Chainsaw advice please

[nat]

I would like to get a chainsaw for general use and for clearing remote trails. I figure a 16" bar is probably good. What manufacturers are good? Poulan and Husqvarna come to mind. Any suggestions or info I need to be aware of?

[FJ40_owner]

Originally Posted by nat

I would like to get a chainsaw for general use and for clearing remote trails. I figure a 16" bar is probably good. What manufacturers are good? Poulan and Husqvarna come to mind. Any suggestions or info I need to be aware of?

I like Stihl.

Wear eye protection, glolves and hearing protection. Keep little kids away. Keep the saw out of the dirt.

JB

[nat]

I forgot about Stihl. Thanks!

I am pretty good about eye protection and gloves whern using tools. Hearing protection is a good idea. I have foam plugs as well as nice ones for shooting.

[96r50]

I like Stihl too. Really simple to tear down in the field. The tool free gas/chain oil caps are great too. If I ever buy a saw it will be a Stihl.

If you don't have any/much experience with saws, try and find a course to teach you the basics. Normally two days long, mine taught me a lot about using the equipment safely, and how to do the general maintenance myself (chain sharpening, cleaning, basic engine tuning etc).

HTH!

Edit: Chainsaw pants/chaps are a good ideas to limit damage to your lower appendages!

[nat]

Excellent suggestion on the chaps, thanks

[BooKilla]

Originally Posted by 96r50

I like Stihl too. Really simple to tear down in the field. The tool free gas/chain oil caps are great too. If I ever buy a saw it will be a Stihl.

If you don't have any/much experience with saws, try and find a course to teach you the basics. Normally two days long, mine taught me a lot about using the equipment safely, and how to do the general maintenance myself (chain sharpening, cleaning, basic engine tuning etc).

HTH!

Edit: Chainsaw pants/chaps are a good ideas to limit damage to your lower appendages!

I am making no assumptions about your saw expirience, but 96r50 raises a good point. I feel like too many people are picking up saws with little knowledge about how to safely function this very dangerous picece of equipment. They are very fun and useful, but they need to be respected.

Enough of the safety lecture.....my craftsman 16" bar is what i take out in the woods/trials with me and it will get the job done. My stihl saws are awesome too. It really depends on what you're gonna be doing with it and the speed in which you need to do it. 20" bar will take care of most anything you want to get done on the trails.

remember you steer a saw with your trigger finger and don't cut your legs off

[Wile E Coyote]

Does Stihl or Husky make a consumer grade saw?
I spent the day in the field cutting Juniper for next year. We spent as much time foolin w/ the two cheap saws as we did cutting wood, and neither saw actually made it through the day. Both died.

[REZARF]

Originally Posted by nat

I would like to get a chainsaw for general use and for clearing remote trails. I figure a 16" bar is probably good. What manufacturers are good? Poulan and Husqvarna come to mind. Any suggestions or info I need to be aware of?

mmmm, Husqvarna...

...these are the Hot Rods of the chainsaw world! I loved the one I used on my dead tree in my yard earlier this summer.

Rezarf <><

[D'Animal]

Nat

Think about what you will be cutting 80% of the time. (A 5- Gallon bucket is 13" across.)

Are you going to be cutting stuff that size,or bigger?




I can loan you one for a while and let you see if you want one bigger or smaller.

[D'Animal]

Originally Posted by Wile E Coyote

Does Stihl or Husky make a consumer grade saw?.

Yep!

[colangut]

Stihl Farm Boss - I've had one for about 10+ years and it has never let me down. Used to cut all of the wood for many years when a woodstove was our only source of heat. My local supplier got me some chains which cost a bit more and cut much better and he showed me how to Sharpen them with a hand file to keep the big chips flying. IIRC they are more dangerous though.

Keep it oiled and clean so that you can see spatters of oil coming off the chain when running. Watch that the oil supply holes don't get clogged. Learn how to keep the chain at proper tension. Watch a safety video. Don't get outside of your comfort zone.

You get what you pay for. Buy at least a consumer grade Stihl. Also, when I did need one small part that I had lost, I was able to get it and fix the saw with in a hour where if you get a husky or some other one there is not going to be a part waiting for you at Home Depot or Sears. That's why you have to go to a arborist supply or land scape supply to get a Stihl and it's worth it if you ask me.

-Stumbaugh from Stammbach or trunk of trees in river AKA Lumber Jack in German.

[RavenTai]

Beware that Husky's consumer grade saws (available at Lowes) are made by Poulan,

I bought a poulan many years ago, it was cheap and it kept up with trimming and the occatioanl blown down tree Ok but I started using it more lately and it fell apart,

recently got a Husqvarna 372XP, not cheap but night and day in build quality and performance,

>24" log


Stihl makes a very good saw also, but their stuff is only available at retail dealers.










































































get chaps and a helmet /face shield/muff, I got a recommended setup from peltor


(fortunately not me)



I went here for chaps

http://www.labonville.com/shop/pc/vi...?idCategory=14

The mud of chain saws
http://www.arboristsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9

[MoJ]

If you buy one avoid the cheaper Huskies sold at big box stores. As said above they're made by Poulan. I tried that route and had a miserable experience. The store offered no assistance and the people knew nothing about the saw.

Get a Stihl or Husky from an independent dealer that also offers full service. A good experienced dealer will be able to help you choose a saw that meets your needs. They'll also take the time to show you how to properly set it up and maintain it.

[D'Animal]

A chainsaw is one of the highest maintenance pieces of equipment you will ever own. It is very important to have a place to get parts and service when you need it. They place you bought it from makes sense.

It also has the potential to be one of the most dangerous. It is important that the retailer goes through the proper procedure with you on starting, cutting, etc.

What is you budget?

[nat]

That is great info, thanks. I had been considering Poulan, but not anymore. This will be used only a few times a year as I scrounge all our burnable wood from leftover construction or yard crap.

Hey Dan, you raise a good point. Likely 13" is on the bigger side of what I would attempt, especially around home. Budget is a couple hundred bucks at most.

The only time I see myself encountering something bigger is out on very remote roads, possibly on the Continental Divide route we may do next year.

[nat]

Thanks for the concern about my safety

I have used them before, but not often. Watching a vid is a great idea, I know I have stuff to learn and by doing so it will keep me safer.

[Wile E Coyote]

I was the fortunate steward of a righteous Stihl back in my Army days. I got a few hours instruction and hands-on, then was unleashed on some tall eucalyptus trees threatening houses on post. . We dropped a few tall ones on some steep inclines, and near structures. I was lucky enough to not end up like the pic above, or worse.
I sure would like to have that saw, just not have to pay for it, hehe.

[hydrogeo]

Another vote for Stihl. I have been using the same mid-1980s 024AV for years (my father bought it new) averaging 6-8 cords of firewood year. The rubber isolation mounts dry rotted and needed to be replaced three years ago. $20 and it cut like new again. Keep up on the maintenance and run a sharp chain and a good saw will last a long long time. The cheap ones just don't hold up.

[Wile E Coyote]

After asking about consumer grade Stihls, I poked around Stihlusa.com and found several smallish saws that look promising. More than I realized, that's for sure.

How much legendary quality does one give up when buying from the shallow end of the price list? Also, I live 3 hrs from the nearest auth. servicer or dealer.

[Cruiserdrew]

I would get a Stihl, no question. D'animal is the world expert on these saws, and he's right here on ih8mud. The trailer he tows around has every Stihl saw in the pipeline. It's super high quality stuff, but then you pay for that. They even make leaf blowers.

[hydrogeo]

The bad thing about Stihl is you have to go through a dealer for everything. There may be a way to order parts online but I tried a few years ago and ended up going to the dealer. Living that far away could be problematic Also, if you want a saw that will last steer clear of the consumer saws that are made in the U.S. (Stihl) or the "big box" saws as previously discussed. The good saws seem to come from Europe. IMHO a professional-grade saw is worth the extra money. I have heard good things about the Efco's that Northern Tool is now carrying, but don't have any personal experience with them.

[El Cazador]

I've used, a lot, both Stihl & Husky and felled everything from a 3" dia. sapling to a 4' dia. sugar pine. I'll take Stihl if given a choice. And the advice about safety is spot on. My wife's grandfather was killed when a tree wasn't brought down with proper regard for how it was dropped. Thank God I didn't do that one!

[RavenTai]

Originally Posted by hydrogeo

The bad thing about Stihl is you have to go through a dealer for everything.

Stihl has purposely locked out just about any route for machines and their parts to keep from undercutting their dealers,

This is a double edged sword, the dealer adds on a much higher markup (someplaces ridiculous) than many other sources such as online, big box etc, but that mark up keeps the shop open where you will have access to the knowledge, service and parts the shop has.

In the end that is what sent me to husky for this recent saw, I got a good 70cc Husky online at Baileys for less than the price of a good 60cc Stihl at my local dealer who is way high.

a few years ago I had had a Husky and a Stihl dealer nearby right across the street from each other I used to shop at the Husky dealer but he shut down a few years ago I think it has a lot to do with the undercutting elsewhere.

so now I almost have to get my husky parts online, cheaper and wider selection but not instant like walking into a store.

If you like your local shop and they are knowledgeable and reasonable on prices go with Stihl.

[BooKilla]

To add to my previous statement...you must always anticipate where the debris from what you are cutting is going to fall...

[Zack1978]

My Stihl 029 "Farm Boss" has been great. I have had it at least 10yrs or so and it is perfect. Granted it does not get that much use, but it is a great machine. "Farm Boss" all the way!

Zack

[honk]

ECHO.....Echo......echo...............surest starting saw I ever owned.

Whatever you do, do not buy a MacCollough unless you need the exercise.