Tree chopper

timw1

timw1

Swamp Yankee
Platinum Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Messages
392
What is the best knife (without breaking the bank) to chop trees? I work in Law Enforcement. I used to work in the city and didn't have a need for such a blade. I have since retired and now work for a small rural town. On occasion I have had to stand by and wait for the town crew to clear the road for a tree blocking the travel portion. What would you guys recommend I use to get the job done? I'm not talking about chopping a 60" diameter tree trunk. Thanks for your replies! Oh, and don't give me the sh1t about using the search function..........lol

Tim
 
Ka-Bar Becker BK 2 Campanion. Its a beast. Plenty of heft to get through good sized branches.
 
What's the maximum size you're willing to carry? My suggestions will depend on that. Based on what I'm able to infer so far, though, I'd suggest a compact machete and a small folding saw.

Edit to add: And providing you're not averse to the idea of a 12"-14" bladed machete, there are several different ones I could suggest depending on your preferences. A short machete/folding saw combo will do wonders for the sort of work you're describing.
 
I've heard about Becker and done a lot of reading on the Beckerhead forum. What would be s good fit for chopping 6" 12" diameter trees" After 12" I might as well wait for the public works guys.
 
Small hatchet is probably the most durable and versatile.

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Bob W said:
Small hatchet is probably the most durable and versatile.

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Been thinking about that. I'm always a little late on buying a custom one from one of the makers on here.
 
Look at the condor knife and tool, they have some options like the kumunga, boomslang, kukri or even a heavier machete.

I would also look into getting a large folding saw (corona comes to mind).
 
I have a Kbar cutlass machete and it does a mighty fine job. Comes with a decent dangling sheath. Just chopped down dozens of 8" diameter white pines for a project. Pretty nice I have to say. If you are attracted to Beckers why not treat yourself to a BK9? Chops good. You'll be the talk of your small town....but yeah, some sort of saw might not be a bad idea.
 
getridone said:
I have a Kbar cutlass machete and it does a mighty fine job. Comes with a decent dangling sheath. Just chopped down dozens of 8" diameter white pines for a project. Pretty nice I have to say. If you are attracted to Beckers why not treat yourself to a BK9? Chops good. You'll be the talk of your small town....but yeah, some sort of saw might not be a bad idea.
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Becker is well respected with the folks on here, I will look into the BK9. I have researched the Becker knives, just don't know all the inns and outs of them. Thank you!
 
I work in the woods and trees fall across the roads during the storms. We carry chainsaws, axes, brush axes etc to take care of this and get back to work. Well, the other day there was a large alder in the road. The chainsaw wouldn't start, so it gave me an opportunity to try out my new KaBar Kukri. It made quick work of the alder, numerous small branches, medium branches and a couple 8-10 inch trunks. I was very impressed, so was my co-worker. The KaBar is not too big either (compared to axes and machetes), I almost wish it was a little longer for better use as a machete. I'm currently thinking about the Cold Steel Magnum Kukri for a few more inches. There's quite a few models, manufacturers, price points, etc to look at. Having used hatchets and axes, I'd say the kukri was much easier to use than either for clearing this tree out of the road.

Summary: Check out kukris.
 
To echo what fourtytwoblades has said, I would go with a folding saw, and some sort of machete like object. Heck, even a pocket chainsaw would be a great idea. I guess it just depends on if you are going to carry it on you, or just in the car. I keep a 10in corona saw in the jeep, and that will make short work of most trunks of the size you're talking about.

I don't have much experience with Machetes, so I'll defer to fourtytwoblades on this one.

Also, I have a Becker BK9 that is a great chopper for its size, and in my opinion great blade, but maybe not for what you are talking about. That is unless you would like to have one anyway, because they are great blades. Mine out chops my my hatchet by quite a margin, but admittedly my hatchet is less than awesome.

Good luck man :D.
 
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