The Green Room

[Mulezen]

My new electric Stilh chainsaw has me putting the big gas Stilh on the shelf for serious work (not if I can avoid it). This 12” has terrific power and maybe 2pm in run time. For fenceline maintenance (5incher no problem) It’s so much easier to use on the small jobs than my bigger one. Hop off tractor…zip zip

 

[Mulezen]

My new electric Stilh chainsaw has me putting the big gas Stilh on the shelf for serious work I can’t avoid This 12” has terrific power and maybe 20 min run time. For fenceline maintenance (5inches no problem) It’s so much easier to use than my bigger one. Hop off tractor…zip zip

 

[Sierratim]

My new electric Stilh chainsaw has me putting the big gas Stilh on the shelf for serious work (not if I can avoid it). This 12” has terrific power and maybe 2pm in run time. For fenceline maintenance (5incher no problem) It’s so much easier to use on the small jobs than my bigger one. Hop off tractor…zip zip

Yep, my son has one. Great little saw for limbing, etc.

One of the things that I can't get my mind around is that this same CA law will outlaw generators under 25hp. Yet the State's solution to cronic under production of electricity is to mandate more electric usage;

California Ban On Gas Cars, Angelinos React | KCRW | Greater LA

California is banning the sale of new gas cars starting in 2035, as part of its goal to curb carbon emissions. People working in the automotive industry are nervous about what that means for their livelihoods.

www.kcrw.com

and then outlaw generators that many rural familes use to keep warm and to pump their water.

 

[PedalUma]

I put steel wool in the muffler of my 24" 460 Rancher. I ran it lean and super sharp every day for four-years at lower RPM. Lube in the front sprocket is essential for each cut. I maintained it with overhauls, optimizations and sharpenings three times each day. That is a good saw! It is true that electric cannot do what that saw can for fire protection. There needs to be a fire protection exception in CA. The saw's bar needs to be perfectly filed from burs. The chains needs to be soaked to remove gum and lubed every hour and it is quiet and efficient. Maintained it did not smell. Drive sprockets also need to be regularly cleaned and swapped for new. Power is out in much of my county at this moment. Get solar with backup.

 

[Sierratim]

I put steel wool in the muffler of my 24" 460 Rancher. I ran it lean and super sharp every day for four-years at lower RPM. Lube in the front sprocket is essential for each cut. I maintained it with overhauls, optimizations and sharpenings three times each day. That is a good saw! It is true that electric cannot do what that saw can for fire protection. There needs to be a fire protection exception in CA. The saw's bar needs to be perfectly filed from burs. The chains needs to be soaked to remove gum and lubed every hour and it is quiet and efficient. Maintained it did not smell. Drive sprockets also need to be regularly cleaned and swapped for new. Power is out in much of my county at this moment. Get solar with backup.
View attachment 103180

My grease injector looks just like yours! Good maintenance does pay off, just like on the bikes. And a sharp chain can't be beat. I always carry my 12V sharpener when I cut wood, and have a spare freshly sharpened chain in the bucket as well.

I'm well into my 70s and have had a chain saw in my hand since I could do chores. This is the best saw I've ever operated. It's light enough that I put shorter bars on it for limbing and such.

My son had a 30" oak dropped in his yard last year. We cut rounds and quartered the big ones for splitting with this saw. As always, it did an excellent job, as did the 30ton (rated) gas powered splitter (no elec options for that one either).

BTW - We do have solar with auto propane generator backup for our business. Too many trees at the house to be practical, but the solar at the business really pays, esp with recent and continuing rate increases. Unfortunately, utility regs won't allow the solar system to provide power for the business when power is out, as is has been a number of days this year, incl all day today. The generator starts and the business continues without stranding customers on the property, etc. These generators, under 25hp, will be outlawed for sale by the new CA regs. I don't understand how businesses can operate without 1) reliable power or 2) backup power. Battery backup systems do exist (Tesla, et al) but for business sized systems that can operate for multiple days they are very expensive. But hey, it's easy to pass laws requiring these type of expenditures when it's not the government's money they're spending. JMO.

 

[Taylor57]

My grease injector looks just like yours! Good maintenance does pay off, just like on the bikes. And a sharp chain can't be beat. I always carry by 12V sharpener when I cut wood, and have a spare freshly sharpened chain in the bucket as well.

I'm well into my 70s and have had a chain saw in my hand since I could do chores. This is the best saw I've ever operated. It's light enough that I put shorter bars on it for limbing and such.

My son had a 30" oak dropped in his yard last year we cut rounds and quartered the big ones for splitting with this saw. As always, it did an excellent job, as did the 30ton (rated) gas powered splitter (no elec options for that one either).

BTW - We do have solar with auto propane generator backup for our business. Too many trees at the house to be practical, but the solar at the business really pays, esp with recent and continuing rate increases. Unfortunately, utility regs won't allow the solar system to provide power for the business when power is out, as is has been a number of days this year, incl all day today. The generator starts and the business continues without stranding customers on the property, etc. These generators, under 25hp, will be outlawed for sale by the new CA regs. I don't understand how businesses can operate without 1) reliable power or 2) backup power. Battery backup systems do exist (Tesla, et al) but for business sized systems that can operate for multiple days they are very expensive. But hey, it's easy to pass laws requiring these type of expenditures when it's not the government's money they're spending. JMO.

Just buy one of those new Ford trucks and when the power goes out, power up your whole neighborhood!

 

[Mulezen]

My Physical Therapist just gave me the go to split again. I’d get a splitter but there’d go the down payment for N+1

 

[Sierratim]

My Physical Therapist just gave me the go to split again. I’d get a splitter but there’d go the down payment for N+1

I have to admit that I rent the splitters I use. The big powerful ones are pretty expensive, and did I mention, they're big. I'd probably need to get rid of a boat if I got a splitter so rent it is! The best part, I don't have to maintain another tool...

 

[ChezCheese:)]

I had a chainsaw with Stihl written on it, so somebody did.

 

[john peck]

My 40cc tanaka is C.A.R.B. & EPA approved, gets 200 mpg on my Raleigh, but I´m
thinking ´bout adding a front hub motor to get a true hybrid bike. It burns cleaner than
4-strokes if the mix is right,(hence the name, Purefire)

 

[Handlebars]

SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class research journals

Subscription and open access journals from SAGE Publishing, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

University of Toronto study shows that people who buy Green are more likely to cheat lie and steal.

 

[Handlebars]

"... how businesses can operate without 1) reliable power or 2) backup power."

They can't. Isn't that the whole point?

 

[Sierratim]

Saw this energy stockpile on a recent ride to our local lake;

This wood pile stretches across the entire frontage of this property, well over 200 feet. I'd estimate over 10 cords of split and stacked softwoods, enough to heat a home here for several winters.

This firewood is the by product of the property owner's fire protection efforts over the past 2 years. The property is much more open with fewer small trees and much less brush. The remaining more mature trees will be healthier and more widely spaced making this property more fire resistant.

Burning this wood as heating fuel will help the owner afford the fire protection thinning he has invested in, but will release more carbon into the atmosphere. An example of no good deed goes unpunished? Or perhaps it's an act of doing what's best for one's family within their existing financial constraints. I like this viewpoint...

 

[Handlebars]

Apparently someone in the federal government has figured out that climate change is going to get expensive. DUH.

US report warns climate change could create economic chaos

The far-reaching consequences of climate change have the ability to create chaos in the financial system and disrupt the American economy, according to a federal report released Wednesday.

www.cnn.com

Joe: "Hold my ice cream"

 

[6zfshdb]

California's Gov approves ban for small gas engines;

California moves toward ban on gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers

California will outlaw the sale of new gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers and chain saws as early as 2024 under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

www.latimes.com

IMHO, a good and bad idea. I like electric yard tools, to a limit. They're quiet and need virtually no maintenance. I don't like my neighbors' gardeners breaking out their gas powered blowers at 7AM every Saturday. I do like my tree guy to get on with it when a big pine needs to come down, even though his 2-cycle saws are loud and do smell.

Problem in some cases is capacity and power; the batteries run out and tale a relatively long time to recharge. The best electric yard tools don't match the power of even mid-grade gas tools They make bigger battery packs, chargers that can charge multiple batteries at a time, etc, so most gas tools could be replaced with non-gas tools for more $$, except in the most demanding applications. Maybe they'll make an electric chain saw that can do the work of my 24" Husqvarna 460 Rancher, but I'm thinking this will be a long time coming...

I agree. I've been converting my yard maintenance equipment to electric for some time. The string trimmer, hedge trimmer, pole saw and lawn mower all are great electric powered tools.

I also have a Husqvarna 460 chain saw and a DeWalt 14" electric saw as well. The Dewalt works fine for small cuts but it won't compare to the husky for large tasks. Electric chain saw technology has a long way to go to catch up with gas powered saws.

I also have two small gas powered Honda generators. I'm not sure how this type of equipment can be made to be "zero emissions". Using propane would be cleaner than gas but still not zero emission. I suppose it depends on the definition of the term.

I agree with the spirit of the law but, as usual, the devil is in the details. It bans the sale but not the use of gas powered tools. If passed, I suspect there will be a lot of folks travelling out of state to buy yard maintenance equipment or buying on eBay.

 

[Handlebars]

"Volunteers who had bought green products not only lied to earn more money, but stole additional money out of an envelope with $5 worth in change, which was set beside the computer for participants to take their earnings from."

 

[Sierratim]

I also have two small gas powered Honda generators. I'm not sure how this type of equipment can be made to be "zero emissions". Using propane would be cleaner than gas but still not zero emission. I suppose it depends on the definition of the term.
.

California is pretty clear (for a change) on what they mean by zero emissions; no combustion takes place of any type of fuel. There is a "partial" zero emissions category for cars that meet a particulate per mile standard. Subaru sells an engine that meets this standard charging $300 (in 2016) for it in every car they sell in California.

I agree with the spirit of the law but, as usual, the devil is in the details. It bans the sale but not the use of gas powered tools. If passed, I suspect there will be a lot of folks travelling out of state to buy yard maintenance equipment or buying on eBay.

I agree. The current trend of replacing gas with electric for convenience will continue regardless of this new law, though I suspect the State will be crowing about how effective the law is based on this existing trend. Larger, more expensive gas equipment will continue to be used for some years. Arborists, yard care firms, etc, near California's very long borders will replace their equipment with short drives to nearby cities, like Reno, Nevada. I suspect they'll be an active trade in mail order gas equiment for the trades people located away from the borders. This same online trade exists in other products that California has tried to restrict where the approved in-state options are either much more expensive or not nearly as effective as the banned mail order options. Various EPA approved paints and pesticides fall into this category.

 

[PedalUma]

Saw this energy stockpile on a recent ride to our local lake;
View attachment 103314
This wood pile stretches across the entire frontage of this property, well over 200 feet. I'd estimate over 10 cords of split and stacked softwoods, enough to heat a home here for several winters.

This firewood is the by product of the property owner's fire protection efforts over the past 2 years. The property is much more open with fewer small trees and much less brush. The remaining more mature trees will be healthier and more widely spaced making this property more fire resistant.

Burning this wood as heating fuel will help the owner afford the fire protection thinning he has invested in, but will release more carbon into the atmosphere. An example of no good deed goes unpunished? Or perhaps it's an act of doing what's best for one's family within their existing financial constraints. I like this viewpoint...

That is some wood pile! It is better that it gets burned in a wood stove than in a wildfire. The EPA certified wood stoves are nice. No visible smoke comes out. Intake air is preheated by exhaust air. The smoke is what is burned. It is like an after burner. I made a portable one of this design where the exhaust pipe ran inside the intake pipe that shot out a two foot blue flame that could only be seen at night. Sometimes I go overboard. It sounded like a mini jet engine. A good design would be to only draw outside air. One of the big inefficiencies of fireplaces is that the amount of hot air going up the chimney is the amount of cold air that gets drawn through cracks into the house.

 

[Sierratim]

Phoenix, Arizona, iis experimenting with new road surfaces to minimize the heat island effect in the densest parts of the city;

Phoenix Is Using Reflective Pavement to Combat Extreme Heat - ExtremeTech

The gray pavement coating has the ability to reduce surface temperatures by up to 12 degrees.

www.extremetech.com

Tests of the Cool Seal product show "that by reflecting sunlight instead of absorbing it, cool pavement had the ability to reduce noon and afternoon hour temperatures (AKA the hottest time of day) by 10.5 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit".
This level of temperature reduction will not only make downtown areas more comfortable, but will also reduce the significant cooling costs for nearby buildings.

Initial field tests are promising, but they will continue for several years to evaluate durability. Image from the City of Phoenix.

Phoenix is one of the hottest cities in the US.

 

[Sierratim]

That is some wood pile! It is better that it gets burned in a wood stove than in a wildfire. The EPA certified wood stoves are nice. No visible smoke comes out. Intake air is preheated by exhaust air. The smoke is what is burned. It is like an after burner. I made a portable one of this design where the exhaust pipe ran inside the intake pipe that shot out a two foot blue flame that could only be seen at night. Sometimes I go overboard. It sounded like a mini jet engine. A good design would be to only draw outside air. One of the big inefficiencies of fireplaces is that the amount of hot air going up the chimney is the amount of cold air that gets drawn through cracks into the house.
View attachment 103373

California has required EPA stoves with outside air sources for some years. Unfortunately the CA Air Resources Quality Board often issues mandates prohibiting wood burning of any type when air quality levels are poor so homeowners resort to natural gas, diesel or even electric heating systems installed years ago.