what chainsaw to buy

[mitown]

I Am Looking In To Buying A Chainsaw. I Need To Know What Make/model/ect. I Will Be Cutting Firewood And Clearing Trails In The Spring. Also It Needs To Be $200 Or Less. Any Sugestions Are Welcome

 

[ericjeeper]

Wild thang

For 200 bucks don't expect a lot for the buck

 

[ktoom]

How about a MS 880? It might get the job done for ya, but im not to sure????

 

[Chainsaw Master]

I AM LOOKING IN TO BUYING A CHAINSAW. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT MAKE/MODEL/ECT. I WILL BE CUTTING FIREWOOD AND CLEARING TRAILS IN THE SPRING. ALSO IT NEEDS TO BE $200 OR LESS. ANY SUGESTIONS ARE WELCOME

Thats really hard to read.......Bold caps....

 

[adkranger]

How about a MS 880? It might get the job done for ya, but im not to sure????

But what size bar would you recommend for them?

 

[zemmo]

I AM LOOKING IN TO BUYING A CHAINSAW. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT MAKE/MODEL/ECT. I WILL BE CUTTING FIREWOOD AND CLEARING TRAILS IN THE SPRING. ALSO IT NEEDS TO BE $200 OR LESS. ANY SUGESTIONS ARE WELCOME

I'm afraid they're funnin' you. At under $200 you don't have a lot of options, either a box store Poulan or something similar, or a used saw. Or, for around $330 you could buy a 510 Dolmar, if you've got a dealer in the area.

 

[PA Plumber]

Echo CS 346. Dependable, light and a good starter if you want something new. Don't expect it to cut large diameter wood very fast. Great for thinning and trail maintenance. Ebay prices are under $200.00.

 

[tbst]

maybe a used 55 rancher

 

[alderman]

I'd go used

I just picked up a used Shindaiwa 488 with 18" bar for $69.95 off e-bay. If it runs, at 3.5 hp, it will make a good firewood saw if I don't try to cut too big with it. If you are looking for something smaller, I'd try a Shindaiwa 377 or 360. These are snappy little saws at 2.5 hp and with a 16" bar is light and good for clearing trails. The 377 and the 360 are pretty much the same, but the 377 has two bar studs which I think I'd prefer over the 360 I have. You will find more 360's on the used market for some reason. For $200 you would get more saw for the money buying used.

 

[Four Paws]

How about a MS 880? It might get the job done for ya, but im not to sure????

Hey Noo-B, no need to poke fun at his legitimate question.

mitown - I am with Alderman suggestion a used saw - doesn't have to be a Shindaiwa, but they are bulletproof saws (as are many others). Some of the good saws you can pick up fairly cheap used are:

Jonsered 49SP - they have a great following
Husky 55 rancher - Steve (aka Freakingstang) loves his!
Shindaiwa 360 - smallest saw of the bunch at 35cc, usually go for $125 or less on eBay.
Poulan 3400 counter-vibe
Echo 346 - new on eBay seems to be a budget saw favorite.

I am sure others will post up with their picks.

 

[BostonBull]

Depending on how much wood you will be cutting a used Stihl 025/250 or even a 026/260 may do you good. not sure how much use this saw will see.

 

[computeruser]

I Am Looking In To Buying A Chainsaw. I Need To Know What Make/model/ect. I Will Be Cutting Firewood And Clearing Trails In The Spring. Also It Needs To Be $200 Or Less. Any Sugestions Are Welcome

My best suggestion: either plan to spend more money or start hunting for a good used saw.

In the new saw market, Echo C346 or Stihl MS180 are really your two best choices and neither would be a good firewood saw, though they'd do OK for light trail clearing.

If you're willing to go used, you should have a lot more options and some of them would even be good options. I got my Stihl 026Pro for a hair over $200, delivered. A saw like this would run circles around the MS180 or CS346.

 

[mitown]

i changed my mined $320 limit

 

[04ultra]

i changed my mined $320 limit

Your almost at a 5100s.. bump it up a little..


.

 

[tbst]

Yeah that is better. Even for 200 the 55 rancher is seriously a decent saw. I use it to cut firewood all the time, rather than the 372XP. For 320 you can open your horrizons a lot. A used MS440 went online this morning for 300.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...RK:MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=270069379593&rd=1,1

A good saw, at a decent price.

 

[zemmo]

i changed my mined $320 limit

Well, now you're in a pretty good range. Dolmar 510, Husky 353 come to my mind first. For around 4 you could get the 5100 S, which I have been using lately and think is just a great saw, and light enough for limbing. You'd probably be happy enough with a Husky 350, for that matter.

 

[adkranger]

Sorry for the funning earlier.:taped:

$320 opens up your horizons quite a bit. Either good used "Pro" saw or a decent new consumer model. Some of those other recommendations are good. I'm more experienced with Stihl, so a good condition used 026/260, 029/290 or new 250 or 280 (not sure on current prices). I'll leave the other quality brands for others to comment on. If dealer support is important to you, consider what dealers are in your area. If shopping new try to demo your favs to get a feel for what you like/are comfortable with. Good luck.

 

[spike60]

Quite a few times I see someone who doesn't have the money to buy the saw that he really needs. I always advise him to wait until he has enough cash to get the right saw, rather than sell him something that he will be unhappy with and probably burn up.

By raising your budget to $320, you can easily find a saw that will suit your needs. Husky 350/Jonsered 2150 would be a good starting point, but any of the saws mentioned by other members are fine for your needs.

Be careful buying something used. If you don't really know your saws, then you'll at least want to know the seller.

 

[disandat]

My best suggestion: either plan to spend more money or start hunting for a good used saw.

In the new saw market, Echo C346 or Stihl MS180 are really your two best choices and neither would be a good firewood saw, though they'd do OK for light trail clearing.

If you're willing to go used, you should have a lot more options and some of them would even be good options. I got my Stihl 026Pro for a hair over $200, delivered. A saw like this would run circles around the MS180 or CS346.

I bid on that saw or was at least watching it. Congrads on your win.

 

[NYH1]

I think a husky 350 (16" b&c) would make a good saw for you, as already mentioned!