# John Deere Chainsaws???



## rahtreelimbs (Jan 31, 2004)

Anyone have any info on John Deere chainsaws? I beieve they are Efco saws. Anyone have any experience running them? Thanx, Rich.


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## Jacob J. (Jan 31, 2004)

Rich- the newer John Deeres are Efco/Olympyk saws. The older ones were Echo saws, before that they were Homelites, and also Poulans.


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## protreecare (Jan 31, 2004)

I know that the cs62 is the same as the olympyk/efco 962. It is a good medium saw with good power for the size. We have had problems with scoring the cylinders/pistons on some. It is probably caused by user error at the time the saw is running out of gas, the engine runs leaner than it should and turns too fast and the piston catches the exhaust port. But they are good saws, I don't know the differences in price, but I am sure that one is not better than the other.


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## ehp (Feb 1, 2004)

Rich up here in Canada if you bought a deere john skidder they gave you 2 saws , a 71cc and a 81cc both the same saw just one with a bigger jug on it
on power they are down i little from say a 372 or a 460 but up here the biggest problem is the oiler , everyone of them has to be replaced and they donot last to long either
they are a little heavier to but not much


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## Javelin (Feb 1, 2004)

We have sold efco for years and not had any of the trouble that is being said here! Very interesting. I have had a few that were seized up but it was customer related way to lean carb adjustment. And we have had no oiler troubles at all. overall probably the best no name saw made. especially for the money!


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## tony marks (Feb 1, 2004)

rich thats what i made my 028 barbed wire special out of. it handled 20 great but i wanted an 16 that felt like my old 028 and 13 cc more power.. it will bury the bar an not pull dn in hardwood.. excellent at plung cut for some reason. like using a high speed wood drill


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## shooter (Feb 1, 2004)

> The older ones were Echo saws, before that they were Homelites, and also Poulans.



I think prior to the yellow saws supplied by Echo, the "JD Green" saws were supplied by Remington of Park Forrest, IL. This is the old Mall Chainsaw business that Remington Arms purchased in the late 50's.

I was always curious why Deere let the chainsaw product line die, after purchasing Homelite in the late 80's/early 90's. Probably something to do with outdated saw designs & manufacturing equipment & facilities.

Chainsaws fit the JD line of lawn & garden equipment & now in 2004 we would have had a second US manufacturer besides Poulan.


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## tony marks (Feb 1, 2004)

so we found the weakness of them..
they got enuff sense to refuse to work in -25 or worse temps.. ehp i gona report yall to the human treatment of saws animals turnips an anything else yall got up there.. any way all them societys an such..


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## woodsjunkie (Feb 1, 2004)

> rich thats what i made my 028 barbed wire special out of


Tony speeking of barbed wire I squared up all of your 3/8 chain's this morning you should see them about Thursday.
Becarefull they are meant to cut wood not human fleash.


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## tony marks (Feb 1, 2004)

thanks eric .. i will gine them proper respect.. thagain .. besides i hit my hide i done ruined a perfectly good chain..thats how tough an mean i am ,in case ya didnt get the meaning..


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## JohnL (Feb 1, 2004)

> *
> I was always curious why Deere let the chainsaw product line die, after purchasing Homelite in the late 80's/early 90's. Probably something to do with outdated saw designs & manufacturing equipment & facilities.
> 
> Chainsaws fit the JD line of lawn & garden equipment & now in 2004 we would have had a second US manufacturer besides Poulan. *




Deere was losing alot of money on the Homelite line, the saw was out of date emision-wise, and probably illegal in california, there were also notorious for being badly made. A _ Hong Kong _ firm bought out the Homelite line from Deere.


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## Tony Snyder (Feb 1, 2004)

The John Deere (Efco) saws are solid. I have not seen the oiler problems mentioned, it may be the difference in climate. I have seen no lock-ups.

When looking at this line of saws you have to realize that the 47/52 are on the same chassis, as are the 56/62 and the 71/81. In all three cases the smaller cc models have a peaky power band, which I happen to like. If you insist on loading down a saw out of it's powerband, better choose the broader band larger ccs units. The 094 is a good power to weight mini saw, probably in the class of the 3450 Echo.

If there are any negatives, it would be that the larger saws are suspended with rubber buffers which have the same shortcomings as earlier makes have had on rubber (they have to be changed once in a while). I have not seen anyone have rubber element trouble on the mid sized saws. That is probably more because they are typically not used in log applications.


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## Krooked (Feb 3, 2004)

*New guy with "new" saw -- now I wish I KNEW*

Greetings Gentlemen,

I inherited a John Deere Chainsaw!  

Saw: JD 65EV w/27" bar (or 28 - didn't measure)
Problem: bad coil
Solution: replace coil, ignition, wire, cap etc.
New problem: JD wants $115 for the parts.

Question 1: Are there aftermarket parts available? Where?
Question 2: Is this saw worth fixing?

Intangibles: I currently do not own a saw (always used my dads' jred or stihl), and it would be nice to have one to call my own.

Important fact: It does run. Quite well actually. Cuts decent too. Probably cuts real well for someone who's name is not Krooked.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Matt


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## gatkeper1 (Feb 4, 2004)

Your JD 65EV is an Echo saw (Kioritz)
I believe it is the 650EVL Echo .


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## Tony Snyder (Feb 4, 2004)

I'd try an Echo dealer, preferably one who was in business back when the Echos were still orange (early 80s).

That will be a good saw if it is otherwise in good shape, just a little heavy, but good and reliable.

There is an older dealer in Paris, Illinois. Vardas Auto Parts. ( may be Vardes ) You can probably get it from information.


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## Krooked (Feb 4, 2004)

Thanks Gentlemen!

I can finally move forward with this. 

It's not that I dislike John Deere, but when it comes to finding answers... well, it's easy to get lost "in the crowd" with them. I even have relatives and good friends that work for them and, at times, I get that "deer in the headlights" look when trying to solve a problem.:Monkey: 

Oh well, se lave.

I'm glad to hear that this saw has some potential anyway.

Thanks again!
Matt


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## John Ellison (Feb 7, 2004)

*J. D. saws*

This fall I wanted a small inexpensive saw to clear skid trails and for carpenter work. 
There is a JD dealer nearby, and I wanted something different so I ended up with a CS 36. 200 bucks. Am real happy with it. You can just look at it and it will start. With 14'' bar it seems to have a lot of power for 36 cc. I have not been around other saws of this size so I dont have anything to compare it to. The oiler is a little anemic but from what I have read, about all small recent saws have the same problem. All in all I like it a lot for what I needed it for.

John


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## ratman36 (Dec 12, 2010)

*efco/john deere*

they are very good saws i got 2 and cs40 and cs56 i like them and they both work well no problems.the 56 is great firewood saw great torque it cuts circles around my uncles ms 290.:hmm3grin2orange:


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## indiansprings (Dec 12, 2010)

JD/Efco saws are excellent quality. Have a JD CS56, it's had the hades used out of it the last two years under commercial conditions in a firewood business. I am a bona fide Stihl head and I don't think they are any better made than the efco's. The CS56 is right on the heels of a 361 and I feel they are as quick as a Husky 357 I tried out. There is a post of a long term test on a 152 on AS, I think they are over 300 tanks in a commercial pulpwood operation. As Javelin said "the best no name saw for the money". They carry a five year warranty on them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.
IMHO far better quality than the Husky big box saws. I'd take my CS 56 over a 310 or 390 Stihl, it's been that good. Prolly the best starting saw I've got.
Usually two pulls, one to pop, starts on the second pull. I've never had any issue with the oiler or any other issues for that matter.


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## Brian VT (Dec 12, 2010)

indiansprings said:


> I've never had any issue with the oiler or any other issues for that matter.


I've got a CS40 and I think it's a great saw. I got a new oil pump for it because I wasn't happy with how much oil it was putting out. The new one doesn't pump much more.  I have to be careful not to work the bar/chain too hard. I grab another saw when I have to buck a 10"+ stem.
It's a great pruning/cleanup saw, though. Nice and light.


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## GoRving (Dec 12, 2010)

I did some homework before buying a new Efco 156 recently. If it is made by Efco, it's a GREAT saw. Don't know about the JD, but my Efco has a 5 year warranty.


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## Chickm1 (Jul 26, 2011)

The JD CS46 is the EFCO 147


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