Chainsaw Advice

[UncleS2]

FWIW, my advice is to buy a chain saw that's just a little bigger/more powerful than you think you'll ever need. That's what I did about 10 years ago.

My saw is one of the ancestors of the current Husqvarna model 350, it's a model 51 I think. ~50-51 cc engine, 18" bar, and yes, it's maybe a little heavy. Mighty slim on bells & whistles too- example, no compression release. But when those huge oak limbs come crashing down, it's worth its weight in gold.

Starts easily, zips right through the tough stuff, when the little Poulans, McCullochs, & Homelites bog down & self-destruct. A good sized Stihl should be a dandy saw, & last the general homeowner for many years- as should a healthy-sized Husqvarna.

Why did I buy a Husky over a Stihl? Because the Huskys were actually on sale(!), & the local Stihl dealer way back then was- well, let's just say it's no surprise he's been out of business for *years* now.

Footnotes:
1. When I was in NW Montana about 25 years ago, ~99% of the logger's saws were Huskys & Stihls. They made their living with a chain saw, & they bought almost nothing else. I did see a few red ones- mebbe Jonsereds?

2. When we had the *Big* ice storm a few years ago(extremely rare here), small light-duty saws were burning up left & right. For weeks the Husky & Stihl dealers stayed sold out- because their saws kept on runnin' & cuttin'. Virtually every saw that came in was already pre-sold. After the initial rush, other brands of saws languished on the shelves for months, while Stihl & Huskys still sold like crazy.

In short: IMO, buy a tool, not a toy.

 

[GregH]

Tom ,
For my money, and this is what I did, I would buy the Stihl 260 PRO. Yes, it is expensive but has 3.5 HP and only 10.6 lbs phd weight. The pro has the comp. carb and only pumps bar oil when the chain moves, saving more bar oil than you could imagine. This is a pro saw ,it is tough and has plenty of power but be ready for about 500.00. It will last you your lifetime if you take care of it.
For what it is worth!
GregH

 

[Hirev]

Stick with Stihl or Echo. The MS 250 is not a heavy duty saw but is a fairly good home owner saw.

The Echo CS 520 is also a good saw also. I currently own a Stihl 029, 046 Magnum and Echo CS 510, CS 670. Most of the time just I use the Echo CS 510 is the CS 520 older brother. I used a Stihl 025 (older version of MS250) a lot over the years and have nothing bad to say about it. The 046 Magnum is impressive and makes for short work of most any thing I've done. Some saws such as 029/MS290 are heavy for the power they make but are capable saws.

Echo saws have one of better bar oiling systems out there. The bar oiling system is a weak point on other brands from my experience.

Certain types of woods (hardwood) can really suck horsepower out of a saw. So if much hardwood is in the plan get more horsepower than you think you will need.

The EPA Phase II ratings A,B,C or in hours is a emission durability rating. But what generally causes emissions to go up is loss of ring seal. So in a way it tells you something about the quality of the motor. For chainsaws it goes like this.

C=50 hour emission life
B=125 hour emission life
A=300 hour emission life

 

[Hirev]

Sorry DP

 

[PaJohn]

IMO, you need two different saws. Small 16" bar for triming and a larger 20" bar for felling and cutting downed trunks. Nothing like a big saw to cut through downed 18" trunks.
You can't go wrong with either Stihl or Husky. Personally, I have three Huskies. A 142 for triming, an older 55 for midsize jobs, and a 365 for the big jobs.

 

[jmacmaster]

Chain saws are one of those thing as to which you generally get what you pay for. Generally speaking, the more expensive ones, like Husqvarna and Stihl, are the best. However, there's two things for you to consider. It sounds like you won't be doing much sawing each year, so a cheaper brand, like Poulan, will probably last you a long time. The other thing is that apparently the chain saw manufacturers have cut down on the number of years for which they stock parts for a given model of saw after they stop making that model. The small engine repair shop that I use, which sells chain saws, told me that the manufacturers now only make and stock parts for about 5 years after a model is discontinued. I don't think you want to buy an expensive Husqvarna or Stihl that will last you 20 years or more because you don't cut much per year and then find out 10 or fewer years later that the saw's worthless because the part you need isn't available. That's exactly what happened to me with a top grade Jonserud that I bought in the 80's and needed a part for two years ago. I got a Poulan as a replacement, tho I really liked the Husqvarna line, because I don't saw much anymore.

The statement that Stihl only rates their noncommercial engines for 50 hours of use is nonsense, even if Stihl actually does so rate their noncommercial engines. And the statement sounds like hearsay to me. I've used cheaper saws for hundreds of hours.

For occasional use by a small landowner, if price isn't a factor and you're not worried about getting parts 6 or so years from now, I'd recommend a Husqvarna 350 or 353.

 

[tom slick]

Thanks again for the info guys.
I'm looking at spending around $350. I don't want to buy too much saw and lug around all the weight, on the other hand I don't want to sacrifice power for weight so I am not afraid of a little extra weight. I haven't used many different models so I don't really have a reference.

as for parts, the 031av my dad owns was made in the early 70's, the dealers still have fisch on them and I have ordered new parts for it recently. it still starts after sitting for 6 months and still runs great.

 

[wileyE]

Size matters IMO. At $350 Go for the most cu. in for the buck in a good brand. I own husq, but live in stihl country, at work they use echo's. All good saws IMO, no preference. Don't buy into the 50:1 on saws though, they need oil, if not for running but also to leave some behind when you put it away.

 

[GeneralEclectic]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Fatboymoe:
Turbocharged? I don't think so. Husky has used a similar system for a few years now to help keep the air cleaner from clogging up with debris. The term "Turbocharged" gets thrown around alot without meaning an actual Turbo. I have seen vacuum cleaners claim to have "turbocharged" action. I guess nothing is sacred.

---

Son of a gun. I never owned one of these things, but a guy I occasionally hung with in night school kept telling me about this 'turbocharged' chain saw he had. I made the obvious mistake of giving him credit for knowing what he was talking about. Won't make that mistake again, I assure you. When I looked at the data sheets, I confess I didn't read the description too closely. My ** detector must need a tuneup.

 

[tom slick]

I brought home an MS 250 today. local dealer was was helpful and I think it will fit my needs. they threw in an extra chain and free t-shirt too!