We have snow much snow and ice here right now. Driveways are getting narrower and narrower. It takes forever to chip the ice away. Can you use a chainsaw to cut through the ice? There is no dirt in the ice and snow. Just a thought??
Good idea bad idea?
- Thread starter FireAnt
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They use chainsaws for carving ice sculptures and to harvest blocks of ice from lakes, so technically the answer would be YES but... underneath that ice there must be bad things for the chain.
Why not use an ice chisel?
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Why not use an ice chisel?
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That's what we have been using. The thought just crossed my mind for the saw. The stuff I would be cutting into is just the snow I snowblowed. It is getting so thick and tall now. Some people have 3 feet of ice 5+ feet tall with one lane into the driveway. You can only chip so much before your arms fall off...
Time for a big cat and a blizzard buster!! or a bob-cat and a little bucket. Na, bigger is better!
FireAnt said:
If it's that bad then YES.... Chain is somewhat cheep. I'd get a new chain and use the old chain for cutting ice/snow only. If it makes it easier on you then spending a extra $10 to $20 is worth it.
During one especially bad stretch a couple years back I used my Partner K650 gas quickie saw with 12" diamond blade (same saw used in cutting stone slabs/landscaping) to cut a few trenches in 4"-5" thick ice & compacted snow. 3-4 passes,then hit it with 6ft long piece of 1 1/2" rebar with chisel point sawed on one end to bust things up.That rebar must weigh 15 pounds,all I do is drop it,very little lifting involved.
Forget about the ice wait 'til the sun melts it. Around here that might be late March or into April.
jebatty said:
Yea, or move to California. Its about 80 degrees now. If it weren't for all the beer at these super bowl parties, we'd be in bad shape
It may sound crazy but it worked really well. My neighbors looked at me a little crossed eyed but I was done in 20 minutes...
I use an old mattock when I don't have the tractor available. Works pretty good for busting up a snow/ice covered wood pile as well. Something like this.
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I personally wouldn't waste my good chain saw on ice...........gimme a ton of salt, and a hand ice chipper and I'm "good to go" as they say.
-Soupy1957
-Soupy1957
Hold on. Warmer temperatures are on the way. It got to 44 yesterday and we lost a lot of snow. We're into a cool-down mode again with 12 forecast tonight but back into the 40's yet again this week with possibly some rain will melt off another big batch of it. With luck we may see some bare ground soon
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Don't think I would use my chainsaw to saw through ice . . . too much of a chance of going into the ground or hitting a rock or clump of dirt that I might have plowed up . . . now if I was chainsawing a hole in the ice of a pond or lake . . . yeah . . . no problem.
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