Bought a new Poulan Pro 5020 to see what there about

[zogger]

Well Lowes price match's so they price matched Menards who has it on sale for $179.00 then took an extra 10% off . I know menards and tractor supply both have them for $179 right now so if you have one with in 50 miles of a lowes they have to price match + 10%.

You are right i did not look at the sticky's I should have dumb me. I just figured with everybody on this thread trying this same saw somebody might have come up with a good big box available chain that was better than the stock one.

As far as I know, no big box chain stores carry anything but safety chain, and bad quality at that. You have to specify at a real dealer, like a husky or stihl dealer, that you want pro chain, of such and such drivelink count.pitch/gauge.

I run safety chain on some saws, but I wouldn't buy it new either. I get used loops mostly and clean them up and sharpen them. I much prefer my used pro chains over the safety chains, but some saws it doesn't matter so I use those safety chains on those. Felling saws, nope. do not want safety chain there, want actual for real will be cuttin chain.

Safety chains have extra humps/bumps or the worst, folded over sharkfins, that make them much harder to sharpen and make it impossible to bore cut or even run a kerf across a log for splitting (or pret near impossible). The extra safety features interfere with the depth gauge and it takes a lot of filing to bring them down correctly.

But..they do act as a safety feature, they keep the very tip of the bar from digging in, so they help to avoid unexpected kickback. Kickback is not a joke. With that said, the best way to avoid kickback is know, not guess, but know, where your bar tip is, and keep your face and body out of the "plane" of the bar, stand to the side. They can kick back and up, or straight out of a log.

Check it out yourself with your safety chain, pull a chain by hand around the end of the bar, you will see how the safety bumps ride up and block the cutters from getting a bite. What used to be a normal chain and is now a pro chain, only has the cutter and depth gauge.

As to the FAQ, I wish it was more prominent on the main page, get guys to read that first, ton of good basic background information. A lot of things on chainsaws are universal, so similar as to not matter, analysis of no start conditions for instance.

 

[Modifiedmark]

.

Safety chains have extra humps/bumps or the worst, folded over sharkfins, that make them much harder to sharpen and make it impossible to bore cut or even run a kerf across a log for splitting (or pret near impossible). The extra safety features interfere with the depth gauge and it takes a lot of filing to bring them down correctly.

I disagree with all that quoted above. The Vanguard chain your trying to mention is much better then most any other safety chain out there. Its no harder to sharpen either if you care to figure out how to do it and Oregon even has a guide on filing the rakers on it. You should look it up and read it. Have you ever even tried 72V chain? Have you ever bore cut with it?

You want to see some weird worthless safety chain, look at some of Stihls chains. I just worked one over last night.

 

[zogger]

I disagree with all that quoted above. The Vanguard chain your trying to mention is much better then most any other safety chain out there. Its no harder to sharpen either if you care to figure out how to do it and Oregon even has a guide on filing the rakers on it. You should look it up and read it. Have you ever even tried 72V chain? Have you ever bore cut with it?

You want to see some weird worthless safety chain, look at some of Stihls chains. I just worked one over last night.

I don't like the folded over vanguard very much at all. What I have for guides are some husky roller guides and husky branded pferd holds two files guides. With those it seems difficult. I'll look and see if there is a better way to do them, but..preferences are for just normal chain most of the time. Besides that, just freehand, I don't own and have never used a chain grinder.

Like I said, I use both as the situation warrants and depending on what I have with me/handy. I wind up using a lot of safety chain, but I don't like them all that much, any of the styles.

I will look on Oregon's site and find this method you are referring to, because if there is an easier/better way, sure, I'll do it that way then. I don't know a thing with files other than push them across the metal you are filing. More metal in contact=harder to file. Not seeing how you can avoid the sharkfin once you start dropping down, but I will look again.

And I have tried bore cutting with sharkfin and it wouldn't work. That's why I posted that. If there is a way to make it work, that's cool with me. I will take a look.

 

[DSS]

Vanguard is not sharkfin. Vanguard is folded raker. There's a fancy way to file it but I just give the rakers one swipe every time I sharpen it and it works ok. It will bore cut and noodle and anything else you want to do, just not as well as normal chain. As far as safety chain goes, its probably the best out there.

 

[zogger]

Vanguard is not sharkfin. Vanguard is folded raker. There's a fancy way to file it but I just give the rakers one swipe every time I sharpen it and it works ok. It will bore cut and noodle and anything else you want to do, just not as well as normal chain. As far as safety chain goes, its probably the best out there.

I downloaded two different PDFs from oregon and yes, I am thinking of some other folded over chain I have someplace that I have dorked around with. The vanguard from the drawing is folded but tapered down, so you don't need to file much metal. I can see that in the drawings. . Some other I have seen is way flatter on the sharkfin, you have to file near the whole surface area. I also did not specify vanguard in my original post, just said some folded over sharkfin looking stuff. What it is, don't remember now. If it is the same, and I am remembering wrong (quite possible), oh well. I just remember it sucking to file the depth gauge.

Most of the saws I use frequently all have regular chain on them, but I do hang on to any cheap chain I scrounge up, and will use it.

Either way, if ya'all like and/or prefer that vanguard chain, that's cool with me, I just still prefer regular old plain jane chain given a choice.

But I will say, I like the powersharp chain and sharpening system, for off the wall unconventional chain.

 

[DSS]

I don't prefer vanguard, but if you're going to run safety chain I think its the best type. Good homeowner chain.

Most of what I run is non safety semi chisel, almost everything I cut is dirty.

 

[zogger]

I don't prefer vanguard, but if you're going to run safety chain I think its the best type. Good homeowner chain.

Most of what I run is non safety semi chisel, almost everything I cut is dirty.

I just am wondering if there is non oregon non vanguard brand X folded over raker chain out there. I went back and looked at some old posts around the site and can't find exactly what I think I am remembering. a lot of references and negs on vanguard though. all similar, like this here: "it works, but...."

Anyway, I don't like it very much at all. It is doable (for me) to sharpen but seems to take a very long time and use a lot more file to do it. File and filing time. Ya, other species of safety chain are..well..just no fun either. I *use* them, have been turned on to and bought a lot of them used (local shop will sell me customer no shows chain they have sharpened for cheap), but I won't buy any "new" safety chain, any brand/style. Just ain't gonna...

 

[Modifiedmark]

I just am wondering if there is non oregon non vanguard brand X folded over raker chain out there. I went back and looked at some old posts around the site and can't find exactly what I think I am remembering. a lot of references and negs on vanguard though. all similar, like this here: "it works, but...."

Anyway, I don't like it very much at all. It is doable (for me) to sharpen but seems to take a very long time and use a lot more file to do it. File and filing time. Ya, other species of safety chain are..well..just no fun either. I *use* them, have been turned on to and bought a lot of them used (local shop will sell me customer no shows chain they have sharpened for cheap), but I won't buy any "new" safety chain, any brand/style. Just ain't gonna...

Hey it ain't my favorite either but its no harder to sharpen the cutter then any other full cutter chisel chain, the cutter itself is the same, the raker is the only thing different about it.

Roller guides are for people who are not proficient in sharpening chains IMO.

 

[Modifiedmark]

I don't prefer vanguard, but if you're going to run safety chain I think its the best type. Good homeowner chain.

Most of what I run is non safety semi chisel, almost everything I cut is dirty.

I concur..

 

[CTYank]

I just am wondering if there is non oregon non vanguard brand X folded over raker chain out there. I went back and looked at some old posts around the site and can't find exactly what I think I am remembering. a lot of references and negs on vanguard though. all similar, like this here: "it works, but...."

Anyway, I don't like it very much at all. It is doable (for me) to sharpen but seems to take a very long time and use a lot more file to do it. File and filing time. Ya, other species of safety chain are..well..just no fun either. I *use* them, have been turned on to and bought a lot of them used (local shop will sell me customer no shows chain they have sharpened for cheap), but I won't buy any "new" safety chain, any brand/style. Just ain't gonna...

All chain I file, I do with Granberg's guide, including OEM Vanguard chains on 455r and PP5020. Dunno how they're giving you probs sharpening them, but they give me NONE. Normally a couple strokes/tooth to touch them up is all it takes, with no special consumption of files. (Files seem to last very long with that guide- still have some from ZipPenn.)

Only thing I don't like with that chain is the abrupt transition from sharp -> dull with the full chisel cutters. Still using up (slowly) some chipper chains from days of yore- hard to kill, and don't go instantly dull.

Still, much better IMHO than chains with the camel-hump on the straps. Bore like spit. :msp_thumbdn:

 

[3000 FPS]

I am afraid the last vangaurd chain that I sharpened I ground all the angles off of the rakers and then put a square grind on it. I think it is on a PP395.

I do have a 455R also with the original vanguard chain and it does seem to cut ok. But I was only using it on beetle kill pine at the time. I will probably leave it that way because when I ground the angle off the rakers they do become alittle to short. In soft wood ok but in hard wood to grabby.

 

[old guy]

I just picked up one of these in Craftsman colors fer a hunnerd bucks, the guy said he had it for a year & a half and only cut a couple of small trees.
The chain had never been sharpened and it was still razor sharp, this saw is like new.

My question is what should I get for RPMs at wot? My tach says 13000, got good plug color. thanks

John

 

[Brian B.]

I cut "fatwood", "heart of pine", "pine knot" with my 5020 a good part of Sunday- just kept her at 1/3- 1/2 throttle and she cut just fine, brought home about 1000 lbs of fatwood, second trip like that now- and two to three trips left in this little spot we are cutting in.

Pine knot- that stuff is GOLD!

Still digging my 5020.

 

[Modifiedmark]

I just picked up one of these in Craftsman colors fer a hunnerd bucks, the guy said he had it for a year & a half and only cut a couple of small trees.
The chain had never been sharpened and it was still razor sharp, this saw is like new.

My question is what should I get for RPMs at wot? My tach says 13000, got good plug color. thanks

John

John go back and read the first few pages of this thread again, I know I listed some tach readings.

13K sounds bout right far as I can remember.

 

[rms61moparman]

I cut "fatwood", "heart of pine", "pine knot" with my 5020 a good part of Sunday- just kept her at 1/3- 1/2 throttle and she cut just fine, brought home about 1000 lbs of fatwood, second trip like that now- and two to three trips left in this little spot we are cutting in.

Pine knot- that stuff is GOLD!

Still digging my 5020.

Not really the best thing to run a saw other than idle or WOT.
But do what you want and what works for you.


Mike

 

[Brian B.]

WOT seems to heat up the chain. I hear what you are saying though, done fatwood both ways- WOT seems to abuse the. Saw.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Old post on my test mule.

OUT OF THE BOX NEW a homeowner sawer would get disgusted pretty quick IMO. The saw carb was off the mark on L and I.

I checked factory settings and then put them back to see. L was 1.5 and H was 2 - 2.5 out (sorry cant remember H off hand).

It would start and not idle and shut off. Start and bog giving throttle.

I kept adjusting the carb till I ended up with about 3 out on L and left 2-2.5 on H at about 12.8K. Turned the I idle up too. Reminds me of the redmax carb and settings (which through me for a loop when I 1st got it), not like the 1 to 1.5 turns out we get used to.

 

[old guy]

John go back and read the first few pages of this thread again, I know I listed some tach readings.

13K sounds bout right far as I can remember.

Ya know, I read those first pages 3 times and did not see it but this time there it was on page one.:msp_rolleyes: thanks Mark

John

 

[joe25DA]

WOT seems to heat up the chain. I hear what you are saying though, done fatwood both ways- WOT seems to abuse the. Saw.

Mike is right about running a saw at idle or WOT. The fan on the flywheel cools the engine, faster the rpm, the more air gets blown through the fins. As far as the bar and chain goes, the auto oiler will preven abuse. It's driven off the crank and as long as you have oil your all set. Faster the rpms, more oil. Running at 7000 rpm won't help anything

 

[kingcheez]

Is the new Craftsman 50cc the same as this...i assume so ...also are you guys taking the exhaust screen out and what are you setting the high carb screw at - i had to lean mine out a tad