Best and worst chainsaw?

[DarkBlack]

Do you have unusual sprocket wear with that 36" bar.
Does it stop in the wood if you get too deep at all?

Anything special done to the 390? Muffler/tune to run that bar?
Skip or full ?

Sounds interesting.

If this is a CS590 (60cc’s) I wouldn’t wouldn’t go larger than 24”. 20” is most reasonable. 36” is way too long for that even with a skip tooth chain.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I find you guys runs very long bars in general, with my 60cc I run a 16'', I find a 20'' bogged down the saw right up. I get that you do what you have too when you are cutting large diameter tree which is rarely my case but still.

 

[DarkBlack]

I find you guys runs very long bars, with my 60cc I run a 16'' I find a 20'' bogged down the saw right up. I get that you do what you have too when you are cutting large diameter tree which is rarely my case but still.

My largest bar is 32”. I only use it when absolutely necessary, and with a skip tooth chain, on my 372xp (71cc). That bar sucks up a lot of hp, and makes the saw really nose heavy and overall heavy. It comes back off ASAP, and the 20” bar goes back on.
It takes everything that performance saw has to run that big bar.

 

[fishhead]

Holy moly,how big are the trees on your trails? More often than not, this is what I use for trail work.

View attachment 1576328

they can be quite big (nw MT), with deadfall having a bit more reach helps too especially on limbing.

 

[fishhead]

I find you guys runs very long bars in general, with my 60cc I run a 16'', I find a 20'' bogged down the saw right up. I get that you do what you have too when you are cutting large diameter tree which is rarely my case but still.

I'm cutting mostly fir and larch so it's easy cutting compared to hardwoods, Also i run full skip so that helps keep the speed up and allows for good chip clearing. With a sharp chain the 67cc 400C cuts fine

 

[BnRidge]

I find you guys runs very long bars in general, with my 60cc I run a 16'', I find a 20'' bogged down the saw right up. I get that you do what you have too when you are cutting large diameter tree which is rarely my case but still.

Sharpening matters a lot. The ms462 here at first cut fantastic new, well balanced power to the chain. I sharpened it once and rendered the saw useless. Too much was taken off the rakers, to the point where I removed that chain and put on new. And of course the saw cut like new again. Watch those depth teeth. Also - skip chain - sometimes when a chain is at the end of it's life, with some teeth missing, huh, oddly productive. Whatever it takes to get the saw back up on it's power curve.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Sharpening matters a lot. The ms462 here at first cut fantastic new, well balanced power to the chain. I sharpened it once and rendered the saw useless. Too much was taken off the rakers, to the point where I removed that chain and put on new. And of course the saw cut like new again. Watch those depth teeth. Also - skip chain - sometimes when a chain is at the end of it's life, with some teeth missing, huh, oddly productive. Whatever it takes to get the saw back up on it's power curve.

Skip tooth might be the way, I've never try but I have no need to to have a 20'' bar, I don't cut 40'' diameter trees everyday ...I grew up with a 70cc so when I got my chainsaw 60cc with a 20'' bar and I wasn't impress by it, I was like this is a 60cc and it feels like a 50cc then I put a 16 inch bar on it and it was much better (higher RPM). My recipe for rackers is 2 files stroke as soon as I put it on then I will periodically file them down as the chains wear down, I will double check with the raker gauge if needed but I can tell when I am cutting with it if they are too file down or not enough.

 

[kenmbz]

I use the 620p regularly on 20-30+ inch trees mostly.
The 24" bar and chain hardly ever bogs down, I sharpen by hand after each use.
20" bar takes too long to cut through these with cuts from both sides.

I switch the 490 between 20" and 18" bar based on what I am cutting. I find the 20" perfect for felling smaller 12-16" trees. 18" for anything smaller. Pole saw for anything under 6"

Neither saw is modded in any way, just tuned properly by my shop, since he does these all the time. I know when to pay for experience.

 

[kozal01]

I find you guys runs very long bars in general, with my 60cc I run a 16'', I find a 20'' bogged down the saw right up. I get that you do what you have too when you are cutting large diameter tree which is rarely my case but still.

I run a 20" on my 50cc Stihl 261, I can bog it in big hardwood if I horse it but overall it handles it just as well at the 18" it had stock. I went with the 20" to save my bad back a bit when bucking.

 

[careyo63]

My Go to saw is a Husqvarna Farm Tough 55. Had it for decades. 1995 era. Old and injury's so I also use a Echo CS-3510 for the smaller limbs and trimming.
Almost 1 Yr. old come Jan.. I was surprised how well it works, starts and cuts. It is really easy to use on small debris. The 55 is Old school and just plain and simple a BA. saw!!. 18" Besides chains I had the shop where the echo was purchased rebuild the Carb. and replace the muffler. Still use the Org. bar. They even complemented it! You could tell when I got it back they didn't miss a lick... Runs and cuts like it was new.

 

[Snobdds]

I put a 20 inch bar on my Poulan 655 just to try it. Yeah it screams, but it doesn't put enough load on the engine and kind of falls on it's face. Just like my Stihl 090, it needs a good load on the engine to really pull. It weird but as you get up there in horsepower, longer bars are a lot better. Counterintuitive

, but it does make sense.

 

[walhondingMF]

Big fan of my 562xp. Its an original model and I do have to stay specific to starting instructions when it is warm outside. Still starts great as long as you follow the protocols. I have a 24" bar with a semi- chain. Almost exclusively cut hardwoods. The saw has no issues with the 24" bar, especially if I sharpen the chain correctly. It is a woodland pro bar, so its not light and it is a bit nose heavy. The saw really outperforms its size and I am considering a 28" super light bar for it. I like the few extra inches to not bend over as far (I am 6'3").
My local dealer sells Stihl, Husky and Echo. They are all big Echo fans and say they would buy anything Echo... with the exception of the 562xp. It is their favorite saw.

 

[kenhar]

If you have a son or grandson about 10 yo., give him a chainsaw with no safety gear and have him start cutting trees. Let's see how long it takes for the mother of the son to come at you like your nuts.
Report back to the group.
I'm not advocating not putting kids to work but just not put them in situations that increase their likelihood of being maimed or killed.

My oldest son started driving at 4 years old. Not on the hiway but in the pasture feeding cows. He set up in the seat on his knees so he could see over the dash. Old truck had a granny 4 speed transmission, it started in gear and stopped by turning the key off. He knows what work is and has a very good work ethic as an adult. He didn't use a chainsaw until in high school. No amount of "safety equipment" is going to keep anybody safe from a running chainsaw. A running chainsaw is ruthless and unforgiving. Cute picture of a little boy cutting wood but if that saw was running, shows carelessness and stupidity on the adult (assuming it is not another child) making the picture.

 

[fishhead]

Skip tooth might be the way, I've never try but I have no need to to have a 20'' bar, I don't cut 40'' diameter trees everyday ...I grew up with a 70cc so when I got my chainsaw 60cc with a 20'' bar and I wasn't impress by it, I was like this is a 60cc and it feels like a 50cc then I put a 16 inch bar on it and it was much better (higher RPM). My recipe for rackers is 2 files stroke as soon as I put it on then I will periodically file them down as the chains wear down, I will double check with the raker gauge if needed but I can tell when I am cutting with it if they are too file down or not enough.

If possible i like to use a bar that will get through the log in 1 cut, whether bucking for firewood or trail clearing - just more efficient.

Of en when trail clearing there's a tangled up mess so access from both sides of a cut may not be an option due to terrain the lay or safety. Since i'm carrying the saw a ways on my back i'd rather carry a bit of extra bar, chain and saw than have to walk away.

Also a 25 inch stihl bar doesn't get you 25 inch of cut- you have to subtract the dogs and even the stock ones on my saw will reduce the 25 to 23.5- same with smaller bars just the percent impact is greater

 

[ultrarunner]

If you watch any TV that carries the shows about logging, log homes, Alaskan living, etc, you'll notice that the only chain saw you see anybody use is a Stihl.

Stihl endorsed by President Bush too…

 

[ultrarunner]

If you watch any TV that carries the shows about logging, log homes, Alaskan living, etc, you'll notice that the only chain saw you see anybody use is a Stihl.

Reagan preferred an ax…

 

[2manyrocks]

No wokeness there.

 

[Williy]

I stil have my 5hp stihl from the 70's never had any
problems with it. Cutting firewood with it saved me
over 5 times the price I paid for it. Always had 2 or 3
chains sharpened when I went out to cut wood so was
able to switch when chain go dull.
Was told by one guy if you want exersize get a poulan
chain saw because you will be pullen, pullen, pullen

willy

 

[goeduck]

I have 3 saws, all Stihl professional models. 30 cc (top handle), 50 cc and 70 cc. I can't say anything bad about them, but I can't say anything bad about Husky and Echo either, only ever used them slightly.

 

[WVH1977]

I dont really have a worst saw but grew up on and have only run Stihl. My go to Stihl saw is a MS241. They were not produced very long but are Stihl Pro saws. I have a 16 inch bar on it. It is a little bit lighter than the MS261 and cuts like a champ.

Unless I have to cut big wood (use the MS361 for that), I pick up that 241 probably 80 percent of the time. It has really been a great saw. I hope it lasts for many more years.