Long term experience with Poulan Pro 5020?

[zuren]

Does anyone have any long term feedback of the Poulan Pro 5020? By long term I mean 2-3 years of advanced homeowner level use. I see that guys bought these in other threads and would like to hear if the saw is still going strong or if they already failed. From what I have read, Poulan Pro is made by Husqvarna.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/poulanreg;-pro-pp-5020-av-20-in-chainsaw

My wife and I bought a home with 5 acres last fall. The previous owner never cleaned up any of the storm damage over the years so I have trees laying or leaning everywhere. My current green Poulan 2025, for a 'throw away saw' has served me well but the 14" bar is too small. I need 18-20" to be able to get anything done.

I know there are 'better brands' out there and I don't want this to become a comparison thread; I can't afford a $400+ saw at the moment and have wood to clean-up now. I just know that I take care of my Poulan and it hasn't let me down in 8 years, and I'm the 2nd owner. The $200 price point for 50cc saw with a 20" bar is attractive. I see that guys bought these in other threads and would like to hear if the saw is still going strong or if they already failed. I do my own repairs so buying a box store saw with no dealer/repair support isn't much of a concern.

I'm also considering the Jonsered 2250 but would like to keep the discussion focused on the PP5020.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Jon1212]

Here's a thread from a couple of years ago by @Modifiedmark. It is chock full of very useful information.

http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...ulan-pro-5020-to-see-what-there-about.192321/

 

[Guido Salvage]

What the hippie says...

 

[CTYank]

Mine's still going strong three-years-on, running as well as when new, or maybe a tad better after I got a Husqy carb tool and adjusted it a bit richer to near optimum. On cleaning it out recently, I couldn't help noticing that the clutch sprocket was badly worn- replacement going in shortly. Point there is that it's had some serious runtime, cutting my firewood and clearing storm damage from a variety of NY parks, Audubon Centers and Land Trust reforestation projects. Gas it & go.

Not perfect, had a few minor probs:
fuel filter fell off line in tank- snip line & reinsert;
air filter, as stock, lets some dust past- tiny bead of silicone put a stop to that;
nuts that retain carb worked loose- pull plastic bits in the way, dap of LocTite, done;
OEM 20" bar is an oddball, with 70 DL, vice all the other K095 bars out there that take 72, so you deal with it.

Power output is adequate for running OEM b&c buried in hickory. Of course, the chain is kept sharp; aren't they all? One very good option is a 16" b&c, for a variety of reasons.

Strato-scavenging yields great fuel-endurance & makes life easier for nearby air-breathers.

A/V is excellent, inherited from Husqy. The combo of power and a/v prompted a bud to drop his stihl 250 & get a 5020.

Recommended mix ratio of 40:1 not a problem. I now run everything from my 17 cc Homelite hedge-trimmer to 576 Husqy on that.

The 5020 overall is a smidge hefty, and a bit bulky, but for the $180 mine cost, it's a real value for lighter felling & bucking, and most limbing. As others have noted, 50 cc saws are so good at most tasks, that they are go-to saws. Much less sweat packing one out into the woods than some big-iron.

The 5020 is NOT a Stihl, in that it's easily serviced without being tempted to rip out plastic poo that's blocking your access. Also non-Stihl-like, parts are available online all over the place cheap. How 'bout a piston for $6?

IMHO total no-brainer. VMInnovations-dot-com will put a factory-refurb on your doorstep for $181, if you can't find one locally. If you buy it new, you also get a pretty tough black plastic (reduced thief attraction) carrying case with lots of room for stuff.

 

[Jon1212]

Mine's still going strong three-years-on, running as well as when new, or maybe a tad better after I got a Husqy carb tool and adjusted it a bit richer to near optimum. On cleaning it out recently, I couldn't help noticing that the clutch sprocket was badly worn- replacement going in shortly. Point there is that it's had some serious runtime, cutting my firewood and clearing storm damage from a variety of NY parks, Audubon Centers and Land Trust reforestation projects. Gas it & go.

Not perfect, had a few minor probs:
fuel filter fell off line in tank- snip line & reinsert;
air filter, as stock, lets some dust past- tiny bead of silicone put a stop to that;
nuts that retain carb worked loose- pull plastic bits in the way, dap of LocTite, done;
OEM 20" bar is an oddball, with 70 DL, vice all the other K095 bars out there that take 72, so you deal with it.

Power output is adequate for running OEM b&c buried in hickory. Of course, the chain is kept sharp; aren't they all? One very good option is a 16" b&c, for a variety of reasons.

Strato-scavenging yields great fuel-endurance & makes life easier for nearby air-breathers.

A/V is excellent, inherited from Husqy. The combo of power and a/v prompted a bud to drop his stihl 250 & get a 5020.

Recommended mix ratio of 40:1 not a problem. I now run everything from my 17 cc Homelite hedge-trimmer to 576 Husqy on that.

The 5020 overall is a smidge hefty, and a bit bulky, but for the $180 mine cost, it's a real value for lighter felling & bucking, and most limbing. As others have noted, 50 cc saws are so good at most tasks, that they are go-to saws. Much less sweat packing one out into the woods than some big-iron.

The 5020 is NOT a Stihl, in that it's easily serviced without being tempted to rip out plastic poo that's blocking your access. Also non-Stihl-like, parts are available online all over the place cheap. How 'bout a piston for $6?

IMHO total no-brainer. VMInnovations-dot-com will put a factory-refurb on your doorstep for $181, if you can't find one locally. If you buy it new, you also get a pretty tough black plastic (reduced thief attraction) carrying case with lots of room for stuff.

I know that a K/A041 can be modified with minimal effort to fit a K/A095 mount. Shouldn't the converse be possible?

Also, our local C-A-L Ranch store has the refurb 5020's without the case for just under $140 OTD. After your post I am toying with the idea of picking one up to have as a "helper" saw.

 

[Philbert]

See them on sale NIB for $179 periodically, and I recall at least one AS member finding a refurb for under $129.

Philbert

 

[CTYank]

I know that a K/A041 can be modified with minimal effort to fit a K/A095 mount. Shouldn't the converse be possible?

Also, our local C-A-L Ranch store has the refurb 5020's without the case for just under $140 OTD. After your post I am toying with the idea of picking one up to have as a "helper" saw.

The 5020 bar MOUNT is K095, small-Husqy. The OEM 20" bar takes 70 DL chains vs the normal 72 DL for a 20" K095-MOUNT bar.
I've used two bars fitting that description, just fine thank you, the OEM 20" bar and an Oregon PowerMatch 20", with chains 70 DL or 72 DL respectively. Besides 16" PowerMatch. All work great, thanks. Even the OEM "Vanguard" chain can be gotten to work just fine.

The only wild-card in the bunch is the #DL for the OEM bar. Same thing as happens with Echo CS-590, I'm told.

I bought my 5020 as backup for my 455r Husqy, and found increasing use for the Poulan. I'll bet the same thing happens to you, Jon. I'm still "blaming" @Modifiedmark for spreading the word about the PP5020. Thanks again, Mark.

Should mine get stolen or run over, I'd get another in a heartbeat.

 

[Jon1212]

I don't know why I thought it was a K041 as OEM? I'm just a dirty hippie.

I do find it odd after using the Oregon selector guide that both the OEM, and non OEM are K095, yet the OEM bars require 70dl vs the standard 72dl for that mount.

My level of interest, and intrigue has now increased even further.

 

[CTYank]

I don't know why I thought it was a K041 as OEM? I'm just a dirty hippie.

I do find it odd after using the Oregon selector guide that both the OEM, and non OEM are K095, yet the OEM bars require 70dl vs the standard 72dl for that mount.

My level of interest, and intrigue has now increased even further.

Moi aussi! Once I had a grip, so to speak, on that, my mission was clear- to avoid obfuscation. (Seems I failed here. Oh well.) The mount is only a small part of the bar.

Luckily for me I had a bunch of old 3/8" chains to cobble up into 70DL loops, some chipper even. Don't have a heart attack now, Niko. Nor about the semi-chisel chains I love on this saw.

 

[Chris J.]

See them on sale NIB for $179 periodically, and I recall at least one AS member finding a refurb for under $129.

Philbert

I bought my PP5020 rebadged as a Craftsman with the case for a bit under $60.00, but that was pure luck (right place at the right time).

 

[CTYank]

I bought my PP5020 rebadged as a Craftsman with the case for a bit under $60.00, but that was pure luck (right place at the right time).

Yeah, tell us that you got the 10-year Craftsman warranty too, and maybe some extra chains thrown in. No free hat? Yer fishing for a "YOU SUCK" you must know.

 

[Chris J.]

Yeah, tell us that you got the 10-year Craftsman warranty too, and maybe some extra chains thrown in. No free hat? Yer fishing for a "YOU SUCK" you must know.

Oh yeah. I received plenty of "You suck!!" comments when I first mentioned it, in Mark's PP5020 thread IIRC.

It was return. I'm guessing that Sears just tossed in with other returns and sold them off in lots. The small warehouse where I bought it had a bunch of Craftsman line trimmers, chainsaws, & some blowers. Interesting note, now that I think about it--All of the Craftsman equip was 2-cycle, and almost all of them were in boxes.......so maybe they weren't returns.

 

[Chris-PA]

I suspect the 70DL is because you can commonly buy 70DL chains at places like HD, but not 72DL. Yes it's Tri-Link, but I use it. My McCinderblock SE3420 (PM605) uses 70DL chains, and I believe some other older saws did as well.

 

[bikemike]

Does anyone have any long term feedback of the Poulan Pro 5020? By long term I mean 2-3 years of advanced homeowner level use. I see that guys bought these in other threads and would like to hear if the saw is still going strong or if they already failed. From what I have read, Poulan Pro is made by Husqvarna.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/poulanreg;-pro-pp-5020-av-20-in-chainsaw

My wife and I bought a home with 5 acres last fall. The previous owner never cleaned up any of the storm damage over the years so I have trees laying or leaning everywhere. My current green Poulan 2025, for a 'throw away saw' has served me well but the 14" bar is too small. I need 18-20" to be able to get anything done.

I know there are 'better brands' out there and I don't want this to become a comparison thread; I can't afford a $400+ saw at the moment and have wood to clean-up now. I just know that I take care of my Poulan and it hasn't let me down in 8 years, and I'm the 2nd owner. The $200 price point for 50cc saw with a 20" bar is attractive. I see that guys bought these in other threads and would like to hear if the saw is still going strong or if they already failed. I do my own repairs so buying a box store saw with no dealer/repair support isn't much of a concern.

I'm also considering the Jonsered 2250 but would like to keep the discussion focused on the PP5020.

Thanks for your feedback!

I dont have the new Poulan but i do have a pre strato pp 4620avx for about 5 years running strong broke it inn with a higher oil mix and it still runs strong i have used this saw at least 2 to 3 times a week since i got it. And having echo and stihl saws i find myself using my poulan cause im not afraid to wear it out and it wont blow up still.

 

[old guy]

I bought my first one only slightly used, ( chain had never been resharpened and was still sharp) for $100.
It was the Sears colored one and it runs just fine and is impressive, but my grandson liked it so well it is now his.
The next one I paid $90 for off CL, this one is the regular 5020, it also has very little time on it, it has 165 lbs comp.
I can't get it to turn the revs it should and a look inside the ex port shows it may have ingested something but I seem to have trouble tuning these strato saws so we will see.
There was a used one on CL a while ago for $145 and one new in box $125.

 

[Wagnerwerks]

139.99 refurbs on ebay

 

[Modifiedmark]

I'm still "blaming" @Modifiedmark for spreading the word about the PP5020. Thanks again, Mark..

My pleasure, I got broad shoulders so pile it on.

Really though its been a while now since I bought the 5020 and started that thread on it. I said at the time that I thought for its intended purpose that it was the best buy saw around at the $200 price tag. It now appears that I was right at least in my mind and quite a few others.

We have not heard of any major problems from anyone about them since and I have talked to more then a few folks who probably use them more then what they were intended for.

I just talked to Cornfused at the GTG last weekend and he is still very happy with his.

 

[Modifiedmark]

I don't know why I thought it was a K041 as OEM? I'm just a dirty hippie.

I do find it odd after using the Oregon selector guide that both the OEM, and non OEM are K095, yet the OEM bars require 70dl vs the standard 72dl for that mount.

My level of interest, and intrigue has now increased even further.

Technically, the OEM bar would be considered a Z095 mount as it is a K095 mount with a non standard drive link count.

I'm not sure if Oregon is making Z095's except for OEM now days and if not that would be why they don't list it in there aftermarket listings.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

i thought one guy had a problem about a broken crankshaft???


IF YOU GET THE SAW dump the vanguard chain get some 72LGX . put a 16'' on it because from my personal experience the saw don't have enough ass to run the 20 on it.

 

[Modifiedmark]

i thought one guy had a problem about a broken crankshaft???


IF YOU GET THE SAW dump the vanguard chain get some 72LGX . put a 16'' on it because from my personal experience the saw don't have enough ass to run the 20 on it.

Correct, Spike came on and said he had one brought in with the crank broke off at the clutch. We asked for more info and never got any, it seems we don't know if it was abused with the chainbrake or if it was just one of those things.

Maybe I shouldn't have said any major problems and just said not many problems period??

Point of most owners being happy with them is still valid.

I agree that the saw is happiest with a 16" on it but then again most 50cc saws are. As far as not having enough ass to run the 20" I disagree.