CHeap chainsaw?

[RobertN]

Check out Ebay... All kinds of saws on there.

Or, try the "Trading Post" on this arborist site:

http://www.arboristsite.com/pp-classifieds/showcat.php?cat=all&stype=1&si=homelite

I have the little homelite XL and used it for over 15 years with no major issues like my poulan from big box does. What I am looking for now is the Super XL all metal saw for my father to replace his that is burned up.

 

[MossRoad]

I just bought a Poulan Pro 18" 42CC model to replace my late father's old Craftsman 18" saw that has seen better days. Our Craftsman was originally made by Poulan and lasted a long time, but did not see lots of use until last year. It runs fine, plenty of power, light and easy to work on. It had no chain brake and I lost the case bolts after forgetting to tighten them. I will repair it for a spare saw, but wanted something a little safer. We had a smaller Poulan for many years that worked really well. Same exact saw as the Craftsman only a 14" bar. We loaned it to a friend who did not mix the oil with the gas and seized it up. It ran fine until then. My in-laws also had a Poulan that was identical to our two saws. It also ran fine for may years until by brother in law got a hold of it. It disappeared. My inlaws also own a nice Stihl saw, but my brother in law has that one, too. A few years ago my brother in law buys his father a Poulan Wild Thing, and then borrowed it, too! My father in law hasn't seen any of his saws in many years. Don't get me started on his log splitter. We also have a Poulan Prol weed eater/pole saw combo that works very well.

Anyhow, we have had good luck with the Poulan saws, so, after reading lots of horrible reviews about the Poulan Pro 18" 42CC model, I bought one anyway! Why?

Our old chains fit on this new saw, so I have those.
The new saw came with a case. I did not have a case.
The new saw came with an extra chain.
The new saw has a chain brake, which makes me feel a bit safer.
The problems reported all seem to center around the tool-less chain tensioning system.... that being the chain comes loose too often.

Right out of the box I put in fuel and bar oil, pumped the primer and it fired and ran on the 3rd pull. Made some test cuts around the house then headed for our property. In a couple hours of work, the chain came loose several times and even off the bar once. I finally figured that you have to really crank the small thumb wheel hard which lengthens the bar, then tighten the large wheel to lock it down about as hard as you possibly can. It didn't come loose after that, but I may just look into getting rid of that finger tightener and putting on a washer and lock not and use a wrench to tighten it. I just cannot see how anyone could get a 2" disc as tight with their fingers as they could with a nut and 6" wrench.

It cut the 12" and under trees fairly easily. I had nothing lager to cut that day. It is very comfortable to handle and well balanced on the top handle. It limbed small branches with easy. Much easier than the Craftsman it replaced.

I will give it another run this weekend and see how it does. Then I will report again after a few cords.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I have the little homelite XL and used it for over 15 years with no major issues like my poulan from big box does. What I am looking for now is the Super XL all metal saw for my father to replace his that is burned up.

Did it burn the outer cases of the saw or just the plastic? If the cases are ok Id like to buy them from him. That is the old two trigger model isnt it? I ran over mine and broke the case.
larry

 

[RobertN]

Didn't Poulan used to make top rated Pro saws, back in the 60's, 70's, and very early '80s?

I seem to remember that Poulan and Stihl were very popular saws with loggers in the Trinity mountains in N. Calif back in the late 70's.

I just bought a Poulan Pro 18" 42CC model to replace my late father's old Craftsman 18" saw that has seen better days. Our Craftsman was originally made by Poulan

 

[20 20]

Didn't Poulan used to make top rated Pro saws, back in the 60's, 70's, and very early '80s?

I seem to remember that Poulan and Stihl were very popular saws with loggers in the Trinity mountains in N. Calif back in the late 70's.

Yes back then they were a real good saw, now they are made by electrolux. Most all the cheap saws are made by electrolux, poulan craftsman mc's homelite low $ husky etc..

 

[milkman]

I just bought a Poulan Pro 18" 42CC model to replace my late father's old Craftsman 18" saw that has seen better days. Our Craftsman was originally made by Poulan and lasted a long time, but did not see lots of use until last year. It runs fine, plenty of power, light and easy to work on. It had no chain brake and I lost the case bolts after forgetting to tighten them. I will repair it for a spare saw, but wanted something a little safer. We had a smaller Poulan for many years that worked really well. Same exact saw as the Craftsman only a 14" bar. We loaned it to a friend who did not mix the oil with the gas and seized it up. It ran fine until then. My in-laws also had a Poulan that was identical to our two saws. It also ran fine for may years until by brother in law got a hold of it. It disappeared. My inlaws also own a nice Stihl saw, but my brother in law has that one, too. A few years ago my brother in law buys his father a Poulan Wild Thing, and then borrowed it, too! My father in law hasn't seen any of his saws in many years. Don't get me started on his log splitter.

I'd say that you have an in law that needs to go to the woodshed for an education!!!!

 

[MossRoad]

I just bought a Poulan Pro 18" 42CC model to replace my late father's old Craftsman 18" saw that has seen better days. Our Craftsman was originally made by Poulan and lasted a long time, but did not see lots of use until last year. It runs fine, plenty of power, light and easy to work on. It had no chain brake and I lost the case bolts after forgetting to tighten them. I will repair it for a spare saw, but wanted something a little safer. We had a smaller Poulan for many years that worked really well. Same exact saw as the Craftsman only a 14" bar. We loaned it to a friend who did not mix the oil with the gas and seized it up. It ran fine until then. My in-laws also had a Poulan that was identical to our two saws. It also ran fine for may years until by brother in law got a hold of it. It disappeared. My inlaws also own a nice Stihl saw, but my brother in law has that one, too. A few years ago my brother in law buys his father a Poulan Wild Thing, and then borrowed it, too! My father in law hasn't seen any of his saws in many years. Don't get me started on his log splitter. We also have a Poulan Prol weed eater/pole saw combo that works very well.

Anyhow, we have had good luck with the Poulan saws, so, after reading lots of horrible reviews about the Poulan Pro 18" 42CC model, I bought one anyway! Why?

Our old chains fit on this new saw, so I have those.
The new saw came with a case. I did not have a case.
The new saw came with an extra chain.
The new saw has a chain brake, which makes me feel a bit safer.
The problems reported all seem to center around the tool-less chain tensioning system.... that being the chain comes loose too often.

Right out of the box I put in fuel and bar oil, pumped the primer and it fired and ran on the 3rd pull. Made some test cuts around the house then headed for our property. In a couple hours of work, the chain came loose several times and even off the bar once. I finally figured that you have to really crank the small thumb wheel hard which lengthens the bar, then tighten the large wheel to lock it down about as hard as you possibly can. It didn't come loose after that, but I may just look into getting rid of that finger tightener and putting on a washer and lock not and use a wrench to tighten it. I just cannot see how anyone could get a 2" disc as tight with their fingers as they could with a nut and 6" wrench.

It cut the 12" and under trees fairly easily. I had nothing lager to cut that day. It is very comfortable to handle and well balanced on the top handle. It limbed small branches with easy. Much easier than the Craftsman it replaced.

I will give it another run this weekend and see how it does. Then I will report again after a few cords.

I ran the saw for aobut 3 hours today and took down about 50 trees in the 6-14" range. The saw worked well.... when the chain wasn't getting loose! I tell you, that tool-less chain tensioner is borderline garbagio. I cannot get it tight enough with my fingers to keep the chain tight like it should be. I will look for a large washer and locknut soon and try to retrofit it to work correctly.

Other than that, the saw started well and ran all day without incident. It does not have enough power to cut anything over 14" that is hard dry wood. You have to lift the saw up a bit or it will bite into the wood and stop. It will sail right through wet wood just fine. It is very light and easy to handle. I ran 4 tanks of fuel through it. It has a nice sized fuel tank so I was happy to not have to keep filling it as compared to our old Craftsman. It is a good saw for limbing as the 18" bar has plenty of reach. I just wish it had enough power to use the full 18" of bar. On a scale of 1-10 I give it a 6.5. You get what you pay for.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd say that you have an in law that needs to go to the woodshed for an education!!!!

He flunked woodshed may years ago.

 

[tallyho8]

MossRoad
You chain may not be getting loose. I have had quite a few of the newer model Poulans and the chains stretch a lot when they get hot.

If I put one of my old worn out chains next to a new chain, it is about 2 inches longer.

 

[Steve C]

Didn't Poulan used to make top rated Pro saws, back in the 60's, 70's, and very early '80s?

I seem to remember that Poulan and Stihl were very popular saws with loggers in the Trinity mountains in N. Calif back in the late 70's.

Yes they made a 4.2 cubic inch and a 5.2 cubic inch version of the same saw in the. The were big brutes . Sears sold them branded as Chraftsman. I had a the 4.2 cubic inch version. It came with a 24" bar. The 5.2 came with a 30 inch bar. Sears actually sold the bar and power head seperately. Either bar would fit on either saw. When I put a 16" bar on it for cutting the smaller trees around here I had to remove the bumper spikes off the front of the saw because they would catch on the bark and not allow the saw to drop through the wood as fast as it wanted to. It was the fastest cutting saw I had ever seen. It also had a very large fuel and oil tank. It was ahead of its time with solid state ignition and vibration isolated handles. If my barn had not burned down I would still be using it. It wouldn't wear out. This is what the Poulan looked like with the 30 inch bar. The Craftsman was identical except for the red paint.

 

[Raw Dodge]

Not sure how much $$ your looking to spend,but there are a lot of great saws out in the 350-500 range.Right now baileys has the 6401 Makita for 499.00,you cannot beat that deal.The saw is a dolmar,top quality,professional grade.Best part is if you need more power down the road than its 4.4hp 64cc,you can go with a factory big bore or aftermarket,to bring it to 79cc,and 6 hp.This saw rips,and is a rebadged orange dolmar 7900 in that form.If you are looking for cheaper,or smaller saws youve got some good suggestions already.

 

[CurlyDave]

One of the questions I always have when a seller claims an item is "factory reconditioned" is "whose factory?"

The implication is that the item has been reconditioned in the original manufacturer's factory, but this isn't necessarily true. There are a lot of small and medium sized job shops all over the world that can loosely be called "factories" but are associated with no original manufacturer. Something run through one of these shops can be called "factory reconditioned" even though it has not been re-worked by the original manufacturer.

I ran into this 30 years ago when I worked for an outfit that sold electrical and electronic connectors and insulators. One of our customers was a shop in Florida which sold "factory remanufactured" alternators for cars. They would buy old alternators, all brands, from low-end auto supply chain stores and re-build them as best they could. I was amazed to find that they made their own diodes in one of their back rooms.

Today, I bet similar shops are located in China and other low labor cost areas.

 

[tallyho8]

Another thing that makes chains loose on the new Poulans is quickly wearing soft sprockets. When you take off your chain, look to see if it has a groove worn in the sprocket already. I keep an extra spocket around for quick replacement when one wears out.

 

[OKnewguy]

The saw guys on another forum are raving about this little number, seems to be a tough little saw.

Ryobi Reconditioned Gas 18 In. Bar 40 CC Chain Saw - ZRRY10532 at The Home Depot

I have this saw (bought it new thou) and I must say, it really is a good saw. I had a wild thing, and had used a friends husky, but for my needs this saw has been great. It has very good isolation, so I can use it all day and not have my hands numb afterward.
Dave

 

[RobertN]

Can't remember where I read, a recommendation to replace the sprocket after only a couple chains? Ever hear of that?

Another thing that makes chains loose on the new Poulans is quickly wearing soft sprockets. When you take off your chain, look to see if it has a groove worn in the sprocket already. I keep an extra spocket around for quick replacement when one wears out.

 

[RobertN]

Ya, I saw you poking around over there

Those folks were really helpful. They helped me identify my big Husky saw. I have had it for 20 years, and it was well used before that; there were no stickers left on it.

Turns out it is an early '70's Husky 1100CD. It's a 99cc/6.0ci monster saw.

Funny, because the local Husky shop couldn't figure what model it was. They could adjust, even get a carb kit for it(actually based on the numbers on the Tillotson carb).

The saw guys on another forum are raving about this little number, seems to be a tough little saw.

 

[om21braz]

IMHO, there are exceptions to every rule, but mostly - cheap ain't good and good ain't cheap.

 

[MossRoad]

MossRoad
You chain may not be getting loose. I have had quite a few of the newer model Poulans and the chains stretch a lot when they get hot.

If I put one of my old worn out chains next to a new chain, it is about 2 inches longer.

I suspected that at first, too. However, it can get loose in just a couple minutes. I'm talking hanging down 1/2 - 3/4" down from the bar in the middle. So loose that if I don't tighten it it will fall off the bar. There are about a bazillion complaints about this on just about every review of this saw. Very few good things being said about the tool-less tensioner.

 

[MossRoad]

Can't remember where I read, a recommendation to replace the sprocket after only a couple chains? Ever hear of that?

Yes. I have read that in my Craftsman manual, I believe. However, my sprocket still looks good. As someone else mentioned, though, it may be a good idea to keep a spare around if you do a lot of cutting. They shouldn't be too expensive.

 

[Steve C]

Not sure how much $$ your looking to spend,but there are a lot of great saws out in the 350-500 range.Right now baileys has the 6401 Makita for 499.00,you cannot beat that deal.The saw is a dolmar,top quality,professional grade.Best part is if you need more power down the road than its 4.4hp 64cc,you can go with a factory big bore or aftermarket,to bring it to 79cc,and 6 hp.This saw rips,and is a rebadged orange dolmar 7900 in that form.If you are looking for cheaper,or smaller saws youve got some good suggestions already.

Also if you want something a little smaller but still top quality, you can get the smaller Makita at Amazon.com. They must be pretty good saws, Home Depot uses Makita gas chain saws in their rental department.
Makita DCS510-18 Commercial Grade 18-Inch 50cc 2-Stroke 3.2 HP
Price: $359.99 & eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime
You may be able to get an even better buy on it locally.