Best tool system for expedition vehicle? (2 Viewers)

[cnd]

My antique DeWalt 18v NiMh needs to go. The sea of different systems in the tool store did my head in!

I realize everyone has their fave - but - there must be things people wish their system had, or things they have that other systems don't have... hence my question!

My goals:

#1 - safe to store in a locked and closed car parked in the searing hot midday sun

#2 - things it should support:-
decent chainsaw for clearing tracks
thing to remove wheel nuts (I'm not a mechanic - not sure what these are called? rattle gun maybe?)
drill
angle grinder
tyre pump

#3 - nice to have
miniature blower-vac
can charge from 12v (nice if it could fast-charge from my 360amp deep cycle setup)

#4 - things I don't know I need yet.
I've only done limited touring so-far, so I'm hoping I can rely on the "wisdom of others" to figure out what things are available that would be worth having (water/fuel pumps maybe? lights? - I don't know what I don't know!)

My setup is a LandCruiser 200 series with roof-top tent, 600W solar, 360AH Lifepo4 and 3000W inverter.
Plan is extended remote touring

Chris.

 

[ntsqd]

Chainsaw may be your biggest hurdle as most of those run on higher voltage than other hand tools. Milwaukee has done multiple batteries on one tool for some applications. It may well be that they offer a two battery chainsaw too.

I have found that Milwaukee offers a battery charger that will run off of 12 VDC vehicle electrical. This charger will charge both their M18 and their M12 batteries. I do not yet have much experience with mine.

 

[PIP]

I would carry a gas chainsaw for clearing roads. That's a big ask for a battery saw. One 12" tree across the trail means you will be making atleast a few cuts to get it off the road.

Every time I visit my gold mine I go through a couple tanks of fuel in my little 16" saw.

 

[SteadfastRocky]

I would buy what's available to you locally to get replacement batteries, accessories, so on.

I would stick to Makita, Dewalt, and Milwaukee if possible.

As far as the saw, kind of depends on your vegetation. If I lived in the PNW I would go gas saw, I see you are in a different part of the world, so I can't speak to what you need. We run an electric saw and have found it to be adequate. There are other trade offs that make the electric saw worth it.

 

[e9999]

Long story, but if you want a good small handy chainsaw, I would go with Makita or Milwaukee over Dewalt. But I also prefer the first 2 brands overall anyway. I imagine all the big 3 would have all the tools you described. The impression I have is that Makita has more name recognition and reach among the general DIY population (so maybe easier resale) and likely more tools but that some specific Milwaukee tools may be more pro-oriented and top in performance. Both are very high quality and you can't go wrong.
That was a bit US-centric admittedly. I imagine you can get Makita tools easily enough in Oz but can you even get Milwaukee?
Btw, if you're starting in a new platform you may want to think about what voltage levels you want to commit to, like with Makita, do you go 18V or 40V? Big decision that one...

 

[ntsqd]

FWIW we have a home use 16" bar 40VDC electric chainsaw. I expected to need to recharge it frequently when in use. That has proven NOT to be the case at all. I completely cut up a ~10' bushy tree that fell victim to a cold snap with it's initial charge, and then a neighbor borrowed it to trim her large, overgrown Locust tree. All this on the initial charge and it still had a little juice in the battery.

For small limbing, camp chores, etc. I'm carrying wood blades for the Hacksall.

 

[SteadfastRocky]

FWIW we have a home use 16" bar 40VDC electric chainsaw. I expected to need to recharge it frequently when in use. That has proven NOT to be the case at all. I completely cut up a ~10' bushy tree that fell victim to a cold snap with it's initial charge, and then a neighbor borrowed it to trim her large, overgrown Locust tree. All this on the initial charge and it still had a little juice in the battery.

For small limbing, camp chores, etc. I'm carrying wood blades for the Hacksall.

I agree, my 12in XR Dewalt was shockingly light on the battery. The creek in our backyard is seasonal and requires upkeep, when I got the saw I expected to get 1 tree per battery. I made it through all 6 hardwood trees in the 8-10inch diameter range at the base, with some power to spare. I had to resharpen the chain before I had to change the battery.

 

[Land Shark]

I carry the following and so far have not needed more. All Milwaukee


Stays in the truck/trucks full time

3/8" drive M12 I like this because it keeps the form factor small enough
light source M12
1/2" HD (big) impact M18
1/2" small impact (gun style) M18
1/4 impact M18
1/2" regular drill M18
(1) combo charger for M12/M18
(4) m12 batteries (2-2.0 and 2-3.0)
(2) M18 5.0ah batteries
(2) M18 12.0ah batteries
small hand held bow saw

For off road/camping trips I add the following

16" chainsaw M18
2 - 12 AH batteries

No keep in mind I am not typically going down trails for 100's of miles that would require clearing a ton of downs trees.

I have seen many though using the electric chainsaws to great success here lately. I like the fact that you can set the charger up in the truck and top off your batteries.

 

[ntsqd]

Amazon: Milwaukee M12 & M18 Vehicle based battery charger

 

[SteadfastRocky]

I carry the following and so far have not needed more. All Milwaukee


Stays in the truck/trucks full time

3/8" drive M12 I like this because it keeps the form factor small enough
light source M12
1/2" HD (big) impact M18
1/2" small impact (gun style) M18
1/4 impact M18
1/2" regular drill M18
(1) combo charger for M12/M18
(4) m12 batteries (2-2.0 and 2-3.0)
(2) M18 5.0ah batteries
(2) M18 12.0ah batteries
small hand held bow saw

For off road/camping trips I add the following

16" chainsaw M18
2 - 12 AH batteries

No keep in mind I am not typically going down trails for 100's of miles that would require clearing a ton of downs trees.

I have seen many though using the electric chainsaws to great success here lately. I like the fact that you can set the charger up in the truck and top off your batteries.

Gawd damn that's a selection, ready for anything!

 

[UPR LC]

I run Milwaukee tools.

Their tire inflator is one of the fastest (I don't have one personally) based on youtube tests.
Their chainsaw is great, I would carry two large capacity batteries if you plan to cut a lot of wood. The batteries can take a long time to charge from fully depleted. Bar oil does leak when not using saw, so you will need a storage box that can collect/soak up the oil.
Their impact guns (your rattle gun) are very powerful.
Their packout container system interlocks and is pretty nice if that is something you would consider.

I have used their power tools for a long time, they seem to be one of (if not the) best in the market place.
Just a side note, I have the leaf blower at home that uses the same battery as the chainsaw and it works really well for not being gas powered.

Just note that the chainsaw and some other larger tools need the High Output M18 batteries to work. The impact gun and other smaller hand tools use the more common M18 batteries.

 

[Land Shark]

to tack on to @UPR LC and the yard tools. I also use their trimmer, blower, lawn mower, pole saw, and hedge trimmers. over all they work well for my needs around the house and yard

 

[FJ60Seth]

Another vote for Milwaukee. I have a 1/2” impact gun that seems unstoppable. Also a 3/8” impact and a 3/8” ratchet. Around home I use a leaf blower to clean the garage and the rain gutters.