Battery Saw Onsite Charging

[Tree-Taylor]

Or...wait to see if four batteries is enough for a day of work. Hold off on field charging until you see how long the batteries last. I have Dewalt cordless. The 20v on my fast charger charge so fast! I don't know about the larger ones though

I'd definitely recommend giving the equipment a test before investing in a charging station. I have the Husqy pole saw with the BLi300 battery. It is absolute overkill, the thing never dies. I don't even bother bringing the charger with me, it lives in my garage and gets very lonely. Takes less than a half hour for a full charge. I'd probably get a lighter battery if I could do it again.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Onsite charging.....I make a point of asking customers if I can plug in. People like doing something to help you, to help the job.

I have two Huskys and 4 batts. Almost never start into my second battery before lunch when trimming a tree out. As TallTreeClimber said batteries can carry you through, most jobs.

Be a bit careful if you shop for deals. A friend that saw my Husky stuff and had my wife rave to his wife about the Husky blower bought one at Home Depot. Blower, batt, charger for $150 +/-. But,.....charger is not the quick charger, batt is smallest, and blower is a weaker model with slightly different controls.

 

[Mowerr]

If not working residentially then keep a gas saw with saw gas in case u burn up all the batteries?

 

[Merle Nelson]

Good idea.

I only use battery tools when near houses for the most part. They are a little slower, a little softer etc.

 

[RyanCafferky]

As someone who lives off grid I would suggest putting a solar panel on the roof of the chip truck and throwing in an inverter and charge controller to keep your truck battery topped off while you work and charge batteries. Charge controller is key to not overcharge the battery.

 

[RyanCafferky]

If not working residentially then keep a gas saw with saw gas in case u burn up all the batteries?

I always have the gas saws handy in case something is a removal or I run out of battery power.

 

[colb]

I always have the gas saws handy in case something is a removal or I run out of battery power.

I always keep a battery saw handy in case something is a removal or I run out of mixed gas.

 

[Merle Nelson]

 

[ArborEthos]

Got the husky t536li with two of the BLi200 batteries. Two days of smaller prunes and havent had to switch batteries onsite yet. Digging it so far. Thanks all. I'm definitely gonna look into solar charging if I add more to battery fleet

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Using solar to charge batteries is a bit like filling a pool with a garden hose. It will work..but slowwwwwwww.

An alternative that might be cheaper and more efficient would be to use a charger that connects directly to your starting battery. Not through the tiny wires in the cigarette lighter either. Heavy wires with a fuse/circuit breaker.

Another idea is to have a second battery with a disconnect/isolator like campers use.

 

[New2trees]

If any of the saw manufacturers read this post here is an idea.

Make portable chargers that can either be hard wired into the work truck or clipped to the battery terminals of a truck/car.

Almost any modern vehicle has an 85 amp plus alternator, so with 1000+ watts available quick charging should be a snap.

PS In reality you would probably not want the charger to consume more than about 750 watts as running an alternator at peak output for long periods will substantially shorten its life.