Chain Saw recogmendations

[5030]

samisam:

Are you one of those guys who run around with the trailer behind your pickup with no lights or turn signals that work on it?? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[5030]

Spiker:

Whatever saw you finally get, make sure it has a greaseable roller nose bar and if it comes with anti-kickback chain, loose that and get .404 chipper chain. The only difference between anti-kickback and regular chipper is the projection on the raker's. Get a saw with enough power to run .404. The .380 has a substantially smaller tooth and won't sharpen nearly as many times as the .404.

When you get the saw, get a couple of chain files and a small mill file too. Learn the proper method for sharpening a chain and keep your files with you when you go cutting. I always keep my chains sharp. It's easy to file a chain once you learn the proper method. A good tip as to ascertain when a chain needs touched up is when the wood pitch starts to build up on the heel of the tooth. Also, get yourself a couple of disposable grease guns with needle tips for greasing the roller nose. Grease it before you start cutting and about every hour after that and when you are done. Use a good grade of bar oil, don't use old motor oil. You need a gear type oil with a good film thickness to lube the sliding chain along the bar. Again, I use 85-90 or 85-140 GL4-5 gear oil, but you can buy bar oil.

I have a bench mounted chain grinder that I had leftover from my tree business but I only use it as a last resort, like if I hit a nail and chip a tooth. When you grind a chain, you remove a lot of tooth. Filing is much better and the chains will last a long time. The chainsaw owner that takes his chains to the shop to be ground every time is just wasting money on chains. Your local shop loves that customer, they get to sell him loops on a regular basis.

Watch your drive sprocket too. The rule of thumb is for every 2 chains, replace the sprocket. Watch the wear on the drive plane of the sprocket. When it becomes excessive, replace it. If you use a good bar lubricant, the wear is minimal and a sprocket can last through more than 2 chains.

Every time you switch chains, take the bar off, clean the chain groove with something that will fit to the bottom of the groove like a plastic credit card. The re-install the bar, but flip it over so the top is now on the bottom. That allows the bar to wear evenly on both faces.

Keep the chain tension fairly tight. You want the chain to contact the bar all along it's bottom edge and when you pull the chain away from the edge, you want it to "snap" back. Experience will tell you how tight. A chain that is too loose will tend to track out of the bar groove and come off.

 

[Rip]

Real good chain saw tips..... probably makes much more difference than the specific brand or model of saw (within a particular range of course).

Rip

 

[Egon]

Are you comparing apples to apples or oranges to apples or ????

Egon

 

[Egon]

5030:

Good advice but what does one use in place of credit cards? Mine were all recalled; something about payment.

Egon

 

[5030]

Egon:

I just suggested a credit card, preferrably an expired one. Gatorboy probably has many, expired and otherwise. I guess a girl could use her fingernail. Mine aren't that long, however. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[PhilNH5]

Daryl,
I am a weekend warrior when it comes to wood cutting - just enough to heat my house. I thought your tips were excellent.

Regarding the nose roller. If Spiker goes with a Stihl they specifically tell you not to grease the roller. My dealer told me this and I checked it on their web site as well.

Also the replacable nose roller may offer little economic incentive for a non-professional.

Phil

 

[5030]

Phil:

I never heard of not greasing the roller nose. I use rollmatic bars (Stihl). There is a grease hole on each side of the roller nose. No grease is news to me, but then, my saw is at least 25 years old. It will probably outlast me. That is the powerhead. I am sure a few more bars, chains and drive sprockets are in order.

 

[Typhoon]

Hello. You should head over to arboristsite.com and do your research on chainsaws there. It is the biggest chainsaw site on the internet. I have been using saws for years and years, and for alot of the time, 6-8 hours per day. I can tell you that as far as brand is concerned, it doesnt really matter as long as you pick from one of these... Husky, Stihl, Jonsered, Dolmar, or Echo. Those are your top 5. And as far as which brand is best, I would have to say all of them are. Pick the saw based on what feels best to you, the one that has the best power-to-weight ratio, and the one that meets the needs of the application. Also price is a governing factor as well. Unless you are going to be cutting huge stuff, an 18" - 20" bar will be plenty big. I use a 24" bar on the saw that I use to drop trees, but both of my bucking/limbing saws have 18" bars on them. I personally use Huskys, but that is just preference. With most of the brands mentioned, there is a "homeowner" version and a "pro" version. HOWEVER, I can tell you that the difference is so small that it will not be a factor. For example, for my firewood business, I use a Husky 350 (so-called homeowners model) and a Husky 346XP (so-called pro-model). I can tell you, both saws are top-notch, and I am confident that the 350 will last just as long. The only difference in the two saws is that the xp model has a steel crankcase and the other has plastic. But if you know anything about saws, you will know that it doesnt make hardly any difference anyways. Also, some ppl were talking about bars. Depending on what you are doing, the stock bar that comes on it should be fine. You dont need to get any fancy kind of bar end or "replaceable-nose" bar. And I have bars that I have been using for 5 years on a daily basis and I have never greased the tips. And all of the guys I have worked with never grease theirs either. Plenty of oil gets down on the bearings from the chain oiler. If you are going to be doing heavy duty cutting, look into a GB Pro-Top bar or similar. It is a solid bar as opposed to laminated and made of high carbon steel. I can cut daily with one for 2 years before replacement. They are great. As far as chain, I have yet to run a chain that is higher quality than Carlton chain. The only chain other than that for me would be Stihl RS chain. It is also good stuff. Oregon chain has been going downhill (especially this last 2 months) with their steel quality. Their chains are getting much too soft so they dont hold an edge long at all. Also someone mentioned that the Jonsereds are "Turbo". They are not really turbo at all. They simply have a centrifigul-force air feed system that keeps the intake air much cleaner than a standard saw. Husky started this, with what they call "Air Injection". It is the same principle. It keeps the air filter much cleaner for longer. Its a nice feature. Hopefully this helped you a little. LIke I said before, check out arboristsite.com.
Good luck in your search!
-Brad /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[PhilNH5]

Daryl,
It must be a relatively new feature. On the Stihl site they say

"Concealed inside the bar nose, the sprocket on the STIHL ROLLOMATIC® E-Standard is securely protected against corrosive and abrasive dirt. STIHL guide bars don't need to be greased."
This is in big bold letters.
But under accessories they have the little grease guns for the rollers. I assume they would be for the older saws and at 25 years yours definitely qualifies. My home owners 025C doesn't have any holes to lube the sprocket. I sure hope it lasts half as long as yours.

Phil

 

[samisam]

Daryl,
I just salvaged my computer and saw your post about trailer with no lights on them. I run 2 trucks (1 w/trialer and LIGHTS, one Isuzu NPR with caged bed) in a professional Lawncare and Landscping business. As far as product knowledge on equipment, I have worked for two lawn and garden manufacturers in sales and marketing for over twenty years and know alot of factory guys for most major companies. I am new here and try to give unbiased opinions since I have been around and probably used most of this equipment others are posting about. I'm sure people on this post get tired of being told they need a stihl when a Poulan will do the once a year cord of wood just as well.
Samisam /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[5030]

samisam:

At least you admit you are "new" here.

The original poster asked for the posters "preference" and my preference is Stihl. That preference is from my "personal hands on experience".

I don't make it a point of being tedious with posts, I don't have the time, nor want to.

I don't really care if you cut your wood with a hacksaw. You want to discuss it, don't do it here. My profile has my e-mail address. Do it privately.

As far as lawncare businesses. I have followed numerous "lawn care" trailers behind pickup trucks with no lights, turn signals or DOT required reflective tape on them. As a professional steel hauler I must adhere to regualtions concerning proper lighting and working turn indicators. You should to. Or should I say, "lawn care professionals".

In closing, I'll mow my own lawn, thank you.

 

[tough451]

I have a 50 husky bought during Hurricane Hugo, I also have a Echo weed eater that is the same age 14 yrs. If I had to buy another saw now it would be an echo just for dealer preference. But you cant go wrong with Sthil, Husky or Echo. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[BigDave]

I own quite a few Husky products primarily due to the quality of the local Husky dealer. That said, I have no info or prejudice against the other brand, but I only own Huskys. I did my last cutting/yard-work in September of last year. My saws, weedwhackers & blower all sat in my shed for six months with gas in the tanks & no fuel preservative. I started all of my garden tools a few saturdays ago. The 372XP chainsaw started right up with two or three pulls. The model 350 didn't start after ten or so pulls. I went to my 12yr old Mod61 Rancher, two pulls and shes going. Then I went over to my 245RX brush cutter ($$) and it started right up. I then went to the 326LX and it took about 20 pulls before it was going. The leaf blower took about twenty pulls before it was started. Okay, I have pattern, the consumer stuff isn't so forgiving as the "pro" equipment. Now I take another try at that 350 chainsaw, twenty more pulls & nothing. I'm getting tired & move to the bigger toys. My Toro tiller with a Honda engine,: it starts right up one the first pull. Now my Honda push mower, well not so good, it took about 10-15 pulls & a lot of choke work. Yes, I left the fuel turned on for both of the Honda engines all winter. Now the 350 again - 10 pulls and I'm off to get the screwdriver so that I will be able to spritz some fuel on the air-filter. I take the cover off, and the air filter is pretty much clogged. I take the filter off & she starts right up.

Just some shared experiences from a tool abuser. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[jhines]

I dig chainsaws. They are a terribly useful tool that all home/property owners should have. I am generally a Stihl person. In your (and anyone's) position, please consider the dealer network. You cannot go wrong with Stihl, Husqvarna, Jonsered, Dolmar/Makita. If you deviate into the cheap, more mass-market saws they will fail you. The average cheapy saw (including the Husky 100 series saw) are designed to throw away after 50 hours of use. Truth is, you would be better off buying a used Stihl, Husky, Dolmar/Makita, or Solo than a new Mac, Craftsman, Poulan, etc. Always use good gas, good two-stroke oil, and good bar oil. I personally buy Pro level saws (they are good for me). I do not recommend such a saw for two reasons: expense and useability. With a Pro saw, a twenty inch bar comes standard on a high RPM lightweight saw (for limbing and ground work) whereas a good stump and felling saw is too heavy for all day use. I would recommend something like a Stihl MS260 or MS290, a Dolmar PS540 (Makita DCS540), or a Husky Rancher 55. I think something bigger would probably be overkill and all of these saws will run a 20" 3/8ths just fine. Incidentally, all of their websites list saw weight, horsepower, and displacement. The best saw for long term use will be the lightest in your respective horsepower/displacement group - if you don't use it a lot at one time, wieght isn't as important. Remember that a saw with less HP at a given displacement usually has more torque than one with more HP at that same displacement. This means less opportunity for jams and more opportunity for stump work or bigger bars. You can buy Dolman/Makita and Husky over the web - Stihl you must buy from a real dealer.

Hope this helps, email me if you would like more specifics.

Jon

 

[RWEST]

My experience is totally Stihl and Husky. I currently have 11 chainsaws, 6 Huskies (261, 357XP, 2-365's, 372XP and 385XP) and 5 Stihls (026, 036, 046, 056 and 066). I'm no logger, but do a lot of cutting, plus, at least according to the missus, I like to collect things /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Of the bunch, the 365 Husky is the one I go to first, all the time; I like it so much I got a second one. For an all-around saw, I can't imagine a better one than the 365. The 036 is close, but the 365 just feels better, for whatever reason. Both of those are in the $500 +/- range, depending on bar length, but, should give a lifetime of use. For occasional use, the "homeowner's series" in either brand should suffice, but, I like the generally lighter weight and higher HP to weight ratio of the "pro series".

Madsen's has the best prices I've found for Huskies; Stihl, I believe, is hurting themselves by keeping sales of their product off the 'Net.

When buying the saw, get proper protective gear and use it. Those things can do major damage in a heartbeat.

 

[polecat]

gonna have to postpone a reply now but want athis on my fav's!! love all 3 of my saws...husky 41 for climbing...sthil ms 290..med to big..and heavy cuttin...and my big daddy with a 4' bar...jonsered 2095 turbo..4 the really big stuff!!!..all r wonderful and have a purpose 4 each!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RWEST]

I was speaking strictly from a "want the best bang for my buck" perspective, slammer. You are correct, of course, in that the local dealer, who has to maintain a building, parts supply, people, etc.., needs factory backing, but, too often they (speaking of my local Stihl guy) charge way more than they should for the product.

The 066, admittedly a pretty high dollar item, was $120.00 more at the local shop than at one 50 miles away, the local guy wouldn't budge on the price, so I bought it from the guy 50 miles distant. I can't see how that helped the local guy any. I think the more saws out there, regardless of where they're purchased, the more chances of one needing some work, so, the average guy will take it to the local Sithl/Husky shop to get it worked on, rather than send it back to where he got it. That's what I do with mine, anyway.