Makita XCU08/09 (14"/16") vs. ...?

Let us know what you think after using it a while? I’ll Probably get the 36v next, but I need to slow down on the Makita purchases.
 

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I bought the 18V makita saw for pruning as well. And the 1/4" sprocket, so the stihl bar and chain from my ms150 fits perfect, one part conversion.
It's perfect for light climbing. I have a very large, heavy leaning chestnut oak crown reduction in the future that will be its moment to shine. I feel good about having a battery saw, cuz my 150 has issues. And the noise will not be missed.
 
What bar/chain was on your 150? I'm still looking into this conversion, potentially. Would like to maintain at least the 14", maybe step up to 16".

rope-a-dope said:
I bought the 18V makita saw for pruning as well. And the 1/4" sprocket, so the stihl bar and chain from my ms150 fits perfect, one part conversion.
It's perfect for light climbing. I have a very large, heavy leaning chestnut oak crown reduction in the future that will be its moment to shine. I feel good about having a battery saw, cuz my 150 has issues. And the noise will not be missed.
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macrocarpa said:
This is what I put on the 18 V Makita. Worth every penny.
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I went with this exact same setup for my makita 18v and found that the chain was very tight. Tensioner set at minimum and I had to pry the bar a little to get the tensioner hole to line up, causing way too much drag on the bar and chain.

I'll be taking mine into the stihl dealer to see about adding a link to the chain to allow some adjustment.
 
Jehinten said:
I went with this exact same setup for my makita 18v and found that the chain was very tight. Tensioner set at minimum and I had to pry the bar a little to get the tensioner hole to line up, causing way too much drag on the bar and chain.

I'll be taking mine into the stihl dealer to see about adding a link to the chain to allow some adjustment.
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Strange....I have plenty of room to work with on mine. When tensioned right its 1/4” or so from the minimum. Only problem I have found is that I have to clean out the bar every so often or it gets gummed up. Does anyone know if canola oil runs thinner then Husqvarna bar oil? I think I just need a thinner oil. Been using this saw on pruning jobs a lot! The real test will be oak season to see if I can cut some decent size deadwood.

Ordered the 36V Model with the 14” bar Last night. Bare tool on sale for $270.
 
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Canola is certainly thinner. However, long-term, it leaves a little more gummy residue...than regular bar and chain oil. Nothing too bad, but just need to wipe things down a little more on rare occasion. I have an old Echo top handle that I use for roots that I hadn't used in over a year. Pulled it out yesterday and had to clean under the cover, and all was good.

Having said that, I have noticed less of that on my 18V Makita. Probably a result of less heat since it doesn't run for long cuts over and over.
 
macrocarpa said:
Strange....I have plenty of room to work with on mine. When tensioned right its 1/4” or so from the minimum. Only problem I have found is that I have to clean out the bar every so often or it gets gummed up. Does anyone know if canola oil runs thinner then Husqvarna bar oil? I think I just need a thinner oil. Been using this saw on pruning jobs a lot! The real test will be oak season to see if I can cut some decent size deadwood.

Ordered the 36V Model with the 14” bar Last night. Bare tool on sale for $270.
Click to expand...


I should probably count the links and ensure that they gave me the correct chain, but so far I have not fixed it. It runs as is but is giving less performance than the stock bar and chain. It actually struggles to cut even with a fresh battery.


That said I've only climbed 3 hrs in the last month after flipping a mini over on myself, so I have not had much of a use for it in that time.
 
Jehinten said:
I should probably count the links and ensure that they gave me the correct chain, but so far I have not fixed it. It runs as is but is giving less performance than the stock bar and chain. It actually struggles to cut even with a fresh battery.


That said I've only climbed 3 hrs in the last month after flipping a mini over on myself, so I have not had much of a use for it in that time.
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Dang dude that sucks.. please p.m. me for details on that accident if you wouldn't mind as to not derail this thread . I'm interested in how and wish you a speedy recovery
 
LordFarkwad said:
What bar/chain was on your 150? I'm still looking into this conversion, potentially. Would like to maintain at least the 14", maybe step up to 16".
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150 comes with twelve inch bar, and 1/4" pitch chain. I just got the 18V unit, and 12 inches is the maximum for that power level. The double battery should pull good with 14 or 16, especially the narrow gauge ones.
 
I got the 36V makita. It has plenty of power but I will take the 18V up the tree with me whenever possible due to the lightweight and slim design. The bigger saw will be great when the extra power is needed on larger pruning jobs and dead conifer removals etc. But for the most part it will probably be on the ground. That said I am doing a lot of pruning that doesn't require many 8"+ cuts so the 18V fits nicely.

Now to find a 1/4" bar and chain for the 36V....

I do wonder about that echo battery saw and if it would have the lightweight and the power all in one?
 
macrocarpa said:
I got the 36V makita. It has plenty of power but I will take the 18V up the tree with me whenever possible due to the lightweight and slim design. The bigger saw will be great when the extra power is needed on larger pruning jobs and dead conifer removals etc. But for the most part it will probably be on the ground. That said I am doing a lot of pruning that doesn't require many 8"+ cuts so the 18V fits nicely.

Now to find a 1/4" bar and chain for the 36V....

I do wonder about that echo battery saw and if it would have the lightweight and the power all in one?
Click to expand...

mac, let us know what 1/4" bar/chain you end up going with. Arbsession has the sprockets, of course (those are relatively easy to find, it seems). You looking at 14", 16", or whichever one you can find?
 
LordFarkwad said:
mac, let us know what 1/4" bar/chain you end up going with. Arbsession has the sprockets, of course (those are relatively easy to find, it seems). You looking at 14", 16", or whichever one you can find?
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Looking into this stihl with the picco chain that fits it:
 

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Jehinten said:
I should probably count the links and ensure that they gave me the correct chain, but so far I have not fixed it. It runs as is but is giving less performance than the stock bar and chain. It actually struggles to cut even with a fresh battery.


That said I've only climbed 3 hrs in the last month after flipping a mini over on myself, so I have not had much of a use for it in that time.
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I've counted the links and double checked the bar, both are the correct parts. I also confirmed that I was getting full travel with the chain tensioner.

Everything is correct and working good, so I took a file to the tensioner holes and elongated them by about an 1/8 of an inch. This allowed enough movement for my chain to not be stretched so tight.
 
LordFarkwad said:
Don't know if this will save you any trouble, but I ordered that bar with the 71PM3 72 chain and just tried it out.... It doesn't work :( Tensioner won't adjust short enough. Need longer chain I guess.
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If its only a little too tight, you can file out the tensioner holes. That is what I had to do with my 18v makita.
 
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