Emergency Vehicle Chainsaw

[treillw]

Thinking of getting the 8" Milwaukee hatchet chainsaw to keep in off-road vehicles for occasional downed trees - not clearing the entire forest with it. I have other saws for that.

Want something very compact and this seems to fit the bill. With some creativity, effort, and a winch, I could get through some pretty big trees, I bet. Not ideal, but neither is carrying a desert eagle for woods defense.

Saw will be commonly used on ~8” trees, which it should handle with minimal effort. All soft junk trees in Montana too.

Anyone have experience using this saw that could offer some feedback?

Best options for storage in a vehicle, so bar oil doesn't leak all over the place? (I'm thinking harbor freight hard case).

Anything better out there? The electric option is appealing for hunting - quiet, less stench.

Thanks!

 

[Str8shtr]

Silky katana boy 650 will saw through an 8" log in a couple minutes and you don't have to worry about bar oil, batteries or gas.

 

[Marbles]

Empty the bar oil back into the bottle is my solution to keep it from spilling. I'm no help on the saw itself other than the electric saws I have used feel rather anemic.

 

[mthayr]

I'd suggest the M18 top-handle with a longer bar for what you describe - at least, that's what i use for that exact purpose. A Silky would work too, but the M18 will be faster and easier. If you have a pickup with rails you can use something like this to store it in the bed, or as @Marbles said, just empty the bar oil between uses.

 

[mt terry d]

I have a makita battery chainsaw ( and about 9 or ten cas saws)
I'd take a battery powered sawzall if I don't want to haul a real chainsaw.

The blades are a million times tougher than a chain
No oil.
You'll cut a lot more on one battery charge too.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I have one of those m18 hatchets. I use it all the time at my shop for breaking down cardboard boxes Works well for pruning back limbs an such. Not what I would want for cutting out road, though trees are a bit bigger around here.

 

[Lvthntitall]

I have the hatchet and keep it in the sxs to clear trails, it works great. It’s amazing how big of trees you can clean up with it.

 

[Weldor]

I use 2 Greenworks 60V chainsaws regularly. They are outstanding except as mentioned bar oil leaking out. I keep the 16" on my side x side. I use a bolt on vertical mount on the rear rack. The batteries are good for a long time. and you can charge a spare with a plug in 300 watt inverter. As said above, I keep the bar oil dry until I use it, then dump the oil back in the container. Keep a sponge in the storage mount.

 

[Weldor]

Oh yeah, don't forget to look at the 12" Lowe's Kolbalt 18v, I use mine all the time around the property and throw it on the quad once in awhile

 

[Steve300xcw]

The old man likes his dewalt saw. Things as big if not bigger than a 40cc gas saw though

 

[Hatchet]

Silky katana boy 650 will saw through an 8" log in a couple minutes and you don't have to worry about bar oil, batteries or gas.

More like a couple seconds! Silky saws are the way!

Get one with a curved blade and big teeth and just try it out. It’s kinda crazy how fast they cut.

 

[Trial153]

Battery for sure