Efco 152 long term test

[Stihl Crazy]

One thing I am interested in is some history on Efco. The 152 must have ancestors..what are they? Which would be the best old Efco/olympics to collect to build into giant killers for GTG? Sort of sleeper saws..one that can be built to run much better than expected..any Olympic or Efco's that can be made to play that game? I sort of want something to augment my Jonsereds as a counter to the Big three (Stihl/Husqvarna/Dolmar) at GTG's and just for fun. Sort of hoping there are some small 50-60cc Efco from the past or present that can be built to be fun.

I can't help there. I just got into Efco a year ago.

 

[Stihl Crazy]

hey thanks for the check list....good stuff there. I want to know about the history as well. I used to think the old european macs were made in the same factory.....but sawtroll says no. The best efcos I know of for sleepers is this one right here....the efco 152/952...for collecting wise...one day the 962 will be a very sought after saw. If you want GTG rep get you a efco/oleo-mac/olympyk 999F.....the biggest they ever made.....thats my dream saw.....a BEAST for sure.

I have a new 962 heading my way. Still trying to get a new 999.

 

[slipknot]

I know on mine the jets are not moving, I always check them. In over 400 tanks none have moved yet, although it acts like they have. I have an idea what it is. Had a similar problem with another brand.

You may be right as far as my saws go, retuning was the only thing I ever figured out for a remedy. Ive never had a saw for more that 2 weeks before the limiters were removed for a muffler mod....so in some sense i have nothing to compare to. From my expieriences its been more efco than any other brand. All the stihls ive had....no issues....and i hate stihl....lol..because everyone and their brother, sister, and dog and cat run stihl....nothing wrong other than their prices...just husky, poulan, and these efcos have this issue..if you get it figured out let us know. Like I said...i have no proof that my settings were actually drifting.....I never checked to see if they were. So dont take me as arguing with an efco tech/dealer..lol. In fact you have forgot more than I will probably learn.

 

[slipknot]

I have a new 962 heading my way. Still trying to get a new 999.

There is/was a brand new one on ebay for 379...its even the old orange color...I have the 952 thats orange...it happens to be the one that wont hold its needle settings....at least it seems like it. If you get that figured out please tell me....because ive played needle jet roulette way too much here lately..lol

 

[Stihl Crazy]

There is/was a brand new one on ebay for 379...its even the old orange color...I have the 952 thats orange...it happens to be the one that wont hold its needle settings....at least it seems like it. If you get that figured out please tell me....because ive played needle jet roulette way too much here lately..lol

He has 1 less now. May be high price for you guys in the US. Dealer cost on a 152 is more than that here.

 

[mtngun]

after messing with it again....I noticed its leaking fuel real bad out of where the line goes into the tank

That does sound suspicious.

It's about impossible to see a tear where the line passes through the tank -- mine was torn just inside the tank -- but a vac test on the line will tell you whether it is good. Plug one end, apply vac to the other end. Either it's good or it's not.

If the 52's line is like its big brothers', it's one continuous fuel line from the carb to the fuel filter, passing through a very snug hole in the tank.

 

[Stihl Crazy]

Sounds to me that a new gas line is in order. Check the carb for dirt after putting a new line in.

 

[Stihl Crazy]

Back at it.

Looks like the test is back on. Had a run on used saws last week. Everything I had been running is gone. Put an 18" bar and 3/8 Windsor chain on the 152.

Never did send a 152 to TW. The main reason is that I want to port this one myself. Want to give it the "any mans" porting job. Something any 152 owner can do. Lets face it, TW is not just any man when it comes to porting a saw.

Second reason is that I sent a NOS 962 to TW instead.

 

[nmurph]

i finally took the plunge. i bought a 156 in yellow. it should be here Wednesday and get into some wood this weekend.

 

[8433jeff]

Stihl Crazy-any more 962's that you know of?

 

[Stihl Crazy]

Stihl Crazy-any more 962's that you know of?

There was one more NOS 962 where I got mine. Don't know if it is still there. Mine was a 2002 model.

 

[mtngun]

Second reason is that I sent a NOS 962 to TW instead.

 

[challenger1]

Hello everyone. This is my first post to this website and I'm happy to be here. I have an 8 year old CS56 with an 18 inch bar. I chop up about 10 trees a year, prune large trees with a manlift and usually bring down 3 trees a year. Well, I have nothing but good things to say about this saw. The filter stays very clean, it cuts very good and always starts easy. I only have my neighbors big box store saws to compare it to and those are really no comparison. The one thing that everyone that has used this saw coments on is how light it is and how fast it cuts.

It has been my only saw....until yesturday. I found a brand new, in the box CS81 with a 20 inch bar and the price was just too good to pass up. It looks to have been manufactured in 2006. I wanted to cut with it today, but I want to run my 56 against it with the same size bar. I have a 20 inch bar and chain combo coming from Baileys for the 56 and a 28 inch bar and chain combo coming for the 81. I'll post the differences when I get the equipment together.

For the record, the cs81 with a 20 bar feels light for what it is, but the cs56 is sooo light. The wind brought down a bunch of pines and oaks in the past month so I'm excited to put these saws against eachother. I have nothing against Stihl, but the Efco/JD quality is hard to beat for the price.

 

[Great Smokies]

I'll be interested to hear how that goes. My local Efco dealer just got an MT8200 with a 28" on it. He's running it this weekend, then the next 2 Saturdays they are doing demo days for saws....so I'm going to go play with it.

 

[challenger1]

I couldn't wait for the 20 inch bar for the cs56 to show up to make a comparison to my new cs81 with a 20 inch bar. I felled 3 pines between 14 and 19 inches. Each one took less than 30 seconds to drop. Bucking was easy on uneven ground.

When my cs56, 20 inch bar shows up, I'll make a video and post it for comparison purposes.

I cannot emphasize TECHNIQUE enough with a large saw like this. This saw pulls very hard into the wood and will not forgive for incorrect chain placement. The weight and power have lots of momentum potential. I didn't get kickback, but the "grab" without stoppage was a real eye opener.

Overall, I am very impressed with the "get it to go" in this saw.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

It has been my only saw....until yesturday. I found a brand new, in the box CS81 with a 20 inch bar and the price was just too good to pass up. It looks to have been manufactured in 2006. I wanted to cut with it today

sounds like someone caught CAD. so what did you pay for the 81?

 

[Vibes]

If you got a good deal on an 81 good for you. I had just sold a NIB one last month. They were around for real good deals 2 or 3 years ago. I ran a near new and stock 981 a while back and it didn't impress me. Thats why I kept mine NIB. The 56 and 62 are the cream of the Efco crop as far as the onesI have ever run. The 40 and 46 are nice small saws, and I never ran a 52, but I honestly can say the 981 didn't impress me. I never ran it next to one of my old OLY 284's but other than it being lighter, I didn't really notice much of an improvement.

Do a search and see if a guy named 4 PAWS posts will show up on the new format. He had a lot of good stuff about the large chassis Efco's. He modded them and from what I heard got pretty good results

 

[challenger1]

Sorry guys, I'm not sure what CAD stands for, but I can answer your other questions. I paid $576, shipped for this saw with the 20 inch bar. I have found a couple new CS56's, but no one wanted to go under $450.00.

Thanks for the advice Vibes1, I'll see what I can find from 4paws.

 

[slipknot]

So what ever happened to the long term test?

 

[challenger1]

One of my friends properties had a bunch of hardwoods come down last week during a heavy rain and wind storm. He found a STIHL MS280 at one of the STIHL dealers. It felt nearly identical in my hands as the JD CS56. He was running the 18in bar, mine the 20in.

Cut short, he preferred the John Deere 56. I had my CS81 and for flat bucking he thought it was awsome, but to hold at angles, he really didn't like it. Overall, the power and weight of the CS56 felt good to him. He paid $425 for the 280. I don't know if that is good or bad, but he really does like it. I went thru 10 tanks in the CS56 and 5 chains. I used 2 chains and 6 tanks in the CS81. I ran the 81 mostly. He didn't keep track of tanks, but lost his bite on the chain "I think near the middle of his 3rd tank. GREAT DAY!