Tractor vs. Chainsaw...you guess

[Soundguy]

wow.. i find that hard to believe with that oil mix in there.. that has to modify the ignition point.. I know the ethanol will.

soundguy

 

[Kubota 2350]

Not a big loss, usually by the time the chain needs to be sharpened, the engine in these things is toast.

Never seen anything from China that held up in the long run.

 

[Soundguy]

Not a big loss, usually by the time the chain needs to be sharpened, the engine in these things is toast.

Never seen anything from China that held up in the long run.

mines already been thru a chain since i cut fence posts with it.. engine still seems fine.

I keep a spare and swap them when needed and sharpen the spare during down time..

soundguy

 

[clemsonfor]

odd. I use plain 87 octane gas, and tsc generic mixing oil. I tend to mix a lil on the heavy side, and do splash in some stabil.. probably not enough.. but some.

I don't think I've ever had to pull more than 2x to start her except for the very first time I started her when I got home from the store... just push the primer bulb about 6x and then a pull or 2 and she's good. even after months of storage... ( knock on wood anyway)

soundguy

As always this is my point and others. I am seriously thinking of getting one of these cheap saws to "throw" around and save my beast of a Stihl that i have had for 6 years for real wood. I paid $400+ when i bought it and have had one problem of a fuel line splitting and causing eratic idle and operation, i thought it was the carb possibly so i rebuilt it before i saw the line, or it was at the same time?, but i had the kit so i put it in anyway, prolly should have just put it on the shelf but i installed it. Then i got the hose and i have not had a problem since.

I do buy cheap tools and HF stuff. Sometimes you get good stuff and sometimes you have to return it.

Like my most recent large HF purchase of my flooring nailer. I just finished laying 3/4 " redoak (see flooring nailer post in rural living) well forester2 said he laid 900 ft of hickory no problems. After 200 sqft (430ish total in the room) i had wore my first nailer out? It was hissing at the gun as it was leaking from the cylinder and the gun was slow to reset. Trip back to HF for a free replacement and more staples and i finished the rest of the floors with no similar problem even though i did more floor with the 2nd gun than i did with the first.

I say all that to say this. You got a good poulan, one like those guys have at forestryforum. My fater in law got a monday mourning saw and it runs well once started but is always much more trouble to start than my stihl even though it proably dosent have 1% the hours i have on my Stihl.

 

[clemsonfor]

wow.. i find that hard to believe with that oil mix in there.. that has to modify the ignition point.. I know the ethanol will.

soundguy

Yep Stihl recommends 89. I usually use 91 as more often its 100% gas. Around here there are several stations that have 100% gas in all grades so i recently have bought 89. Its only 10 cents more a gallon and they reccomend it and i only use 2-4 gallons of saw fuel a year anyway.

 

[clemsonfor]

mines already been thru a chain since i cut fence posts with it.. engine still seems fine.

I keep a spare and swap them when needed and sharpen the spare during down time..

soundguy

I almost never hit dirt (only a 2-3 times i remember in 6 years) and i sharpen almost every other time or every time i cut wood. Not if im just bucking some wood for the week for the fireplace or cutting a limb or trail out. But if im really cutting wood like one to two loads i will sharpen everytime. A sharp saw is easier on the bar chain clutch and motor, and only takes about 10 mins on my 20 in bar, if you keep it sharp. Now if you let it dull or hit the dirt it will take longer to sharpen. I will even stop cutting to sharpen if its dull, it goes so much faster with a sharp saw. I still have my original 20" loop that came with the saw allthough the last season and a half it has not been on the saw as i hit a piece of morter and dulled it when i was cutting a bush, and did not have a file at that point, i wore them all out, so i took it off and replaced it. It still has a little ways to go till the throw a way indicator.

I like to keep my teeth razor sharp, if you check my teeth with your finger and use to a dull say you will cut open your finger.

 

[Soundguy]

i almost never hit dirt either.... but with fence posts.. i do find odd things here and there.. nots and whatnot.

I don't like razor sharp. razor sharp dulls faster as the edge lays over easier.

soundguy

 

[MBDiagMan]

OP,

I'm glad that the cheapy is working out for you. I love my Stihl one handed saw. Weighs 7.6 pounds and cuts like a stick of dynamite. My big saw is a Craftsman that my wife gave me for Christmas and she must have been expecting me to be a logger in a Redwood Forest. It weighs almost 30 pounds but starts every time and cuts the big stuff.

So far I've been careful enough as to not damage either of them and I wore out a saw before these over a 20 year period without catastrophic destruction. If I ever replace the big one it will be with a Stihl.

A chainsaw is just not an item that I feel comfortable buying a cheap example of.

I'm glad they're working well for you.

 

[Jay4200]

A chainsaw is just not an item that I feel comfortable buying a cheap example of.

I'm glad they're working well for you.

It's excellent for the dough - just used it again last week. A chainsaw is pretty much just a motor with a handle on it -and the Chinese do well with little motors. There is an entire pit bike industry built around bitty Honda clone motors. Frames sometimes crack, suspensions sometimes leak, hubs break, bearings fail...but those little bike motors run forever - almost every time one fails, it's a kill switch malfunction (the Chinese do like to use really cheap electronic components).

Incidentally, my "good" saw is a Stihl 036 Pro - I would've been SERIOUSLY bummed if THAT one fell out of my bucket and got run over

JayC

 

[MBDiagMan]

It's excellent for the dough - just used it again last week. A chainsaw is pretty much just a motor with a handle on it -and the Chinese do well with little motors. There is an entire pit bike industry built around bitty Honda clone motors. Frames sometimes crack, suspensions sometimes leak, hubs break, bearings fail...but those little bike motors run forever - almost every time one fails, it's a kill switch malfunction (the Chinese do like to use really cheap electronic components).

Incidentally, my "good" saw is a Stihl 036 Pro - I would've been SERIOUSLY bummed if THAT one fell out of my bucket and got run over

JayC

Now the plot thickens! Sounds like there's some natural, subconscious, extra care for that 36. I bet it won't ever get smashed. Your instincts will prevent it.

It sounds like there's merit in having a cheap saw. You can treat it like a Dixie Cup and if something happens to it, then Cie La Vie. Sounds workable as long as a good one is always also on hand.