go to work unless I'm just cutting round after round of bigger wood with a top handle. Interesting to read people using battery saws a lot that I would have thought would've stayed with gas.

Stay tuned to the thread...I'm looking to get a 24" bar on it hopefully soon.

 

[Phil]

@Lumberjack are you using the stock bar and chain?

 

[Lumberjack]

@Lumberjack are you using the stock bar and chain?

Yep, our standard is 14” on a top handle, on rear handles we go 20”, 28”, then 36”. Whenever the time comes I’ll probably convert the Milwaukee pole saw to match the top handle.

... Interesting to read people using battery saws a lot that I would have thought would've stayed with gas.

I assume I resemble that remark.

 

[Phil]

on rear handles we go 20”, 28”, then 36”

Are you saying you have these sizes outfitted to the dual battery Milwaukee?

Whenever the time comes I’ll probably convert the Milwaukee pole saw to match the top handle.

I've heard rumor that the power polesaw will easily run a bigger bar but there are legalities in play that prevent battery power polesaws from being sold with bars longer than 10". I'm not hunting down legal wordings from regulations to verify but I thought it was interesting when I heard that from a reliable source.

 

[Lumberjack]

No, all my saws follow that logic. Milwaukee uses a different chain but otherwise it keeps the inventory simple.

If I duplicate my Milwaukee saws, unless some specific need comes up, they’ll stay running the same bars, to simplify inventory.

 

[27RMT0N]

I have the last two generations of Husky battery saws, and the latest T542i climber and 542i rear handle being about my two most used saws. I also use the 'matching' blower daily and the pole saw which is used very frequently. Huge fan of all of those tools.

Additionally, I have the Milwaukee battery pole saw, single battery rear handle and their blower. Honestly I think they all kind of suck in different ways. The pole saw has great power which is what I bought it for exclusively, when I need a few cuts that require higher power than the Husky pole saw can do. But it's extremely heavy and seems to chew through batteries at at least 2x the speed of the Husky. Unless I need to make cuts bigger than 6", it is literally never the tool I grab. The blower feels like bottom barrel homeowner junk (it was free as part of a package deal) and has a fraction of the performance of the Husky. The rear handle saw honestly has the worst feel and ergonomics of any tool I own, it feels like a bad shopping cart that is all 90 degree angles. It has the power to lean into a cut, but that's the only thing it is good at (hence why thats the test shown in videos) because the chain speed is so low it is just terrible for limbing a fir you just dropped.

So that's my Husky/Milwaukee rant, lol. I do love battery tools though and use them every chance I get, so I look forward to the new and more polished professional options.

 

[Phil]

I have the last two generations of Husky battery saws, and the latest T542i climber and 542i rear handle being about my two most used saws. I also use the 'matching' blower daily and the pole saw which is used very frequently. Huge fan of all of those tools.

Additionally, I have the Milwaukee battery pole saw, single battery rear handle and their blower. Honestly I think they all kind of suck in different ways. The pole saw has great power which is what I bought it for exclusively, when I need a few cuts that require higher power than the Husky pole saw can do. But it's extremely heavy and seems to chew through batteries at at least 2x the speed of the Husky. Unless I need to make cuts bigger than 6", it is literally never the tool I grab. The blower feels like bottom barrel homeowner junk (it was free as part of a package deal) and has a fraction of the performance of the Husky. The rear handle saw honestly has the worst feel and ergonomics of any tool I own, it feels like a bad shopping cart that is all 90 degree angles. It has the power to lean into a cut, but that's the only thing it is good at (hence why thats the test shown in videos) because the chain speed is so low it is just terrible for limbing a fir you just dropped.

So that's my Husky/Milwaukee rant, lol. I do love battery tools though and use them every chance I get, so I look forward to the new and more polished professional options.

The single battery rear handle from Milwaukee is not professional grade by any metric. I wouldn't spend money on it unless I was a very occasional use homeowner. I have the power polesaw and prefer that over the stihl battery polesaws, haven't used the Husqvarna ones. I have the single battery handheld blower from Milwaukee as well and I actually like it. I think they make a dual battery hand blower but I haven't used that one.

 

[27RMT0N]

To be clear I don't see the single battery as a pro tool and nor does Milwaukee, as they seem to compare it to a Stihl 170-type gas saw in their videos. I bought it just because I had the pole saw which does have the look and feel of a pro-tool, and I was just curious about the ground saw. It lives in the tool box of one of the chip trucks, just so there is always a saw there, and gets used like once a month. The blower also bounces around in that truck just to blow stray chips off the tailgate after dumping.

I've seen some of the videos on the new dual battery saw and it seems to be a different class of tool for sure, and has much better chain speed. I'd certainly be interested in trying one and love more 'big saw' options in the battery world, but at this point I'd never spend my own money to give it a try. (edit: speaking specifically about the Milwaukee here)

 

[Phil]

I'd never spend my own money to give it a try

I feel that. lots of unknown with this battery stuff and you almost have to pick a brand/platform and just commit. I've tried my very best to spend other people's money in my battery adventure and so far have been lucky enough to rarely have to dip into my own pocket. Doubt I would have taken the plunge at this stage without some good old fashioned subsidies.

 

[AP1017]

Yep, our standard is 14” on a top handle, on rear handles we go 20”, 28”, then 36”. Whenever the time comes I’ll probably convert the Milwaukee pole saw to match the top handle.



I assume I resemble that remark.

Put a 14" on the milwaukee pole saw as soon as I got it. Never ran the one that came with it. The milwaukee out cuts the sthil 131 that is 1/4pitch converted.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Yeah...I was thinking of you Carl. Surprised you went battery heavy.

 

[27RMT0N]

Put a 14" on the milwaukee pole saw as soon as I got it. Never ran the one that came with it. The milwaukee out cuts the sthil 131 that is 1/4pitch converted.

Is it just the Milwaukee 14" bar and chain intended for the top-handle saw that you swapped onto the pole saw? Any other changes needed?

 

[AP1017]

Is it just the Milwaukee 14" bar and chain intended for the top-handle saw that you swapped onto the pole saw? Any other changes needed?

I think it was off of a 2511t echo. I'll check when I get to the yard.