Battery Powered Tools (Sawzalls, Skill Saws, Etc.) effective for trail building?

PB Forum :: Trail Building
Battery Powered Tools (Sawzalls, Skill Saws, Etc.) effective for trail building?
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flag barnz0rz
Posted: Feb 14, 2009 at 17:05 Quote
Ok, so here's the deal, right now I'm working on a bit of a construction project for work and I don't own any tools. I'm considering buying a bulk tool pack I saw at Rona which would have a flashlight, driver gun/drill, sawzall, skill saw, and hammer drill. The pack is $180. Not a bad deal, not sure about the quality.

BUT.... my main concern is my use of the tools after this project is done. Does anyone use these battery powered tools for trail building and how effective are they? I know people would normally use chainsaws and yes that would be ideal, but these tools would really help me with this work and if they're useful for trail building then I would be all for it.
flag
Posted: Feb 14, 2009 at 17:57 Quote
barnz0rz wrote:
Ok, so here's the deal, right now I'm working on a bit of a construction project for work and I don't own any tools. I'm considering buying a bulk tool pack I saw at Rona which would have a flashlight, driver gun/drill, sawzall, skill saw, and hammer drill. The pack is $180. Not a bad deal, not sure about the quality.

BUT.... my main concern is my use of the tools after this project is done. Does anyone use these battery powered tools for trail building and how effective are they? I know people would normally use chainsaws and yes that would be ideal, but these tools would really help me with this work and if they're useful for trail building then I would be all for it.

I have found that our 18v Royobi does ok. I mean, the drills are made for the average joe that does a few projects like fixing cabinets and stuff. You be better just buying the less expensive chainsaw. They can go for as low as 250 for an ok one.
flag lcstay10
Posted: Feb 14, 2009 at 18:02 Quote
im not sure, but i think he maens like how are they for taking tonot the woods and using them to build ladder bridges and such. im sure it will work out. you just gotta make sure there charged, and not to get too much gunk in them. we have the 18 v royobi set, and there not bad. id bring them to work in the woods
flag barnz0rz
Posted: Feb 14, 2009 at 18:08 Quote
lcstay10 wrote:
im not sure, but i think he maens like how are they for taking tonot the woods and using them to build ladder bridges and such. im sure it will work out. you just gotta make sure there charged, and not to get too much gunk in them. we have the 18 v royobi set, and there not bad. id bring them to work in the woods

that's more what i was meaning... just considering it and wanted to get some feedback if people use them for bridges and stuff in the woods...
flag lcstay10
Posted: Feb 14, 2009 at 18:10 Quote
barnz0rz wrote:
lcstay10 wrote:
im not sure, but i think he maens like how are they for taking tonot the woods and using them to build ladder bridges and such. im sure it will work out. you just gotta make sure there charged, and not to get too much gunk in them. we have the 18 v royobi set, and there not bad. id bring them to work in the woods

that's more what i was meaning... just considering it and wanted to get some feedback if people use them for bridges and stuff in the woods...

ya im sure it will work. and if you use srews rather than nails to build yiur bridges, most likely they will hold together better and last longer. im sure if your using the drill/saw attatchment to fit and cut planks for your creations it will be fine. personally id only bring them into the woods on nice days.
flag nothingbetter
Posted: Feb 14, 2009 at 18:37 Quote
I see no reason why they wouldn't work. It would be faster than a handsaw or axe right! Like you said a chain saw would be optimal, but if you can use these battery tools for work as well as pleasure you can't go wrong there. The one issue I can think of is the battery life. How long will they last. I know my chainsaw will go almsot all day on one tank depending on how much I use it. And it stays at full power untill the gas is gone. But with the batteries it would slowly become weaker untill the battery is drained. Just a thought.
flag waffle
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 0:05 Quote
what brand is that

i think youll find that you wont have long battery life with cheapys
but really you can get by with just a sawzall and a screwdriver

depending on how far your trek is you could look into a mini generator and use corded tools

as a carpenter i find corded tools out perform cordless 99% of the time
flag JokerMachine
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 0:34 Quote
I suppose if you stock up on battery packs, you can get at least an hour or two of solid building out of cordless tools. Cutting planks to length, a Sawzall will maybe work for 30 minutes straight on a single battery, a drill will drive between 100 and 150 screws (approximately). If you pack 6 or 7 batteries, you can get a lot of work done, I suppose.
flag almostwise
Mod
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 2:06 Quote
It's expensive to make it worthwhile...it all depends how much you're doing. If you're building a lot, I'd suggest investing in a generator and some 110v tools or use it to run a charger. I've used cheap no-name cordless drills before and it was damned frustrating as the batteries are just not up to it (1 charge per three 10mm bolt holes through posts). Li-ion battery tools are the way to go if you must have cordless, but they're very expensive and you still need a few batteries. If you have vehicle access to your trail site, you can always do a majority of the prep work at home with mains tools, and just take a drill to screw it all together. Smile
flag Cro-Mag
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 9:10 Quote
As a professional trail builder for the past 8 years i've tried everything. I'd say your best best is a good chain saw and a hammer and nails. Relying on batteries sucks, specially in the cold weather. Sawzalls are really only useful if you mess up and need to disassemble something, using a drill for slats works well but like i said you need a lot of batteries to make it worth your effort. Skill saws are ok of you are using dimensional lumber but again a chainsaw is most effective in the bush.

CM!
flag barnz0rz
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 10:08 Quote
after thinking about it for most of the day yesterday, i think i'm just going to go for the chainsaw later this summer, it's a better investment. the contractor i'm working with now does have tools, if we had more on the site it would make things easier but it's not crucial.... plus i'm only going to be there for about 3 more weeks or so anyway
flag almostwise
Mod
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 10:25 Quote
barnz0rz wrote:
after thinking about it for most of the day yesterday, i think i'm just going to go for the chainsaw later this summer, it's a better investment. the contractor i'm working with now does have tools, if we had more on the site it would make things easier but it's not crucial.... plus i'm only going to be there for about 3 more weeks or so anyway
Do you have experience using a chainsaw? If not, get someone who does to spend the day with you teaching you. (and obviously don't go out with the chainsaw on your own...things can go wrong fast...1lb of flesh per second). Fantastic tools though...really make things so much easier. Smile
flag barnz0rz
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 10:51 Quote
almostwise wrote:
barnz0rz wrote:
after thinking about it for most of the day yesterday, i think i'm just going to go for the chainsaw later this summer, it's a better investment. the contractor i'm working with now does have tools, if we had more on the site it would make things easier but it's not crucial.... plus i'm only going to be there for about 3 more weeks or so anyway
Do you have experience using a chainsaw? If not, get someone who does to spend the day with you teaching you. (and obviously don't go out with the chainsaw on your own...things can go wrong fast...1lb of flesh per second). Fantastic tools though...really make things so much easier. Smile

Our mountain bike club is going to be hosting chainsaw operation certification courses
flag freeride5
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 11:07 Quote
barnz0rz wrote:
Ok, so here's the deal, right now I'm working on a bit of a construction project for work and I don't own any tools. I'm considering buying a bulk tool pack I saw at Rona which would have a flashlight, driver gun/drill, sawzall, skill saw, and hammer drill. The pack is $180. Not a bad deal, not sure about the quality.

BUT.... my main concern is my use of the tools after this project is done. Does anyone use these battery powered tools for trail building and how effective are they? I know people would normally use chainsaws and yes that would be ideal, but these tools would really help me with this work and if they're useful for trail building then I would be all for it.
my dad got a pack like that in a golf tournament they were a cheap chinese brand and they work awesome it came with a drill flashlight skill saw and a circular saw with two batteries the batteries last a couple days of renovating and by renovating i mean drywalling with means a whole bunch of screws for board and a bunch of boards we also got a battery powered whipper snipper witch works great for cutting trails
flag toonboy
Posted: Feb 15, 2009 at 16:54 Quote
Of the tools listed in your pack, only the drill would have value on the trails, and then it's use is very limited. In some situations I've had to use lag bolts to join stringers to posts/joists as I didn't want to risk splitting any of the pieces. Consequentially, I used an battery powered drill to drill pilot holes and counter bores for the bolts.

As everyone else has already said, a chainsaw would be far more valuable.
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