Need a new chainsaw

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Yeah chain speed is what I luv about the old Jonny's - an the newer ones are more husky than old jonsered but hard to leave a brand I have always liked best.

-Ed-

[220]

.
My favorite is Stihl. A MS170 with 16" bar is less than $180.

If you like the 170 you need to try the 180 with a 16" bar you would love it.
Have a couple of 170's for pruning work but I found they struggle with bigger work. Mum wanted a saw to cut a bit of firewood occasionally, talked her into getting a 180. It performs well above it size, so much so I find myself grabbing it instead of one of the saws with 20 or 24" bars a lot of the time.

[220]

Yea, my chainsaws get used a little...
This is the top of a 92 footer I dropped last summer!
IMG_1500.JPG

So do mine, this is a 72cc 381 with a 20" bar, looks small in comparison to what it just dropped.

[clovishound]

Well, I'm leaning toward the Poulan Pro 18". Tractor Supply has them for $160, just around the corner.

I thought long and hard about the Stihl 170 or 180. Run $30 to $40 more than the Poulan. In the end, the shorter bar, reports of starting problems, and parts available only through local Stihl distributors dissuaded me. It is lighter and reportedly cuts better than most bigger saws.

I'll probably buy something this week, just because I'm getting tired of over thinking it.

[GunnyGene]

Yea, my chainsaws get used a little...
This is the top of a 92 footer I dropped last summer!
IMG_1500.JPG

So do mine, this is a 72cc 381 with a 20" bar, looks small in comparison to what it just dropped.

Might consider getting a new bar. That one is looking pretty tired.

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Here is a little more to think about with respect to the poulan.

Reviews from poulans website.

https://www.poulanpro.com/us/products/c ... ifications

Rating 2.2 outta 5. 54 of 168 reviews recommend this saw.

You pay your money an take your chances - but you still usually get what you pay for.

I personally would go for Jonsered cs2245 about $300 or
equivalent Husqvarna. In chainsaws I pretty much go with either of those 2 - Jonsered is usually a little cheaper.

As for the bad ratings on a lot of saws I suspect that often whoever buys a saw does not immediately have it tuned which to me not very bright as a box off a shelf in a big box store isn't likely tuned - hence bad rating. Or be smart and buy from a dedicated saw shop where it likely is tuned. But first be as sure as you can of quality components.

Or maybe be that guy who buys a chainsaw - tries cutting wood with it - gets frustrated takes it to a saw shop where the tech starts it up an the guy who brought it in says what's that noise.

-Ed-

[markiver54]

Yea, my chainsaws get used a little...
This is the top of a 92 footer I dropped last summer!
IMG_1500.JPG

So do mine, this is a 72cc 381 with a 20" bar, looks small in comparison to what it just dropped.

Might consider getting a new bar. That one is looking pretty tired.

You're right Gunny, however, like they say; " if it aint broke, don't fix it "

[GunnyGene]

So do mine, this is a 72cc 381 with a 20" bar, looks small in comparison to what it just dropped.

Might consider getting a new bar. That one is looking pretty tired.

You're right Gunny, however, like they say; " if it aint broke, don't fix it "

Well, if you keep them oiled and tensioned properly they'll last for a very long time. I had to replace the original bar on my 290 after about 6 years of heavy use. That was about 8 years ago, but I haven't put a whole of hours on it since, except in the last year (tornado clean up), so it's still going strong.

PS: you ever watch any of those chainsaw competitions? Those boys have some serious saws. Small block V-8's and such.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsiP-blQslI

[markiver54]

Holy $h!t...that's crazy.

[GunnyGene]

Holy $h!t...that's crazy.

Yeah. Ain't it cool? I went to a couple of these back when I was living in WA. I was born in a logging town, and several relatives were loggers. More fun than is legal.

[Mags]

This one was 135ft. Used my large Husky on this one.

20170407_140315.jpg (215.01 KiB) Viewed 1749 times

20170407_140529.jpg (177.76 KiB) Viewed 1749 times

[markiver54]

Looks like a huge Locust there still standing.

[JEBar]

I bought my first chainsaw in the mid '60's ... it was a McCulloch Mini Mac 6 that I bought to pack in the back of my Jeep CJ5 for use back in the woods .... it proved to be a piece of Junk that required way too many pulls of the rope and once you got it running it would over heat and shut down after only a few minutes of use .... one day I finally became so frustrated that I hurled it against a large rock .... seeing its yellow case crack with it bleeding bar oil and gas/oil fuel mix was most satisfying .... we've run 2 professional level Stihl chainsaws since the late 70's .... they are old and have been worked hard but they still crank easily and throw chunks

[GeoBoy]

If you have a nice Honda 2000i generator, rated at 15 amps, I would go with a Stihl MSR 170 and never worry about and maintain a gas saw again. They are not cheap but no fuel or maintenance to worry about.

[220]

Well, if you keep them oiled and tensioned properly they'll last for a very long time. I had to replace the original bar on my 290 after about 6 years of heavy use. That was about 8 years ago, but I haven't put a whole of hours on it since, except in the last year (tornado clean up), so it's still going strong.

PS: you ever watch any of those chainsaw competitions? Those boys have some serious saws. Small block V-8's and such.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsiP-blQslI

That picture is 2 or 3 years old, bar is still going, your right if you look after them they will last years. Blunt chain and forcing the saw to cut will wear them out very quickly. I don't keep track of the hours but I go through around 20 litres of bar oil a year.

[clovishound]

Hey All,

Here is a little more to think about with respect to the poulan.

Reviews from poulans website.

https://www.poulanpro.com/us/products/c ... ifications

Rating 2.2 outta 5. 54 of 168 reviews recommend this saw.

You pay your money an take your chances - but you still usually get what you pay for.

I personally would go for Jonsered cs2245 about $300 or
equivalent Husqvarna. In chainsaws I pretty much go with either of those 2 - Jonsered is usually a little cheaper.

As for the bad ratings on a lot of saws I suspect that often whoever buys a saw does not immediately have it tuned which to me not very bright as a box off a shelf in a big box store isn't likely tuned - hence bad rating. Or be smart and buy from a dedicated saw shop where it likely is tuned. But first be as sure as you can of quality components.

Or maybe be that guy who buys a chainsaw - tries cutting wood with it - gets frustrated takes it to a saw shop where the tech starts it up an the guy who brought it in says what's that noise.

-Ed-

Most of the sites I have looked at have the Poulan rated in the mid 4s out of 5. I actually saw more negative reviews for the Stihl 170 than the Poulan Pro 18".

[Mags]

.
I've owned Echo, Husky and Stihl. The Stihl170 I have has been the best I've owned.

Most of the sites I have looked at have the Poulan rated in the mid 4s out of 5. I actually saw more negative reviews for the Stihl 170 than the Poulan Pro 18".

[clovishound]

Well, I went ahead and pulled the trigger. There is a nearby small engine repair/parts store that also sells equipment. I was tired of dithering and went ahead and bought the Stihl MS180. $20 more for the more powerful engine. They had a deal on a six pack of Stihl 2 stroke oil that extends the warranty to 2 years. They do warranty work, and are well regarded in the area.

Fired it up, and cut a few small branches. I will need to get used to the new stuff on it. Never used one with chain break, gotta be careful not to run it up with the chain break on. Figuring out the easiest start procedure will take a little time, IE when to use full choke, half choke, no choke. They started it at the store, but didn't run it much. I went to full choke when I got home. Should have used half choke.

It's a nice, small saw. I was not looking forward to the larger size and weight of the Poulan, if I had gone that direction.

Thanks to all for the advice.

[GunnyGene]

Well, I went ahead and pulled the trigger. There is a nearby small engine repair/parts store that also sells equipment. I was tired of dithering and went ahead and bought the Stihl MS180. $20 more for the more powerful engine. They had a deal on a six pack of Stihl 2 stroke oil that extends the warranty to 2 years. They do warranty work, and are well regarded in the area.

Fired it up, and cut a few small branches. I will need to get used to the new stuff on it. Never used one with chain break, gotta be careful not to run it up with the chain break on. Figuring out the easiest start procedure will take a little time, IE when to use full choke, half choke, no choke. They started it at the store, but didn't run it much. I went to full choke when I got home. Should have used half choke.

It's a nice, small saw. I was not looking forward to the larger size and weight of the Poulan, if I had gone that direction.

Thanks to all for the advice.

Keep your air filter clean, or you will get hard starts and stalling out at idle. It is washable. See your owners manual for details.

[220]

Having both a 170 and 180 the few extra dollars for the 180 are well spent.
I use the same start procedure with all my stihls, full choke, a couple of pulls will usually see them give a cough as soon as they do switch to half choke and a couple of pulls has them running. Half choke when they are hot.