Minnesota to try and ban gas powered equipment

[Oaktree]

It comes with a 16" bar. They claim it's about the equivalent of a 40cc gas saw. I'd agree with that. (Other manufacturers now have battery saws out that they claim match a 50 cc gas saw. I don't doubt it. I don't recall seeing anyone claming their battery saws match a 60cc gas saw yet, but I'm sure it's coming.) My battery saws does not get used much: I have larger gas saws that I use longer or heavier work. It is convenient for a quick cut to clear a trail or get that limb out of the way that fell across our 1 mile dead end road.

I have a HF battery saw and it's good for the small, quick jobs but that's about it. Gas saw for the "real" work.
One "feature" of battery saws that takes considerable getting used to is that if you try to push it a bit too hard it just stops. You have to release the trigger and try again unlike a gas saw that'll just lug down. I suppose it's to protect the motor but I think most of us work our saws pretty hard and that can be annoying to say the least.

 

[TheMan419]

We own an 18 acre horse farm. Lots of fence posts to weed wack around. We have an electric weed eater. Three batteries. They last about a half hour each. After an hour and a half of weed eating I am ready for a rest anyway. Move on to doing something with the tractor that needs done. We can generally keep the place up with that tool. We had a gas powered one and the fuel tank was so small it would run about a half hour on a tank of fuel. I forget what happened but the engine was toast so we needed a new one and went electric.

 

[jyoutz]

I have a HF battery saw and it's good for the small, quick jobs but that's about it. Gas saw for the "real" work.
One "feature" of battery saws that takes considerable getting used to is that if you try to push it a bit too hard it just stops. You have to release the trigger and try again unlike a gas saw that'll just lug down. I suppose it's to protect the motor but I think most of us work our saws pretty hard and that can be annoying to say the least.

I have a battery operated HF pole saw that is fantastic for pruning limbs on trees, but my old farm boss 038 Stihl is the saw of choice for felling or serious wood cutting.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I wasn't sure where to post this, since it covers many of our tools:

Two Minnesota liberals introduce legislation to ban non-electric lawn equipment by January 1, 2025

Yesterday, two liberal lawmakers, Representative Jerry Newton (D-Coon Rapids) and Representative Heather Edelson (D-Edina), introduced new legislation

www.americanexperiment.org

Yesterday, two liberal lawmakers introduced new legislation that would adopt a California-style ban on the sale of new gas-powered lawn equipment in Minnesota by January 1, 2025. The bill applies to lawnmowers, leaf blowers, hedge clippers, chainsaws, lawn edgers, string trimmers, and brush cutters if the engine is smaller than 25 horsepower.

According to Bob Vila’s website, this would effectively outlaw any push-mower that is gas-powered, and it would impact most riding lawnmowers, which use engines topping out at 24 horsepower, as well.

While electric leaf blowers or hedge clippers may work fine for urban and suburban dwellers, these tools are entirely insufficient for anyone who needs to do serious work out in the country. Felling trees or cutting firewood on a wood lot with a battery-powered electric chainsaw? Give me a break.

This legislation wisely leaves snowblowers off the list of contraband, but its introduction demonstrates that urban and suburban liberals have no idea how rural Minnesotans live their lives, and it suggests that they don’t care to learn.

I feel stupider now for having read this.

I can see it now, an underground railroad to the Stihl, Redmax, and Husky stores in Fargo only to be resold at off-the-beaten-trail speak easies in Minnesota....

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

There's an enormous difference between commercial and residential applications.
I have a lot of lawn and pasture to mow and have 5 mowers and bush hog, but as a friend of mine who owns a landscape business told me he puts way more hours on his equipment in a few days than I do in a year.
I'd love to see his landscape business if he were to switch to all electric. He and all his workers work sunup until past sundown running mowers, tractor, chainsaws, weedeaters, blowers, etc. That would be insanity at it's best and impossible to do.
Yes, I have a few saws and one is electric, but the average run time may be a few hours a week.
It would be impossible for a logger to work all day with electric saws regardless of technology advances.
Electric saws, mowers, tractors will sell to subdivision dwellers and people wanting a new toy, not a real piece of equipment.

 

[civilian]

I have a 14" Makita chainsaw powered by two 18v batteries. Yes it is great for small cleanups. Having a second set of batteries for that saw only helps with running continuously if you can charge them nearby. When we are in the back forty, that means a trip to the house to charge them. Not productive. I bought a Makita becuse I already have their 18v tools. Have a Stihl 362 with a 16" blade and a larger saw that has a 20" bar on it but can run the 32" bar if needed. Every spring we clean up dead ash to utilize for firewood. Most of it is down and the Stihl is used to buck up lentgths to haul back to the house and the Makita is for the limbing. Jon

 

[Beeenvenue]

When electric tools use universal batteries they may be able to compete better.

My mower, generator, string trimmer, chainsaw, riding mower, utv, and car all use an interchangeable universal liquid power source. Not proprietary.

(Before someone says “but they all use electricity to charge batteries” perhaps, but that’s more like gas stations all sell universal gasoline)

 

[Fixastuff]

It would be impossible for a logger to work all day with electric saws regardless of technology advances.

Loggers in your area still use chainsaws??

 

[ArlyA]

Here is a saw our loggers use, a tigercat processor. Of course they still have chainsaws with them.

 

[Eagle1]

Loggers in your area still use chainsaws??

I lot still do and then forest service pays someone to drop what's left behind. One or 2 men cutting 40 acres of scrub.