Chainsaw selection... ideas?

[studor]

You could flip a coin between the Husky Rancher and the Stihl 290 Farm Boss. Not the newest saw in either lineup but enough power and proven reliability. Also very good sellers so parts are sure to be available. Both usually appear in "sales" during the year. Buying a used chainsaw is a bit like taking in an abandoned dog -- you never know how much abuse it suffered and how it is going to behave
I too have a Craftsman (homelite) and a Mac -- both inherited, both still running well and frequently used for blocking firewood on a sawbuck. Lots of my neighbours have Poulins that ride around in pickup boxes and see a lot of abuse and they still work -- but if I wanted one saw for most uses it would be (and is) the MS 290 Farm Boss (with an extra bar and 7 chains, three of which are always sharp). JMHO

 

[Steve C]

Tell me more about the Poulan / Husqvarna relationship! This concerns me.

NOTE: It's a tough call nowadays on some of this stuff - the old Harbor Freight vs good tools argument (finely noted earlier with the peanut butter analogy). I can get a cheapo hammerdrill for a quarter of the price of a good one and probably never every spend as much as on the good one even if I burn two of the cheapo's out. That said, some tools are "more important to have a good one" to me and a chain saw is one of those. I don't want to cut any corners there. If I could not afford it I'd probably have a Poulan though.

Nothing to be concerned about. If you buy a Husqvarna from a big box store it is a consumer saw. They don't handle the professional series saws. You have to go to a full service dealer to get a professional saw. If you buy a Poulin you are getting a consumer saw. There is nothing wrong with them. If they are adjusted and maintained you will get many years of service out of them if you don't use them 8 hours a day 5 days a week. If you have a basic understanding about air fuel mixtures and carburator adjustment you will get along with any of them very well.

It is my understanding that many of the new consumer saws have the mixture screws sealed to achieve low emisions. They are adjusted at the factory to a very lean mixture.

It can contributes to an early death if they are worked hard. Your choice is to not lean on it, or if you break the seal and adjust the mixture screw to richen the mixture it voids the warrenty. I have never seen a engine that would not benifit from some fine tuning, especially as the parts wear in and the operating parameters change. It puts the owner between a rock and a hard place. Adjust it so it won't burn up and you void the warrentee (but you probably won't need it then) or just use it with a lean mixture and take your chances. In the last 40 years I have had good results with keeping high performance 2 stroke engines properly tuned and lubricated. I fail to see the benifit of requiring engines that use less than a couple gallons a fuel a year being held to insane clean air standards at the risk a premature death.

I think the impact of having to recycle a saw and manufacture another complete saw is a far greater negitive impact to the environment than putting out a few more hydrocarbons a couple times a year.

The bottom line is this. I own a Husqvarna 372XP. It is a great tool that I will not live long enough to wear out. I also own 2 smaller Craftsman (made by Poulin) chain saws that I use 80% of the time because they are the right size for what I am doing at the moment. They get no respect in the chain saw world, but they have been cutting wood reliably for 10 or 15 years. The chain oil tanks do leak down when in storage, making a mess out of the plastic box, I would be dissapointed if my $900 Husqvarna did that, but my $55 on clearance Craftsman/Poulin can get away with it.

The 55CC Poulin with the 22" bar that I saw at tractor supply on sale for $199 still looks like a bargain to me.

 

[Steve C]

Spent 25 years in the woods and the only brand of saw I saw the loggers use was a Stihl. Husky is supposed to be good and our local saw shop that caters to loggers recommended a Husqvarna Rancher455 for firewood cutting (but that's what they had in a used saw, among others). I have heard good things about the Rancher.

My first saw was a Homelite super XL, bought used in 1975. Still runs, but the check valve in the gas cap disappeared and it leaks gas when you turn it on it's side--not good when working in the woods during fire season. Modern Homelite's are not likely to be as durable.

Bought a Stihl 029 or 039 (don't remember which) a couple years ago, same size engine as the Homelite. Wow! It cuts thru wood about twice as fast as the old Homelite. Has the advantage of more modern technology and fewer miles on the engine.

I would not waste any money on a Poulan, Homelite, Echo, etc. Since 100% of the loggers use Stihl, that says all I need to know. Husky is number 2.

The superXL 3.5 cubic inch was a good saw, a little heavy but it did vibrate some. My best friend had one and he constantly harrased me about my 4.2 cubic inch Craftsman (made by poulin). My saw came with a 24 inch bar. I installed a 16 inch bar to save some weight and it was ideal for cutting the red oak trees we were cutting at the time. I removed my bolt on bumper spikes because they would catch on the bark and slow down the cutting process. Without them the saw would drop thru the log like a hot knife thru butter. It cut twice as fast as my friends SuperXL and it had isolated handles so my hands wouldn't go numb like they did when I used the Homelite. It also had solid state ignition. It was just a generation ahead in the design department. Mine was running 5 years after my friends Homlite was set out for the trash, in fact it never quit, but it died in my barn fire.

The Rancher 455 is a good saw but it is a consumer grade saw. If you want to compare Husqvarna's to profesional series Stihl's you have to move up to the XP series. My 372XP weighs less than the 455 rancher and puts out a lot more power and is better balanced. It also costs almost twice as much. All of these saws are great when they are used within the parameters for which they are designed. The Rancher is called a rancher, not a logger. It is not designed to be used 40 hours a week. It will give many years of good service when used in a non professional invironment. Consumer saws are a good choice for most people, that is why they build them. If you want the baddest saw on the planet you are going to have to pay for it and unless you make your living cutting large trees 8 hours a day 5 days a week, chances are you won't see any benifit from it except for the bragging rights.

This is a picture of my 4.2 cubic inch Poulin. Before the melt down I would put it up against any saw on the planet. I could cut 5 or 6 face cords to 18 inch length on a single tank of fuel. It had very large fuel and oil tnaks. My consumer grade saws would run out after a face cord or two and force me to take a break, but not this bad boy.

This is what it looked like before the melt down, except mine was red.

The 16 inch bar was on the saw when it burned, the 24 inch bar and chain had never been used.

 

[dirt ditch]

well I have to admit I have learned alot..
And the budget just will not support a new $300+ chainsaw right now..
Which is what I believe I should consider...

So I will have to sharpen my chains and see what I can limp along with..
We cut maybe 2 cords a year and 1-2 emergency tree cleanups...

As for sharpening.. do you just send the chains out? or do you have a bench sharpener?

thanks!
J

A Poulan that runs is better than an ax any day. It stretched our wallet when I bought one more than a decade ago. Like you I cut a couple cords of firewood a year and used it for tree trimming in the yard. Poulan chainsaws are made with tight budget home owners in mind. Yes a low end Stihl will cost almost twice as much as a Poulan. They both will cut wood, but Stihl chainsaws are more refined, easier to work on, cut faster, and chains stay sharper longer. (can't compare to anything else, there all I ran)

As for chain sharpening, I have 2 or 3 chains for each of my saws. When several get dull I take them to my Stihl dealer and let him sharpen them.

 

[RobertN]

This is good infor on saw chain sharpening

Oregon? Frequently Asked Questions

How To Sharpen a Chain Saw

Keeping Your Chain Saw Sharp

I do pretty well, but do not let me chains get dull. It is easier to touch up a chain than it is to work on one that is real dull.

Also, I have found that as they dull, people tend to push harder, and overheat the chain. My Dad does this... Wehn Iuse his old Stihl 024, I usually just throw away his chain and start fresh... I have found the temper in the metal is lost if they over heat.

 

[valley]

Last year cutting wood, I stoped for lunch, my 034 wouldn't start after lunch. No time to fool with it, we had to get the wood in. Bought a Rancher, the saw is not bad but the blade that comes with it is not very good. When I bought the Rancher I ordered a 24" bar & blade from Bailes. Haven't put it on yet. I think I may fatten up the mixture.

 

[Egon]

Also, I have found that as they dull, people tend to push harder, and overheat the chain. My Dad does this... Wehn Iuse his old Stihl 024, I usually just throw away his chain and start fresh... I have found the temper in the metal is lost if they over heat.

Gee, me and your Dad must be very similar only I throw save the overheated chains for ugly stuff.

 

[TUG HILL ADDICT]

I own 3 Stihl saws (biggest is the 441) and a Sthil Polesaw. Only brand I would own.

 

[dave1949]

Anybody have a forestry saw? Sometimes called a clearing saw. Looks like a brush cutter on steroids. They are used for stand management.

Stihl and Husky both make them. I could make good use of one, but noting the prices, it would be good to have any opinions and preferences.

Thanks, Dave.

 

[RobertN]

I have two smaller ones; a 12 year old Husky, and a three year old Honda 4-stroke. They will do up to about 3" stuff. I use them mostly for heavy grass with a wet grass blade, or heavy string. Use them also for small brush; I mainly stay below 2" stuff.

Anybody have a forestry saw? Sometimes called a clearing saw. Looks like a brush cutter on steroids. They are used for stand management.

Stihl and Husky both make them. I could make good use of one, but noting the prices, it would be good to have any opinions and preferences.

Thanks, Dave.