RedMax GZ4500 Chainsaw Commercial Performance, Easy to Handle Size

For a year the old oak tree had been on the ground and I just never got around to cutting it into firewood.  The process of cutting the trunk into logs and hauling them to the splitter seemed like a job meant for cooler weather. I won’t say it was cool this weekend, but it was much cooler than September was, and with the days getting shorter, I had the itch to go ahead and finish this project.

A few products made this task easier. The first was the GX4500 chainsaw by RedMax.  The 4500 is smaller than my other saws and the RedMax’s  lighter weight makes it a better choice for finish cutting, especially when cutting springy limbs and the smaller branches commonly found on oak trees.  The RedMax 4500 blazed through the thicker diameter cuts near the base of the tree even though I was using the full 18″ of the bar. The saw weighs less than 10 pounds which allowed me to move it deftly between the smaller branches that twist and turn near  the outermost parts of limbs without the fear of losing control. In my experience, cutting the smaller springy branches has caused me more concerns with safety than the larger diameter logs.  The weight of the 4500 gives the operator more control when cutting these.

The GZ4500 puts out 2.5 hp and has the Strat0-Charge Engine,a low emission technology that doesn’t compromise power.  The GZ45oo carries a one year commercial and two year residential warranty.  RedMax places the chain adjustment screw conveniently below the hex nuts that secure the bar in place.  Many of my saws locate the screw in line with the bar and this location catches sawdust and oil making for difficult field adjustments. RedMax’s location stayed clean as seen in the photos following its use.

Other noteworthy features are its easily accesible on-off switch. Located next to the handle, I can flip the switch without removing my hand from the operating position.  The choke feature is controlled by pulling out the knob located to the right of the handle and has three positions, Run, halfway-out for Start, fully extended for full choke.  Most of my saws have a primer bulb and even when starting the RedMax my fingers look for the soft bulb, but there is not one to be found.  I don’t know that this has any effect on starting performance, but old habits die hard.

It didn’t take long to turn the felled tree into logs, and I ended up with a little less than a cord of firewood.  Here is where the other two products I mentioned made this project less painful and quicker. Precise Fit makes a nice 17 cubic feet trailer with dump feature and side extensions for hauling material behind your garden tractor. Loading the trailer up with firewood certainly easier and faster than making 70 trips with armfuls of wood from the top of the property to the log pile.  I filled the trailer up each time and the Husqvarna GTH26 Tractor never strained.  I felt like I was running a one-man mini logging operation.  Bear in mind I grew up with axes, hatchets.wedges and sledges. Transporting logs from where they were cut was strictly a lift and tote operation. Dad never let me use the chainsaw until I was a teenager and to this day, chainsaws hold a special place in my tool dreams.  The first outdoor power tool I ever lusted after was a Husqvarna Rancher 55.

I am very thankful for the garden tractor. The 26 horsepower Husqvarna has never let me down and having the attachments I need to fully utilize its three point hitch makes life much easier.  The Precise Fit trailer doesn’t require a three point hitch and can be used with a lawn tractor with sufficient towing capacity.  If you have any property at all, I heartily recommend getting one.  I have used mine for hauling bags of fertilizer, grass seed, logs, ashes from our fire pit and large rocks from the shore to be used to make an enclosurel for a new fire pit.

Having the right tools makes arduous tasks easier.  The RedMax GZ4500 is such a tool for light commercial cutting or a homeowner who seeks commercial quality in a good all around saw size.  It’s lightweight, and has a nice power/weight ratio. Being a RedMax product you can rest assured it is built for the long haul and comes with a commercial warranty of one year and residential use two year warranty.