re: Chainsaws

[Skywagon]

My old Poulan 16 bit the dust this week. Looking for a new chainsaw mostly for home use, but the occasional oak tree and clean up when hurricane season knocks things down here.

 

Self adjusting chain/bar preferred, but not mandatory. 35-50cc.

 

Recommendations appreciated.

[ltljohn]

Stihl.

You will pay more but it will last you a very long time. My neighbor heats solely with wood the he cuts on his property. He has killed several chainsaws but the Stihl keep running year after year.

Stihl.com

[LBump]

Stihl.

You will pay more but it will last you a very long time. My neighbor heats solely with wood the he cuts on his property. He has killed several chainsaws but the Stihl keep running year after year.

Stihl.com

 

+1

It's a good way to go. Keep the blades sharp.

[Alan D]

Stihl.

You will pay more but it will last you a very long time. My neighbor heats solely with wood the he cuts on his property. He has killed several chainsaws but the Stihl keep running year after year.

Stihl.com

 

+1

It's a good way to go. Keep the blades sharp.

+2

I have owned both, Poulan (2) and Stihl. Stihl is better.

[randy]

+3 Stihl, had mine for 15 years. I purchased the entry level "commercial" line, instead of high end home line. I had 8 acres then moved and now just a 1 acre lot. I have beaten that thing to death. Finally the carb gave out (damn ethanol gas) but the rest of the stihl was still perfect. If they still had parts for the 10 year old carb, or I could have retrofitted a new carb it would still be running. my lawn trimmer is stihl as well and it is 10 years old.

[Firefight911]

Stihl. There is no substitute.

[Guest Kakugo]

Chainsaws are one of those topics I could spend hours talk about.

 

Generally speaking there are only four brands you should bother with: Stihl, Dolmar, Zenoah (also sold as Red Max) and Tanaka (also sold as Hitachi). Echo is also good but they tend to be considerably heavier than these four, although the most recent models have cut weight considerably).

But even among those brands you should be careful what you pick.

 

If you opt for Stihl (like I did, I have an MS231 with 40cm bar), do yourself a favor and pick a German-made one. Stihl has other factories around the world, but all top of the line product are still made in their old factory at Waiblingen.

The two things I like the most about the MS231 are the weight (it's a real featherweight) and the chain: Stihl chains are Swiss-made and are the best in the world, period.

 

Dolmar is fully owned by Makita and has long built some of the most outstanding monsters available. The PS4605 is a truly impressive bit of kit: light, powerful and with tons of torque. Maybe overkill for the home user and it's rabidly expensive, but it's simply incredible.

 

Zenoah is now owned by Husqvarna. What in my opinion puts it ahead of anything else are the engines. I've had power equipment from the biggest names in the business: Kawasaki, Stihl, Echo etc but nothing beats Zenoah engines. They are ridiculously easy to start even after a long period and are almost unbelievable as far as torque and power are concerned.

 

Tanaka is a bit like Sthl: top of the line products are still made in Japan and are in a league of their own. Avoid "entry level" products as they have been a source of endless trouble. But if you pick a big daddy like the TCS40... now we are talking about something I like!

 

One bit of advice from my experience: whatever you choose, be sure to buy at least one spare chain (two are better). That way if you have to work for long you can just pop in a fresh chain and sharpen the others later.

[Guest Kakugo]

Another thing I forgot to say.

Around here chainsaws are split for marketing purposes in four groups: pruning, home use, forestry and agricultural use.

 

Pruning consist of small but (usually) very sturdy chainsaws for professional use by arborists, gardeners etc. Lightness and small dimensions is what sets them apart from the rest. They can be rabidly expensive, just look at the most famous of them all: the legendary Stihl MS200.

 

Home use are defined chiefly by one characteristic: price. These are aimed at very casual users who only need to use them sporadically and for whom performances and sturdiness come after price. A good example are the piles of cheap Chinese chainsaws at your local hardware shop.

 

Forestry requires no presentation. These machines are monsters that can cut down trees all day long with minimal maintenance. They are defined by superb engine performance and overall sturdiness at the expense of price and often weight. The Dolmar PS4605 is one good example at the small line of the spectrum.

 

And finally we get to agricultural machines. These are "jack of all trades" designed with farm maintenance in mind. They perform well in a wide range of uses, from cutting firewood to pruning to felling the occasional tree. They can be thought of as lighter and less performing versions of forestry machines, as the relatively high price underlines. Good examples are my Stihl MS231 and the Tanaka TCS40.

 

For the discerning home user which needs to do quite a bit of work, agricultural machines are by far the best choice. They are more powerful, much better built and much much sturdier than cheap home use machines but are not as expensive as the big forestry machines which are overkill for anybody not making a living out of felling trees.

 

And I just got a peep at chainsaw prices in the US... just wow. Even excellent machines are so damn cheap. I am jealous.

 

Thanks... this thread for me is like an early Christmas present.

 

PS: Randy, if you provide me with your machine and carburetor model I can see if it can be fixed. I have a historical Stihl dealership not far from home (they've been in business for over 40 years) and they may provide a spare or what to use as an alternative.

[SuperG]

Thanks for the great explanation Kakugo.

LOts of great info in there.

I really has nothing further to add but a few word.

small zenoah engines...is king in the hobby racing RC world, where we use 26cc (or larger) two stroke gasoline engines in RC boats, cars, airplanes. Rev to the moon and does it all day long.

Racers modify the piss out of it for highest performance.

 

back to the topic.

above mentioned saws (stihl..) are great saws I am sure,

but as David (OP) mentioned 16 poulan as your ex saw. Meaning likely you use it as a home owner occasionally. My sears 16 is over 10 years and still works ok, minus the fuel lines have rotted away needed replacement.

 

advantage mobility of gasoline saw is obvious.

If applicable, have you considered and electric model?

When I purchased a lot next to ours, I "deforested" all the cedar trees, leaving only the oaks, but pruned them all.

Had to use two long extension cords, but not needing to deal with the smell of 2stroke exhaust in my face, less weight, less noise, frequent pull starting, no gas mix, bar lube.

I have 2 Remington electrics, 12" on a pole saw and a 16 or 18" as a hand held unit. I much prefer it to gas saw.

 

[Skywagon]

kakugo et al...thanks so much for the responses. Sounds like Stihl is the right answer. I am familiar with Zenoah as have bought a few weed eaters with Zenoah, threw away the weed eater and mounted the engine on model airplanes.

 

Kakugo....one of the Stihl models I was looking at on their website is the MS 211 C-BE Any thoughts on that model? I will definitely check out the model you referenced as well.

 

As soon as the public gets back to their non-shopping like crazy life here, will go to the local Stihl dealer and pick up a saw and a couple of chains....

 

Really appreciate the advice and

 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to all...

 

Regards,

[Guest Kakugo]

Hi.

The MS211 is the largest model (at least here) in Stihl's home user lineup.

The MS231 by contrast is a middle of the range saw in the agricultural lineup. I don't think it's available in the US, but if so it sits just a step underneath the MS251/261, which is the same thing but with a larger engine.

 

You can't go wrong with the MS211 for occasional use, but the moment you'll need to fell a larger tree you'll wish you had gone for a larger engine. I cut down two mimosa trees with an old Castor chainsaw and it took me ages and proved to be the death of that poor thing. That's why I got the Stihl in the first place.

 

Also if you need alternatives in the same price range, shoot them away.

 

And merry Christmas to the whole lot of you!

[CVA-42]

If you're willing to pop for a quality saw, I'd go with Stihl. Not only for the features, the power, the ease of use, etc. but also because of the ease to get parts and service. Around here, they're handled by Ace Hardware and there's usually one of them that's pretty handy.

[Skywagon]

kakugo.....thanks...the money isn't the issue. Don't care about that. Just want to get something that is mostly around the house will occasionally cut a fairly good size tree...Your recommendation on the right Stihl model would be appreciated.

 

What I don't need is a 20 inch 20lb saw to make a living with.

[Guest Kakugo]

kakugo.....thanks...the money isn't the issue. Don't care about that. Just want to get something that is mostly around the house will occasionally cut a fairly good size tree...Your recommendation on the right Stihl model would be appreciated.

 

What I don't need is a 20 inch 20lb saw to make a living with.

 

If the MS231 isn't available, then go for the MS271: it's the bigger and badder sister of my MS231.

MS250 and MS251 may be worth checking into (for no other reason they are very light) but mind these saws are designed for lighter use, as betrayed by the chain.

I suggest a 40cm (16") bar: all three saws can handle 45cm (18") bars and the 271 even a 50cm (20") but the shorter bar is just better for a "jack of all trades" like you need.

[Skywagon]

Thanks Kakugo...will head to the store with your note in my pocket.

[doc47]

Would you buy a Stihl online? If so, where?

My vintage 1976 028WB is down with terminal electronic timing failure. If I could find a replacement unit I'd do that!

[Guest Kakugo]

Would you buy a Stihl online? If so, where?

My vintage 1976 028WB is down with terminal electronic timing failure. If I could find a replacement unit I'd do that!

 

Luckily that chainsaw was so popular and produced in such numbers you can still get spares, although you have to get creative.

 

Genuine, unused parts pop up occasionally for sale. Here is a good example.

 

Another way is to buy a damaged chainsaw for parts, just be sure it has spark. Could be cheaper than looking for an ignition module. Here is a good example.

 

Another good way is to pay a visit to your local forestry/agricultural machines repair place. They are bound to have dozens of non-running saws they bought for pennies precisely to get spares. They tend to overcharge for these used spares... so they key is haggling.