Oregon 40 Volt Pole Saw

[Philbert]

I had the opportunity to try a Beta version of a new Oregon, battery-powered pole saw while doing some tornado clean up work earlier this month. This saw (due Spring, 2014) is part of the Oregon 'PowerNow' cordless OPE product line. It uses the same batteries, chargers, etc. as their other products.

(Oregon product page): https://oregoncordless.com/US/Produc...dless-Pole-Saw
(Link to Oregon 40V chainsaw review): http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/review-oregon-powernow-cordless-chainsaw.179262/

The assembled saw telescopes from 86 to 123 inches, including the 8 inch bar. It comes with Oregon 90SG chain which is 3/8 low-profile AND narrow kerf, .043 pitch, with the bumper drive links. Smaller chains seem well suited for the battery saws. This is NOT the PowerSharp chain, but conventionally filed/sharpened. (http://www.oregonproducts.com/pro/pr...chain/90SG.htm)

The saw motor is located in-line, just after the trigger handle, and uses a splined, aluminum shaft to deliver power to the cutting chain; not a flexible 'speedometer' type cable. The telescoping shaft is oval, and looks like it is some type of fiberglass or graphite composite material.

The saw can be used with their 1.2, 2.4, or 4.0 Amp-hour, Li-Ion batteries, which all weigh about the same. The 4.0 Ahr batteries have not been released yet, so I was unable to try those.


The guide bar attaches to a cast, aluminum head with a built in brush hook for pulling cut branches loose. The bar is held in place with a tool-less knob on the cover, and chain tension is adjusted by a screw at the end (not from the side). The drive sprocket is held in place with an 'E' clip. The saw uses an automatic oiler (non-adjustable on the model used).

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

My first impressions were very positive. it is relatively light, well balanced, and feels well made. It felt lighter in use than the 13.5 pounds (with battery pack) than the specifications indicate, especially when working with the shaft fully retracted. The oval shaft makes it easy to control the rotation of the guide bar and chain.

Use is pretty intuitive, with an tapered/shaped handle and two-part trigger. Everyone I showed it to seemed to understand how to use it right away. Being a battery-powered tool, there is no priming, choke, flooding, etc. It is also quiet, especially between cuts.

The day I used this saw was pretty cold for a battery powered tool, ranging from 10 to 22*F. I actually kept the batteries in a 'cooler' in my car to keep them warm! I used winter grade bar oil, and ran 3 of the 2.4 Ahr batteries, mostly limbing a 24 inch trunk diameter spruce that had its upper half broken off by the storm, and was pleasantly surprised by the battery life.

Philbert


Horizontal spruce!


Cut with one, 2.4 Ah battery

 

[Philbert]

This pre-release version had a bar oil tank that fills from the end, which is pretty awkward on a 7 foot pole saw, unless you are standing on a deck. The Oregon rep told me that the final version will have a tank with a cap on the side, so it can be filled with the saw laying down. I much prefer a side operated chain tensioner, but this was not too much of a problem with the short (34DL chain loop, which should not stretch much).


I was a little concerned about the knurled, shaft extension collar/locking nut, which is fairly large (about 2-1/2 inches in diameter) - I have small hands, and have had problems with this part on manual pole pruners 'locking up', meaning that I had to use some type of strap wrench to loosen them. I did not have any problems with this one, but only used it for a limited period.


I showed the saw to a number of other responders, and the only negative comment I received was from a guy in the tree business who commented that the chain speed is slower than his gas powered saw, and he did not think that he would like that.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Pole saws are very handy to have for storm cleanup work - they let you relieve tension on limbs from a distance, etc., as well as reach higher stuff.

This spruce had multiple trunks (main stems?) in the upper half, and a very dense, bushy crown, with some limbs holding the broken portion of the trunk off of the ground. I like to 'simplify' these situations, by clearing all of the non-load bearing limbs first, so that I can see what's going on with the trunk(s). The length of the pole saw let me limb the horizontal sections of the trunk from a distance, standing on clear ground, rather than 'wading in' with a conventional chainsaw and walking over all of the limbs. Later, it let me conventionally limb the remaining vertical section of the trunk from the ground up to 12 or 13 feet so that we could fell it.

The saw cut very well with the sharp chain and the weight of the cutting head doing all of the work. Granted, green spruce is not the most challenging wood, but in storm clean up I like each cut to be deliberate, and to watch to see if anything moves or changes. The lack of a cord, eliminating the need to start and stop a gas powered saw, and the minimum amount of noise when cutting, were all positives.

Having multiple battery packs is pretty important for extended use. I brought an inverter to charge these in my car, but did not need it or use it with 3 battery packs. The 4 Ahr batteries would be very beneficial.

Philbert


Trimming lower branches off of remaining, vertical section of the tree, prior to felling

 

[zogger]

Looks cool!

I was sorta hoping just for an attachment to the regular saw powerhead, but...still looks good.

ya, I want one of the new 4 amp hour batts.

It's good Oregon is releasing more and more tools that use the same batteries and chargers.

 

[nmurph]

Pricing??

 

[Philbert]

Pricing??

Some of the Oregon dealers here may know (?) It is not for sale until Spring, but they may have released pricing to their distributors and vendors.

There also may be some price variation depending on which battery comes with (or bare tool for those that already have a compatible tool), different chargers, etc.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

I was sorta hoping just for an attachment to the regular saw powerhead, but...still looks good.

I have a corded electric (Remington) which is basically a 'chainsaw-on-a-stick'. Works OK for what it is, but less balanced than this approach.

Trade-off is having a drive shaft. They claim that this one does not need any maintenance or lubrication.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Pricing??

Just saw an MSRP of $399 with the 2.4 Ah battery and charger.
$249 for the bare tool (if you already have a battery and charger from another one of their tools), and $449 with the 4.0 Ah battery.

Philbert

 

[zogger]

That's not too bad if you already have a charger and battery.

 

[Franny K]

Just the attachment to convert a straight shaft brush cutter to a non extendable pole saw was about $200 a couple of years ago. It just seems too low a price to be built for a whole lot of usage. Is there just one planetary gearset between the electric motor and the shaft? I found those branch pulling hooks a minus for the stuff I do.

 

[Philbert]

Is there just one planetary gearset between the electric motor and the shaft?

Have not torn it apart to see the guts. Only know about the solid shaft from assembling the unit.

. . . just seems too low a price to be built for a whole lot of usage.

Not sure how similar or different they are compared to gas powered pole saws. Not sure about the differences in manufacturing costs.

This is priced in-between cheap electric pole saws and pro grade gas pole saws. As with a lot of battery powered tools, a lot of the cost is in the batteries.

There are some competing battery powered products that have a common motor with separate attachments, like you mention. I don't have the specs on those, other than the rated battery voltage.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

it is cool,i think and it will sale well,i am peter,from china.mianly make garden tools.if you need supplier,i think our company can do well.the cost is lower.

Peter,
I am not the manufacturer or a sales representative. I was just fortunate enough to try a demo unit . You would need to contact Oregon Products.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Oregon is giving away one of these 40V pole saws. To enter, you have to 'Like' their post on FaceBook Ends May 1 (2014)

https://www.facebook.com/OREGONCordlessToolSystem?fref=nf

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Update: 1-1/2 Years Later . . .

The original pole saw I had was a pre-production model that had a few, minor glitches with an oil pump part. It also had some wear from heavy testing - e.g. we were able to physically pull the telescoping shaft apart with aggressive force. Those issues were addressed, and that unit was replaced with a production model, including the top-fill oil tank, a slightly different back plate, and likely some other modifications that are not as visible. I also have a 4.0 Ah battery now, which is hard not to like - twice the run time (on all tools) without any increase in weight.

A pole saw is one of those things that you wonder how you got along without, once you have one. This one is very easy to use, and cuts fairly aggressively, despite it's 8 inch bar and small pitch chain (3/8 low profile/narrow kerf - Oregon type 90) - keep the chain sharp and let the tool do the work. I also like it because it is compatible with other Oregon 40 volt tools I have, sharing the same batteries, etc. - an important consideration when choosing 'a family' of cordless OPE.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Have not posted on this in a while, but it is a tool that I rely on for periodic use. As noted above, powered pole saws / pruners are very valuable for storm clean up work. They let you reach higher branches, but also stay clear of potential hazard zones. I have used this pole saw now at several disaster responses - it allowed us to do things that would have been next to impossible without it: clearing branches just to see what's going on; 'simplifying' complex compression / tension problems down to just the key, structural components; removing limbs that could be a hazard as a tree falls, etc.

The same work could be done with a gasoline powered pole saw. This one is just quiet, convenient, compact, and does not complain if not used for several months (no fuel related problems). Seems to cut much more than it's 8-inch bar would suggest. Most people are surprised at what it will cut. The newer, higher capacity batteries also keep it running longer between swaps.

These are photos from this past weekend up in northern Minnesota, helping a scout camp recovering from storms last year. A large, red pine fell across one of their gathering spots on the lake.

'Before'
(yellow pole is being used to rig winch cable)


After a bit of pole saw work
(the branches would prevent the tree from laying flat on the ground, once the trunk was pulled free from the hang-up tree - clearing them first simplifies bucking up the tree).


'After'


Philbert

 

[Franny K]

Even though I contemplate buying the 40cc Stihl two cycle pole saw that needs special ordered even at places that seem to have all the models gasoline pole saws are closing in on obsolete for what I do. An 8 inch bar would have never been mounted if it was me. Quite often one has no way to cut anywhere close to 90 degrees to the twig. Maybe you do not have vines tangled in stuff like that and a longer bar allows more of them cut per thrust. That 90 class (61 in Stihl) seems the best for the pole pruners I have, smaller cutters but basically the same size drive links to cut down on derailing. The branch puller on this one is not removable the way it looks, I am not sure the pulling capability is worth the harder to get it to where desired down side.