Best and worst chainsaw?

[fishhead]

my current favorite is a ported stihl 400c - has all the power of my 371xp but much lighter and better balanced/lower vibe. i got it because i do trail clearing as a volunteer and often end with it on my back for miles, usually with a lightweight 25" bar and full skip.

 

[airbiscuit]

Holy moly,how big are the trees on your trails? More often than not, this is what I use for trail work.

 

[airbiscuit]

This is me at 9 1/2 years old with a big old McCulloch. I can understand why I like lighter saws now.

 

[airbiscuit]

I did get my money's worth out of that chain. When I took it into my dealer for one last sharpening, he just shook his head.

 

[tradosaurus]

A bit off topic but worth a mention I think. Son lives way up on the "Ridge" and had a big tree down. Got a bottle of the new Stihl biodegradable 50:1 mix oil with fresh gas and started cutting. After the first tank his MS290 (?) started slowing down and quit. Piston and cylinder was completely destroyed, worst I've ever seen in a two stroke. Hopefully you all have different experiences with this stuff. I'd stick with convention oils and mix.

I'm pretty sure Stihl isn't in the business of making their own 50:1 mix.
I've used nothing but 50:1 mix in my chainsaws and leaf blowers.
I would be interested in you taking your chainsaw into a repair shop to find out why your chainsaw really bit the dust.

 

[tradosaurus]

This is me at 9 1/2 years old with a big old McCulloch. I can understand why I like lighter saws now.

View attachment 1576329

It's a wonder how we made it out of childhood alive.

I look back at operating lawnmower as a child with no ear or eye protection, no safety handle, etc.

 

[LouNY]

It's a wonder how we made it out of childhood alive.

I look back at operating lawnmower as a child with no ear or eye protection, no safety handle, etc.

You learned quickly to pay attention to what you were doing and to be careful it became second nature and wasn't even thought about.

 

[tradosaurus]

You learned quickly to pay attention to what you were doing and to be careful it became second nature and wasn't even thought about.

That was the problem. Most parents didn't think about what their kids were doing as long as you were in when street lights came on.
No way would I let my son under 15 operate a chainsaw without the proper safety equipment, instructions, and probably oversight.
My parents were, like most, irresponsible in raising children.

 

[Eagle1]

Or maybe they teach their kids to succeed by challenging them. Sure this is too dangerous for you

https://twitter.com/x/status/1845317070873034991

 

[tradosaurus]

Or maybe they teach their kids to succeed by challenging them. Sure this is too dangerous for you

https://twitter.com/x/status/1845317070873034991

If you have a son or grandson about 10 yo., give him a chainsaw with no safety gear and have him start cutting trees. Let's see how long it takes for the mother of the son to come at you like your nuts.
Report back to the group.
I'm not advocating not putting kids to work but just not put them in situations that increase their likelihood of being maimed or killed.

 

[LouNY]

That was the problem. Most parents didn't think about what their kids were doing as long as you were in when street lights came on.
No way would I let my son under 15 operate a chainsaw without the proper safety equipment, instructions, and probably oversight.
My parents were, like most, irresponsible in raising children.

Bull crap, My father wouldn't let me run the chainsaw when I was 9-10 as it was "too dangerous" so I had to use an axe to limb the trees and large limbs that he dropped. So walking logs and swinging a sharp axe to cut limbs up 4-6 inches.
Those parents were NOT irresponsible they brought up kids that knew how to work and get it done, not whinny little cry babies.

 

[Eagle1]

If you have a son or grandson about 10 yo., give him a chainsaw with no safety gear and have him start cutting trees. Let's see how long it takes for the mother of the son to come at you like your nuts.
Report back to the group.
I'm not advocating not putting kids to work but just not put them in situations that increase their likelihood of being maimed or killed.

Big difference between helping to buck and dropping trees. My boy has been helping to put in wood since he was 8. Unsupervised is a whole different matter, he also started driving the mower at around 8. Both of my kids were driving a truck for slow speed chores by 11 like collecting garbage around the park. They drive I throw trash bags the other put new bags into the cans.
Our grandson rides an ATV all over out property at age 7

 

[Rockbadchild]

If you have a son or grandson about 10 yo., give him a chainsaw with no safety gear and have him start cutting trees. Let's see how long it takes for the mother of the son to come at you like your nuts.
Report back to the group.
I'm not advocating not putting kids to work but just not put them in situations that increase their likelihood of being maimed or killed.

I started using a chainsaw around that age, it was no small saw ether, it was a 70cc. No one let me do it I just did it, I brought that chainsaw in the bush and I didn't even know if I could start it, it took me a while to get it running but I got it and I have all my limb.

 

[Eagle1]

I started using a chainsaw around that age, it was no small saw ether, it was a 70cc. No one let me do it I just did it, I brought that chainsaw in the bush and I didn't even know if I could start it, it took me a while to get it running but I got it and I have all my limb.

That's a beast to start with, I had my boy learn on a old Craftsman with 12-14" bar then let him try the Poulan with 18". He's 36 now and still rather not play with the 70cc class.

 

[tradosaurus]

I started using a chainsaw around that age, it was no small saw ether, it was a 70cc. No one let me do it I just did it, I brought that chainsaw in the bush and I didn't even know if I could start it, it took me a while to get it running but I got it and I have all my limb.

Congrats. yep. That's enough to convince me to give young kid a chainsaw, no safety gear, and no instructions.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Congrats. yep. That's enough to convince me to give young kid a chainsaw, no safety gear, and no instructions.

I am young but I still grew up like the old days mindsets of I don't want to see you until dinner time, and they had no clue where we where and sometime we wander miles away from home. You made it sound like them getting hurt was inevitable and it's not I was simply pointing that out, not all kids are created equal and like LouNY wrote swinging a axe or machete is not much safer if any. Again I was not given a chainsaw I took it, I didn't asked, the permission wasn't given...I guess the moral is you should lock your chainsaw away just in case. A few years later I ask my dad to used it and he said no it's too dangerous, I laugh and said ''I've been using it for the last two years'' then he said ok but be careful. By sheltering a kid you are not making them safer you are just pushing what can happen today to the future. When I came back from college and haven't used a chainsaw for a few years I remember being rusty and I was like I can't believe I was wielding this chainsaw at 10/11 years old... I think the likelihood of me getting hurt was higher at that point then when I was 11.

 

[kenmbz]

I started my kid with the pole saw and a nice helmet and let him go for a while with a short but specific safety spiel.
Then a few weeks later had him run some branches through the small chipper.
He had already used and axe by that time, so working his way up the power ladder

 

[LouNY]

Yep, chainsaws axes and then the dangerous job, catching the wood off of the buzz saw and chucking it into the wagon to get it ready for splitting and stacking. Nothing like standing close to an unguarded 30 inch blade as it slices through wood like a hot knife through soft butter, and being told to watch out for that blade and don't let the wood build up and hamper the sawing.
I never had to worry about being home when the street lights came on. I knew when I'd get home, shortly after the cows were milked calves all feed and milking equipment was washed up for the night, then and only then was it time to head home for supper.

 

[terraformer]

I mainly use an Echo 400 adapted to run a regular (not narrow, small tooth) 3/8s chain on a 20" bar. and an Echo590 with a 36" bar.

Have had both for about 13 years on our farm and harvest about 9-10 chords a year for firewood. Mostly oaks but a mix.

Two years ago I gutted the 400 muffler and rewelded the case. Pulls a lot better, incredibly better than stock. The only modification it took was jetting change.

The 590 is stock except for the bar. When I went into buy it I asked the dealer what he sells the most of, Without and delay, he said "the cs590".

I do my own maintenance, but other than an occasional spark plug and chain maintenance it has been minimal.

I have a ms250 43cc Stihl, which is harder to pull through than the Echo 60cc.

 

[kenmbz]

I mainly use an Echo 400 adapted to run a regular (not narrow, small tooth) 3/8s chain on a 20" bar. and an Echo590 with a 36" bar.

Have had both for about 13 years on our farm and harvest about 9-10 chords a year for firewood. Mostly oaks but a mix.

Two years ago I gutted the 400 muffler and rewelded the case. Pulls a lot better, incredibly better than stock. The only modification it took was jetting change.

The 590 is stock except for the bar. When I went into buy it I asked the dealer what he sells the most of, Without and delay, he said "the cs590".

I do my own maintenance, but other than an occasional spark plug and chain maintenance it has been minimal.

I have a ms250 43cc Stihl, which is harder to pull through than the Echo 60cc.

Do you have unusual sprocket wear with that 36" bar.
Does it stop in the wood if you get too deep at all?

Anything special done to the 390? Muffler/tune to run that bar?
Skip or full ?

Sounds interesting.