chainsaw recommendations

[shockwave rider]

Love my 20 year old big Husky but I use the small Stihl we bought far more often. I don't know if I would buy a Husky again for what I need here, but I would buy another small Stihl in a heartbeat for dealing with what we have growing on our lot. When I worked as ground crew for an arborist who had been in the business forever he swore by Huskys, which is why I bought the one I have, but it is overkill for what I do here.

[oink]

Get a big saw (18") for the big jobs and a little trim saw for other stuff. You will find you use the trim saw 90% of the time. Get the trim saw with the handle on the top. As far as brands go, I like Stihl and Echo and have one of each (18" Stihl & Echo trim) but I've had good luck with the cheaper ones too. I've kept cheaper ones running until parts were no longer readily available for them. I am fairly competent at keeping things running so you may not have the same luck. Ethanol gas is EVIL!!! The Stihl 2 stroke oil has impressed me. Pay the premium for it. Someone mentioned torque. It's true modern Stihls are high RPM and work wonderfully as long as you keep the RPM up. I do miss having one with low RPM torque. I do have an antique McCulloch that has wonderful torque but I never have gas for it as it takes a mix nothing else uses anymore. It would chug through most anything. I think part of the reliability/longevity issue with good brands vs cheap brands is people who buy the better brands tend to take better care of them and use them more. People who buy the cheap brands don't properly maintain them and they don't get used regularly. They will use ethenol gas and let it sit. The gas goes bad and clogs the carb. The ethanol also eats all the rubber and plastic bits in the fuel system. Make sure you don't get crap in the chain oil tank. The little oil pump in the auto-oilers is not a substantial mechanical part and can easily get stuck or damaged. It's kind of a PITA to fix or replace. I know. I miss the old thumb pump type. I'd just spray all of my used motor oil into the trees ;-)


Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Tink]

If you can find it, use Chevron TC-W3 2 cycle oil to mix with your fuel. It comes bulk (not those little pre measured bottles) so you will also need a "ratio rite" measuring funnel to add to your shop tools. Non stop high performance lubrication that kept my 2 cycle race bikes and my saws running trouble free. Plus, you are a bit kinder to the planet not using the tiny bottle.
To Oink--McCulloch had an oddball 40:1 oil mix, with the method described above, you can mix your own brew to run that old girl!

Edit to add Oinks fix
Community begins with Aloha

[Green]

Yrs ago I owned a Stihl i picked up used from a friend it was a fantastic saw. It was the light professional 16" the one tree trimmers used, I really regret selling it. Then a few yrs ago I bought a new Stihl 16" i think it was model #180 ...I'm not sure, but it spent more time in the shop than it did cutting trees and i only used it a few times. Sometimes it would start and other times it wouldn't, I grew to really hate that saw.
Since I only need a saw for occasional use, I rely one my faithful old paulan that I picked up for $35 at a yard sale and as a backup i have a Ryobi 16" 40v cordless which has impressive power and battery time.

[VancouverIslander]

I love my Stihl ms260, decompression button, easy start, anti-vibration - can use it all day long, but if I was just doing a little light work from time to time, I'd likely go with something cheaper. I have a friend who swears by Husqvarna and has ripped thousands of feet of lumber using his saws in an Alaska mill. I don't think you can go wrong with either, but for just some pruning you don't need much. Use the Stihl branded 2 stroke oil, it's the best, although I've never tried the Chevron Tink recommends.

No matter what you get, learn how to sharpen your chain, always use quality 2-stroke and do any regular maintenance required. I'm not a fan of electric saws. They are completely gutless.

Just call me Mike

[MarkP]

I have a Stihl MS150C with a 12" bar. It's probably the smallest gas saw made. It has the handle on the rear as that configuration provides more leverage and is safer and there will be multiple amateurs using it. I love how light it is. Starting it when cold can be a chore but once warm it starts OK. I have a Shindaiwa trimmer and that thing is a pleasure to start so I don't know why all small engines can't be made that way. Anyway once running the little Stihl is great. Not much power of course but the saw is very light. We are clearing thickets of guava and the smallness and lightness is just the ticket.