Chainsaw Choices

[Mark Mandell]

I wonder if she minds being put in that company??

Well, you've placed her somewheres between the Old Gray Mare and Lassie.

She may love animals, but she might prefer that you sleep in the car for a week or two while she mulls this over.

Hey, look on the bright side, weather's getting warmer! You could have stepped in this in mid-January and been freezing your _____ off on the back porch!

mm

 

[Paul Engle]

I use both electric and a 355 husky, i can use the electric in the shop as deklutze suggests and the gas for more roughing work and the electric for fine tuning a blank if needed . my Mccullough electric been thru gobs of chain and still runs like a deeeeer.....

 

[Gretch Flo]

Thanks , Mark

Gretch,

The only reason to use Stabil is if you're going to be storing the gas for some time. The new fuels tend to degrade just sitting in the can for as little as month, and their ethanol content actually attacts water vapor. From what I've been told, stabilizer will extend a good fuel's shelf life for up to 6 months. The issue with 2-cycle mixed gas is that hobbyists and homeowners are usually in the position of having to hold some in the can for more than a month between saw sessions. You can't put the leftover mix in your car or truck, and, unless your town has a drop-off for oil and gas/oil mix, your only other alternative is to either let it evaporate or burn it in a controlled fashion; neither is a good choice for our climate, and both are often illegal. Stabilizer in the stored fuel is then a good option.

I buy gas, and then mix in the oil as I need it at no more than a half-gallon at a time. That way I never have much of a "mixed" leftover problem. I don't put the stabilizer in until I know that I'm storing those leftovers.

My other small engine units (generator, log splitter, snow blower) use different fuel line material than those small tubes in my saws. I do store gas in those machines, with stabilizer, for no more than 3 months during their use seasons, but I turn off their tanks and run the lines and carbs dry just as I do with the saws. Since these are 4-cycle engines, I can drain their tanks and put the gas in my truck at the 3-month point. All these engines start right up on regular gas. I tried higher grades, but saw no difference in performace, so I save the extra money for a better grade of beer

Simple way to approach this is to not store gas in your chainsaw, and try to mix only what you'll use.

Hope this helps.

mm

Sound advice as usual, Mark, Thanks, Gretch

 

[CTutor]

Chain saw choices

The only problem with Sthl is that you can not get parts except from an authorized dealer. Try www.npeco.com they sell all brands and are great to talk with and work with. I think the url is correct it is Norwalk Power. They usually give you two extra chains and sometimes oil with a purchase. they advised me about 2" longer than your lathe swing.

 

[Tom Lewis]

This is something I have wondered about for some time concerning the difference between a Poulan and Sthil. There is no doubt that the Sthil is a better machine and lasts a long time.
My question is, for those of you who have owned a Sthil for ten or fifteen years, what have repairs and upkeep cost you? (not counting chains)
I like 18" Poulan's. I had one for seven or eight years, wore it out, and bought another one. I do a lot of wood cutting. We use a wood burning stove to heat 90% of our house.
The last Poulan I bought cost maybe $160.00. So for two Poulans which will last me maybe 12+ years I have paid maybe $320.00 and no repair bills.
Would I have been money ahead if I had bought a Sthil?
With the high cost of parts and labor I find most of the time I am better off to buy a new item rather than have the old one repaired. The repair shop here in town charges $30.00 just to look at a chain saw even if I know what is wrong with it.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Tom,

I've had little to no costs associated with my Stihl since the rebuilding thing. I put a new plug in each year and check the wear on the chain sprocket (replaced that about 6 times). Minor readjustment on the carb once in a while. I sharpen my own chaiins with a chain grinder, and I lightly dress the bar as needed. I bought a replacement bar for the Stihl, but it's still in the shrink wrap.

But there's more to saws than just maintenence costs, which are heavily effected by how they're cared for. If you do a lot of cutting (we burn 4 cords/yr. of oak, ash, hickory, and osage) the weight, balance, and power of the better saws becomes obvious as soon as you cut with one. Poulan, Homelite and that group will cut wood okay, but spend 4 hours behind them and then four hours behind a Stihl or Huskie going through hardwood, and you'll see the difference, both in how you feel and in the size of the woodpile next to you.

I have an 023 Stihl with a 16" bar, and a big 372-XP Huskie pulling a 28" bar and full skip chain. I grind my chains to 28x57 and check the teeth with a mic for precise uniformity before they go back on the saw. The Huskie is the Big Dog for felling and bucking up the big wood. The Stihl is the little workhorse that trims, whacks up the smaller stuff, and prepares turning blanks and such.

If my Stihl ever dies, I'll replace it with a Stihl MS260 Pro. THAT is one very sweet small/mid saw with near-perfect balance with an 16, 18 or 20" bar.

Hope this helps