Battery Chainsaw vs Reciprocating saw

[Hemmjo]

I have read the battery chainsaw thread. I think this discussion warrants a new thread. I am managing about 7 acres of wood lot. I planted it in 1994 in a corn/soybean field behind our house. Mostly oak, maple, hickory, sweet gum, sycamore spruce and pine. Used to have some ash but of course they are all died but the roots are sending up numerous shoots. I am letting the original 4-5 acres expand naturally with volunteer trees to make about 7 acres total of woodland mostly oaks and sweet gum in this part.

I have a good Husqvarna chainsaw and also a Husqvarna pole saw. In addition I have a 3-point mounted wood chipper. I use pole saw to trim branches up to 16+ feet off the ground to make good logging timber for someone in the furure.

My problem is I have a bunch of invasive pear trees that are invading the younger woods. The older woods is fighting them off very well. They have gotten out of hand in the volunteer part of the woods. It is easier to get rid of them by removing and chipping the branches down low while they are still standing, then kill them with 20% Round-Up in holes drilled around the trunk. This kills the roots and prevents shoots from repopulating the area even worse.

They have gotten so thick it is difficult to limb them with the pole saw. So I am looking for an alternative. I was thinking of a battery chainsaw. My battery tools are DeWalt 20Vmax which I am happy with. I have a collection of batteries so I am pretty much locked into DeWalt. I went to look at the chain saws and they seem bulky for the spots I need to get into. Then I nrealized a reciprocating saw is less bulky and more easily handled wth one hand. They as close to the same price to that is not an issue

I am curious your thoughts on the chainsaw vs the reciprocating saw. I imagine the chain saw may be faster actually cutting. While the reciprocating saw would be easier to handle in tight spots among the tangle of branches. Most of the cuts would be less than 2" diameter. I can also see using either of these while chipping to remove side branches that will nt fit into the chipper.

What have I not considered?

 

[gears]

I have had good luck with the pruning blade in a cordless sawzall as compared to the slow cut of my 18v chainsaw... The blade makes all the difference.

 

[Janicholson]

Axe
Unless the Pear branches are so numerous that there is no good access to the trunks, I would use a limbing ax and make downward cuts around the trunk base then put the roundup in those cup like cuts. The choice of blade is critical for a sawsall to be effective.

 

[Hemmjo]

Axe
Unless the Pear branches are so numerous that there is no good access to the trunks, I would use a limbing ax and make downward cuts around the trunk base then put the roundup in those cup like cuts. The choice of blade is critical for a sawsall to be effective.

Too many for an axe, and the branches are too dense and thick to get a good swing. I have done a bunch with an axe already.

I am talking 100's of trees. Need to save my energy for hauling and chipping the branches!!

 

[runwoolf]

I use a sawzall for trash trees/brush etc. I have good luck with it..keep a sharp blade and play with different
types of blades. I use the longest and stiffest blade I can find. Sawzall works much better than chain saw in tight places and is some what safer.

 

[Mule Meat]

Reciprocating saws work good on small branches. The only drawback I have found is when cutting small trees. They can tend to move with the blade thus making vibration a hassle.
Use a good 9" or longer pruning blade for reciprocating saw. Diablo and Lee Valley makes good ones. I prefer Lee Valley due to them being slightly curved.

 

[RobCons]

I use my 20v Dewalt chainsaw on a stick to reach underneath and cut trees. Works great on smaller ones.

 

[Steve in VA]

I use my 20v Dewalt chainsaw on a stick to reach underneath and cut trees. Works great on smaller ones.

I'm curious how you overcame the thumb switch/trigger if it's not in your hand. It sounds like an option I could sure use.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I have read the battery chainsaw thread. I think this discussion warrants a new thread. I am managing about 7 acres of wood lot. I planted it in 1994 in a corn/soybean field behind our house. Mostly oak, maple, hickory, sweet gum, sycamore spruce and pine. Used to have some ash but of course they are all died but the roots are sending up numerous shoots. I am letting the original 4-5 acres expand naturally with volunteer trees to make about 7 acres total of woodland mostly oaks and sweet gum in this part.

I have a good Husqvarna chainsaw and also a Husqvarna pole saw. In addition I have a 3-point mounted wood chipper. I use pole saw to trim branches up to 16+ feet off the ground to make good logging timber for someone in the furure.

My problem is I have a bunch of invasive pear trees that are invading the younger woods. The older woods is fighting them off very well. They have gotten out of hand in the volunteer part of the woods. It is easier to get rid of them by removing and chipping the branches down low while they are still standing, then kill them with 20% Round-Up in holes drilled around the trunk. This kills the roots and prevents shoots from repopulating the area even worse.

They have gotten so thick it is difficult to limb them with the pole saw. So I am looking for an alternative. I was thinking of a battery chainsaw. My battery tools are DeWalt 20Vmax which I am happy with. I have a collection of batteries so I am pretty much locked into DeWalt. I went to look at the chain saws and they seem bulky for the spots I need to get into. Then I nrealized a reciprocating saw is less bulky and more easily handled wth one hand. They as close to the same price to that is not an issue

I am curious your thoughts on the chainsaw vs the reciprocating saw. I imagine the chain saw may be faster actually cutting. While the reciprocating saw would be easier to handle in tight spots among the tangle of branches. Most of the cuts would be less than 2" diameter. I can also see using either of these while chipping to remove side branches that will nt fit into the chipper.

What have I not considered?

 

[Caryc]

I'm curious how you overcame the thumb switch/trigger if it's not in your hand. It sounds like an option I could sure use.

I have a 20 volt Worx chain saw. I purchased the "pole" option for it. When the saw is on the pole, the battery is on the bottom of the pole so the trigger is also there at the bottom of the pole. I really like that Worx chainsaw. I have an Echo Timber Wolf gas chain saw for the big stuff. I rarely have need to dig out that Timber Wolf. I also have a small one hand battery chain saw with a 6" blade on it. That little thing comes in very handy.

I actually don't have a reciprocating saw. My neighbor has a cordless one.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I have one alligator in my truck and my Boss has 2 black and decker alligators.
I bought an adapter to power them with my collection of Dewalt 20 volt batteries.
I think the 8 inch alligator chainsaw is the safest small chainsaw that can cut up to 3 inches.
You have to use both hands to make it operate.

She burned up a 120v alligator and has gone through a few 8 inch chains.

I also have a 20 volt dewalt chain saw and a 120v corded craftsman 18 inch chainsaw that
I power with a 3500 watt champion generator.

Also have a black and decker 20v pole saw.
I regret not buying a dewalt pole saw.

 

[SteveC1031]

I have a similar issue with Buckthorns. I use a dewalt with pruning blades for much of them. Blades do not dull much even when pushed through the dirt

 

[moresmoke]

I bought the other half a pack of pruning blades for the sawzall with the idea that if it worked well, I would get a cordless one.

She quickly returned to the Echo top handle over the sawzall.

 

[Caryc]

I also have this Worx chain saw. It worx great. You put the jaws over a limb and push on the handle. That makes the chain come down on the wood. I love this thing. It worx great for cutting up like 3" limbs on the ground. Just place the jaws over it and push the handle. I forget what Worx called this thing now. Oh, there it is right on the handle "Jaw Saw". I don't know about that picture though. My Jaw Saw is traditional Worx colors.

 

[RobCons]

I'm curious how you overcame the thumb switch/trigger if it's not in your hand. It sounds like an option I could sure use.

Trigger is in my hand. I just bend over and stick the pole under and cut the tree as close to the ground as I can.

 

[caterpillar guy]

In the end it would be cheaper and easier to just spray a mix of 24D and a bit of round up on them when the leaves are on. IT will translocate to the roots. Both are contact products so will need to watch the drift on to other trees. On a still day or if they are open on one side spray from there with it blowing away from the ones you want to save. Spraying the smaller the better for better coverage of the plant. Hard to get on 15+ tall trees. We have a similar problem with Box Elder trees and that is how I work on them is cut them down if tall then spray the sprouts or shoots coming up the next year pretty easy to get them and usually gets the whole thing in a couple sprayings over 2 summers. I take the boom sprayer and spray the fence rows with that combination to keep the limbs from growing out more along them. Less work than cutting and chipping. Less fuel and time.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

In the end it would be cheaper and easier to just spray a mix of 24D and a bit of round up on them when the leaves are on. IT will translocate to the roots. Both are contact products so will need to watch the drift on to other trees. On a still day or if they are open on one side spray from there with it blowing away from the ones you want to save. Spraying the smaller the better for better coverage of the plant. Hard to get on 15+ tall trees. We have a similar problem with Box Elder trees and that is how I work on them is cut them down if tall then spray the sprouts or shoots coming up the next year pretty easy to get them and usually gets the whole thing in a couple sprayings over 2 summers. I take the boom sprayer and spray the fence rows with that combination to keep the limbs from growing out more along them. Less work than cutting and chipping. Less fuel and time.

That's how I take care of "poison sumac" except I only use the 24D. Roundup doesn't touch them. The leaves are withered up by the end of the day and it's all over for the tree.

 

[Hemmjo]

In the end it would be cheaper and easier to just spray a mix of 24D and a bit of round up on them when the leaves are on. IT will translocate to the roots. Both are contact products so will need to watch the drift on to other trees. On a still day or if they are open on one side spray from there with it blowing away from the ones you want to save. Spraying the smaller the better for better coverage of the plant. Hard to get on 15+ tall trees. We have a similar problem with Box Elder trees and that is how I work on them is cut them down if tall then spray the sprouts or shoots coming up the next year pretty easy to get them and usually gets the whole thing in a couple sprayings over 2 summers. I take the boom sprayer and spray the fence rows with that combination to keep the limbs from growing out more along them. Less work than cutting and chipping. Less fuel and time.

This is really a bad option, in my situation anyway. I used chemicals very carefully on my property. As you mention, drift and damage to surrounding desirable vegetation is unacceptable. In addition, you STILL have to deal with the standing tangle of dead trees.

A better way to kill them, which I have already done to many, Is to drill 1/2" holes, angled downward about waist high. The holes spaces about spaced 1 1/2 to 2" around the trunk. Then fill those holes with a 20% glyphosate solution. This kills the whole tree and eliminates most of the shoots that pop up from the roots. No drift, very precise application, much less labor than frilling** around the trunk to apply herbicide.

I am going to go with the reciprocating saw. Smaller, more compact and more durable blade than a chainsaw. More useful for other situations. Easy to hang on the chipper grab when necessary cut a branch to fit into the chipper. I already have a good size gas chainsaw, and a gas pole saw.

Thanks for the input.

** Just FYI, Frilling is a variation of girdling in which a series of downward angled cuts are made completely around the tree, leaving the partially severed bark and wood anchored at the bottom. The frill can then be sprayed with suitable solution to kill the tree. BUT rain will rinse it away.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

This is really a bad option, in my situation anyway. I used chemicals very carefully on my property. As you mention, drift and damage to surrounding desirable vegetation is unacceptable. In addition, you STILL have to deal with the standing tangle of dead trees.

A better way to kill them, which I have already done to many, Is to drill 1/2" holes, angled downward about waist high. The holes spaces about spaced 1 1/2 to 2" around the trunk. Then fill those holes with a 20% glyphosate solution. This kills the whole tree and eliminates most of the shoots that pop up from the roots. No drift, very precise application, much less labor than frilling** around the trunk to apply herbicide.

I am going to go with the reciprocating saw. Smaller, more compact and more durable blade than a chainsaw. More useful for other situations. Easy to hang on the chipper grab when necessary cut a branch to fit into the chipper. I already have a good size gas chainsaw, and a gas pole saw.

Thanks for the input.

** Just FYI, Frilling is a variation of girdling in which a series of downward angled cuts are made completely around the tree, leaving the partially severed bark and wood anchored at the bottom. The frill can then be sprayed with suitable solution to kill the tree. BUT rain will rinse it away.

I don't think either of us recommended applying it from altitude with a crop duster. I use a 1-1/2 gallon hand pump sprayer, and apply it directly to the leaves. In my case there's nothing good growing around the sumac so even if something else catches a whiff of 24D, it needed to die anyway.

Mind you this is only my opinion, but if you have so many of these trees, the way you're doing it, you're fighting a losing battle. I would describe it with a different f-word than "frilling around." A scorched earth policy may be necessary.

 

[Factotum]

We have Buckthorn, too. It thrives on the edges of the fields and encroaches on the field if you don't take care of it. It's nasty stuff to deal with, even with good leather gloves on it'll bite you. A Stihl brush cutter trimmer with aggressive chainsaw shaped teeth lays waste to the bigger ones. We call it the wheel of death! Haha! I use the brush hog to keep it at bay, but you can only do so much. It's an invasive species here in Ontario. It can be poisoned but that has its own problems.