Makita and the like

[Jacqueline & William]

We have just bought a small wood an hour+ drive from where we live. We will take the our Cali to camp in but will sometimes also take our run of the mill Transporter which has hubby's tools. (Just about retired joiner but, not quite.)
Lots of wind blown trees we would like to saw our way through to see what we have got. Makita has been the battery tool of choice after many years of "no I can manage, I don't need battery power." No more swearing at the petrol chainsaw!
Batteries obviously need charging so, to get to the point, we are up for getting a Jackery, Bluetti or something like that to power the battery chargers and maybe a cement mixer and a solar panel to charge it. We don't want a petrol generator as we would have to remember to buy the petrol!
Haven't a clue where to start powerwise so any advise would be great.
What have you got and why do you like it?
Jacqueline

 

[Wannabecamperman]

Hi @Jacqueline & William We use a 2kWh Bluetti AC200 Max, plus a mroe recent Jackery V2 1kWh for everything but the 1600w grill.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...able-power-station-is-best.58636/#post-749824 will help you with recommendations, etc

 

[Fishface]

Do your sums - not only for power but also energy consumption.

So - for a cement mixer of 400w - this means 400Wh of energy per hour. The bluetti quoted above has battery capacity of 2000Wh, but in reality you get about 90% of this.

So your Bluetti will run the cement mixer for about 1800/400 = 4.5 hours.
You can do similar calculations with the battery chargers for your tools- some fast chargers may draw up to 100-200W but only for as long as it takes to charge the battery.

Solar will help, but you might be surprised just how much sun and how much solar panel you need to make any impact.

 

[flying banana]

Never bought a small wood or coppice before. Stick with petrol engines for unlimited lopping power

 

[andyinluton]

We have just bought a small wood an hour+ drive from where we live. We will take the our Cali to camp in but will sometimes also take our run of the mill Transporter which has hubby's tools. (Just about retired joiner but, not quite.)
Lots of wind blown trees we would like to saw our way through to see what we have got. Makita has been the battery tool of choice after many years of "no I can manage, I don't need battery power." No more swearing at the petrol chainsaw!

The makita 36v (2x18v battery) chainsaws are pretty power efficient. It sounds like you’ve already got a couple of batteries? Do a deal on a new saw with a pair or two of 6amp batteries.
For concrete mixers you really need petrol if you’ve got a lot of mixing to do, or just a shovel if there’s not a lot.

Just be careful with the saws, I went on a proper training course & hadn’t realised that the proper clothing that is designed to clog a saw & stall it is pretty much ineffective with the electric ones. Can’t be much fun sitting in a remote woodland bleeding out!

 

[Tycho]

Just be careful with the saws, I went on a proper training course & hadn’t realised that the proper clothing that is designed to clog a saw & stall it is pretty much ineffective with the electric ones. Can’t be much fun sitting in a remote woodland bleeding out!

I have a 36w Makita chainsaw at home. It is not a toy. I used to be a professional gardener and worked a lot with a chainsaw and this one is just as powerful. It cuts to the bone in the blink of an eye. Only thing is it eats battteries when cutting anything bigger. I have 5amp batteries and they do not last very long, i use 3 pair in rotation when cutting firewood, so not good if you can not recharge them continuously. But it is quiet, strong, recharges for free on our solarpanels. So, happy with it in this household setting, but would not take it to work in a forest.

 

[andyinluton]

I have a 36w Makita chainsaw at home. It is not a toy. I used to be a professional gardener and worked a lot with a chainsaw and this one is just as powerful. It cuts to the bone in the blink of an eye. Only thing is it eats battteries when cutting anything bigger. I have 5amp batteries and they do not last very long, i use 3 pair in rotation when cutting firewood, so not good if you can not recharge them continuously. But it is quiet, strong, recharges for free on our solarpanels. So, happy with it in this household setting, but would not take it to work in a forest.

So would you spend the money on a Jackery or similar power bank to recharge the makita batteries or just buy more makita batteries to take with you? Easy decision for me but then all my companies cordless tools are makita & I’ve probably got 40 or so batteries knocking around.

I’ve also got a couple of petrol chainsaws but can never get the horrible things to start!

 

[sidepod]

Just fix the chain saw. They’re not exactly complicated!

 

[Tycho]

So would you spend the money on a Jackery or similar power bank to recharge the makita batteries or just buy more makita batteries to take with you? Easy decision for me but then all my companies cordless tools are makita & I’ve probably got 40 or so batteries knocking around.

I’ve also got a couple of petrol chainsaws but can never get the horrible things to start!

In my opinion i would try a Makita. Not working in a cloud of 2 stroke engine fumes is so much better. It all depends on what you are going to do in the forest. Cutting big trees or just hazel coppice. The saw.is great for small stuff up to around 20 to 30 cm diameter. So i would get a petrol saw running for the big work (check the air filter and clean the spark plug) and use the Makita on the other jobs.

 

[The Tall Luthier]

I have used Makita batteries for ten years. They are great for my guitar building workshop. I also have a 36V garden blower and a chainsaw.

They do their job very well but they eat the batteries up very quickly!! Ten minutes of continual action is enough to make them fade. It’s then 90 minutes to charge up both batteries.

If I had a coppice, I’d hire petrol powered tools and use them.

 

[SusiBus]

Our son's got a Makita which he thiniks is excellent. He's got two batteries which provide a reasonable run time, but not great. So much nicer than my petrol ones.I would recommend BUY!

 

[Jacqueline & William]

Thanks for the replies. Didn't expect a lecture on the use of the tools tho.

Hubby has been a joiner for 50 odd years and has worked with many different tools whether it's hand, battery or powered tools so has a good idea what he is doing. Safety being a high priority. He already has Makita tools both power and battery.

We have just recently bought a small wood - not a forest and we'll be tidying up bits so that we can see what we have.

 

[Jacqueline & William]

Hi @Jacqueline & William We use a 2kWh Bluetti AC200 Max, plus a mroe recent Jackery V2 1kWh for everything but the 1600w grill.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...able-power-station-is-best.58636/#post-749824 will help you with recommendations, etc

Thank you, Wannabecamperman, I will look into that.

 

[Jacqueline & William]

Do your sums - not only for power but also energy consumption.

So - for a cement mixer of 400w - this means 400Wh of energy per hour. The bluetti quoted above has battery capacity of 2000Wh, but in reality you get about 90% of this.

So your Bluetti will run the cement mixer for about 1800/400 = 4.5 hours.
You can do similar calculations with the battery chargers for your tools- some fast chargers may draw up to 100-200W but only for as long as it takes to charge the battery.

Solar will help, but you might be surprised just how much sun and how much solar panel you need to make any impact.

Thank you, Fishface. I wasn't sure how to calculate useage so I will do the sums.

 

[Kayleigh]

Hi @Jacqueline & William We use a 2kWh Bluetti AC200 Max, plus a mroe recent Jackery V2 1kWh for everything but the 1600w grill.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...able-power-station-is-best.58636/#post-749824 will help you with recommendations, etc

I would check out the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2. It is the latest model and is very compact. It is currently on offer with £400 off but the offer expires today I believe. So it’s £999 but if you buy direct you can get about £50 through cashback sites as well.

 

[Jacqueline & William]

I would check out the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2. It is the latest model and is very compact. It is currently on offer with £400 off but the offer expires today I believe. So it’s £999 but if you buy direct you can get about £50 through cashback sites as well.

Thank you Kayleigh. I will have a look.

 

[The Merle]

I have Milwaukee chainsaw 18v with 12ah high out bat amazing bit of kit and battery lasts ages.
Switch to red!

 

[Phil57]

So would you spend the money on a Jackery or similar power bank to recharge the makita batteries or just buy more makita batteries to take with you? Easy decision for me but then all my companies cordless tools are makita & I’ve probably got 40 or so batteries knocking around.

I’ve also got a couple of petrol chainsaws but can never get the horrible things to start!

Re starting recalcitrant petrol engines. Remove the spark plug & spray lighter fuel in. Replace plug & start

 

[Goldie]

We live on a small 5 acre lifestyle block and have trees that need pruning and cut also wood for the log burner. Over the years I have accumulated chainsaws of various sorts, 2 x Stihl petrol (2-stroke), 1 x Stihl Battery (MSA200 AP battery), 2 Pole Saws (1 battery, 1 multi-tool), 2 Makita (1 x 240v and DUC150 with LXT BL5 battery).
For heavy work you can't beat the 2 stroke saws and with a sharp blade they will cut through large trunks with ease. For trimming limbs and cutting firewood the Stihl MSA200 is good, but I would only recommend this if you have multiple tools that use the same battery as they cost nearly as much as the saw (£250+) and 2 batteries are needed (one in the saw and the other charging). The last couple of days I've been using the Makita DUC 150, it's good for small trees up to 4 inches , easy to handle, and I have plenty of Makita batteries for my other tools.
Given the remoteness of the wood and number of trees you may be better off with one of the Stihl 2-stroke saws for heavy work and 18v Makita for light work, given you already have the batteries. I know some 2-strokes have a bad reputation for starting and producing smoke; avoid the cheap Chinese ones and go for Stihl or Husqvarna with a 50:1 ratio, mine is 10 years old and starts and runs well. Buy a couple of spare chains and a sharpening kit as a sharp blade makes it far easier.

Happy camping!

 

[willwander]

Watch ChainsawJenna on instagram
I don’t even own a chainsaw

 

[Christine Kirk]

We have just bought a small wood an hour+ drive from where we live. We will take the our Cali to camp in but will sometimes also take our run of the mill Transporter which has hubby's tools. (Just about retired joiner but, not quite.)
Lots of wind blown trees we would like to saw our way through to see what we have got. Makita has been the battery tool of choice after many years of "no I can manage, I don't need battery power." No more swearing at the petrol chainsaw!
Batteries obviously need charging so, to get to the point, we are up for getting a Jackery, Bluetti or something like that to power the battery chargers and maybe a cement mixer and a solar panel to charge it. We don't want a petrol generator as we would have to remember to buy the petrol!
Haven't a clue where to start powerwise so any advise would be great.
What have you got and why do you like it?
Jacqueline

So like the other half he also has a full range of battery powered Makita gear which he’s highly satisfied with and constantly recommends to anyone who wants to listen to: however he also has a range of petrol ( two stroke) machines which he also has a loyal devotion too. They are Stihl branded machines, stone saw, chainsaw , leaf blower, hedge cutter, strimmer etc , which he is also passionate about. Our garden is large and has a shelter belt of full size trees which requires him to have this kind of kit, there’s no way that a battery powered machine could cope with the task of keeping the trees maintained. As to starting a petrol saw they are utterly reliable if maintained as they are “professional “ quality machines, ie expensive to buy initially!