What is the good Chainsaw for clearing?

[Tractorbaja]

I have two Stihl climbing saws with 14" bars, one of which was given to me at my company because it stopped running, which turned out to be a clogged spark arrestor. It had been sorely abused by several ignorant employees but it is still going strong. I put a carbide chain on it and have cut about two cords of oak, mesquite, and ironwood over the last three years and have not had it sharpened. I have another identical Stihl that I got a good deal on and a bigger Stihl. They all are easy to start and very reliable.

 

[jyoutz]

I have two Stihl climbing saws with 14" bars, one of which was given to me at my company because it stopped running, which turned out to be a clogged spark arrestor. It had been sorely abused by several ignorant employees but it is still going strong. I put a carbide chain on it and have cut about two cords of oak, mesquite, and ironwood over the last three years and have not had it sharpened. I have another identical Stihl that I got a good deal on and a bigger Stihl. They all are easy to start and very reliable.

If you haven’t sharpened your chain or filed the rackers after cutting two cords, then you need to do this before using the saw again. Otherwise you are burning the teeth on your chain and wearing it out prematurely.

 

[ericm979]

Gas with ethanol eventually destroys carburetors.

I have OPE that's been running E10 for 25 years on the original carb. In fact I have never replaced a carb in any of my small engines, and all I run is E10. I'd run E0 if it was available locally at a reasonable price, but it's not.

I am however pretty good about running carbs dry when I store equipment for more than a month. I've been doing that since before ethanol in gas was a thing. Any gas, even E0, gums up carbs if you let it dry up in them. But with some equipment I can't do that and it's still been fine.

The Stihl CM saws run great. Unlike regular carburetors they never need adjustment to account for temperature or elevation change. Most people just run their saws with the carb set to whever the shop set it to, then wonder why it does not make the power it used to or in the worst case, why it seized. I try to always be aware of how the engine is running and will tune the carb when needed. With Mtronic I never have to, it's always tuned right. The Mtronic system is very simple and reliable.

 

[big bubba]

Why can't the manufacturers adjust? The auto industry did.

actually that's a good point, hadn't thought of it or seen anything to it's point given the importance of using non ethanol for 2 cycle

 

[newbury]

What is a good Chainsaw that starts on the first pull, lightweight but powerful, and doesnt breakdown after a day or two of heavy cutting..?

As stated even a cold Stihl doesn't start on the first pull.

What is required is a D8 with a brush rake. The chainsaw sounds good but it is not the proper tool for what is required!

First pretreat with napalm. Worked in 'Nam.

The auto industries now use fuel injection. Gas with ethanol eventually destroys carburetors. Fuel injection is probably not economically feasible on small engines, so they still have carburetors. I always fill my small equipment fuel cans with ethanol free gas at a local petroleum dealer (at a considerably higher cost than standard gas with ethanol). Even though the ethanol free fuel is expensive, i only use about 10-20 gallons per summer for my small engine equipment.

Get up to date:
Stihl MS 500i
The MS 500i is the first chain saw on the worldwide market with electronically controlled fuel injection.

​

 

[jyoutz]

I have OPE that's been running E10 for 25 years on the original carb. In fact I have never replaced a carb in any of my small engines, and all I run is E10. I'd run E0 if it was available locally at a reasonable price, but it's not.

I am however pretty good about running carbs dry when I store equipment for more than a month. I've been doing that since before ethanol in gas was a thing. Any gas, even E0, gums up carbs if you let it dry up in them. But with some equipment I can't do that and it's still been fine.

The Stihl CM saws run great. Unlike regular carburetors they never need adjustment to account for temperature or elevation change. Most people just run their saws with the carb set to whever the shop set it to, then wonder why it does not make the power it used to or in the worst case, why it seized. I try to always be aware of how the engine is running and will tune the carb when needed. With Mtronic I never have to, it's always tuned right. The Mtronic system is very simple and reliable.

I have taken more than one small engine for carburetor replacement

I have OPE that's been running E10 for 25 years on the original carb. In fact I have never replaced a carb in any of my small engines, and all I run is E10. I'd run E0 if it was available locally at a reasonable price, but it's not.

I am however pretty good about running carbs dry when I store equipment for more than a month. I've been doing that since before ethanol in gas was a thing. Any gas, even E0, gums up carbs if you let it dry up in them. But with some equipment I can't do that and it's still been fine.

The Stihl CM saws run great. Unlike regular carburetors they never need adjustment to account for temperature or elevation change. Most people just run their saws with the carb set to whever the shop set it to, then wonder why it does not make the power it used to or in the worst case, why it seized. I try to always be aware of how the engine is running and will tune the carb when needed. With Mtronic I never have to, it's always tuned right. The Mtronic system is very simple and reliable.

i have replaced more than one small engine carburetor due to ethanol fuel. So how do you run them dry? Siphon the fuel from the tank and then let the carburetor run dry?

 

[Rockbadchild]

I have taken more than one small engine for carburetor replacement

i have replaced more than one small engine carburetor due to ethanol fuel. So how do you run them dry? Siphon the fuel from the tank and then let the carburetor run dry?

leaving them on the shelf dry is not a good idea ether every seal and hoses dry up and leaks you better use non ethanol fuel…

 

[CADplans]

I have had a Stihl 029 Super for just over 20 years,, THEN,,,
I walked into the dealer, and picked up a Stihl MS261C-M.

The saw, power-wise is pretty close to my 029,, but,, it is 30% lighter,, and it is narrower.
I bought it on the spot..

So,, my recommendation would depend on the age of the user.
The 029 was perfect 20 years ago,, the MS261C-M is perfecter now,,,

 

[ndavis]

As I posted before, I am clearing several lots, and need a good chainsaw to tackle the bigger trees and can grind them down afterward with a stump grinder. But you really cant find out much of anything out of the stores on what works for solid pine and oak that we have down here. What is a good Chainsaw that starts on the first pull, lightweight but powerful, and doesnt breakdown after a day or two of heavy cutting..?

Sjstyles nailed it. It appears to me that the chainsaw you are looking for doesn't exist. You will always have to balance the power you want against the weight you can comfortably handle. My personal solution is to buy the biggest powerhead I can comfortably handle and run it with the shortest bar that will do what I need. Good maintenance assists with starting and longevity. Regardless of what you choose, clearing is just hard work.

 

[kenmac]

Power, easy start (1-2nd pull) and light weight doesn't exist that I'm aware of.
I have a Husky 372XP that's much easier to start than my husky 55 rancher

The 372 has decompression button and the 55 doesn't.
The 372 is powerful, but not really light weight, but not really bad either.

Good luck with your search