Field lines have gone bad in the backyard. I've got a a couple of trees (10-12" caliper) to take down so new lines can go in. Looking to purchase my 1st chainsaw. Whatcha got and are you happy with it?
OT: Chainsaws
- Thread starter InTheIttaBenaHotSun
- Start date
Husqvarna Rancher and I love it!
Don't use it all the time but it is always ready. I've owned it for 10 years. When I need it, about 3 times a year, just put some fuel and bar chain oil in and crank her up. I've done nothing to it other than replace chains after heavy use. I'm looking at buying a Black and Decker 40V chainsaw for a lot of quick clean up around some fence lines. Should be set with both.
Don't use it all the time but it is always ready. I've owned it for 10 years. When I need it, about 3 times a year, just put some fuel and bar chain oil in and crank her up. I've done nothing to it other than replace chains after heavy use. I'm looking at buying a Black and Decker 40V chainsaw for a lot of quick clean up around some fence lines. Should be set with both.
If it's just a couple of trees, just get the cheap Lowe's/Home Depot brand and just replace the chains when necessary.
This all day.
The only two brands that you can consistently get serviced now are Stihl and Echo. Stihl has more service shops so unless you're near a major city, that is the way to go.
I have a Stihl Farm Boss, can’t remember the bar size, and I love it. A chainsaw is one of those things you rarely need but is indispensable. If you own a piece of property that you maintain yourself you really need to own a chainsaw and a pickup.
I have both Husky and Stihl (Echo pole saw too). Can’t go wrong with any of them. I would go with the brand that has solid, long standing service in your area. Definitely use the pre mix non ethanol. It’s expensive but worth it. Also, get the correct file and learn how to sharpen. Will make cutting much easier for you. The dealer should get able to give you a tutorial. Happy cutting!
Get a Stihl. It's the only way to go. It will last forever.
However, if you are concerned about having to get one serviced, call your local repair shop and see what they do warranty work on - then buy one of those brands.
However, if you are concerned about having to get one serviced, call your local repair shop and see what they do warranty work on - then buy one of those brands.
Depending on normal use case this one is awesome! Always “cranks”. Quiet. Cuts for 4-6 hours on one charge. https://www.echo-usa.com/Products/cordless/CCS-58V4AH
ETA: If you get one, be very careful. Being battery powered, it is quiet and doesn't sound as ferocious as a gas powered. It will cut through anything that a 16" gas chainsaw will. Also, if you go gas, get an Echo or a Stihl and never run ethanol.
ETA: If you get one, be very careful. Being battery powered, it is quiet and doesn't sound as ferocious as a gas powered. It will cut through anything that a 16" gas chainsaw will. Also, if you go gas, get an Echo or a Stihl and never run ethanol.
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Spend the money and buy a Stihl. My first husqvarna (older don't remember the model, 18" bar) locked up. It did have about 8-9 years use. The second one I have now the brake bar is stuck and I've tinkered with it with no success. I finally decided to take it to a shop in Clinton and they said they don't work on Husqvarnas due to the difficulty of obtaining parts. I have purchased several stihl products (weedeater, backpack blower, and Kombi system) and they are rock solid. My first stihl weedeater died last year after 19 years of use and it was a FS 45 homeowner model. My next saw will be a stihl. Buy once cry once.
Yes. I used to cut my own firewood. At the end of the day, when I was really tired, I caught myself doing stupid, careless things that could have cost me a foot.
When I was cutting pulp wood back in high school everyone ran Husqvarna because that is what the local CO-OP sold. I will tell you the newer models are not what they used to be 20 years ago since they started selling at the big box stores. It seems the power is not there like the older ones. If you are looking at big box get an echo.
I would go with a Stihl Farm Boss, they are a good all around saw and you can get parts for them everywhere. Stay away from any saw with what Stihl calls a Picco type chain. This is a consumer grade chain that I would not use for falling trees. Talk to your deal about what you are using it for and your experience level to get the right chain (standard, skip or simi skip chain). Someone else mentioned if you don't know the proper way to sharpen a chain watch a few videos because a dull chain will make a premium saw cut like piece of junk.
I would go with a Stihl Farm Boss, they are a good all around saw and you can get parts for them everywhere. Stay away from any saw with what Stihl calls a Picco type chain. This is a consumer grade chain that I would not use for falling trees. Talk to your deal about what you are using it for and your experience level to get the right chain (standard, skip or simi skip chain). Someone else mentioned if you don't know the proper way to sharpen a chain watch a few videos because a dull chain will make a premium saw cut like piece of junk.
Bought my first electric chainsaw last year and will never go back. If the tree is too big for the electric, hire someone.
Don't rule out an electric. I bought a Milwaukee electric for trimming because I already had Milwaukee cordless drills and batteries. I was so impressed that I bought the leaf blower and the weed eater as well. It douse require a high amp battery and they are not cheap but it always cranks and doesn't require ear plugs. I may have cranked the gas chainsaw once since I bought it.
I'm a Husqvarna guy when it comes to higher volume professional use. For what you are talking about, the highest end saw I would go with is a Stihl 271 Farm Boss 18". Less than $400 and my neighbor has one, it's sweet. Thin kerf makes it a lot easier to cut and he said it runs for hours. Stihl is much easier for parts and repairs in the south than any other brand.
Whatever you get, at least get an 18" bar. That extra 6" will come in handy. (Feel kind greedy asking for an extra 6", when 2" would be a 50% increase.**)
I had a 14" on my last saw because I thought I was only going to use it for cutting down limbs. Well, let's just say cutting down the tree to put in the pool a few years back was a monkey 17ing a football. An 18" would have cut right through.
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Whatever you get, at least get an 18" bar. That extra 6" will come in handy. (Feel kind greedy asking for an extra 6", when 2" would be a 50% increase.**)
I had a 14" on my last saw because I thought I was only going to use it for cutting down limbs. Well, let's just say cutting down the tree to put in the pool a few years back was a monkey 17ing a football. An 18" would have cut right through.
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Go electric. Get dewalt or Milwaukee and you can add other tools to the system as needed. Chainsaws don't get used much by most homeowners - maybe once or twice a year, so gas sits in the carb and gunks things up, leaks, etc. A brushless electric has excellent power nowadays, and it is just grab it from the garage and start cutting.
Depends on what you are going to use it for. If this is your only planned use I would go inexpensive. I just have a few big limbs a year that fall and occasionally cut a small dead tree down or get some wood someone puts on the street that needs to be cut for fire pit wood. It didn't make sense for me to spend a bunch so I spent $200 for a 18" Poulan Pro w/ 42cc engine and have had it 6 years. The one I bought even came w/ a case, bar wrench, extra chain, and a sharpening guide/jig.
If I used one often I would definitely buy a Stihl or Echo. As others have suggested watch a few videos or get the dealer to show you how to sharpen the blade. I spent a half hour one Saturday morning watching Youtube videos and its simple. As others also said buy the non-ethanol gas and use either Stabil or StarTron fuel stabilizer since it the saw sounds like it will sit a long time between uses.
If I used one often I would definitely buy a Stihl or Echo. As others have suggested watch a few videos or get the dealer to show you how to sharpen the blade. I spent a half hour one Saturday morning watching Youtube videos and its simple. As others also said buy the non-ethanol gas and use either Stabil or StarTron fuel stabilizer since it the saw sounds like it will sit a long time between uses.
My son-in-law has a Husqvarna as well. After Katrina he went down with a group of guys to help clear debris. Some had Huskies but most had Stihls. He said after lunch they started up again and all the Stihls wouldn't crank while the Huskies went right on cutting. His dad has a Stihl and is always working on it to keep it running. Maybe others on here have better luck with theirs. My Husky always starts right up. Never had any issues with it.
Had a Stihl before I got my 58V Echo. It was fine and was as old as Methuselah. However, it was guaranteed to need a tune up once a year to crank/stay running.
Do not buy Stihl....I bought one in February and had to put it in the shop last month and used it maybe 5 times. Also have had trouble out of Stihl weedeater. When I buy again it will be Husqvarna
hahahahahahaha I guess I was unfortunate enough to buy a lemon Stihl weedeater and chainsaw...what are the chances?
I have to agree with this. I bought a small homelite from home depot years ago. I ended up using it way more than I thought and even cut firewood with it. I told myself when it died I would upgrade to a Stihl. 10 years later, I was still cutting firewood with it. About 7 years ago, I passed the homelite (still runs like new) down to my son and got a Stihl for myself. I should have upgraded sooner. I knew the homelite was slow on bigger cuts but had gotten used to the small saw and didn't realize just how slow.
So, if it's just 3 trees, buy something cheap and get through it. If you think there's a chance you ever use it a lot, get the better saw from the start.
Also, don't hire it done. It doesn't take a genius to learn how to be safe with one - google is your friend. Ever better, ask an older gentleman you know for advise. Either way, do the job, get the experience, save some money, have a saw to keep, and it will never be your first time with a saw again.
If you don't go electric, which might be a good option for a limited use purpose. I am moving more and more to battery tools these days.
I say stihl if you don't go electric. I have had Poulan from Walmart and a Remington from Lowes and both sucked. I have loved the Stihl and used it much more than the other two combined with good service.
If you get a 2 cycle gas burner absolutely use the expensive premixed gas. See that article I posted below for why. My preferred brand is TruFuel - 50:1 for my Stihl.
https://workshoppist.com/pre-mixed-fuel/
All that article says is basically ethanol fuels are bad for small engines, which is absolutely 100% true. Before I found out why, I was replacing primer bulbs and fuel lines in all my 2 cycle engines yearly and it was because of the ethanol fuels I was using.
The premixed ones are ridiculously overpriced, Stihl is $65 PER GALLON on Amazon, TruFuel is $50/gallon. Or, you can buy non-ethanol fuel and mix in the 2stroke oil yourself for under $5/gallon and save a ton. All the Sprint Marts in Starkville have it and Rackley on Industrial Blvd even has Regular, Mid Grade and Premium non-ethanol. If little 'ole Starkville has it there must be suppliers most everywhere.
The premixed ones are ridiculously overpriced, Stihl is $65 PER GALLON on Amazon, TruFuel is $50/gallon. Or, you can buy non-ethanol fuel and mix in the 2stroke oil yourself for under $5/gallon and save a ton. All the Sprint Marts in Starkville have it and Rackley on Industrial Blvd even has Regular, Mid Grade and Premium non-ethanol. If little 'ole Starkville has it there must be suppliers most everywhere.
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I don’t think you can go wrong with either Stihl or echo. I have an echo and love it. Would certainly recommend it.
I went to the Makita 18vX2 battery system. Drill, driver, and handheld blower use 1-18v li-ion battery; but the chainsaw and trimmer use 2 batteries for 36v power and use time. Love them all. I figured I'd be the last person to ever give up my gas powered equipment, but I won't go back. I have an older Husqvarna 55 that's a beast, but prefer the makita if the job isn't too big.
I caught Tractor supply having a sale on last year's black friday for a tool of your choice, 4-5 amp hr batteries, and a double charger for 399.00.
Can't believe how much I have liked these tools. The Makita Trimmer has a feature where if the head gets wrapped up with weeds or vines, press a button, pull the trigger, and the head reverses and slings that crap out in the blink of an eye. No telling how much time I spent unwrapping my Stihl FS-85.
I guess I typed all that to say don't dismiss good quality battery tools.
I caught Tractor supply having a sale on last year's black friday for a tool of your choice, 4-5 amp hr batteries, and a double charger for 399.00.
Can't believe how much I have liked these tools. The Makita Trimmer has a feature where if the head gets wrapped up with weeds or vines, press a button, pull the trigger, and the head reverses and slings that crap out in the blink of an eye. No telling how much time I spent unwrapping my Stihl FS-85.
I guess I typed all that to say don't dismiss good quality battery tools.
Appreciate everyone's input on this. After really looking at the situation this afternoon, with the trees up against the house and next to the incoming power line, I'm farming this job out. Trees have grow significantly more than I remember.
I'll still pull the trigger on a saw just not sure if I'll go gas or battery. Never considered battery until today. Will go 18" with whatever I purchase.
I'll still pull the trigger on a saw just not sure if I'll go gas or battery. Never considered battery until today. Will go 18" with whatever I purchase.
I bet you hate that new fangled forward pass thing too, don't you?
"No self-respecting man should ever throw the ball to another self-respecting man" - Cooterpoot (probably)
Passes are completed to the same team. Guys on the same team buy electric chainsaws. Two different things.
If this of your first time beware of urge to cut down or trim every tree, limb, or bush in sight once you feel the power....
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