Cabling Drill Options

colb said:
Has anyone tried the new Milwaukee super Hawg cordless?
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I had a little extra jingle in my pocket last week, and CPO had a 15% off online coupon, so I grabbed a new cordless Super Hawg kit (Drill, two 5amp 18v batteries, offset handle, fast charger and carrying bag). It was about $470.00. I got the chucked version, same as my corded Super Hawg, as opposed to the "Quik Lock" version, as I didn't want to be tied to proprietary bits.

I decided to get 2 more spare batteries, so that I'd have plenty of backup juice. They list for about $200 for a set of two, but I found an online retailer on eBay and picked up a dual pack for $130 or thereabouts.

All the batteries arrived partially charged. About 6 hours later all 4 were fully charged.

Observations are that the cordless drill weighs just about as much as the corded version. In the low speed setting it offers a no-load rpm of 350, which is 100 rpm less than the corded version. High speed no load-rpm maxes at 950, opposed to 1,750 rpm for the corded version.

I read in a tool forum that the clutch in low speed on the cordless version slips at 1k inch-lbs. I haven't found a corresponding figure for the corded version and can't speak to the veracity of the forum post. The battery version definitely doesn't offer as much torque as the corded model, but I'll come back around to that.

There's an internal clip for the chuck wrench, that keeps it mounted to the body of the drill, as opposed to a traditional cord-mounted tether. At first I thought it might be prone to unclipping and getting lost on a job-site, but once the battery is mounted, it seems very secure and I think it would take a lot to unseat it. I'm still going to paint mine a fluorescent color to make it easier to find, but I think Milwaukee did a good job on this.

The Fuel batteries have a push button indicator that shows the remaining charge, expressed as 1-4 bars. The little button can be difficult to depress in gloves, and the red charge level indicator LED's are tough to see in direct midday sunlight. I kept the tool bag with the 3 spare batteries in a shady spot, so that I could walk over into the shade to check my battery status and grab a new one while I was there, if needed.

I haven't yet tried to use the battery model to run a long auger bit through a trunk for through-bracing applications. My gut tells me that it'll do the job, just slower than the corded version. I'm sure it'll be easier to use in the canopy for cabling applications than the corded version, since it won't have the extra weight and drag of a#12, 15 amp cord attached to it.

My associate Brian and I used the battery Super Hawg this past Friday for an assignment to remove a Casuarina cunninghamiana (Australian Pine) growing near the rear of a residential property, adjacent to and over-storying distribution and primary conductors. In conjunction with the GRCS, we safely tip-tied and lifted over a dozen branches, which were then swung over to adjacent trees further away from the conductor. At the end of each lift, once the branch was separated and suspended safely away from the conductors, I did a quick lift of the static weight of the branches, just to see how the drill would perform lifting the suspended full weight of the branch. Some of the larger branches were approximately 30 feet in length, and up to 8 inches in diameter. In low gear, the drill/GRCS combination had no trouble lifting those loads. In high gear.....nope. The majority this lifting and pulling was accomplished with one battery. The last pull of the day was the central leader, and with the battery showing 1 bar of charge remaining, I decided to use a fresh one for the last, and biggest piece.

For light pulling applications, to separate a snap cut vertical piece, the high speed setting on the drill worked fine. For lifting though, the high speed setting was inadequate. Lifting operations were noticeably slower with the battery drill, than the corded version, but the work definitely got done, and without having a power cord to step over and around.

I kept my corded Super Hawg plugged in and nearby in case I needed to call in the cavalry, but never needed it. I was concerned with the prospect of having to change a bit in a hurry if the battery drill got in over it's head. I think I'll buy a second GRCS bit to eliminate that concern.

All in all, with a couple batteries, that drill could do a full day's work quite handily. It's great to have a powerful, totally detached drill on the site. You're trading off a good bit of speed, and some power for that convenience. For dismantling a tree with really big limbs, I'd probably stick to the corded version, but the battery Super Hawg is definitely a keeper and has earned space in the tool trailer.

The next time I do a support assignment, I'll review its' performance in cabling/bracing applications.
 
cerviarborist said:
I had a little extra jingle in my pocket last week, and CPO had a 15% off online coupon, so I grabbed a new cordless Super Hawg kit (Drill, two 5amp 18v batteries, offset handle, fast charger and carrying bag). It was about $470.00. I got the chucked version, same as my corded Super Hawg, as opposed to the "Quik Lock" version, as I didn't want to be tied to proprietary bits.

I decided to get 2 more spare batteries, so that I'd have plenty of backup juice. They list for about $200 for a set of two, but I found an online retailer on eBay and picked up a dual pack for $130 or thereabouts.

All the batteries arrived partially charged. About 6 hours later all 4 were fully charged.

Observations are that the cordless drill weighs just about as much as the corded version. In the low speed setting it offers a no-load rpm of 350, which is 100 rpm less than the corded version. High speed no load-rpm maxes at 950, opposed to 1,750 rpm for the corded version.

I read in a tool forum that the clutch in low speed on the cordless version slips at 1k inch-lbs. I haven't found a corresponding figure for the corded version and can't speak to the veracity of the forum post. The battery version definitely doesn't offer as much torque as the corded model, but I'll come back around to that.

There's an internal clip for the chuck wrench, that keeps it mounted to the body of the drill, as opposed to a traditional cord-mounted tether. At first I thought it might be prone to unclipping and getting lost on a job-site, but once the battery is mounted, it seems very secure and I think it would take a lot to unseat it. I'm still going to paint mine a fluorescent color to make it easier to find, but I think Milwaukee did a good job on this.

The Fuel batteries have a push button indicator that shows the remaining charge, expressed as 1-4 bars. The little button can be difficult to depress in gloves, and the red charge level indicator LED's are tough to see in direct midday sunlight. I kept the tool bag with the 3 spare batteries in a shady spot, so that I could walk over into the shade to check my battery status and grab a new one while I was there, if needed.

I haven't yet tried to use the battery model to run a long auger bit through a trunk for through-bracing applications. My gut tells me that it'll do the job, just slower than the corded version. I'm sure it'll be easier to use in the canopy for cabling applications than the corded version, since it won't have the extra weight and drag of a#12, 15 amp cord attached to it.

My associate Brian and I used the battery Super Hawg this past Friday for an assignment to remove a Casuarina cunninghamiana (Australian Pine) growing near the rear of a residential property, adjacent to and over-storying distribution and primary conductors. In conjunction with the GRCS, we safely tip-tied and lifted over a dozen branches, which were then swung over to adjacent trees further away from the conductor. At the end of each lift, once the branch was separated and suspended safely away from the conductors, I did a quick lift of the static weight of the branches, just to see how the drill would perform lifting the suspended full weight of the branch. Some of the larger branches were approximately 30 feet in length, and up to 8 inches in diameter. In low gear, the drill/GRCS combination had no trouble lifting those loads. In high gear.....nope. The majority this lifting and pulling was accomplished with one battery. The last pull of the day was the central leader, and with the battery showing 1 bar of charge remaining, I decided to use a fresh one for the last, and biggest piece.

For light pulling applications, to separate a snap cut vertical piece, the high speed setting on the drill worked fine. For lifting though, the high speed setting was inadequate. Lifting operations were noticeably slower with the battery drill, than the corded version, but the work definitely got done, and without having a power cord to step over and around.

I kept my corded Super Hawg plugged in and nearby in case I needed to call in the cavalry, but never needed it. I was concerned with the prospect of having to change a bit in a hurry if the battery drill got in over it's head. I think I'll buy a second GRCS bit to eliminate that concern.

All in all, with a couple batteries, that drill could do a full day's work quite handily. It's great to have a powerful, totally detached drill on the site. You're trading off a good bit of speed, and some power for that convenience. For dismantling a tree with really big limbs, I'd probably stick to the corded version, but the battery Super Hawg is definitely a keeper and has earned space in the tool trailer.

The next time I do a support assignment, I'll review its' performance in cabling/bracing applications.
Click to expand...

Great Review, Richard. It seems like a legitimate tool - very portable, very quiet, enough power in low speed to raise 8" diameter limbs. Obviously you can't test everything in one go, but I'm now curious about how it performs at the max specification for the GRCS at 2000lbs., and how it (and the corded superhawg) compares to the Atom Auger - types.

Does anyone else have a problem with line tending in the GRCS? I have a hard time handling the drill and keeping the line from overlapping itself on the winch bollard. I tend to look away from the bollard for a ridiculously short time and when I look back the line is tangled. The GRCS is supposed to be best-suited to single-user operation, but this application seems like a 2-user operation - one to operate the drill and one to keep the line from crossing over itself. If I'm using the hand crank I generally have more time to correct the line overlap before it becomes an issue. What do you all do?
 
colb said:
Great Review, Richard. It seems like a legitimate tool - very portable, very quiet, enough power in low speed to raise 8" diameter limbs. Obviously you can't test everything in one go, but I'm now curious about how it performs at the max specification for the GRCS at 2000lbs., and how it (and the corded superhawg) compares to the Atom Auger - types.

Does anyone else have a problem with line tending in the GRCS? I have a hard time handling the drill and keeping the line from overlapping itself on the winch bollard. I tend to look away from the bollard for a ridiculously short time and when I look back the line is tangled. The GRCS is supposed to be best-suited to single-user operation, but this application seems like a 2-user operation - one to operate the drill and one to keep the line from crossing over itself. If I'm using the hand crank I generally have more time to correct the line overlap before it becomes an issue. What do you all do?
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Thanks! I find that line overlap is a function of tension on the line. I get overlap when I don't hand-pretension the line before cranking the drill on a heavy piece, and just about all the time when lifting a light piece. I find the light pieces are a self-solving problem since there's not enough weight on the line to prevent me from untangling it by hand. I also find that my 9/16 line is much more prone to overlapping than half inch.
 
I purchased the corded version a couple months ago for an ash bracing project. The crotch was almost 4' through on the upper end and the super hawg didn't even think about stopping with the 13/16" bit (the bit is too aggressive to be able to break the screw free to clear the chips as you go too). Plenty of torque to drive right through and clear the hole on high after breaking through. The only downside IMO was it is not variable speed, it turns in high or low or stop. It did seem like there was plenty of leverage to keep it under control without getting wound up in it though.
@cerviarborist is there a reason you would need to run 12 GA cord? The cord that came witg mine is only 14/3. It seemed to run fine with the 14 GA extension cord out to 50' long (but I agree cords in the tree are a pain).
 
flyingsquirrel25 said:
I purchased the corded version a couple months ago for an ash bracing project. The crotch was almost 4' through on the upper end and the super hawg didn't even think about stopping with the 13/16" bit (the bit is too aggressive to be able to break the screw free to clear the chips as you go too). Plenty of torque to drive right through and clear the hole on high after breaking through. The only downside IMO was it is not variable speed, it turns in high or low or stop. It did seem like there was plenty of leverage to keep it under control without getting wound up in it though.
@cerviarborist is there a reason you would need to run 12 GA cord? The cord that came witg mine is only 14/3. It seemed to run fine with the 14 GA extension cord out to 50' long (but I agree cords in the tree are a pain).
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The superhawg has a spec sheet for cords. You're a heavy user. My understanding is that you need to spec out your cord according to the spec sheet or risk burning out the drill. That thing requires a very short, very big cord. You also need to spec the generator. The whole system needs to be robust enough to power the drill without burning it out. Izza bigun.
 
flyingsquirrel25 said:
I purchased the corded version a couple months ago for an ash bracing project. The crotch was almost 4' through on the upper end and the super hawg didn't even think about stopping with the 13/16" bit (the bit is too aggressive to be able to break the screw free to clear the chips as you go too). Plenty of torque to drive right through and clear the hole on high after breaking through. The only downside IMO was it is not variable speed, it turns in high or low or stop. It did seem like there was plenty of leverage to keep it under control without getting wound up in it though.
@cerviarborist is there a reason you would need to run 12 GA cord? The cord that came witg mine is only 14/3. It seemed to run fine with the 14 GA extension cord out to 50' long (but I agree cords in the tree are a pain).
Click to expand...
As colb pointed out, there are specifications. The Super Hawg is a 13 amp tool. The spec sheet that comes with the tool specifies 12 Gauge for up to 25' and 10 Gauge for up to 75'. I was mistaken in my previous post. I checked my cords and they're both 10 Gauge.
 
we use the bt45's. i used to use my cordless milwawkee. i do still use my cordless milwalkee grinder with a cut off wheel to cut the excess of the bolt off instead of those flimsy hacksaws.
 
cerviarborist said:
As colb pointed out, there are specifications. The Super Hawg is a 13 amp tool. The spec sheet that comes with the tool specifies 12 Gauge for up to 25' and 10 Gauge for up to 75'. I was mistaken in my previous post. I checked my cords and they're both 10 Gauge.
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Thanks guys. I'll look deeper into it. Like I said the factory installed cord is 14 ga. which confused me my first use. I too was surprised. I would think anyone buying this drill would be considered a heavy user, I wouldn't want to be putting deck screws in with it! Lol.
 
flyingsquirrel25 said:
Thanks guys. I'll look deeper into it. Like I said the factory installed cord is 14 ga. which confused me my first use. I too was surprised. I would think anyone buying this drill would be considered a heavy user, I wouldn't want to be putting deck screws in with it! Lol.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't understand the 14ga line on the drill either, except that the amount of electricity supposedly gets less and less at a substantial rate, the further down the line it goes, so perhaps the starting ga at the generator/wall outlet is where we need the heavy gauge? Whenever I talked to the techs at Milwaukee they would preface every statement by saying that the drill was not designed for our applications... It's designed to saw large holes in studs, for pipes. I think my 64" long, 3/4" diameter drill bit is quite possibly a heavier application, but I defer to an empirical test. I think raising 2000lbs of wood may be a heavier appolication as well.
 
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