Upgrading saws...

[Olympus]

Alright guys, I’ve begun the process of upgrading my saws to get rid of the cheap stuff and replace with higher quality stuff. I recently bought an Echo CS590 Timberwolf 22” bar at the recommendation of a lot of members here and I think that will serve as my biggest saw that I’ll need. So besides that, I have a cheap Poulan Pro 42cc 18” bar and a Stihl MS170 30cc saw that I’ve replaced the bar with a 14” Oregon and Oregon chain. So I’ve got a 30, a 42, and a 59cc chainsaw.

My first question is do I need all three? I really like the MS170 for pruning limbs around the yard and for cutting back branches along ATV trails at my hunting property. It’s super light, easy to walk and carry, and starts and runs good. It cuts way better now that I put the shorter bar and chain on. One thing it’s not good at is cutting trees down that are bigger than 6-8”. I do a lot of cutting new ATV trails and fire break trails and the little Stihl just can’t keep up with that kind of work.

And that’s why I bought the Poulan Pro. Once it’s running, it does pretty good, but it’s hard to start to finicky with the hot start sometimes. So that saw has been the one I’ve been thinking about replacing. But I’m open to suggestions. I would like something a little better quality than the Poulan. I’ve been looking at the Echo CS400 ($175 new online) and the Husqvarna 435($165 refurbished) and Husqvarna 440 ($200 refurbished). I’ve looked at some other brands, but they’re all more than $200 and I’d rather not spend much more than $225.

Should I just eliminate the 40cc saw altogether and just run a 2-saw system with the little Stihl and the Timberwolf? Or should I upgrade the Poulan and keep the 3-saw system?

 

[berrnard]

If the 590 is the biggest you’ll need. Drop the poulan and stihl and grab a top handle. Great for limbing and clearing trails. 12” bar is everything you need for that.
I found my used 201t for 275 and my 192 was 190. Both in top working condition.


Stihl 025 for sale
Stihl 250 for sale
3 saw plan:
Stihl 201t
Stihl 260 pro
Stihl 460
+
Echo 600p
Stihl ms211

 

[holeycow]

Makita 4300. (Dolmar 421)

Keep the 3 saw plan

 

[Olympus]

Makita 4300. (Dolmar 421)

Keep the 3 saw plan

Outside my budget.

 

[holeycow]

Ok

 

[DocMurphy]

Alright guys, I’ve begun the process of upgrading my saws to get rid of the cheap stuff and replace with higher quality stuff. I recently bought an Echo CS590 Timberwolf 22” bar at the recommendation of a lot of members here and I think that will serve as my biggest saw that I’ll need. So besides that, I have a cheap Poulan Pro 42cc 18” bar and a Stihl MS170 30cc saw that I’ve replaced the bar with a 14” Oregon and Oregon chain. So I’ve got a 30, a 42, and a 59cc chainsaw.

My first question is do I need all three? I really like the MS170 for pruning limbs around the yard and for cutting back branches along ATV trails at my hunting property. It’s super light, easy to walk and carry, and starts and runs good. It cuts way better now that I put the shorter bar and chain on. One thing it’s not good at is cutting trees down that are bigger than 6-8”. I do a lot of cutting new ATV trails and fire break trails and the little Stihl just can’t keep up with that kind of work.

And that’s why I bought the Poulan Pro. Once it’s running, it does pretty good, but it’s hard to start to finicky with the hot start sometimes. So that saw has been the one I’ve been thinking about replacing. But I’m open to suggestions. I would like something a little better quality than the Poulan. I’ve been looking at the Echo CS400 ($175 new online) and the Husqvarna 435($165 refurbished) and Husqvarna 440 ($200 refurbished). I’ve looked at some other brands, but they’re all more than $200 and I’d rather not spend much more than $225.

Should I just eliminate the 40cc saw altogether and just run a 2-saw system with the little Stihl and the Timberwolf? Or should I upgrade the Poulan and keep the 3-saw system?

I would keep the three saw system you have going the small one is good for the little stuff Top handles if you’re climbing in reaching out you don’t really need a top handle if you’re dropping trees and limbing them on the ground and if you’re doing firewood for yourself the medium size perfect for that you’re not putting the miles on the big boy that’s a little overkill with a 22 inch bar for that type of work and then if you’re cutting up the larger stuff you’re felling trees then pull out the 60 I started off like that I now have 31 chainsaws do I need them all hell no but I have many from 23 cc to 95 cc The ones I use the most of the 42 husky 59 stihl and 72 Jonsered If I’m planking I will use my 95 I just cut some nice bar tops for a customer with it on Cherry and it was wonderful I would keep it simple because it gets addictive and then you have too many saws and they just sit there

Doc

 

[Olympus]

I think I might have my MS170 sold for $115. I think I only paid $180 for it 6 years ago.

I think I like the 2-saw system better as I don’t do a lot of cutting in a year. I like the idea of a 35cc top handle or 40cc saw to use as my most common saw then have the 60cc saw for the biggest jobs.

 

[Olympus]

The MS170 is sold, now to sell the Poulan and I should be able to afford a pretty decent 40cc saw that I can use for most things I do before needing to step up to the 60cc saw.

Been reading a lot of posts about the 435 Husky having a slight edge over the Echo 400 which kind of surprises me.

 

[Jwilliams]

Buy an echo 400 muff mod and retune And run a 16” bar and chain and be happy with the 2 echos

 

[Colt Marlington]

Two saw plan sounds reasonable. I had a one saw plan for a really long time.

40 and 60 should be good. I'd like a brand new Echo CS-400 for a $175. But I prefer cash and carry.

I got a 35 and a 50 for a two saw plan..........and a 25, 34, 40, 54, and 70 for backups. Cuz I like saws better than weedeaters.

 

[Okie294life]

Alright guys, I’ve begun the process of upgrading my saws to get rid of the cheap stuff and replace with higher quality stuff. I recently bought an Echo CS590 Timberwolf 22” bar at the recommendation of a lot of members here and I think that will serve as my biggest saw that I’ll need. So besides that, I have a cheap Poulan Pro 42cc 18” bar and a Stihl MS170 30cc saw that I’ve replaced the bar with a 14” Oregon and Oregon chain. So I’ve got a 30, a 42, and a 59cc chainsaw.

My first question is do I need all three? I really like the MS170 for pruning limbs around the yard and for cutting back branches along ATV trails at my hunting property. It’s super light, easy to walk and carry, and starts and runs good. It cuts way better now that I put the shorter bar and chain on. One thing it’s not good at is cutting trees down that are bigger than 6-8”. I do a lot of cutting new ATV trails and fire break trails and the little Stihl just can’t keep up with that kind of work.

And that’s why I bought the Poulan Pro. Once it’s running, it does pretty good, but it’s hard to start to finicky with the hot start sometimes. So that saw has been the one I’ve been thinking about replacing. But I’m open to suggestions. I would like something a little better quality than the Poulan. I’ve been looking at the Echo CS400 ($175 new online) and the Husqvarna 435($165 refurbished) and Husqvarna 440 ($200 refurbished). I’ve looked at some other brands, but they’re all more than $200 and I’d rather not spend much more than $225.

Should I just eliminate the 40cc saw altogether and just run a 2-saw system with the little Stihl and the Timberwolf? Or should I upgrade the Poulan and keep the 3-saw system?

I would say you only need a 40 and a 60 cc. Since you are trying to upgrade I’m not sure that getting a 440 or an echo cs-400 is really much of an “upgrade” both are plastic crankcase saws. I rebuild a 440 because the crank seals went bad. Good saw when it ran, but the cylinder head on those like the echo bolts straight onto a plastic crankcase, definitely not an heirloom.

 

[Olympus]

I would say you only need a 40 and a 60 cc. Since you are trying to upgrade I’m not sure that getting a 440 or an echo cs-400 is really much of an “upgrade” both are plastic crankcase saws. I rebuild a 440 because the crank seals went bad. Good saw when it ran, but the cylinder head on those like the echo bolts straight onto a plastic crankcase, definitely not an heirloom.

Then what would you recommend in the 40cc class?

 

[Olympus]

I’m really leaning hard on the Husky 435 right now. Aside from pro users talking about how it’s not pro quality, I haven’t seen much negative about it and a lot of positive. And since I’m squarely in the mid-level category, it should be a good saw for me. And I have a good local dealer if I need service.

Not the Echo is bad, but I haven’t seen any good videos on how to do the muffler mod, particularly how people are getting the catalog core out.

 

[Okie294life]

I’m really leaning hard on the Husky 435 right now. Aside from pro users talking about how it’s not pro quality, I haven’t seen much negative about it and a lot of positive. And since I’m squarely in the mid-level category, it should be a good saw for me. And I have a good local dealer if I need service.

Not the Echo is bad, but I haven’t seen any good videos on how to do the muffler mod, particularly how people are getting the catalog core out.

Unless you spend a lot of money it should be a good bet the only thing I don’t like about those saws, and a lot of little saws is how they sling oil. You may find that the echo slings oil better, I had to run the lightweight stuff in the Husqvarna always. My old 028 will use anything, as long as it’s oil. I tested out a cs-400 that had been returned to HD once and it seemed to oil a lot better. I almost got it until I found a better deal used on the Husqvarna. Unless you want to spend a crap ton of money on a ms201 or the Husqvarna equivalent you probably won’t find a little saw new that doesn’t have a plastic crankcase.

 

[Brazos]

I bought a couple Husqvarna 435 refurbs and both have been great. I bought one about 4 years ago and liked it. Picked up the second a year later. I paid $160 for each of them and if I see them at that price again will buy a 3rd. I haven't had a lick of problems with either saw. I am not a pro logger but these two saws get used pretty regular. I have a half dozen chains for them and no telling how many times they have been resharpened. So I guess I am a 435 refurb fan.

 

[NSEric]

I use a cheap Chinese 45/52 or 62cc (they're all the same size and weight just different displacement) saw for clearing atv trails. Its 1 pound heavier than the 42cc poulan after you ditch the heavy 20 inch bar and add a 16 or 18 inch speed cut bar. You can even run the same bar/chain on it as your 170 if you want to, I did that to my 52 and the 3/8 lp is really fast on a 50 cc saw.
These saws out cut the 42 cc poulans and start great.

 

[Olympus]

I’m working with the local USDA branch on doing some prescribed fire on my hunting land so I went out today to cut a bunch of dead trees down that were too close to my fire break lanes. I took my Poulan Pro 4218 and that I just hate that saw. I sharpened the chain before I left and after the second tree it was dull and would barely cut at all. I also didn’t realize how loose the anti vibration system was. Those springs really have a lot of give to them and make the saw feel weird when using it, like it’s about to fall apart. I also noticed that it wasn’t oiling as much as I’d like so I turned it upside to see if it had an adjustable oiler, but i couldn’t find one. What I did see molded into the bottom side of the grip was the Husqvarna logo! I guess I had no idea Husqvarna made the Poulan Pro. This makes me concerned that I should rethink my plan to purchase a 435 instead of the Echo CS400.

 

[NSEric]

With new saws the small echo's are better than the small huskys. Anything smaller than a 45 or 50 cc rancher is a very cheaply made homeowner saw. Edited to add I forgot about the 543, its a good saw but very expensive.
I had smilar issues with my jonsred 2138 which was a rebadged poulan 42cc piece of junk. One day it would start fine the next it wouldn't and it barely oiled since new which burned up the bars and chains.

 

[Okie294life]

I just looked at Husqvarnas website and was surprised they do offer a 543xp. It may be overkill for what you want to do with it, but maybe not. It’s just like anything else, how much does it get used and how much punishment does it need to take, how critical is it that it runs always, so I want to give it to my kids one day..that stuff.

 

[Olympus]

I just looked at Husqvarnas website and was surprised they do offer a 543xp. It may be overkill for what you want to do with it, but maybe not. It’s just like anything else, how much does it get used and how much punishment does it need to take, how critical is it that it runs always, so I want to give it to my kids one day..that stuff.

It’s important that it runs and it’s important that it’s not too heavy for carrying around trails. I have no need to pass down to my kids. Might get used 10-15 times a year.