I broke down and bought a new chainsaw

[DanMan1]

Even higher end saws can have problems, but i sure don't see any posts here about brand new Stihl's, Husky's, Jred's, etc. with problems. Maybe after about 5-10 years of abuse, but that is still few-and-far-between. And by abuse I don't mean the weekend firewood cuttin' either. I'm talkin' about bein' abused in timber cutting. So continue to buy the inferior product names that keep you returnin' saws and gettin' another crappy one of the same make. The company is laffin' all the way to the bank.

Gary

You must be joking.

This forum is littered with posts of people having first day problems with Euro-saws. You can start by reading my kill switch post on my brand new 357xp, for starters.

It's just too bad some of the experts here couldn't give more compasionate helpful repair advice to saw users of all ranges, instead of reserving their insightfull knowlage strictly for the expensive saw users. The "Throw it out and buy a real saw", joke has been said on this forum years ago, and is just a waist of database space.

In my humble opinion, a true professional expert can give good encouraging advice to all, not just to those that spend a lot of money. for example I'd hate to see a pro baseball player giving advice to a kid just getting started,' Trouble catching the ball? Take that $20 glove and throw it away, and get yourself a $200 glove like mine, then I can help you".

 

[Cut4fun]

So true danman1, Well said. After the lower end saw is gone I bet most will buy a bigger and better saw. But from the things I seen here and dont like following the dawg pack either. If I ever purchase a new saw I am going Dolmar first. I just dont like the way Stihl deals and the markup they have is crazy. See why people call them stealerships. The little one man run Dolmar shop looks like the way to go in my town. There are 3 Stihl shops with 15 miles from me and the all are top dollar fancy shops, With the top dollar you buy at a twice what it should prices.

 

[buck futter]

In my humble opinion, a true professional expert can give good encouraging advice to all



well said there is a lot of knowledge here and we don't always receive the full benefit.



in another topic with husky/jonsereds pull out choke design if your quick you can catch the choke when it pops, smack in the choke and keep it running my dad could do a one pull start on a husky 254 at least half the time. with my stihl I have to pull three to four times on full choke before it pops but I'm pretty good at pulling the lever up in time to put the saw on fast idle.
warm I put the saw to run pull the starter cord until the pawl engages and give the cord a little snap.

Lucky

 

[pbtree]

You must be joking.

It's just too bad some of the experts here couldn't give more compasionate helpful repair advice to saw users of all ranges, instead of reserving their insightfull knowlage strictly for the expensive saw users. The "Throw it out and buy a real saw", joke has been said on this forum years ago, and is just a waist of database space.

In my humble opinion, a true professional expert can give good encouraging advice to all, not just to those that spend a lot of money. for example I'd hate to see a pro baseball player giving advice to a kid just getting started,' Trouble catching the ball? Take that $20 glove and throw it away, and get yourself a $200 glove like mine, then I can help you".

You raise some good points - yet I also believe that expecting a Pinto to perform like a Mercedes is just unrealistic.

When I buy low end products, I am not disappointed nor surprised when they behave like low end products. I fully expect to get what I paid for.

And for another view, if my best friend were to stop by, and I noticed he had bad breath, I could be selfish and offer him a breath mint (this helps me, but does nothing for him really) or..

I could just be honest and tell the guy he has bad breath. If he chooses to do nothing about it that is his decision, but I was honest and told him like it is...

Some of the best advice I ever got was to buy a quality product...

 

[TrogL]

I took it back

I took it on the road, cut down two 12" birch trees (they were dead - one had already half fallen across the other) and dragged some deadfall over that was about the same size and started slicing it up into 12" lengths so it would fit into a stove when I chopped it up (with my favourite axe).

Part way through the third log I noticed the chain looked a little dry so I set it down so I could oil the chain. It sat there idling a moment then gave a big clank and quit. I gave it some more chain oil and tried to start it.

No way was it going to pull. It was locked up absolutely solid. I left it overnight and tried again. No way. Next morning, same thing.

I took it into Canadian Tire on the way home, said I wanted a refund. Absolutely no argument even though it was past the "seven day replacement" (that's right - "replacement") period. I got the impression they'd been through this before. They even had the procedure down pat for someone taking it over to the auto shop to drain the gas.

OK, I'm convinced - no more Poulans.

Home Depot has a nice little McCullouch for $200.

I've still got the Pro140 that won't stay running.

One of the pawn shops has a Stihl that looks like it isn't in too bad shape for $100. This time I'll make sure I can make it run.

Or I'll phone one of the three saw shops in town and see if they've got something used.

Another ideas? (besides "give up", "hire a pro" and "get a proper (ie. $500) saw")

 

[NWCS]

actually trog, dont overlook echo, they have some good cheap prices and will take some heavy abuse. my 21cc echo brush cutter has done some HEAVY commercial work that only a 40cc model should be doing.. i run an 8" Oregon Cobra blade on that thing and regularly cut 4" brush. i bought it in 94 and just a few months ago finally rebuilt the carb and cleaned the muffler.. that is the ONLY work its ever had.. thing just takes a beating and keeps on going.
for 50-100 more than at Mcculloch, you can have the echo that should be rock solid! i see on home depot's website they list the Echo CS-440 (45cc) wuth an 18" bar for $299, the CS-305 (30.1cc) with 14" bar at $199 the 305 is listed as internet/catalog only, but you could probly have it shipped to a store and pick it up. i would personally get the CS-440.

 

[SawTroll]

If you push it down to choke, pull until it pops, then push up WITHOUT squeezing the throttle, it cannot go up past fast idle, at least that's how it is on my Stihl. I just push it up as far as it will go without touching the throttle.

I agree with you, I have no problems finding the different positions without looking on my 361.

Anyway, I like the Husky/Jred system a lot better - less fiddling to start when cold, and faster stop, without having to move the right hand...

By the way, the whole thing really isn't a very big issue to me - love/hate are far too strong words in my book......

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

TrogL- I'll second what dedcow said. I've got a soft spot in my heart for Echos. I remember my dad had one when I was a kid, before he could afford a Stihl, which he still has now. And they're good saws to boot.

Jeff

 

[TonyM]

McCulloch! No, don't even go there! McCulloch is a step in the wrong direction from Poulan IMHO. They are far from what they used to be.

Find a good used pro saw in the 50cc range (025/026 Stihl, 350 or 351 Husqvarna)

There was a brand new Solo 650 with a 2 year warranty on ebay for $200. That's a good buy.

Echo's are a good compromise of price/performace.

 

[Blowdown1]

bad to worse?

Home Depot has a nice little McCullouch for $200.

Ahhhhh! You are heading down the same road, maybe worse. My neighbor bought a Mukluk after Isabel 2 years ago. He never used it because it wouldn't even start! He spent all day trying to start that POS. He went and got a Stihl and has been a happy man.

If you really want to go on the cheap then get a used (good) saw that is in good shape.

 

[TrogL]

If you really want to go on the cheap then get a used (good) saw that is in good shape.

I've been phoning around and all I've managed to find is somebody trying to sell me a $450 new Stihl.

I probably don't need a new one until this weekend so I'm going to look around.

 

[whatsnext]

In my humble opinion, a true professional expert can give good encouraging advice to all, not just to those that spend a lot of money.

Wait a minute. Am I the only one not getting paid for my advice?

 

[TonyM]

A guy I worked with who lived in the city came in to work one Monday all excited about something. Finally he asked me to guess what he'd bought over the weekend, knowing that I was into chainsaws. Turns out he bought a new chainsaw. I said, "you didn't get a McCulloch, did you?" He says, "Ya, why?" I could see I took the wind out of his sails. I told him they were basically poor quality, but we decided it would work for him to trim a tree once a year or something.

Well the next Monday he came in to work, and said he took it back. He used it a little but and then it died and refused to start. I thought they were poor quality, but now I think they are just junk. I got him a nice used Stihl 025 off ebay for $150, $50 more than he paid for the pile of junk Mac, and with more power, and it would actually start.

 

[Blowdown1]

TrogL, look in the paper, local "trading post" classified publications, online, etc. There is bound to be some place you can get a new or used saw in your price range that is worth spending money on.

Cub Cadets are actuall Efcos, same with John Deere. Makitas are Dolmars and supposedly HD sells their refurbished rental Makitas for cheap. Since you have been to HD, go by and ask about those.

 

[DanMan1]

Part way through the third log I noticed the chain looked a little dry so I set it down so I could oil the chain. It sat there idling a moment then gave a big clank and quit. I gave it some more chain oil and tried to start it.

No way was it going to pull. It was locked up absolutely solid. I left it overnight and tried again. No way. Next morning, same thing.

You were going to oil the chain with it idling?

If you do buy a new expensive saw, Just for giggles and science,treat it the same as you did the Poulan and make sure you use the same gas that was mixed for the Poulan.

 

[TrogL]

You were going to oil the chain with it idling?

Your point being what?

Before I started cutting I filled the saw with chain bar oil. When I opened it up after it had died it still had some chain bar oil in it so I don't think it had run out. Nevertheless, it looked a bit dry so I did what I had seen another experienced chainsaw user do, I added a bit of oil to the chain using a little squeeze bottle of chain bar oil I had made up exactly for that purpose. I was three cuts away from being finished at which point I was going to shut the saw down and re-fill it with chain bar oil.

If there's something wrong with that just come right out and say it.

If you do buy a new expensive saw, Just for giggles and science,treat it the same as you did the Poulan and make sure you use the same gas that was mixed for the Poulan.

I followed the instructions that came with the Poulan about mixing the gas, using a glass measuring cup and the little can of oil they provided. A different experienced chainsaw user said the gasoline/oil mixture looked fine to him. If they don't want you using a 40:1 mixture then they should stop telling you to use a 40:1 mixture and giving instructions on how to do a 40:1 mixture and tell you to do something else instead. My other saw uses a 25:1 mixture.

So rather than engaging in sarcasm perhaps you could come right out say exactly what you think is wrong with the gas mixture.

 

[Blowdown1]

I think the point was that you were lubing the chain manually and/or filling it while it was running. A saw should be able to run out of gas before bar oil. My 359 will run out of gas before oil even with the adjustable oiler set at max.

Oiling is a continual process and if the oiler is not working or empty, then fill it or get it fixed. The minimal amount of oil you can apply w/ a bottle will provide negligible benefit and would be gone before your three cuts are up. You can check oiler operation by seeing if any oil flings off the chain by pointing the bar tip at a clean piece of wood and revving it. There should be a line of oil spraying off the bar.

 

[TrogL]

There should be a line of oil spraying off the bar.

There was - that's how I was checking it.

The saw was tending to go through two tanks of bar oil per one tank of gas.

 

[stehansen]

I had an old homelite that I made work for a long time. The town that I lived in didn't have another chainsaw dealer, well finally I ventured to the big city and bought a Stihl 029. I have been addicted ever since/

 

[2Coilinveins]

I think DanMan1's point was that these saws don't oil at idle, not knowing that you, TrogL, were adding more oil with a squeeze bottle.