Bought a new Poulan Pro 5020 to see what there about

[Modifiedmark]

FWIW, I had a retired fella I used to work with ask me the other day what saw him and his boys should get to take down a few trees on the property they just bought. Some were 16" - 20" and after these were done the saw probably wont get used much again except to clean up some stuff now and then and maybe cut up some camp fire wood.

I told him that the 5020 would be perfect for that use and he said fine he would head to Menards to get one. I told him to bring it by when he got it and I would check it out for him and make sure it was tuned up for him.

Well he brought it by today and he got a really good deal on it. The Menards in Schererville IN was selling out because there moving to a new, bigger store. He said they only had the display model left and he got it for $165 out the door.

This one started on the second pull but unlike the first one was set a bit lean on the low side and didnt want to rev up. It took about 1/8 turn rich on the low side and that fixed that. I took it to the wood pile and ended up richening up the high side about 1/8 turn also. If you remember the one that I got that I started this thread about was pretty much right from the get go.

Other then that it was pretty much good to go right out of the box. Made a couple cuts in a 24" oak log with it and it done fine.

 

[Modifiedmark]

Guys I've already taken that one back (this afternoon)

So unfortunately I missed getting any pics of the last poulan,
but without pulling any covers the saw looked unused
i.e. no damage or wear on the bar, new not resharpend chain.
under filter cover carb area looked clean.
top of piston had very little carbon on it.
no scuffs on bottom of saw or elsewhere.
There was an oil film on piston and cylinder wall

But I never fueled up and ran it!


I took a look at the last 5020 that was in in stock, pulled the muffler and spark plug
and It also had some spots and craters with some corresponding vertical lines.

Guy at the store looked like he wasn't surprised by this
and said that they had seen a high number of Poulans with compression issues.

So in light of all this I just decided to bail out on the 5020 experience and went for a Husky 450 rancher.

Well you didnt take pictures of the 5020 but you did take pictures of the piston and cyl of some saw.

You should have left the store with a return reciept. How about posting that up.

 

[cobey]

sorry about the bad Poulans! mine has been good so far :msp_smile:

 

[DSS]

I been reading this damn thread long enough. I'm fixin to go find one of these and try it.

 

[joe25DA]

Well you didnt take pictures of the 5020 but you did take pictures of the piston and cyl of some saw.

You should have left the store with a return reciept. How about posting that up.

I dont know about that whole story, but I DO know if that had happened to me id have torn that saw down and found evidence of use. There is no way it would leave the factory with a ruined engine.

 

[echoshawn]

I dont know about that whole story, but I DO know if that had happened to me id have torn that saw down and found evidence of use. There is no way it would leave the factory with a ruined engine.

Do they run these in at all at the factory?

 

[joe25DA]

Do they run these in at all at the factory?

Good question.
I would think if someone got a burned saw from a box store its because it was returned and re-sold.

 

[LegDeLimber]

I've been away from the house this evening.
Give me a few mins to get a pic arranged of the receipts.

 

[echoshawn]

I've been away from the house this evening.
Give me a few mins to get a pic arranged of the receipts.

I could see a big box doing just that. Someone taking one home, straight gassing it , and returning it same day as "not running right".. They look at it, start it, see it runs, and put it back on the shelf for the next guy.

Couple zip ties to reseal, and wipe it down, good as new.

 

[LegDeLimber]

If you look at the tops, you'll see a progression of staple holes.
The steps of the exchange generated a fair stack of receipts.
Because of the product/brand switch it meant issuing a refund/store credit
then making a "new purchase" action so the stack of receipts
were stapled along as the transactions occurred.

I found a couple of shots of the top of the saw,
but they are focused on the spark plug sitting on it
So are blurry of the saw itself.
But you can sort of see the saw looks clean.

I realize (now) that I forgot to snap pics of the whole saw,
The pollen has been bad here and I was still a bit fuzzy from benadryle
when I left to go make the swap.
Sorry for disappointing you guys (and myself) on this one.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

That plug in pic has clearing been in a run saw. My 5020 plug was brand new never ran. I took it out before 1st start to know so and my cylinder looks nothing like those pics posted. :msp_confused:

 

[LegDeLimber]

Jeremiah, The plug in all 3 of the 5020s that I've seen were showing some run time.
Outwardly the saws were clean.
The first one I had, I actually had the recoil off
and the bar&chain before putting the saw to wood.
I didn't see any scuffs, dirt, bar nuts rubbed or marks around them...etc.
Just looked like the saw had been test fired and packed.

The one I looked at in the store looked about the same overall.
It just had those specks like you can see in this frame ( p1060145 )
Just ad a more prominent vertical streak across a few of them.

They were most visible in the same area as the lumpy spots in my first 5020
If you are looking in the plug hole from the right rear of the saw
towards front left area.

I wish it had been practical to set up a light and tried getting a pic.

 

[Modifiedmark]

If you look at the tops, you'll see a progression of staple holes.
The steps of the exchange generated a fair stack of receipts.
Because of the product/brand switch it meant issuing a refund/store credit
then making a "new purchase" action so the stack of receipts
were stapled along as the transactions occurred.

I found a couple of shots of the top of the saw,
but they are focused on the spark plug sitting on it
So are blurry of the saw itself.
But you can sort of see the saw looks clean.

I realize (now) that I forgot to snap pics of the whole saw,
The pollen has been bad here and I was still a bit fuzzy from benadryle
when I left to go make the swap.
Sorry for disappointing you guys (and myself) on this one.

Thanks for posting that up.

We had a guy here sometime back with some kinda hard to believe claims about several back to back bad saws from a box store. It sounded so fishy to me that I actually called the store and talked to the manager who told me that there were no returns of that model saw at all so I had to take the posters claims as false.

Still your situation is hard to fathom, but like others have said, this very well could be a single store situation.

 

[Chris-PA]

That plug in pic has clearing been in a run saw. My 5020 plug was brand new never ran. I took it out before 1st start to know so and my cylinder looks nothing like those pics posted. :msp_confused:

I think that's the key observation. Those deposits are light, but it would take more than a minute or two to build that up. That saw was run.

 

[Brian B.]

That 450 Rancher I'm sure feels very, very, very similar to the 5020.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

bump :hmm3grin2orange: So how is everyones poulan holding up so far mine is still running great i recently installed a new plug,airfilter,fuel filter and tygon lines still running fine though i switched the champion plug over to the ngk version and it is starting quicker.:msp_smile:

 

[cornfused]

5020av

bump :hmm3grin2orange: So how is everyones poulan holding up so far mine is still running great i recently installed a new plug,airfilter,fuel filter and tygon lines still running fine though i switched the champion plug over to the ngk version and it is starting quicker.:msp_smile:

Mine has about 5 cords under it - changed air filter before the Iowa GTG - runs great & cuts well. It had a small accident when it was 1 month old - got backed over by the skid loader - a few new pieces of plastic and away we went!!!:bang:

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

bump :hmm3grin2orange: So how is everyones poulan holding up so far mine is still running great i recently installed a new plug,airfilter,fuel filter and tygon lines still running fine though i switched the champion plug over to the ngk version and it is starting quicker.:msp_smile:

Mine is holding up nicely. Got a couple cords under it with more on the way soon. I'm loving the Oregon 72LGX chisel chains I ordered up.

 

[brokenbudget]

why are the airfilters being changed? i thought they were cleanable:confused2:

 

[DSS]

Tractor Supply in my area has them on sale for $179:hmm3grin2orange:

No TSC for canucks. I think I saw them for $239 ish here.