I carry one of these with 3 batteries when I wheel: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-LCS120-Lithium-Ion-Cordless/dp/B004JMZH1W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354412148&sr=8-2&keywords=black+and+decker+battery+chainsaw"]
Never tried this, and I've never been a big fan of Black and Decker's Black and Decker branded tools -- although some of them are okay for casual use. (Their DeWalt line is pretty good usually.) However, this looks like it might be the solution to the OP's concern, if his concern is branches in the road. It would take a very hefty inverter and a ton of extension cord to operate the 120v saw he described. This battery operated would take a lot less space (no extension cord) and weight and it would cut (at least theoretically) most of what a person would likely care to cut and move out of the way. For real bushwacking or clearing a fallen 20"+ tree out of the road, this won't come close, so a lot depends what you imagine wanting to do.
Even this little battery operated saw needs about as much maintenance as a gas saw though. You don't have to carry fuel, but you still have to keep the chain sharp (and a short chain like this is going to get dull fast), and you have to carry bar oil. It isn't any fun to cut wood when a chain is dull. So in terms of maintenance, you're trading charging batteries for mixing and carrying fuel. There's a safety advantage to not sloshing gasoline around in the back of your rig, but there's not really much less maintenance. The corded saw might have more power and run longer than the battery powered saw, but it would be a much bigger hassle, in my opinion. It would still need bar oil and the chain would need frequent sharpening.
For me, since I already have an 18" Husqvarna 346, if I were dealing with this kind of wheeling, I'd secure the saw I already have in the back of my FJ, with a full tank and little or no extra fuel and I'd know I could move just about any tree out of the way.
All of this doesn't touch the safety issues involved in cutting standing or fallen timber. No matter what tools you use, this is not something a novice ought to be doing.
Speaking of chains I have the electric chain sharpener sold by Harbor Freight. I was a little leery but the price was cheap and it was on sale. Well it works great and you can sharpen a chain in 10 minutes. It cost me $25 on sale.
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Forty Years of FJs
*1967 FJ40 Rock Crawler & 2007 FJ Voodoo Blue*
OME 3"Lift - Light Racing UCA - DeMello Bumper - 12,000# Winch - Warn Rear Bumper - MagnaFlow - Cobra CB / Bandi Mt - A-Track, Diff Lock, VSC, & Door Chime Hacks - 285-70-17 Bridgestones - 2 Horns / Wolo Bad Boy - Chrome Tube Front Grill - Ellis Shift Knobs & Batt clamp - Sylvania Silver Stars - Clazzio Leather - Blue Sea Fuse Panel - Die Hard Battery - Kenwood DNX6980 Nav Radio - Oznium LED Dome Lights - Prodigy Controller -SCUBA - Tinted Windows - Springtail Rear Door / Side Rack Combo - Tru Cool 4454 Cooler - VIAIR onboard Sys -All-Pro Sliders
The saws I carry don't require oil, motor, gas and are safe to carry and use and don't weigh much. They just require a little elbow grease. I've cut through logs as thick as 24" and it didn't take as long as you might think and I've never heard of anyone cutting off their arm or leg with one of these. I've cleared an entire trail after a major blow down, with a little help from my friends, as the song says.
The saws I carry don't require oil, motor, gas and are safe to carry and use and don't weigh much. They just require a little elbow grease. I've cut through logs as thick as 24" and it didn't take as long as you might think and I've never heard of anyone cutting off their arm or leg with one of these. I've cleared an entire trail after a major blow down, with a little help from my friends, as the song says.
There you go. I'm actually in the process of refurbishing my old bow saw. Needs a new blade and it took a lot of sanding and brushing to get all the corrosion off of it. There was a time when I cut all of my firewood with it. It's been a long time.... For back roads it's just right.
I have an electric chain saw somewhere in the shop that has been moving around with me for years, just not worth unpacking as far as I am concerned. I used it several times and it's just more hassle than it is worth, just no real guts.
OP, if you are concerned about trees down in the road or on the trail I look at it like this
Pretty much any tree that you can cut up with the average electric chain saw you can remove with a bow saw, hatchet and a winch.
If you are going to the trouble to carry a chain saw and all that is needed for it I prefer to go with gas, at least I know it will have the power needed to do the job.
OP, if you are concerned about trees down in the road or on the trail I look at it like this
Pretty much any tree that you can cut up with the average electric chain saw you can remove with a bow saw, hatchet and a winch.
A winch will make things easier for sure, but a stout rope and 4WD will work most of the time just about as well for this kind of thing. Hatchets, for me anyway, are for splitting stove wood or kindling. For limbing I'd rather have at least a small ax.
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Mary Hatch Bailey
2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser
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