Homeowner chainsaw rec.

[newbury]

<snip>
And lets face it, if he has a tractor, he's gonna put it in the bucket, forget its there, and dump it in a pile of dirt and/or run it over eventually.

Please don't jinx me

Best advice I got was buy the most chainsaw you can afford.
I have a Husqvarna 353, great lightweight powerful saw. I use it once a week and have had it since 2003.

That is excellent advice.
That is what the guy who bought a Stihl 088 told me he had done when he sold it to me for $450.

 

[zzvyb6]

This looks promising.

 

[Creamer]

Please don't jinx me

You must be a serious woodcutter - taking the cooler with you.

 

[lennyzx11]

You must be a serious woodcutter - taking the cooler with you.

And not that I ever did (not once but twice), is why my saw has a permanent mount on it for my Stihl MS250!

 

[Deere Dude]

And not that I ever did (not once but twice), is why my saw has a permanent mount on it for my Stihl MS250!
View attachment 537272

I finally made a chainsaw holder on my weight box and it works great.

I always had a problem as to a safe place to put the saw while cutting a tree up without putting it in the box so I don't smash it with the tractor.

Many times I set it next to a big tree where I know I won't go with the tractor then I go to work with the tractor.

A few years ago I was cutting up a monster laying oak tree and cut a little bit, put the saw down in a safe place and then fired up the tractor. When I was done with the tractor I went to get the 026 saw and it was setting directly under the weight box. I didn't drop the weight box but it would have creamed it.

 

[KennyG]

It's pretty clear that Stihl, Echo, Husky are better quality saws. However, you don't need to spend that much for a usable saw. I cut about 3 cords of firewood a year and do general trimming and cleanup. I've never been able to convince myself to buy a "quality" saw. I have an 18 year old Poulan 14" that works fine (I did replace the bar this year). I also have a 20" Poulan that is a couple of years old and it cuts great. Both have been pretty trouble free.

 

[fried1765]

The electric and or battery powered saws are great! No fuel, starting etc and they can be very competitive with regards to price. If one is just in need of something around the house I壇 go that route for sure!

AGREED!
I have a 30+ year old 16" Stihl that has been, and still is great!
That said: I am getting too old to pull that thing if it doesn't start on the first few tries.
Coming to me this Spring: A 40V or 80V Greenworks 16" battery powered saw.
The 40V model is claimed to be good for 100 eight inch log cuts before needing a charge.
I won't even need a spare battery.
At 77 years old, I will run out of power, before the saw battery does.

 

[Oaktree]

Another vote for Echo here. I've put a lot of hours on my CS-670 since the late 90s/early 00s and it's still going strong. Seems to start a lot easier than many Stihls I've seen. A bit on the heavy side though.

As others have noted, we really need to know what the OP's friend needs it for. If it's just to clean up downed branches, etc. than a box store saw or a battery one will do just fine. In fact, I'm thinking of getting a battery one for those small jobs.

 

[EddieWalker]

Not really on topic, but if you have a cordless sawzall, there are pruning blades for them that are fantastic!!! When I need to cut off some branches from a tree, that's usually what I grab first. Even better, I'm very comfortable with my wife using it. And of course, she loves it and will create a pile of branches that takes me hours to clean up!!!

 

[RandyT]

the Stihl Ms170, for a small under two hundred dollar price is hard to beat. They usually come with instructions how to work and be safe.
It really is a good LITTLE saw.

owned a 017 years ago. Biggest disaster project I ever owned. The saw wouldn't restart hot, Had carb issues from the day I owned it to the day I sold it, and the dealer had to pull three out of the box the day I bought it because the first two wouldn't even start out of the box. Dealer replaced carb once under warranty. Dealer told me they had to replace the carb on every 017 they sold, plus the 50 they had in the box in the storage room.

 

[GLyford]

This looks promising.View attachment 537247

Ooo, a beam saw...a new cord and good to go! Or put that bar and sprocket on a newer circular saw.

If you need fresh paint, I suppose you could just get a new one...
Prazi USA PR27 Beam Cutter Non Worm Drive - - Amazon.com

They also make them left sided for worm saws...but then you need a worm saw to put it on, and we're starting to talk real money. Probably the best way to go, though.

 

[RandyT]

I am a mower repair shop that sells Dolmar/Makita, but work on all brands. the saws i work the most on are Stihl. the saws I see the least are Echo and Dolmar, and the Saws that I send to the boneyard the most are Husqvarna and their associated other brands (poulan, mcculloch, husqvarna names)

 

[RNeumann]

AGREED!
I have a 30+ year old 16" Stihl that has been, and still is great!
That said: I am getting too old to pull that thing if it doesn't start on the first few tries.
Coming to me this Spring: A 40V or 80V Greenworks 16" battery powered saw.
The 40V model is claimed to be good for 100 eight inch log cuts before needing a charge.
I won't even need a spare battery.
At 77 years old, I will run out of power, before the saw battery does.

Back in the day I sold Christmas trees. Long story.....
Anyway the owner switched everything to electric saws one year- long before cordless stuff!!! We all laughed at him. By the end of the season we were all believers!

 

[rbstern]

The reconditioned Husqvarna 435 from Northern Tool is a great value. I've gotten 6 years of very dependable service from it so far.

Also, a resharpening tool is a must. I love the Dremel resharpening kit. Fast and foolproof.

 

[Creamer]

owned a 017 years ago. Biggest disaster project I ever owned. The saw wouldn't restart hot, Had carb issues from the day I owned it to the day I sold it, and the dealer had to pull three out of the box the day I bought it because the first two wouldn't even start out of the box. Dealer replaced carb once under warranty. Dealer told me they had to replace the carb on every 017 they sold, plus the 50 they had in the box in the storage room.

What is your point of posting about a 20 year old problem?

 

[Oaktree]

owned a 017 years ago. Biggest disaster project I ever owned. The saw wouldn't restart hot, Had carb issues from the day I owned it to the day I sold it, and the dealer had to pull three out of the box the day I bought it because the first two wouldn't even start out of the box. Dealer replaced carb once under warranty. Dealer told me they had to replace the carb on every 017 they sold, plus the 50 they had in the box in the storage room.

Curiously, what vintage were those saws? Late 90s/early 00s maybe?
I ask because that's roughly when I bought my Echo and it needed the carb replaced (warranty) after very few hours of use. Apparently around that time emissions regulations were being imposed on small engines, and the manufacturers didn't quite have it down yet, and they ran too lean. The replacement carb on mine has been just fine.

 

[MossRoad]

Not really on topic, but if you have a cordless sawzall, there are pruning blades for them that are fantastic!!! When I need to cut off some branches from a tree, that's usually what I grab first. Even better, I'm very comfortable with my wife using it. And of course, she loves it and will create a pile of branches that takes me hours to clean up!!!

i'll have to look into those blades. Every Christmas we get a live tree that needs some trimming once it gets home. I've tried the sawzall with demolition blades, but it usually hangs up an inch or two into the tree.

 

[aczlan]

THX guys for all the responses. I went with my prejudices and told them added plus for Stihl is you buy from a dealer so you have a place to go for service. Plus when you want to sell it, nothing like selling a solid brand.

By the way, this young couple bought a property with some big trees on it they will have cut down but then they will process.

My 036 is over 20 years old -closer to 25 -and still is a bear!

Stihl now sells a battery powered electric saw. Ultrarunner had good things to say about the one that his families Christmas tree farm bought.

Aaron Z

 

[Creamer]

i'll have to look into those blades. Every Christmas we get a live tree that needs some trimming once it gets home. I've tried the sawzall with demolition blades, but it usually hangs up an inch or two into the tree.

Eddie mentioned these in a thread a few years back and I bought the Bosch 9" blades off of Ebay and they work great. Although this year I went out and bought an electric pole chainsaw that I like much better.

 

[Buggs67]

My 2 cents:

I bought a Stihl 025 16" bar in the mid 90's. I've cut a lot of wood with it and it's not tiring to use. Only put a carb on it and had to have an oil plug replaced. It still rides on my tractor (in a custom holder). When my old 20" died I just used the 025 more.

Recently bought a Farm Boss with 20" bar. It doesn't seem to cut as good as my brother's Farm Boss which is only 1 year older.

The thing about Stihl is the starting. It's a procedure and if you don't follow it, you have a problem.

I use a small electric (corded) for cutting in the workshop.