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Post by ms660 on Nov 30, 2015 11:22:40 GMT -5
The echo saws seem like they are well built. They have the best warranty. They are a little out of my price range though. Speaking of fuel mixture, there is an old timer that fixes chainsaws not to far from me. I took some to him this summer to work on. He was telling me to mix my gas heavy on the oil and expect a little extra smoke. He said chainsaws always ran 16:1 or 30:1 for years and years. Now some chainsaw companies are calling for 40:1 or 50:1. He said that the engines haven't really changed over the years but government emission controls have. The only way saws can meet the standards is to run a leaner mix. He said it burns the cylinders up on them. That kind of made sense to me so I've started using a heavier mix. The old timer is sorta right. Today's two cycle oil is far more advanced than the straight 30wt oil the was used back years ago. A simple carb adjustment will get you saw running as it should. From the factory it is dangerously lean to meet EPA standards
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Post by throbak on Nov 30, 2015 12:31:14 GMT -5
66 ive thought about that and when I need a new Sprocket,bar and chain probably what I'll do ,I might be comparing the 28 to the 361 the reason But just looking at the chain hard for me to see the diff and i would like them to be the same when out tn the woods with spare everything
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Post by scrub-buster on Nov 30, 2015 16:20:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm stopping to look at a few saws Wednesday.
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Post by scrub-buster on Dec 2, 2015 12:56:51 GMT -5
I stopped and looked at the stihl saws today. They have the ms250 on sale for $299. That seemed like a good price. I'll have to raise some more funds to get that one. I'm not crazy about the flip up fuel caps.
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Post by esshup on Dec 2, 2015 13:38:39 GMT -5
I absolutely hate those *!!! flippy caps. My leg/pants/chaps have been doused a number of times with gas/oil from them while using a clients Stihl.
No way to convert back unless you change out the gas and oil tanks too.
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Post by scrub-buster on Dec 2, 2015 13:45:48 GMT -5
I absolutely hate those *!!! flippy caps. My leg/pants/chaps have been doused a number of times with gas/oil from them while using a clients Stihl. No way to convert back unless you change out the gas and oil tanks too. I wanted to check them out since I've never used the new style. I opened up the fuel cap on the display saw and it was full of stale gas. It spilled all over the saws below it and got on the floor. The fumes were bad in the small store. I wasn't expecting the display model to be full of fuel. They were surprised to. Does anybody have an opinion on the ms 250?
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Post by ms660 on Dec 2, 2015 16:20:33 GMT -5
MS250 will be a good firewood saw for cutting medium size wood, larger if you know how . A good limbing saw also. 45cc saw . 16"-18"bar will work fine for you. Keep the air filter clean, use quality two cycle oil and keep your gas-oil mix fresh, keep your chain sharp and the saw will last you 20+ years. Easy saw to work on if needed. I hate the flippy caps also,,,but after a while you will get the hang of them.
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Post by scrub-buster on Dec 2, 2015 17:25:46 GMT -5
After doing a lot of reading I'm leaning more towards the husky 435. It's cheaper and lighter. Both of those are very important for my thin wallet and bad lower back. Plus I see those flip caps breaking right after the warranty is up.
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Post by esshup on Dec 2, 2015 18:05:26 GMT -5
I know they are more expensive, but because of your bad back, look at the professional series of saws, not homeowner grade no matter which manufacturer you go with. Magnesium vs. aluminum case = lighter weight.
If you can't work on the saws yourself besides changing bars/chains, it's more important to have a good local servicing dealer that services in-house than what brand of saw it is.
Remember the weight that you are seeing is powerhead only, not powerhead, bar and chain. Not only look at hp but RPM too. If I had 2 saws in front of me that weighed dang near the same, had about the same hp, I'd pick one that was the most RPM.
In addition to what MS660 said, I would add DON"T USE ETHANOL GAS IN THE SAW. Period.
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Post by scrub-buster on Dec 2, 2015 18:09:31 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice guys. I can't afford any pro model saws. I haven't compared RPM on them. I'll look them up later tonight. I learned a lot about working on saws this summer. I can take the carbs off and clean them. I think I can do pretty much everything except cylinder work. I made that tiny 33cc homelite saw last 14 years of cutting big osage trees. I make sure and use a good oil mix and plenty of bar oil. I try to take care of my tools the best I can since I can't afford to replace them very easily.
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Post by welder on Dec 2, 2015 18:50:51 GMT -5
I have an outside boiler and I burn a LOT of wood. I have Stihl saws,017(worn out after only 18 years LOL),ms251,ms390 and an old 066,all of which I love! ms251 is an excellent mid-size saw,ms390 is about 3 steps up and 066 is purely a wild animal! IMO,Stihl is the way to go.
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Post by bullseye69 on Dec 2, 2015 19:02:46 GMT -5
I stopped and looked at the stihl saws today. They have the ms250 on sale for $299. That seemed like a good price. I'll have to raise some more funds to get that one. I'm not crazy about the flip up fuel caps. I really really like the flip up fuel and oil caps.
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Post by bullseye69 on Dec 2, 2015 19:07:55 GMT -5
I absolutely hate those *&#!!! flippy caps. My leg/pants/chaps have been doused a number of times with gas/oil from them while using a clients Stihl. No way to convert back unless you change out the gas and oil tanks too. How do you manage to do that? I haven't even got the flip up part caught on anything ,yet alone get it to twist a half turn.
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Post by esshup on Dec 3, 2015 9:38:01 GMT -5
I absolutely hate those *&#!!! flippy caps. My leg/pants/chaps have been doused a number of times with gas/oil from them while using a clients Stihl. No way to convert back unless you change out the gas and oil tanks too. How do you manage to do that? I haven't even got the flip up part caught on anything ,yet alone get it to twist a half turn. I thought I had it locked down and it wasn't. As soon as I picked the saw up, the gas (and bar oil) came gushing out. It did the 1/4 turn thing and stopped, so I flipped the black top down and went about business as usual until my leg felt cool............
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Post by deadeer on Dec 3, 2015 12:21:15 GMT -5
I cut wood for my outside boiler for 8 yrs. A LOT of wood, approx 15cord/yr. Gave it up for the wood stove inside the house again, made me real old, real fast. Lol. 1000 times more efficient! I had a ms250 and it is a great saw. Sold it and bought another ms290 and put a 16" bar on it. Instant increase in power with a smaller bar. A little heavier but well worth it. I also have an ms441, that I run 20, 25, and 32" bars on. Smaller bar, more power. The proffesional saws are night and day difference to me. More money but well worth it in my opinion.
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Post by esshup on Dec 3, 2015 12:45:15 GMT -5
deadeer, consider me an oddball. I had an Echo CS-340 that I bought when I bought this place to clear areas for food plots. I wanted a lightweight saw that I could use to cut trees off at ground level as I had 1/2 acre of sumac to clear, and had a fireplace. My dad has a Stihl that is the same motor class as the Echo, and for some reason the Echo cuts faster - that's where I got the more RPM is better idea.
I put an insert in the fireplace and needed a bigger saw, so I purchased a Dolmar 7900 in 2009 or 2010. It was listed then as weighing 12.5# with 6.3 hp and 13,500 or 14,500 rpm, I forget which. It came with a 24" bar, and I purchased a 32" reduces weight Oregon bar. I've since added a saw in the middle of those two, a Dolmar PS-5100 S with an 18" bar. It was used, and the Orig owner converted it to .050" x .375" chain, same as my 7900.
I'll still grab the CS-340 whenever possible but if I'm cutting anything bigger that day, I start out with the 7900 and switch to a smaller saw as the day wears on. I tried starting out small first, and after lunch the 7900 seemed to weigh 50 pounds when I picked it up.
I'm small time - I only burn around 5 cords a year in my insert.
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Post by scrub-buster on Dec 3, 2015 13:39:55 GMT -5
I just ordered the husky 435 and 3 cans of their premix fuel. That doubled the warranty to 4 years. I found a dealer on ebay selling new saws for $27 less than Lowes. The fuel was cheaper also.
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Post by esshup on Dec 3, 2015 14:45:27 GMT -5
Probably saved on Sales Tax too. Either learn how to properly file a chain to keep it sharp, or buy a few of them and swap them out when they start to get dull.
Keep an eye on TSC or other places like that for them to have bar oil on sale. Get a few gallons, it will take a long while to go bad, if it ever does.
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Post by scrub-buster on Dec 3, 2015 15:14:36 GMT -5
Probably saved on Sales Tax too. Either learn how to properly file a chain to keep it sharp, or buy a few of them and swap them out when they start to get dull. Keep an eye on TSC or other places like that for them to have bar oil on sale. Get a few gallons, it will take a long while to go bad, if it ever does. I have a powered chain sarpener from Harbor freight. Its cheap but gets the job done. I stocked up on bar oil this summer when it was on sale. With the sales tax added I saved almost $40 from buying it at Lowes. Thanks for all the advice.
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