Small Chain Saw Advice?

[Vob]

Hi, I'm a newbie from the (shock horror) UK. I am an apprentice tree surgeon, working on the local government's tree gang.
I own a Stihl 009 and a Husky 50, both second hand.The 50 feels great, but is battle weary and has been run without chain oil and the chain break band has been cut by the previous owner;god only knows what else is wrong with it /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
The 009 is ok, but the carb is mis-adjusted and it's very temperamental-gave up on me mid-job on some pruning work yesterday.

basically, what course of action should i take for these two rotters and are they worth it? Obviously it'll be hard to judge without seeing the saws, but i have little clue about the actual models and want to know if they may be worth restoring.

Also, what's the best hobby saw on the market. I'll probably buy Stihl or husky, but i want something from their lower power end;ALL the saws will be for personal use, once or twice a month, for now...

Any correspondance'll be well appreciated, Saw Jockeys!

P.S. I am 21, on about $150/$180 a week and have no savings /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[btolle]

I have a Stihl and here in East Texas where logging is the big industry most of the loggers use Stihl.

You might want to take the Stihl to a dealer and get an estimate on what it would cost to have it put back in good shape. Unfortunately, it may cost as much to rebuild it as you would pay for a new one but the only one who can tell you is a dealer.

For a very inexpensive chainsaw a Poulan may be OK. I had an 18" Poulan "Wild Thing" and it did a pretty good job and held up well. Cost about 1/2 (or less) what an 18" Stihl costs.

If you plan on keeping it for many years you will be better off to stick with Stihl.

BTW, the Husky is also a good product and is the second most popular in this area. I have seen both brands that had been used every day and held up equally well.

Bill Tolle

 

[Vob]

Thanks, Mr Tolle. I haven't seen Poulans for sale in the uk, only Makita, Jonsered, MacCulloch, Alpine and Stihl and Husqvarna.
I'm lucky enough to have a local dealer that does both top makes, and i'm only lookin for a short guide bar (13-16")
It'll mainly be used for cutting timber into blocks for my fathers wood turning business /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

I used to buy "whatever is cheap" when I needed a chainsaw. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Last summer, I broke open the piggy bank and bought a new Stihl MS260 /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Best saw I've ever ran. Best money I've ever spent on a tool. I got a 14" bar and 3 spare chains, and I went WAY over my budget, and got an Oregon chain sharpener. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I no longer fear cutting wood............... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RobertN]

Get a Husky 335XPT. It is tailor made Arborist saw. Your application is specifically what it was designed for. It is pricey, but good tools cost money, and you will be depending on it when you are up in a tree.

Around here, some folks will keep an Echo, since they are less expensive to replace when dropped from a tree...

The other option is to have the two saw you have serviced. Bars do not last forever; replace the one you have on the saw. Keep extra chains, and keep them sharp. There is few things worse than a dull cutting tool. It only takes a minute to run a file on a small saw...

At worst case, maybe get a new saw, and have one of the old ones serviced and tuned, as a backup...

 

[Egon]

Ever consider an electric chain saw.

I like them if I'm going up a tree to remove some limbs.

Egon

 

[notamustang]

( Around here, some folks will keep an Echo, since they are less expensive to replace when dropped from a tree...)

I have a 14" echo and its great for one hand operation, it also has a nice ring to tie a rope too.
By the way VoB welcome to the TBN !!!

 

[tinytractors]

I like the Echo CS3400 with a 12" bar... It's quit a bit like the Stihl 009, but less expensive. Very durable and troublefree in the 6 yrs I've been using it.

Pete.

 

[RobertN]

Interestingly, a lot of the crews I see here that do trimming around power lines use hydraulic driven saws....

The issue with an electric saw is if an accident happens up in a tree, and that power cord gets cut. That would be bad if you got shocked up there in a tree...

Some of the saws made for the aborist, are made for use one handed too, even though it is frowned upon due to safety.

 

[Egon]

I like the light weight and start stop feature of the electric saw.

One does have to be careful with the cord both for cutting it and dropping a limb on it.

Then there are also some challenged folks that use a ladder to get up into the tree, don't tie it off and have falling limbs knock it down. Makes it real interesting when working alone and the tree trunk diameter is much larger than the arm reach. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Then there are other people who climb up the tree on the limbs cutting them off as they go higher. Could be called enforced tree sitting. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Getting off topic but there have been some good saws recommended here.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif