Maine

thanks for the help with the RTT @SR-71A was way easier than arguing with the wife getting it out of the basement.. now I have some room to play the pool table.. set up some chairs, and drink some beer..

enjoy the beers I set you up with... the copper house is from a local brewery here in thomaston.. the ponderosa is from searsport.. both excellent beers around here. hopefully the $20 covered your gas.

 

No problem! Thanks a ton for the gas $ and beer, very generous. And yeah Im drinking one of those Copper House right now, it's good stuff. Ive seen them at Bootleggers before so Ill have to grab some next time Im there

 

@SR-71A

4LoBC:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTxti9UYoxNAj6FMLBTRykA
The story till now:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_QteyvNZKtK5qPWlPbrl-Q

these are the two channels I was talking about,

I've also started watching expedition overland from season 1.... definitly worth a watch, and makes you think about what tools and items are really necessary, and what's "comfort items".

 

Nice, Ill have to check those out

 

CHAINSAWS, what all do you all run? I currently have a husqvarna 240 that I'm rebuilding (cylinder lost compression, and repowering with a larger 39cc piston/pot), 16" bar. yes I know why waste money on a small saw, blah blah blah, but I dont cut firewood for a living, and i got this saw cheap, and its got what i need.

where do you store it on your rig? in cab, in a case in the bed? has anyone made the jump to electric?

 

I run a Husqvarna around the house. I am strongly looking into the Stihl battery-powered ones for the trail though. Carrying, gas and oil or mix, is just another annoyance. It would suck if we ran into a 12"+ tree down on the trail, but that hasn't been as an issue yet.

 

I have several Stihl. When I bring one along it's my small MS 210 - 16" and it's in my truck bed along with my recovery/spare tool box. It's full of gas and bar chain oil. I've had to use it numerous times for downed trees, etc. I don't carry extra gas & oil and have never emptied either on the road. I've considered electric, but don't want to deal with potential battery charging issues when in remote areas.

 

I've thought about this as well, but with the bed outlet (have used it to charge my Milwaukee M-12, and Rigid 18v batteries without issue..) in my truck I doubt it would charge with only 100watts available while driving, and the 450watts when idle.... is there a hack to get 450watts at all times?

 

Not sure about any hacks. I've not seen the specs on the Stihl battery saws, but I can't imagine it matching the power of gas (I may be wrong...won't be the forst or last time...hehe). But instead of bar oil and extra gas (if one wanted to have those), you'd still need to carry a charger and extra batteries. It's still "stuff" you have to take with you.

 

I totally agree, but an extra battery and charger are a lot easier than packing gas. We do 600 miles or so on dirt every fall on an annual hunting trip and anything with liquid leaks.

 

Yeah there is on the 2nd gens. Im fairly certain it also works on 3rd gen, but cant recall for sure.

My uncle has one of the Stihl battery powered chainsaws and has been very impressed with it for smaller jobs. Last time I looked though they were one of the more expensive options out of all the major tool brands.

I carry a Silky Katanaboy 500 with me because I couldnt really justify the expense or space requirements of a chainsaw. That thing is amazing

 

Are you packing extra gas for your saw or just for the truck?

My saw doesn't leak gas or oil.

 

We do extra gas and last year I brought just 2 cycle oil and shook it up in the saw when I needed to refuel. I have done 20 gallons of extra gas in the past but reduced that down to 10 gallons. This was for my F150. The Tacoma will have a new set of fuel challenges.

 

I also put a ton of miles on up north in May/June and Oct/Nov. Not sure what gas cans your using, but after many years of leaky plastic containers, I switched to these. They don't leak (both gas and fumes) and don't require any kind of mechanism to prevent tipping. For my long trips, I'll fill and bring 4 along. I like your idea of bringing extra 2 stroke oil in the event you need to add more gas to the saw.

Back when I had a cap and dogs/crates, I would only carry 2.

 

I've got one of those. The problem with my old method is that the F-150 was always temporary (the wife needed a new car first), but now that I have a vehicle for a long time, I can purpose build it. I hate the cost and capacity of rotopax, but the external storage is great. I will likely do something based on VP cans off the back.

 

I do carry a cheapo Corona folding saw ($20), and it cuts relatively fast, and folds away nicely. but you can't beat a chainsaw for speed when cutting campfire firewood. just the bulk, weight, and extras you have to carry... (gas/oil, bar oil, spare chains, sharpening files, etc...) just seems to be too much to realistically carry for every trip. I'd carry the saw when going to NMW, but elsewhere I'd probably buy firewood, and stick with a folding saw.

 

So to be clear, my initial comments about carrying a saw were in context of just for potential emergency road clearing.....thus no extra gas, oil, etc.

If I were planning on cutting campfire wood, I would bring extra.

 

The 5 gallon Midwest jerry cans (steel) at harbor Freight are a great option IMO. Haven't leaked once in the 2-3 years I've been using them up in the woods. Breaking the little red safety latch off the spout makes things a lot easier. And they are rectangular not round, so theres no wasted space wherever you put them in the truck.

Id be willing to bet my 500 would hold its own vs a chainsaw as far as cutting goes. Its pretty damn aggressive.. Obviously for limbing the chainsaw would win hands down

 

yeah, I've been looking at the larger silky bigboy 2000 has a 14"blade, and 16" closed.. should be able to easily pack it behind/under the rear seats.

 

I thought Tacoma owners were manly men. Don't you all have one of these:


I actually do keep a bow saw in my truck. I have a Husqvarna 440 at home. I already bring too much stuff when I go out into the williewacks. Haven't brought the chain saw, yet. One day I will probably regret this!