Which chain saw?

Boondox · Aug 22, 2002

There's been a lot of talk about big, powerful saws. If you or your husband don't have the upper body strength to handle one, all that power won't do you a bit of good...and will only put you in danger. Most dealers around here have old logs they'll let you practice on. If that's the case in your area, try several for heft and balance.

Also, you mentioned that you'll be dealing with a lot of stuff that's already down. That can get dicey, as you'll face branches bent back under tension. Be careful! If you attack a branch under tension without thinking things through it'll either pinch your bar (embarassing!) or snap back and transfer all that tension to your body (potentially deadly!). Think before you cut!

Pete

dmccarty · Aug 22, 2002

TractorGirl,

Recently timbered land. That be me as well. I have cleaned
up some of the mess but I have lots more to go. What I
ended up doing was cutting up the slash that is on the ground
into 6 to 8 foot lengths. Then I use the tractor to push the
mess into a burn pile. Hopefully the drought will end this
winter and I can actually burn some of these burn piles. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

You might also want to get a bulldozer in to help clean up.
But it just depends on what you want to do, how you want
to do it, and how much money can be thrown at the cleanup.

If you do use the saw to cleanup the slash on the ground
buy a couple of chains as well as bars. You will get the chain
into the dirt or a rock and then is resharpen time. Eventually
you will get the saw pinched so that you cant get it out
without cutting wood. Since the saw is stuck cutting wood
means a handsaw or ax. Not fun.

If you have a second bar and chain, you can just detach the
saw motor from the stuck bar, attach you backup and get
your stuck stuff out of the tree. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Its cheaper than
a second saw.

Go to a good dealer so you can try these things out. My 046
is a heavy, heavy beast and is overkill for a majority of what
I do. BUT, there are times when I really need it and its nice
to go from cutting a 1 inch sapling to cutting up a 30+ inch
log without have to get another saw. But it is heavy.

So see what is easiest for you to operate.

Later,
Dan

OkieNCognito · Aug 22, 2002

I bought a 14" McCullough for $120 at Wal-Mart a year ago to thin out our 5 acres. I considered the saw disposable - figured I would run it until it quit and then get new one. I felt I had gotten my money's worth out of it after 6 months but to my surprise, it held up through the whole job and still runs fine. I've finished clearing and I still have the original saw for occasional clean-up of downed limbs.

fishman · Aug 22, 2002

Dourobob

I'll second that the 041 was (and is) a great saw. Dad has one that's 20 years old and I would trade my new 029 for it in a heartbeat. As good as the 029 is, it is not in the same class as the professional Stihl saws, in my opinion. I wish I'd spent the extra $100 and gotten the better saw. The controls and the housing on the 029 just don't seem up to snuff.

On a positive note, I did buy a longer bar recently and some thin-kerf chains from Bailey's. The saw now cuts even better than before.

Scott_in_WVA · Aug 22, 2002

Welcome to West Virginia....
There is one of the biggest Stihl Dealerships in the Eastern USA(If not the biggest) on route 50 in Wood County.
Fore Timber

Scott_in_WVA · Aug 22, 2002

I forgot to mention I have the O-26 and it works well for me...on my 95 acres.

Gary_in_Indiana · Aug 22, 2002

Hey now... Let's be careful about comments about people from Saskatchewan, eh? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Tractorgirl · Aug 22, 2002

Okay guys, I have one more question. For those who use the Stihl saws, how often do you perform maintenance such as changing filters, etc? The reason why I'm asking is that the Husqvarna saws indicate they require less maintenance due to their air injection air filtration system. I'm not noting anything like that on the Stihls or am I missing it?

Thanks a bunch!

Rhonda

cstocks · Aug 22, 2002

Filter? What's a filter?/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

The only filter I have ever cleaned in the dozen or so years I have owned my Stihl is on the air intake. I clean it somewhat regularly, especially if I am putting my saw through it's paces. If there are other filters maybe I have missed something too, but my saw never suffered from my negligence if there are other filters.

Dobber30052 · Aug 22, 2002

Maybe throw a wrench in the works? I've been watching this thread and read through the archived ones. I have a McCulloch, but it ain't cuttin it (literally). So I'm listening to you folks and have been leaning towards the Husq/Stihl lines, and no offense to solid proponents of either one, would likely get the one I could get the better deal on. Then I saw about John Deere's "entry" into the market, and then went to <A target="_blank" HREF=http://products.deere.com/webapp/commerce/command/CategoryDisplay?path=HO&cgnbr=HH&cgmenbr=8416&selectedCat=8559>John Deere's site (chainsaws) - sounds impressive /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif... Sometimes marketing is making your product at least look better than the competition, but maybe it's worth a look?

I'll wait for comment before becoming the guinea pig... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Dob