Saw life?

[jackrabbit]

With the advent of the newer computer controlled saws, it appears we can monitor many things about the saws. How many hours will a saw actually last? I have always wondered what the life in hours of a professional quality saw is? That is assuming of course it is taken reasonable care of and fed quality fuel and oil. I'm guessing around a thousand hours before it will need rebuilt. Like an engine in a vehicle, I know it will vary greatly, but we still know approximate life spans of semi or tractor engines. Just wondering, Cody

 

[rupedoggy]

Put a Hobbs meter on your saw and get back to us in 20 years.

 

[user 122190]

Put a Hobbs meter on your saw and get back to us in 20 years.

To bad they don't make Deloreans anymore.

 

[jackrabbit]

I was thinking the auto tune saws have been out for a little while now and they record how many hours are on them. I was just wondering how many they were getting on them before major mechanical problems are showing up.

 

[fields_mj]

My assumption is that, due to the electronics, the saws will have a more limited life span dependingontheapplication. If the saw runs a lot,, then the now ones will probably run longer (more hours), but if the saw sits a lot, like most due, time will likely kill the electronics before the saw makes it half way through its usable life.

 

[Karrl]

On another forum I read about a guy who had 800 hrs on his 562, with no major failures or fixes. That’s pretty impressive for a two stroke, but probably not unheard of for pro service saws. Most pro saws have an epa hour rating of 300, which means they expect it to run within epa spec for at least 300 hours.

This is a pretty interesting topic, as stihl and husky should both be able to collect this data at the dealership. It would really help manufacturers to know how long a part lasts on average before failure. I wouldn’t be surprised if each company has a list with avg life hours for each saw. Although they probably wouldn’t want that knowledge being out there for their competitors to use against them. I’m curious what the dealers on this site are seeing as far as hours on the saws they scan.

 

[user 122190]

Reminds me of Gun Forums, where some count the number of rounds fired. They diligently count and record every shot fired at the gun range. I have a 1911 that is more then 30 years old. Lots and lots of rounds (more then a hundred ) fired, and the pistol is still tight as when new. I'm glad I'm not hauling around some dogeared note book that nobody else will ever look at or care about.

I do have a neighbor that sells his saws every 2 years. Not a bad idea, as the saw is still fresh so he can sell it without worry to a new owner, gets a good price, and who doesn't like a new saw every couple of years. This guy cuts a lot of wood, far more then I, so it makes perfect sense in his situation.

 

[Gabriel1982]

With the advent of the newer computer controlled saws, it appears we can monitor many things about the saws. How many hours will a saw actually last? I have always wondered what the life in hours of a professional quality saw is? That is assuming of course it is taken reasonable care of and fed quality fuel and oil. I'm guessing around a thousand hours before it will need rebuilt. Like an engine in a vehicle, I know it will vary greatly, but we still know approximate life spans of semi or tractor engines. Just wondering, Cody

2 stroke is old technology and by now most manufacturers should/MUST know how to build a reliable 2 stroke chainsaw! At least that's what I think... Owners have their "blame too" if they don't run/use the chainsaw as written in the manual! A decent chainsaw should last 500 hours,I think... Good synthetic 2 stroke oil and proper warm up before starting to cut and good gas should be enough...

 

[user 122190]

2 stroke is old technology and by now most manufacturers should/MUST know how to build a reliable 2 stroke chainsaw! At least that's what I think... Owners have their "blame too" if they don't run/use the chainsaw as written in the manual! A decent chainsaw should last 500 hours,I think... Good synthetic 2 stroke oil and proper warm up before starting to cut and good gas should be enough...

Certainly tis the case with pro saws. The others probably die under the years of dust long before accumulating many hours of use. Yet even the pro saws can get cut down before living to retirement. Trees seeking revenge on saws is to common, or trucks that align themselves with the trees can sneaky-like back over a saw. Being a saw is hard and dangerous.

 

[LuDookie]

If you actually put an hour meter on a saw (I have) you’ll be quite surprised at how few hours a saw gets run. I’ve got a 4 year old saw that I would have estimated at close to 500 hours based on the 100 cords it cut in its first two years and many trees after that as a removal saw. It’s got just shy of 45 hours on it. Given all measures are taken to maintain a saw, one can last a wood cutter like me several decades. With parts replacements, a lifetime. For the professional arborist who couldn’t care less how long a saw lasts after its long paid for itself, that’sa different story.

 

[LuDookie]

My assumption is that, due to the electronics, the saws will have a more limited life span dependingontheapplication. If the saw runs a lot,, then the now ones will probably run longer (more hours), but if the saw sits a lot, like most due, time will likely kill the electronics before the saw makes it half way through its usable life.

I believe this. It only takes about 10 years for certain versions of electronics to be replaced and they soon become obsolete. I feel like there should be more of this data available for high hour autotune saws, but I believe none of it is really impressive so we aren’t seeing much of it in the threads. There are lots of data for logged hours on older saws making it close to 1000 hours but for the most part it’s just a bunch of guys speculating and guesstimations.
Saws are like pocket knives. If you use them for an occasional tool they can be passed down through generations. If you use one like my father it’ll give you a couple of years.

 

[LuDookie]

I always look for professional options when buying saws but my oldest, most used and abused, and most reliable saw is a clamshell. It’sa 300hr clamshell, but pro saws are typically just light and fast. There’s still plenty of 029’s and 290’s with 150 hour epa ratings outliving a lot of modern pro saws.
And yes I know… epa rating doesn’t coincide with the life of a saw. And many die long before that hour mark.

 

[Canyon Angler]

Reminds me of Gun Forums, where some count the number of rounds fired. They diligently count and record every shot fired at the gun range.

It's useful if you're a competitor (with a rifle, at least). ARs typically start to fall off on their 600 yd line accuracy up around 2.5k rounds. After that, rebarrel or (better yet) keep one upper for practice and put a new one in service for competition.

 

[dboyd351]

It's useful if you're a competitor (with a rifle, at least). ARs typically start to fall off on their 600 yd line accuracy up around 2.5k rounds. After that, rebarrel or (better yet) keep one upper for practice and put a new one in service for competition.

yep and most of those guys shoot regular events where you use a set number of rounds, so if you know your weekend competition uses 100 rounds and you do it every week, that's 5,200 rounds per year, for example. No need for a notebook or to count every shot - just do a little quick math.

 

[Greaser007]

I bought a dirty worn out Husky 2100cd w/ long bar (faller's saw) at a yard sale in 1982.
I tore it down and installed fresh crank seals and carefully re-assembled.
That saw was used on big pine and cedar average 32-inch trunks, cutting 8 chords per year to stay cozy.
First thing I did after re-assembly was make an adapter for a big green weenie filter.
That dang 2100 is still bucking big pine today. Currently burning on chord no. 8, and have an emergency stash of rounds for the unexpected. Today, I have predominately been cutting local Digger Pine for free which is convenient.
My wife and I haul the rounds in a low 12-foot enclosed stock trailer so we can tip the rounds in.
If the rounds are green and heavy I just quarter them for easier handling. Makes for a great picnic.

Oh, after reading the reply about a new bar guide being blue if we remove the powder coat, was reasurring that I hadn't burned my bar because i am particular to use any oil I have laying around for bar oil including old 90w gear oil. ha
Good heavens that 2100 is heavy and made for young men.

 

[KASH]

Back in the 70s and 80s the paper mills still had bush camps with cut and skid crews about a hundred cutters in a camp.Wonderfull camps each man had his own room with toilet and shower top of the line food kitchen open 24-7 bused to and from the bush and you were paid a daily rent for your saw. The camp closest to my place had a court yard that was originaly to be the swimming pool but they had trouble getting enough water so the space became a court yard.The saws were mainly Husky Jonsereds and Stihl in those days with the heavy mix oil you got around 2000 hours out of a saw before a rebuild.
Here in ThunderBay Ontario the Husqvarna saw shop Noro Saw was the largest selling dealer in North America.The shop was owned by two Swedes when my brother and I bought our 162s in 1979 they threw in a couple chains and a case of Castroll oil and told us to mix 25 to 1 when I pointed out the Husky manual said 50 to 1 he said mix it at that and I will see you in a couple weeks for a new saw.
The one owner used to come to our resort fishing and when asked he said saw life was about 2000 hours if the saw was given reasonable care.
Kash

 

[Gabriel1982]

Back in the 70s and 80s the paper mills still had bush camps with cut and skid crews about a hundred cutters in a camp.Wonderfull camps each man had his own room with toilet and shower top of the line food kitchen open 24-7 bused to and from the bush and you were paid a daily rent for your saw. The camp closest to my place had a court yard that was originaly to be the swimming pool but they had trouble getting enough water so the space became a court yard.The saws were mainly Husky Jonsereds and Stihl in those days with the heavy mix oil you got around 2000 hours out of a saw before a rebuild.
Here in ThunderBay Ontario the Husqvarna saw shop Noro Saw was the largest selling dealer in North America.The shop was owned by two Swedes when my brother and I bought our 162s in 1979 they threw in a couple chains and a case of Castroll oil and told us to mix 25 to 1 when I pointed out the Husky manual said 50 to 1 he said mix it at that and I will see you in a couple weeks for a new saw.
The one owner used to come to our resort fishing and when asked he said saw life was about 2000 hours if the saw was given reasonable care.
Kash

soo ,500 hours is "conservative" rating? that Castrol oil was 2 stroke or 4 stroke? you never mentioned that. I like synthetic 2 stroke Motul 800 offroad in my Makita 6100. what strikes me is that when I run it mostly at idle it leaks a black stuff from the exhaust(spooge I think it's called). did it only once got bored about 3 hours to burn a tank of gas(800ml). and the top of the piston was black just from those 3 hours of idling plus some revs. After that I decided to use it as a real saw 100octane gas 30ml of said synthetic oil to 1 liter of gas and now when I cut 50-60cm diameter logs of hard wood type ,the top of the piston is PERFECTLY clean looked at it from the spark plug hole,exhaust is perfectly clean,has turned a bit blue around the tip/out hole.
think I'll get at least 500 hours of use from this saw. or at least I hope...
I don't think I'll use it more than 20 hours a year... more than enough for me

 

[Canyon Angler]

yep and most of those guys shoot regular events where you use a set number of rounds, so if you know your weekend competition uses 100 rounds and you do it every week, that's 5,200 rounds per year, for example. No need for a notebook or to count every shot - just do a little quick math.

LOL, You've obviously never met a High Power competitior. We keep track of EVERYTHING. Hell, we log the wind call and diagram the target strike position of EVERY SHOT, FFS, with 80+ shots in a typical match.

"No need for a notebook" is just crazy talk to any Service Rifle shooter. Blasphemy almost.

 

[dboyd351]

I was basically agreeing with you. Guess you missed that part.

 

[JJT]

My father in law cuts timber. He has a jonsered 2172 and he cut full time with it for a little over 3 years. That felling and bucking plus cutting firewood. It was starting to get weak so I put a new top on it and he is still using it. Its absolutely amazing how these little engines hold up the cold and hot weather. A key to make it last is using good gas, good oil and keeping the air filter clean.