Chain Saw Recommendations

[GCroyle]

Dieselnut59,



If I'm not mistaken, at least a 2 Cycle tailgate blender exists to make magaritas with.



Just make sure you put the oil in the gas, not the mix for the happy juice... ...

 

[Dieselnut59]

I have seen that. Silly and hilarious at the same time! LOL

 

[Wertles]

Our neighbors at nascar have one. The first time it fired up I had to hold on for dear life as I thought I was going to fall off the top of the camper from laughing so hard!

 

[NIsaacs]

Old thread but still open so I will use it.

Anyone here have Echo's saws? They rate right up with Stihl and Husqvarna. Three years ago, I gave up on my old 1987 Pioneer P42 hp and bought a Stihl MS391. Not happy with it at all. Currently in the shop as I was afraid to tackle the electronic carb. 5 days now and still no word....

I have had it in the shop twice for off idle bog, they never did fix it.....now it won't even pull the chain.

I do like the looks of the new Stihl MS400 but not sure it is any better than the 590 Echo at twice the money. Stihl is using so much electronics now....

 

[GCroyle]

OP Here.

Wow this hits home. Sorry no info on Echo saws but I got a part time job this July fixing 2 strokes saws, trimmers & blowers at a Stihl and Husqvarna dealership.

How big of a bar do you need to run? Not a solicitation for sale.

I can ask boss for his .02$

Gary

 

[NIsaacs]

I bought the 391 with a 25" but it was under powered, so I went down to 20" that is big enough for firewood. I am not a logger anymore.

I don't think it was ever right. My old 1987 Pioneer P42 would out cut it, same size engine. I kinda suspect the coil, I have read they can be problematic.

Any ideas Gary, on what the normal issue is when they won't rev? Do the mufflers plug up? It's only 3.5 years old but maybe??

 

[bcbender]

Good to know about the MS300 series, we have a EFI concrete saw that is a PITA to get running some times, I think I'll stay away from those... I have an old 036PRO with a 30" bar and its a cutting machine.. I intend to keep it as long as I can,... .. It makes short work of the big stuff that is just too much for my MS250

 

[Topzide]

Used to work in a shop that sold Echo and Shindawia 2 cycle equipment. I've got several Echo saws and have put them through a lot of abuse! they just keep on going. My favorite is a CS-300 arborist saw. This it a great limber or on a ladder saw. The one hand operation along with weight and balance just works! I've use a CS-800 series with a 3 foot bar that was a beast! the Kiotz engines are strong for size. I always run a bit more oil in fuel than the 50/1 ratio that was recommended. We would tell customers to due the same to help with engine lubrication. I also have a backpack blower, EB-450. Makes short work of the leaves and close to 20 years old! Used a couple of the Shindawia saws at shop to test run before returning to customers. They were on par with Echo. I think they were bought by Echo but have been in that type of businesses for years. JM2C.

 

[STeichert]

I just saw that I posted #22 in this thread. I had just bought my Stihl ms361, it was one month old. I still have that saw and of course I piped and tuned it and never once has anything gone wrong with it. I cut about 10 cords of firewood per year and it has never let me down. I just bought a ms261 this summer, and it has been great also, just not a lot of time on it yet. Never been around the Echo saws but I have a buddy with a Solo saw that he really likes. It's quite a bit less money than the Stihl. The one I really want but just can't justify is the Stihl 500I. I almost bought it in a weak moment this summer. Best price I have ever seen at $1,450! Ouch

 

[hcole]

I was just alerted to this old post and I reread what I wrote on post
#17. My saw is a Stihl 048, NOT a 028. I cut about 7-8 cords a year and this saw is still going strong.

 

[endoscott]

my 1982 Stihl still runs great! None of that electronic crap. Easy to work on. I have probably cut at least 200 cords of wood with that thing. Along with roots of stumps etc.

 

[Blu-meanie]

OK, I'm in the market for a new chain saw, asking for your recommendations, first hand, yup, it's in my garage and I'd buy it again.



Homeowner use, cutting firewood, just had a 30" diameter oak come down in a storm last week and my saw didn't make it through the entire job. It' one of those tools that I will own and want a good reliable one. I have only had 2 saws in about 40 years. The first was a Sears that weighed WAY TOO much, all metal, loud as heck. Then a few years back I bought a "modern" saw it had a 20" bar, ran good, but it died, might have overheated it, siezed, damaged piston and ring.



So what brands do you guys like?



Thanks.

I had a 20" 30 year old Poland that I burned up too. I figured it was the crappy low octane gas now. My latest saw says to use 91 octane gas in the mix and avoid EXXON (too much alcohol). Years ago, since you're old enough, regular was over 100 octane.

 

[GCroyle]

Nick

We looked at the MS391 parts cat. It has a standard non electric carb.

Carb problems are common but has anyone pulled the muffler and checked the screen if equipped for clogging? That messes this stuff up also.

Gary

Gary

 

[AH64ID]

Old thread revivals are fun!

I'm running a MS260 with that I ported the muffler and added a fully adjustable carb to. With a 16" bar it's a great campwood saw.

I also have a MS362 that I bought used 4.5 years ago, I don't think it had burned more than 1 or two tanks in it's life and it was 8 years old at the time of purchase. It's bone stock and it cuts western softwood great with the 25" bar. If I cut more hard wood I think I would drop to a 20" bar, maybe.

Dieselnut59,



If I'm not mistaken, at least a 2 Cycle tailgate blender exists to make magaritas with.



Just make sure you put the oil in the gas, not the mix for the happy juice... ...

They are fun, but more novelty than anything. You get some awesome looks when you pull it out at a picnic area, especially in Yellowstone.

 

[BigPapa]

My father's had a couple of Stihl saws, a trimmer, and a back pack blower. Never had any problem out of them except where he's broken something.

I bought a Makita branded Sachs Dolmar saw back in the mid '80's that's been great. Easy starting and runs/saws great. However, the bar oiler has leaked ever since I've had it and three shops have never been able to fix it. If I don't drain the oil when I put it up the case get's filled up.

 

[endoscott]

I bought my wife a little electric Stihl. Man, for quick jobs that thing rocks. Not for firewood for sure, but for fat branches, yard cleanup (lot of trees on our property like alder and cherry weeds). Battery lasts a long time. No carbs to maintain. On my 82 Stihl fuel problems have been the only real thing, typical of this kind of seasonal equipment. I always use fuel stabilizer now and that helps, but the electric one is good that way.

 

[Dl5treez]

Stihl owns the market in WA/OR. Followed closely by Husqvarna. The pro line of both are good, it’s the homeowner and farm/ranch lineup that gets sketchy.

Jonsered/Homelite are a good saw. As are Echo, Dolmar, and others. If you get the non homeowner grades and have good dealer networks for parts and service support, or work on them yourself.

 

[NIsaacs]

Nick

We looked at the MS391 parts cat. It has a standard non electric carb.

Gary

It has this carb. Is it mechanical in it's operation?

"

• IntelliCarb™ Compensating Carburetor
  The IntelliCarb™ Compensating Carburetor is designed to automatically adjust the air/fuel ratio when the air filter becomes restricted or partially clogged and maintains the engine’s correct RPM. IntelliCarb™ uses air from the clean side of the air filter to control the diaphragm and flow of fuel. As the air filter becomes dirty and less air is available for the carburetor, the IntelliCarb™ system adjusts the fuel flow to compensate for the decrease in air flow. This is in contrast to typical carburetors that utilize this air from the “dirty” side of the air box."
  

 

[NIsaacs]

Stihl owns the market in WA/OR. Followed closely by Husqvarna. The pro line of both are good, it’s the homeowner and farm/ranch lineup that gets sketchy.

Jonsered/Homelite are a good saw. As are Echo, Dolmar, and others. If you get the non homeowner grades and have good dealer networks for parts and service support, or work on them yourself.

Can you explain that more in depth? I have always wondered why the commercial grade cost so much more. The MS391 is the top farm saw but cheaper than a smaller engine equipped commercial saw. The price/size was why I picked it. Same engine size as my Pioneer P42. I didn't want to get any smaller.

 

[AH64ID]

The intellicarb is mechanical.

I went with the MS362 because it is the professional series, even thou I use it like a homeowner. I have ran the pro and non-pro Stihl's and simply prefer the operation of the pro saws. Stronger and longer lasting, like a Cummins My MS362 is smaller than your MS391 (59vs64 cc's) but makes more power (4.7 vs 4.4 bhp).