Farm Boss's suck!I

[Wood Doctor]

Here's a positive story for Stihl 290 or 029 owners. A guy called me up and wanted to sell his 290 that had recently been overhauled after his friend borrowed it and straight gassed it. The saw ran perfectly after the overhaul. He said he intended to ask $150 for it on Craig's List and was short on cash. I told him, "Wait a minute. I know you need cash, but I'd price it at $200. See what happens."

Two days later he called me back and said, "Your phone call advice was worth $50. A guy drove to me place yesterday, started the saw, and handed me a pair of $100 bills."

Heck, he might have gotten $250 for it.

 

[fearofpavement]

$250 is what I sell the 029/029S for. I generally get $300+ for the 039/MS390.

 

[Knobby57]

Yes a 290 is a fat heavy underpowered saw . But... They run and take a beating . Are there better saws for the money ..yes.
If you really want to be baffled .. Ask yourself next time your at Walmart and see the 700 pound pregnant lady with parts of her dangling over the sides of the electric kart and her belly stressed against the handlebars ...... Who in the hell knocker her up !!!!! And the idea of the ms290 will sound reasonable .

 

[CR888]

lts not uncommon for land owners to have that series of saw in service for twenty plus years. Are they in my cad iduced line-up...absolutely not but there must be a reason the market pays such a high price for them used, the market knows best. Look at what used toyota corolla's sell for...same deal. ls the corolla the fastest car on the strip?

 

[jughead500]

I'll bet piltz racing could do some sick $h!t with a farm boss and a 48" bar.

 

[mountainlake]

The reason they sell good is the over rated HP and they look like a Stihl. Just another company making money off their name. Steve

 

[XSKIER]

The reason they sell good is the over rated HP and they look like a Stihl. Just another company making money off their name. Steve

Perhaps, but the whole professional bull riding thing didn't really take off for echo now did it?

 

[johnlhatfield1]

How many times is the same garbage gonna be brought up on this site? Maybe Ill start a threat arguing about whose saw is 2 oz lighter and how much of a difference it makes. That would be totally original and helpful to people. Yes that series of Stihl saws is slow and heavy and all the cool kids hate them. Who cares? And guess what? They still cut wood. If you spend more money on a more expensive saw you get a better saw. Huh who would've thought. They are popular because of the price point, Stihls dealer network (for better or worse) and there are parts everywhere. I come to this forum to learn, get advice and hopefully give some myself. Pointless brand loyalty and bashing benefits no one.

Agreed. The 029 is one that I have had on my bench often because somebody ditched one or the local tree cutters tried to use it on the job every day. Non-pro saws are exactly what they are.
My guess is only a few AS members have an ms290/029 in their collection.

 

[rich450es]

at the company i work for we give the new kids the ms250 or the ms290 FB(if its a bigger job) because they are going to use the dam things to dig trenches with when limbing a fallen tree .....parts are cheep and half the time they run straight gas in it and the cheep chink-china cylinders-piston kits are only $35-$40 and only takes about a hour to rebuild ...the pro saws get used by the pros here not the dumbass kids

 

[MCW]

You have to ask yourself who is harder on saws? Is it a farmer with absolutely no mechanical sympathy who does no saw maintenance or is it an AS member with CAD?
I can tell you now that I've seen 029's take a beating that would kill many pro saws. Some of the examples I've seen shouldn't have even run but they did. Would I own one? No. Do I respect the hell out of the 029? Hell yes.
They are far from a piece of sh*t compared to 90% of other saws on the market. I've seen so called pro saws that can't hold a candle to the 029.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

i know a guy who dropped one from a bucket truck 150 ft up it didn't even hurt it, they are tough in my book.
and people will spend 225 for them used its the only reason i look for them.

 

[fearofpavement]

i know a guy who dropped one from a bucket truck 150 ft up it didn't even hurt it, they are tough in my book.
and people will spend 225 for them used its the only reason i look for them.

That must have been some bucket truck. The ones around here go up about 60' or so.

 

[Chris-PA]

Lol - are we starting to recognize that plastic chassis are tough? Nah, can't be.

 

[fearofpavement]

Thankfully, because this is still a free country (mostly), one doesn't have to own one of these Stihl 1127 series saws if they don't want one.
All the banter saying people buy them because of marketing hype is just silly. This line of saws has been a best selling product for Stihl for many years. Marketing is certainly helpful in selling an item but it only goes so far. There are a lot of individuals and companies that are repeat buyers of these products and they wouldn't be if they were as horrible as some think. Like stated earlier, I find many of the naysayers have never actually had one of these saws so aren't really qualified to "rate" them. I have had a lot of these saws (20) and always have one in my line up right between the 026 and 044. They are tough, reliable and any part you need can be gotten from either Stihl or the aftermarket. Think they're too heavy? Try a Zip for a few hours.

 

[PLMCRZY]

Everyone around here usually has a ms250 or the farm boss. Both run good in my experience, although a bit heavy.

 

[CR888]

lt seems nowdays on AS a saw has no place on earth unless it has an unused sugihara light bar, is of 'pro' grade, is one of two brands, must be ported (who does it don't matter), and with all the hard use AS owners give it, after many hundred hours run time in the hardest wood on earth, it amazes me how these saws appear to look brand new out of a dealership straight off the shelf!!lol We are so great at critisising a prooven, time tested model, happily used aound the globe without ever critisising ourselves. lf l worked as well as a ms290....i'd be a very rich man.

 

[lone wolf]

Yes a 290 is a fat heavy underpowered saw . But... They run and take a beating . Are there better saws for the money ..yes.
If you really want to be baffled .. Ask yourself next time your at Walmart and see the 700 pound pregnant lady with parts of her dangling over the sides of the electric kart and her belly stressed against the handlebars ...... Who in the hell knocker her up !!!!! And the idea of the ms290 will sound reasonable .

 

[MrGiggles]

lt seems nowdays on AS a saw has no place on earth unless it has an unused sugihara light bar, is of 'pro' grade, is one of two brands, must be ported (who does it don't matter), and with all the hard use AS owners give it, after many hundred hours run time in the hardest wood on earth, it amazes me how these saws appear to look brand new out of a dealership straight off the shelf!!lol We are so great at critisising a prooven, time tested model, happily used aound the globe without ever critisising ourselves. lf l worked as well as a ms290....i'd be a very rich man.

Well, the majority of the community here are saw enthusiasts... It's the same way with car enthusiasts, if it's not German, a V8, RWD, etc. they couldn't care less.. A 3120XP captivates my interest a lot more than an 029, and the majority of this forum is the same way.

The vast majority of 029 owners simply consider the saw as a tool and nothing more. As long as it starts and cuts wood, it's a keeper.

 

[rich450es]

but isn't a chainsaw just a "tool" that starts and cuts wood ? i work on these f%$king things all day and after 30 years of doing so it is just a tool that breaks down , no mater what color it is....it isn't a god to be kneeled infront of ....lol

 

[MrGiggles]

but isn't a chainsaw just a "tool" that starts and cuts wood ? i work on these f%$king things all day and after 30 years of doing so it is just a tool that breaks down , no mater what color it is....it isn't a god to be kneeled infront of ....lol

In the same way that a car is just transportation, but try convincing Jay Leno that his cars are only good for getting to work and back..

Just like cars, many folks get a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction out of tuning, running, repairing, and collecting our saws... They're more than just a tool for cutting wood.