Thinking about buying a 540xp

[pro94lt]

It has the same oil pump as the 346xp. It should oil like crazy

 

[Pud]

No offense but I think it is just you. I was doing a large blackwood removal the other day and i really was impressed with how much oil was getting out to the chain. Usually this blackwood will mess up chains real bad with sap and heat from it being so darn dense and tough to cut. It can even make a mockery out of bigger saws with much larger flow oil pumps. With the T540 I could easily use all the oil well before the fuel is empty. I had to turn the oil pump back down a bit to be more even with the fuel rate.

What oil do u use ? I could probably put 2 tanks of fuel through it and still have bar oil in the tank with it on max

 

[Matt81]

I am currently using the Trublu 150 chain and bar. This is the 150 weight oil and i am really liking it. I tried Gulf Western Supertak and it was rubbish. Plus Supertak is dearer than the Trublu!
This is the first oil i am happy to run through all of my saws big and small. Even the polesaws and the 34cc dolmar and all the climb saws oil just fine with it. Noticeably less bar wear since i have been using this. I am down to my last drum and a half. Hope he gets some more stock soon. Last time i went past he was selling Stens brand oil. Funny thing is that it is in exactly the same container as the Gulf Western and looked the same colour to me. He wasn't sure where Stens got their oil from but it does say "Blended in Australia" on the label so i think it may be Gulf Western oil. Not sure but i might have to grab a 20 to try it and see for myself as i am running low.

Here is a link. One of our local blokes (he is actually 40 mins away from me) has these several times a year for the bargain price of $80 for a 20 litre drum. Freight on a 200 Litre is a killer so 20 litre is more realistic. Plus i always get at least 3-4 weeks out of a 20 litre. When he has them in stock i buy up big and fill my ute.

http://www.trubluoil.com.au/index.php/industrial/chain-a-bar-oil

 

[jefflovstrom]

This is what I buy. http://www.stihlusa.com/products/oils--lubricants-and-fuels/oils-and-lubricants/wdcttroil/
Jeff

 

[Pud]

I have used stihl oil and do like it apart from the smell but it's $8 dollars a litre where I live

 

[Matt81]

This is what I buy. http://www.stihlusa.com/products/oils--lubricants-and-fuels/oils-and-lubricants/wdcttroil/ Jeff

Nothing wrong with any Stihl bar and chain oil that i have used. We use the Stihl Synthplus synthetic blend oil at work and it is great. It is a great price too but my boss pays for it.

http://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Produ...ubricants/21101-1642/SynthPlus-Chain-Oil.aspx

I have used stihl oil and do like it apart from the smell but it's $8 dollars a litre where I live

Yeah that is pretty steep! If we bought the Stihl Sythplus by the litre Stihl would want $10.50. The Stihl bioplus environmentally friendly stuff is $13.50 in a litre bottle!
We buy the Sythplus in a 200L drum so at $990 it comes to $4.95 per litre. Very good value IMHO. I am happy at $4 per litre for the Trublu, plus it's a lot easier to handle a 20L than a 200L!

 

[Pud]

My boss buys recycled oil and I don't like using it at all and just buy my own

 

[weedkilla]

I am currently using the Trublu 150 chain and bar. This is the 150 weight oil and i am really liking it. I tried Gulf Western Supertak and it was rubbish. Plus Supertak is dearer than the Trublu!
/QUOTE]

What didn't you like about the gulf western stuff? I bought 1l cos I wanted the bottle, thought it was alright and I've used about 20l since. Autobarn(?) had it out for $20 for 5l and I grabbed a few.

 

[Matt81]

My boss buys recycled oil and I don't like using it at all and just buy my own

Yeah i agree, if my boss started doing it i would be buying and bringing my own too.
Running recycled oil through a saw is a sure sign that you don't really care about the saw. Decent bar and chain oil can be had for as little as $4 a litre. If you are actually doing it on purpose and paying money for the crappy recycled oil, well ...... enough said.

 

[Matt81]

What didn't you like about the gulf western stuff? I bought 1l cos I wanted the bottle, thought it was alright and I've used about 20l since. Autobarn(?) had it out for $20 for 5l and I grabbed a few.

It's not the worst i have ever used but it was far from the best. Fuchs would get the award for worst. Don't get me wrong if i had a choice between this or something i had not heard of or never used i would stick to the devil i knew. I found i was seeing increased bar wear compared to other oils. During winter or colder weather it was not oiling to my liking with the smaller oil systems on my pole saws and smaller saws. Didn't seem as tacky and was flinging off very easily with little getting to the bottom of the bar. Then to top it off my supplier went and increased the price on a 20L drum from $84 to $96 for no reason i could understand. $96 for a 20L brings it into Stihl and Husky territory, and i know which is the better oil!

 

[treeclimber101]

I tried that once .... And my bar burnt and the chain was really hot , recycled oil maybe the only thing as useless as filling the tank with water .

 

[jomoco]

For a different perspective, most full time pro climbers use 200t's, even the ones that only run husky for every other saw in their lineup. There's a reason for that. Those climbers who use lesser saws think that the 0.5 second difference (or whatever) in a cut is not a big deal. On the ground it's not a big deal. I'm a semi die hard stihl fan, but on the ground I could really care less. I've got a couple 346xp's in my lineup and so long as I'm sharpening the chain and tuning the saw I don't mind if it's a 372 or 440 (love those 441cm's though!) a 395 or a 660, and would definitely favor a 3120 over an 880.

Up in the tree it's a different story though. A climbing saw is your bread and butter if you're a climber, that saw makes you money. And over the course of the life of that saw, that one saw might make you $100k as a contract climber, or even more money if you own the business and are climbing. That's a whole lot of money. Those branches aren't just gone to hang around and wait for you to do your thing, for better or worse we have gravity. Fractions of a second really do make a difference up in the air, and a whole lot of difference to the time it takes to get a job done. If you've got a saw that really drives the chain, you can drop branches confidently in the attitude you want them in. It's a very spontaneous thing, and there's no second try. A good fast saw with an aggressive chain means you can spear cuts down. Or fold them and pop them off at exactly the right attitude to control the bounce when they hit the ground. You can fold them ust how you want them, and release them at that split second in time when they will come down just right and cause no damage.

Being able to do that saves a whole bunch of time. I can cut and drop 10-15 branches in the time it takes to rope 1. That might translate to 2 or 3 trees done in a day vs 1. If you're a basic climber with easy trees and just need to get the wood on the ground and haven't even gotten around to doing trick cuts, then there's a whole bunch of climbing saws out there that will fill your needs. Or rear handled saws. Or hand saws, or whatever. If you're a gun climber who needs to git 'er done every day of the week then who gives a **** about the price? We used to pay $1500 a pop for 200T's in aus, and worth every penny (though of course I was buying mine stateside) but if someone came out with a more powerful climbing saw that hit the sweet spot I'd fork out $2k+ in the blink of an eye and do the same again a couple times a year. That saw makes money like no other saw can.

Shaun

Yup!

200T's are worth a lot to me!

Thank you Stihl for the cone head lock washers for my mufflers!


jomoco

 

[mckenzie355]

i use a echo 355t , it has been a great saw!!
i also have 200t, but it is not reliable. some days it runs and other days it want to be thrown out of tree lol

 

[jomoco]

Try being nice to your 200T and run high octane racing gas in it!

Ten bucks a gallon, and worth it.

jomoco

 

[Matt81]

i use a echo 355t , it has been a great saw!!
i also have 200t, but it is not reliable. some days it runs and other days it want to be thrown out of tree lol

That is the same story with our low hours 200T. It was a backup saw to our main 200T. Now the backup is the main one. Since the dealer put the replacement Chinese carb on it, you can almost flip a coin to see if it is worth climbing with or not. Won't restart when warm, plus revs erratically after being used for several long cuts. Then won't restart at all and the filter is soaked in fuel. Been a real pain this past 4-5 months.

I still want to try a 355T sometime soon for an extended review. Right now the T540 is running brilliantly. The 338XPT (that the T540 replaced) has not missed a beat either. Plus since i fixed my old 334T it has not been anything but reliable and it still cuts well for a 14 year old saw. They have been getting a workout the last few weeks as i am gradually getting through a big job of over 10 100+ foot trees near his house for a friend of mine.

I am covered for climb saws right now, but i do want to try the Echo to see what all the fuss is about!

 

[pro94lt]

No need to try the echo it's not bad just not 200t power or 540

 

[jefflovstrom]

I was a fan at first of the 355T,,that lasted 6 months,, all of our guys now are issued the 540xp,,
Best move ever! The 355 and the 201 are newbie or back up saws.
Jeff

 

[KenJax Tree]

I was a fan at first of the 355T,,that lasted 6 months,, all of our guys now are issued the 540xp,,
Best move ever! The 355 and the 201 are newbie or back up saws.
Jeff

What about the NIB 200's in the office

 

[jefflovstrom]

That is the same story with our low hours 200T. It was a backup saw to our main 200T. Now the backup is the main one. Since the dealer put the replacement Chinese carb on it, you can almost flip a coin to see if it is worth climbing with or not. Won't restart when warm, plus revs erratically after being used for several long cuts. Then won't restart at all and the filter is soaked in fuel. Been a real pain this past 4-5 months.

I still want to try a 355T sometime soon for an extended review. Right now the T540 is running brilliantly. The 338XPT (that the T540 replaced) has not missed a beat either. Plus since i fixed my old 334T it has not been anything but reliable and it still cuts well for a 14 year old saw. They have been getting a workout the last few weeks as i am gradually getting through a big job of over 10 100+ foot trees near his house for a friend of mine.

I am covered for climb saws right now, but i do want to try the Echo to see what all the fuss is about!

If you are not putting high demand on that Echo 355T and not worrying about production, then that is the best HO saw ever!
Jeff

 

[Matt81]

What about the NIB 200's in the office

I wish we had NIB 200t's! Then i could stop having to listen to my boss whine about "what will i buy when the 200t dies?" I have been steering him towards the 201T with fixed ignition timing. Even though he loves my T540 when he uses it, he can't buy a Husky. He would have to stop with the Husky jokes for a start!