P500 Speaking of Trail Maintenance and Development… Battery Powered Chainsaws

[Smitty335]

I don't really "need" a saw enough here in the desert to justify purchasing one at full price ( I have a gas collecting dust as we speak ), but there are some old trails I might be tempted to reclaim if I had an electric for stealth.

So a week or 2 ago there was an online auction with several 24v Kobalt tools, which I am already using, and 2 saws. One 24v that appeared to be new in the box, and another 40v with no charger in separate lots.

These things are usually as-is and I didn't check them out before hand (mistake #1), so when the bidding got over $50 on the 24v I let it go and concentrated on the 40v. Won it at $40 (without a charger that you can get for $20 on eBay). When I went to pick it up I noticed that it had a brand new 40 volt battery on it which kind of raised suspicions, and sure enough, the electric motor is shot.

Anyone know where I can get a 40 volt motor for Kobalt cheap? Can't find anything online. I found a homelite brand one that might be made to work, but getting it to me cost about 30 bucks. Add to that another 20 for the charger, plus the 40 for the original machine, and we're getting up too close to what a cheap ass one from Amazon would cost, so I unless I can just find a parts one for free or near that, it doesn't really make sense.

The good news is, while paying 40 bucks for a paperweight kind of sucks balls, the total outlay for it and all the other tools was still only 66 bucks for several Cobalt battery tools a charger and a couple of batteries, so overall actually came out with a pretty decent deal.

When you say shot, have you tried to take the motor apart and have a look for a simple fix?

 

[Admin]

 

[Bombardier Convert]

The guys I work with call the black & yellow tools DeadWalt

The only dewalt tool that ever failed me and totally went dead was the smaller size jobsite radio. It pulled in stations very well, had great sound and 3 amp battery lasted a long time. After about a year of moderate use, not every day, it went d-e-a-d..... it was just beyond the warranty period. Dewalt would only give me $20 off a new one. I might try another brand.

 

[NorthernJoe]

The only dewalt tool that ever failed me and totally went dead was the smaller size jobsite radio. It pulled in stations very well, had great sound and 3 amp battery lasted a long time. After about a year of moderate use, not every day, it went d-e-a-d..... it was just beyond the warranty period. Dewalt would only give me $20 off a new one. I might try another brand.

It really comes down to personal preference. The first cordless tool I had was the 7.2volt Makita drill, It served me well and I was hookedI love the variety of tools they have in the 18V family. I bought my wife the cordless lawnmower (she loves it) it came with a leaf blower that puts out 116 mph I use it to clean the eavestrough. The chainsaw has amazing power and is silent. We use it to "maintain" trails on crown land without alerting anybody that trees are being cut.
Whatever your choice, Its great to have the selection of cordless that are available today. Does anybody use a corded tool anymore?

 

[Bombardier Convert]

It really comes down to personal preference. The first cordless tool I had was the 7.2volt Makita drill, It served me well and I was hookedI love the variety of tools they have in the 18V family. I bought my wife the cordless lawnmower (she loves it) it came with a leaf blower that puts out 116 mph I use it to clean the eavestrough. The chainsaw has amazing power and is silent. We use it to "maintain" trails on crown land without alerting anybody that trees are being cut.
Whatever your choice, Its great to have the selection of cordless that are available today. Does anybody use a corded tool anymore?

I love the cordless tools! I have alot of them. I have Ryobi and DeWalt mainly. Never had a problem with a Ryobi tool. I have a Ryobi 18ga brad nail gun that is awesome. I probably put 25,000 brad nails through it. Dewalt is very good also. I don't buy corded tools anymore but I still have them in stand-by if a cordless tool isn't able to be used.

 

[NorthernJoe]

I love the cordless tools! I have alot of them. I have Ryobi and DeWalt mainly. Never had a problem with a Ryobi tool. I have a Ryobi 18ga brad nail gun that is awesome. I probably put 25,000 brad nails through it. Dewalt is very good also. I don't buy corded tools anymore but I still have them in stand-by if a cordless tool isn't able to be used.

I think the only corded tools I still use are a table saw, a chop saw, a rotary hammer drill, 5" angle grinder, and a welder Just about every hand tool possible has a battery

 

[DG Rider]

When you say shot, have you tried to take the motor apart and have a look for a simple fix?

Yes. I was able to "manipulate" it and get it to spin for about 5 seconds while looking like one of those old sparking toys they used to have. Then it burst into flames.

 

[HiFive]

As a follow-up I repurposed a old Ryobi sawzall with 18v lithium battery and as has been recommended Diablo pruning blade. I incountered a tree while riding deep in the forest. It was just what I needed. Sorry I didn't take before pictures. I highly recommend! I'm going to buy the 12" Diablo blade for larger jobs.

 

[MI-Trailblazer]

I've been "toying" with the idea of buying a battery chain saw to have at my cabin. Which could also lead to matching string trimmer and whatever else I end up finding a slight need for there (cabin) to justify the purchase. I've not done much research, but would probably buy Stihl just because that is what I have in gas power that has impressed me for years now.

Thanks to this discussion I too am now going to pack my battery reciprocating saw (Craftsman) with one of those Diablo blades on my next outing. Since I already have the Craftsman 1/2" battery impact packed for lug nut duty, did not think of packing the saw for tree pruning on the trail. There is actually a trail behind my cabin on state land that has a few trees down on it from a storm 3 years ago. I've not tried cleaning it up since a gas saw lets everyone in a 2-mile radius know you are cutting, and all would know it was on state land.

 

[nzkiwi]

Actually the research I am seeing says to skip trying to go with a brand of general power tools and yard tools on the same battery system. Choose a good yard tool line (Stihl & EGO) , then have a separate power tools system (Dewalt, Makita or Milwaukee). Kind of makes sense.. Stihl does chainsaws & other yard tools very well, their focus is on that.. just like the tool brand lines focus on that side more.

Orange (Stihl) for battery electric yard tools Stihl because it has a strong dealership in my area and most - but not all - of the yard tools that I need can run off the one battery range (AP). Yellow (De Walt) for battery electric workshop power tools mostly because I wanted a wide range of tools that can use the same battery system and, when I started out several years ago, there was limited choice (De Walt, Makita, Panasonic, Ryobi).

For home use, it doesn't make economical sense to have a stable of a few battery-powered tools, each with a different and incompatible battery charging system. Do the research, make a choice of the one brand that best matches your needs and don't worry about whether it is red, blue, green, yellow, or gray. Most of the tools down here come out of China regardless of the brand name, and each has its unique blend of strengths and weaknesses.

 

[KyGal83]

Orange (Stihl) for battery electric yard tools Stihl because it has a strong dealership in my area and most - but not all - of the yard tools that I need can run off the one battery range (AP). Yellow (De Walt) for battery electric workshop power tools mostly because I wanted a wide range of tools that can use the same battery system and, when I started out several years ago, there was limited choice (De Walt, Makita, Panasonic, Ryobi).

For home use, it doesn't make economical sense to have a stable of a few battery-powered tools, each with a different and incompatible battery charging system. Do the research, make a choice of the one brand that best matches your needs and don't worry about whether it is red, blue, green, yellow, or gray. Most of the tools down here come out of China regardless of the brand name, and each has its unique blend of strengths and weaknesses.

That is what the majority of what I have found have said… go with Stihl for the yard tools and pick one brand for a general tool line. Makes perfect sense to have just 2 battery systems. Thanks for sharing.