Lets talk Chainsaws

[Steve300xcw]

Why do you have a saw of the echo CS400's size? Its about the same weight as a MS261 (50cc) but it's not going to cut as well.

Bought it for a disposable dirtbike saw.

because it is a $300 saw. Main purpose was to tie to the front of a dirtbike. Fully expected it to be trashed in a year. But it just keeps working. Think its got a 14 or 16" bar on it now

Dont care for how the pull cord is routed. Been a few years but seems like they reinvented the wheel on it. We had to actually google how to wind a rope up on the stupid thing I forgive it though

 

[RockAndSage]

It usually takes about 6 weeks or so before they're proficient at it.

How often are your guys needing to sharpen? Wondering how many total reps it ends up being before getting proficient.

I'll give them a different one so they don't develop the bad habits that come with learning on a dull saw.

What kinds of bad habits come from using a dull saw, vs what you do with a sharp one?

 

[Steve300xcw]

What kinds of bad habits come from using a dull saw, vs what you do with a sharp one?

Ever see how fast somebody used to dull knives cuts themselves when they get ahold of a sharp one?

 

[Sully_44]

Stay away from ANYTHING with an electronic carb.

Never again.

100% I had an electric carb cut off saw for my concrete business. Worked okay for a couple months, then wouldn’t start. After months in the shop, the mechanic told me that it basically paid for itself after the first couple days. I told him that I didn’t buy a $2000 saw for a couple days of work. I took my saw and have never been back to that shop, and will not get an electric carb machine until they figure their crap out.

 

[RockAndSage]

Ever see how fast somebody used to dull knives cuts themselves when they get ahold of a sharp one?

Definitely. Hoping for some specific tells he sees as an instructor that could be a flag to notice, if I'm working with someone else, or teaching them.

 

[Sully_44]

I don’t use my chainsaw a lot, but growing up on a ranch, I was around them a fair bit. We had Husky’s and Stihl’s. The Stihl’s always seemed to run and when something went wrong they were easy to fix. The Husky’s seemed so always be broken. I now have the farm boss because of that.

Like mentioned in my previous comment, I have a concrete business. I’ve owned both Husky and Stihl’s cut off saws. The Husky’s were terrible, and other than the electric carb Stihl, Stihl has been great and easy for my guys to work on if there is ever an issue.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I've also never seen a husky that wasnt sitting in a puddle of bar oil....................

 

[ORJoe]

Up until this point, 90% of my chainsaw work has been using someone else's.

You've probably never thought about this before, but now you will: Keeping the bar out of the dirt is important.

 

[doc holiday13]

I know its more than you mentioned as far as size. But I would go with a Husky 592xp or a Stihl 500i. I have the 592xp's. But I would probably go with 500i if I were you. Once you get used to the power of a bigger saw you wont want to to go back.

You're wild.. hahaha. Based on your avatar photo I'm guessing you take down a lot of trees. If someone is not a pro tree guy, 20" bar serves everyone for about 95% of the work they do.

a 90CC is a BIG saw

most guys can get by with a 60CC(ms261 or 562xp) saw as a do-all. a heavy duty do-all would be 70cc range

If a regular someone wants to buy 2 saws... MS250 with 18" bar and MS462 (or 572xp) and 25 or 28" bar

 

[Steve300xcw]

If a regular someone wants to buy 2 saws... MS250 with 18" bar and MS462 and 25 or 28" bar

that would be a handy pair


fwiw guys kill trees everyday with 462/372's. An most of them are running 28-32" bars

 

[Customweld]

I would cruise marketplace and look for a Stihl 044, 046 0r 461. I abhor saws that won't start and all homeowner and ranch saws eventually fit that description. I have a couple 372's and they are good saws, but boy are they temperamental.

 

[Ranger 692]

Bummer you guys have had bad luck with the m tronics my experience has been the opposite. The manual carbs stay at home when I go up higher anymore for the he last 5 years. Love em especially the 400. Super light and scary power pulling a full house chain on a 28” bar.

As far as sharpening goes, I sharpen generally after a full day cutting if I haven’t nicked anything unsavory like a rock or foreign object like a nail in tree. If that happens I sharpen on the field right there or swap chains if I have a freshly sharpened one handy. Otherwise I’ll just switch saws.

500i’s are like 300 win mags to the 223 RSS crowd here

 

[KsRancher]

You're wild.. hahaha. Based on your avatar photo I'm guessing you take down a lot of trees. If someone is not a pro tree guy, 20" bar serves everyone for about 95% of the work they do.

a 90CC is a BIG saw

most guys can get by with a 60CC(ms261 or 562xp) saw as a do-all. a heavy duty do-all would be 70cc range

If a regular someone wants to buy 2 saws... MS250 with 18" bar and MS462 (or 572xp) and 25 or 28" bar

Yes. I make my living cutting trees. I bought a 572xp this spring to have something lighter. It makes me want to slit my wrist its so slow cutting something past 8in diameter.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I would cruise marketplace and look for a Stihl 044, 046 0r 461. I abhor saws that won't start and all homeowner and ranch saws eventually fit that description. I have a couple 372's and they are good saws, but boy are they temperamental.

Problem with that. Is the saws like the 044's, least around here have sorta a cult like following, not that it isnt deserved. Still $800ish on average for a 25+ year old saw is tough to swallow.

 

[KsRancher]

How often are your guys needing to sharpen? Wondering how many total reps it ends up being before getting proficient.



What kinds of bad habits come from using a dull saw, vs what you do with a sharp one?

I have sharpened as little as twice a day and much as 10 times a day. A good file is as important as anything. I use a file for around 10 sharpenings and pitch it. And you want a good file that takes a lot of metal. I have pretty much settled on Valorbie files. When I put on a new chain each raker gets one pass and the teeth get two passes. If you think a new out of the box chain cuts good. Try doing that and you wont believe the difference.

 

[Ranger 692]

I have sharpened as little as twice a day and much as 10 times a day. A good file is as important as anything. I use a file for around 10 sharpenings and pitch it. And you want a good file that takes a lot of metal. I have pretty much settled on Valorbie files. When I put on a new chain each raker gets one pass and the teeth get two passes. If you think a new out of the box chain cuts good. Try doing that and you wont believe the difference.

You are in hardwoods most of the time?

 

[KsRancher]

100% of the time

You are in hardwoods most of the time?

 

[highcountrymuley]

After borrowing a lot of Stihl's finally got my hands on a used Husky 545. Took it to a pro for a tuneup and new chain after f'ing around in the dark by myself with no real knowledge. He said it was a good little saw but had been abused for its age... has worked great since then! I am very protective about keeping the chain out of the dirt (my buddy wanted to borrow one day to cut some gross pine chunks he had pulled out of the dirt...) and mix my own ethanol-free 91 with oil into the used premix cans. I only half-fill bar oil reservoir and run out gas if not using for a couple months. Had a blast taking it to elk camp this year in 4th Rifle.

 

[doc holiday13]

I keep seeing people type "don't use ethanol fuel" but every spring i buy 5 gallons of 89 octane with ethanol and mix with a bottle of 50:1 and I've not had any issues over the last 5 years of putting it in my weed wacker and chainsaw. My mix does have fuel stabilizer in it. Maybe that makes a difference??

 

[Steve300xcw]

I keep seeing people type "don't use ethanol fuel" but every spring i buy 5 gallons of 89 octane with ethanol and mix with a bottle of 50:1 and I've not had any issues over the last 5 years of putting it in my weed wacker and chainsaw. My mix does have fuel stabilizer in it. Maybe that makes a difference??

No idea what a bottle of 50:1 is.

When we were burning a lot of saw gas, it made sense to mix up a can. But even running non ethanol we would have issues with saws sitting. Buying the cans of premix cut out a lot of those issues.

Now that my saws sit a lot. I will happily spend the stupid tax on a couple cans of premixed gas and enjoy saws that just work when I need them to.