Presently, I am the owner/user of two chainsaws. At the present, I own two dead saws and one old, retired saw (my first chainsaw), as well.
What is a practical chainsaw? I own a small piece of land with a good supply of trees, for my use. I heat exclusively with wood (woodstove), have a manual sawmill from which I sell a little lumber and mill for others a bit (their logs), and a woodshop. I reckon that puts me in the 'homeowner/landowner' variety of chainsaw determination....or, perhaps, 'other'. Though I do not hire out the chainsawing per se, I do make a buck or two on end products from their use. In all, it is all part of my whole endeavor of 'making a living'. I can not quite 'see' the initial output for a 'professional' saw, yet, do understand the dynamics (economics) of money spent for value received. My two dead saws on hand, are two Poulan Pro's. They worked well, until they quit working. My time is spent well diversified in many areas. When a saw (or, other machine I use) fails to start/run/work in a manner that I reasonably consider proper, I don't really want to fix it.
My old first saw (retired in running condition) is a Poulan 66 with a bow. It was my one and only saw for many years. The Poulan Pro saws gave it up far too soon, for me (as have others in the past). The two saws that I currently, and for the last several years, use are a Husky 455 Rancher and the smaller 435. Both of these saws have already paid for themselves (my values) and I would replace them with the same or very similar. We have harvested (logs & firewood) many, many trees together. Since I got it, the 435 has been my 'go to' saw. The Rancher is much better for ripping and log cutting.
For a particular purpose (cutting slabs into firewood in my slab rack), I recently purchased a 28" bar and chain (came with a 20") from Bailey's for the Rancher. I had concerns (largely due to reading here) of the power to operate the 28". I have to say, something I should have done years ago. Everything I have cut (trying it out on different wood, etc.), it cuts better than the 20". Maybe the particular chain/bar (always used standard Husky replacements otherwise), I don't know.
However...I like it. ;D My slab rack is 4' wide, so now a pass on each side completes that cut. I also found it is much more pleasant to cut stumps with.
Your far from a suburban weekend slasher anddeserve a good saw.Always good form to buy a little better saw than you can afford,it will pay in the long haul. Frank C.
You might consider something like a Husky 359 or 365. Not cheap saws, but pretty similar construction, and a better price than an XP model. Both would be significant power increases as well.
I have to say that for me, I really like my mcculloch 10-10A for a medium sized all around saw. It doesn't have the high rev of the newer saws but it handles very nice, cuts well, and starts easy! Consumable parts for it are available and at a good price. My 372xpw is great, has good power but it is heavier. I think that especially for what you use a saw for tcmpsi, you need at least 2 saws, that way if one goes out, you got something to keep working with at least. In the woods the small support equipment(saw) is just as important to your overall money making equation as your tractor or your bandmill IMO. I like some of the older saws as the new ones aren't easily adjusted(sealed carb adjustments). I am not a fan of the primer bulbs either.
QuoteYour far from a suburban weekend slasher anddeserve a good saw.Always good form to buy a little better saw than you can afford,it will pay in the long haul. Frank C.
I'll second that.
I can't fault the 372 xp as an all round farm saw, it's lite enough for me to hang off all day cutting firewood or hold horizontal taking the tops off posts, I only run a 20inch bar on our Eucalyptus hardwoods, tried a 24inch with skip tooth for larger trees but wasn't happy with it. I have an 029 but its solely relegated to the atom borer these days. Unfortunately we can no longer get the 372xp in Australia :( :(
This question arises from time to time and the best answer is a chainsaw that works no matter who made it .
The Poulans ,lesser grades of Stihl,Husqvarna and others work very well for their intended usage .They are less expensive than pro grades but are not intended to be used in high impact logging or tree service work .They don't cost 1000 bucks either .
More times than not problems of chainsaws are relatively easy to repair but unfortunately only about 10 percent of the owners are knowledgable in doing so .So they are at the mercy of repair facilties .As such more often the repairs exceed the value of the saws .Just the way it is .
Certain old classics like the 10-10 McCullochs will probabley run almost forever if maintained properly .They would be fine for smaller amounts of firewood .Fact I have 4 or 5 myself but they aren't something you'd care to operate on a continuous bassis unless that's all you own .Face cord at a time they're hard to beat though for the price .
The old 66 I had repaired several times. In fact, one of the reasons it is retired is because parts have become extremely rare, and expensive if fortunate to find them. I had to buy a bow for it about 30 yrs ago, and then it was over $100. Nowadays, time is my most relevant factor. And, as mentioned, to get another to dependably repair things puts a lot of weight on the balance. The Kohler engine on my mill and the Honda engine on my pressure washer have both been impressive in their resilience and continuity. Both current Husky's have been likewise.
My only experience with McCullochs was in the early '70s when I did a stint with Blume Systems (major tree outfit in Houston). They were a real pain in the patootie. However, many of the crews had some real 'winners' working and their machinery relationship was...not good. :D
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Very few people run bows any more and even fewer have ever seen one in operation .
They were originally made for "pulp wood " type of cutting .Pinch resistant but not entirely fool proof .
I operated a Mac 250 with a bow when the 250 was newly on the market and a teenager at the time .I still own one exactly like that but have never found the need to use it .More of a collectors item than anything .
Actually, the 66 is sitting on one of its last cuts. When properly tuned and all, you could buck some wood with it...long as you could keep up. ;D Of course, it is pushing half a century, and in its day, it was a blessing. ;)
Well yes the way they were made they would buck good .Cutting basically on the tip of the bow it presents and lot of aggressivenes to the cut and chips out well .
Problems arose if they were not operated properly because of a tendencey to kick back and because of this factor they have been for all intents rendered almost non existant .
I'm not even certain if anybody even sells a bow bar any more .If they did it would have a very limited market .
Quote from: mad murdock on May 01, 2012, 02:23:00 AM
I have to say that for me, I really like my mcculloch 10-10A for a medium sized all around saw. It doesn't have the high rev of the newer saws but it handles very nice, cuts well, and starts easy! Consumable parts for it are available and at a good price. My 372xpw is great, has good power but it is heavier. I think that especially for what you use a saw for tcmpsi, you need at least 2 saws, that way if one goes out, you got something to keep working with at least. In the woods the small support equipment(saw) is just as important to your overall money making equation as your tractor or your bandmill IMO. I like some of the older saws as the new ones aren't easily adjusted(sealed carb adjustments). I am not a fan of the primer bulbs either.
I've never seen a primer bulb- meaning one that pumped fuel into the carb throat. Various saws, etc. that I have, came with a purge bulb, that lets you pump out the air from the diaphragm chamber as you pump in fuel. They save LOTS of cranking exercise. I LOVE them, and would not buy a 2-stroke anything without same.
Most larger saw don't have primers .My method on large saws meaning over 100 cc is to prime the carb first with a squeeze bottle if they've sat unused for a while .Else you'll be worn out before you ever get the thing started .
With a dry carb it can take up to 10 pull on the rope just to evacuate the fuel lines and get the gas to the carb .Really kind of a nuisance not to mention wear and tear on the poor old shoulders or young shoulders for that matter depending on who's tugging on the rope .
I think primers were just added to small consumer grade saws ,weed wackers ,blowers etc .They do facilitate easier starting I must admit .
I don't like them or the cheap carbs that they are designed to work with, another part that breaks and requires replacing. They are a means to an end. Enables use of the cheap carb, which makes the whole affair more user unfriendly, IMO, they have to put th on the consumer grade equip. because of the many corners cut off in designing and manufacturing of said equip. Then again, from another view, if they built that stuff like the pro grade stuff, it wouldn't be as cheap to buy, nor would they sell as many units. I guess it is yet another reflection of the throw away mentality manifesting itself. :(
Well yes more of the endless discussion .
Every item ever made has a target buyer group in mind .Consumer grade saws and the like are targeted to occasional use people .About 200 bucks out the door and they do as they are intended .They cut wood .
At the risk of being reprimanded again as I was in comparrison to a comment I made concerning a lower priced bandsaw to a WM Lt -70 .The former to the later just as compairing a lower grade consumer saw to perhaps a Stihl Ms 660 is like compairing a Yugo to a Cadillac .
Not in anyway saying the Yugo ,the bandsaw nor the chainsaw in question won't preform .They obvious will just not exactly to the same degree . :)
I have an even dozen small gasoline engined devices that I work/tend to. Knowing and remembering each of their starting/operating nuances is one of my notable life challenges. Bulbed/not bulbed, if I have to pull a rope more than 3 times, we have a problem Houston. :D
Shortly after, I am generally looking for a replacement. My particular uses and expenditures, I reasonably expect 5 years of trouble free 'miles'. After that, all of them have well more than paid for themselves.
Anything before that, I'm through with that brand/model/etc. Just the short end of one of those 'rules' I have applied to ,eep just a hint of sanity. :D
:D Every saw develops a personality so to speak .
For example I have a 30 year old Poulan s-25 that fire on 4 pulls no matter how long it's sat .Conversely I have both a souped up Stihl 038 Mag plus a modified Ms 200T that take 8 or 10 on a cold start .Once started though they run like scalded apes and 9 times out of 10 fire putt the first pull on a restart .
Ya know without any malice intended towards the female gender ,saws are kind of like the former .They may all be kindred sisters but try as you might you'll never ever figure them all out .Many have tried but few have succeeded . :D
Quote from: Al_Smith on May 02, 2012, 10:50:50 AM
Ya know without any malice intended towards the female gender ,saws are kind of like the former .They may all be kindred sisters but try as you might you'll never ever figure them all out .Many have tried but few have succeeded . :D
That is some sage quote there!! :) Truer words I have not heard spoken! To beat the proverbial expired equiine, Maybe tcsmpsi would do well to find a 10-10E, fashion a new battery pack for it, and then he will not have to pull start his saw again, unless of course, the electric start fails ;)
He have better chance of finding a hens' tooth or walking on water than finding a 10-10 E battery pack or no .
mebbe so Al. One of the guys at work bought one a few weeks back from a local CL ad, paid $60 for it. I talked him into getting it going with battery pack intact and all, it is a cool saw!
;D Well a 10-10 really doesn't need an electric starter ,as they are unless they are in a terrible state of tune they start pretty well .
Now on the other hand I have a 2100 Husqvarna I wish either had an electric starter of at least a kick starter because it's like rope starting a Harley .
Now then for those who might complain about hard starting saws boogie on over the farm country in NW Ohio and tug on this big boy some time then tell me you have a hard starter .Eat your wheaties first though . :D
Al I have a promac 10-10 with a bow that is only on its second chain in its whole life. Bought new in 77 or 78 and has been a real pain in the rear to start once hot. When running I love it. It's been several years since I've even pulled it off the shelf. I would like to know what "tuned" would be like on that old jewel.
Quote from: mad murdock on May 02, 2012, 02:35:32 PM
Quote from: Al_Smith on May 02, 2012, 10:50:50 AM
That is some sage quote there!! :) Truer words I have not heard spoken! To beat the proverbial expired equiine, Maybe tcsmpsi would do well to find a 10-10E, fashion a new battery pack for it, and then he will not have to pull start his saw again, unless of course, the electric start fails ;)
Nah...all my pull rope engines rarely take as many as 3 pulls to get them started, cold or hot....but, no 2 of them have the same methods. :D
I had a couple saws that stated hard cold, I'd put a little gas in the muffler, 1 pull off an running.
I've seen guys pull on a saw until they broke the rope, what sense does that make.
I have a 1988 Poulan 4000 which I have cut 6 cords of firewood per year and about 50,000 BF of oak sawlogs. Still runs great. Also have a 1998 Poulan 380. It's an ok saw, but not near the power of the 4000. Can still find the 4000 on ebay once in awhile.
FWIW all the 10-series McCullochs' will start hard if ran hard and still hot ..The trick is hold down the throttle and drop start them .Excepting of course a large ones like an 850 or Sp 81 with a long bar .That's a tad bit on the danger side .
Also while on the subject all Macs like to run just a tad bit in the rich side .Richer than most modern saws .When they get hot they can't take all that gas unless you open up the throttle to got some air in there when you start them
I cut my teeth so to speak on 10 series Macs and can peal one down to the bones in twenty minutes except the 81 cc models which take a little longer .
To get back to your original question.
I am a proponent of to saws. A primary and a back up. I use the primary most of the time and the back up enough to keep it active. When my primary gets half worn out, it become my back up and a use my back up as my primary till it is worn out, then I replace it. I keep thing rotated that way and lessens the blow to my wallet as I do not need to buy two saws at once.
I would suggest looking at a a pro grade saw in the size you like. Yes you pay more for it but they last longer and are rebuildable so they pay off. I would expect that would give you a saw that would last 10 years or more with a rebuild.
If on the other hand you do not think you would use the saw enough to wear it out and rebuild it in a reasonable time. Go with the lesser grade saw use it up and when it is getting tired put it on the reserve list and buy another. Rotate them out as described above and you should be fine.