SR5 V6 Inverter for 12 amp Chainsaw

Can I run a 1500W inverter to power a corded 12 amp chainsaw for a few hours of intermittent use?
If not I need to look at other options but hoping not to buy another engine (gas chain saw) to maintain and store fuel for.

 

1500w running or peak?

 

Chainsaw rated at 12 amps 120V, runs fast under load for 10-30 seconds then idles. Not sure what defines peak or running.
I would think an amp or two in idle and 12 amps under toughest conditions for a few seconds but I don't have it yet or tested the draw.

 

No.....

Buy a battery power saw and use the invertor to charge the batteries.

Yes, the battery saws have enough power.
Get the Milwaukee, or DeWalt.
If you can afford it, just get the Husqvarna. You wont regret it.

 

No. Your poor alternator and battery will have a short and abused life under a 1500w load.



Also, ditch the cord and buy a greenworks 80v-pro chainsaw. It'll completely destroy your 12a corded. Heck, it'll outpace your average gasser.

 

Interesting product. I will consider that product for sure, thanks.

 

I've owned a lot of 2cycles and I've had a few electrics. The 80v line is the one that gets the A+ from me. I've converted everything except the lawnmower to it. The chainsaw and the edger tool however... Both of those feel like they should be illegal.

 

I have a Kobalt 80v chainsaw, it's a fucking beast of a saw! Just a little chain oil and a charged battery and you are in business. They are really not for commercial use, but they are great for yardwork or removing a fallen tree, etc.

 

Definitely go battery!
My friends own a couple of properties, and while we need/use the gas saws for group cleanups, the battery is used nearly every trip and is the go-to. I’m sure it’s more than plenty for the average home owner.

 

It'd probably power it for ½ a second

 

Nothing beats a small EasyStart Stihl chainsaw with a 14" to 16" bar. I use premixed fuel, ether Stihl and another that does not have ethanol or any other water-based gasoline.

 

speaking as someone who's company routinely installs 5,000 watt inverters in service trucks, i disagree with this statement.

but i don't disagree with the second half.

you're answering the wrong half of the question. my concern isn't the chainsaw, it's the inverter. there's running wattage and peak wattage. most love to advertise peak wattage, which is likely better referenced as 'startup' draw. if the inverter packaging you're referencing is startup/peak wattage, it absolutely won't even work with the specifications of the chainsaw.

and while the chainsaw might run nominally at 12A, when you go to bury it into a tree, it could easily pull more. especially if it gets close to stopping, or binds up.

official standard for electrical loads per National Electrical Code(NEC), the load(chainsaw) shouldn't be more than 80% the breaker. but that's with a literally 'unlimited' power supply(power from utility), with the breaker being the 'weak' point in the circuit.

inverters are a very different animal, specifically because the power is being created right there, and there's not unlimited power like from a utility. the inverter max output of the transistors is your maximum. so heat, distance(how many extension cords?[sounds stupid, but had a customer refusing to run the vehicle during inverter usage{inverter was bouncing off the battery low voltage}, and using a 250' 14 ga extension cord to power a 12A concrete drill{needed to be a 12 or 10ga cord for the distance/amperage}]) , and power demand all effect the result far more than what you would see running the same thing at home.

there's also pure-sine, and modified-sine inverters. modified-sine inverters can generate a little more heat in the tools due to the sine wave shape being 'dirty power', but pure-sine inverters about double the inverter price tag...

 

Thanks but my chainsaw needs are not at all in need of a beast. Anything but Dewalt means I need a new charger/battery which is not a show stopper. Problem is I can only find a 12" in 20V and an 18" in 60V is pretty pricey. Looking hard at the Greenworks which has excellent ratings, 80V and more rated power and a lot more ratings than Dewalt. Still looking at the other suggestions here too.
Thanks all for your input and I am out considering using the truck/inverter for a corded saw.

 

what size bar do you want to run?

there are battery adaptors between most of the common brands these days

 

I think 18" max maybe a 16" since seems like a common sizes. Expect 6-8" branches/trunks max with most smaller but too large for my hand cutter about 3/4". 12" bar seems too small to me.

 

You should look at Ego. I have their 18-in bar and it works great!

 

Buy a 2 stroke saw. Be a man. Battery powered tools are for women and people in California.

 

If I used it more than once or twice a year or had bigger tress to fell I would for sure. Just don't want another engine to service and fuel to store.
Pass my purse please...

 

I used to think that too, but battery powered lawn tools have come a long way brother. The first time I used an 80v chainsaw to clean up a downed tree, I was hooked! I still keep my 2 stroke 18" Husqvarna in the shed as it certainly has it's place. But for a quick job that needs some serious power, that battery saw eats through wood like a knife through butter. And I have several 80v batteries, so while I am using one, the others are on the charger. Give one a try, you will be impressed.

 

Do you have any battery power tools? I'd recommend literally any brands electric chain saw. And as long as the batteries can be used somewhere else, it's one less problem.

The only power tool I haven't converted to electric is my snow blower. And that's because when I need it. I can need it for anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours. Far faster to top up a tank in that situation than stop halfway through, drag the blower home, and wait for batteries.

But I'm absolutely done with small engine carbs if I can help it. And I've made a lot of friends and helped a lot of people with my small engine repair skills. So it's not a lack of tools or knowledge. Just the outright annual hassle of them I'm tired of. If I'm grabbing a tool, be it a vehicle or a chainsaw, I expect it to work in that moment, and carburators are the antithesis to that.