New chainsaw binding during cutting

[DavidC1234]

 Hi folks, I bought a new Echo 31cc for cutting up some household firewood. 

 the chain stops turning during cuts even at full throttle(when halfway through the log), engine revs great, the chain just stops turning. 

It's new, so before bringing it back I wonder if I could ask for an opinion...

Is the unit underpowered for 18"-24" logs, is that why it stops cutting?

Or I wonder if it's not oiling properly, the oil I picked up seemed really thick, maybe I should use 30w or play around with the oil screw. 

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice

[btulloh]

Hmmmmm . . .  where to start ...

31cc is a bit small for an 18-24" tree, but with patience you can gnaw your way through anything.  If you're only sawing something that size occasionally, it can be done.  It's probably bogging down because it just doesn't have the power for the job.  If you hold it back to keep it from bogging you'll probably be able to get through it.  How about pinching?  Where is the tension on the log?  You have to take that into account too.

Try cutting some 5-6" stuff toward the top to see how it does.  You can still bog a 31cc saw on the smaller stuff, but it's a better test.

The bar oil is correct.  It's supposed to be thick.  Don't use 30wt.

Is this your first chainsaw experience?  

[DavidC1234]

Hi, thank you for the thoughtful reply. 

I think underpowered is the right diagnosis.  I was watchful for punching and it's the bigger pieces causing problems. 

I'm pretty casual, I've been cutting our own firewood for 3 seasons now and have always used electric. I was hoping for a bit more versatility and to take on some bigger logs. 

Thanks again!

[btulloh]

Good luck and stay safe.

That echo should be a handy little saw. Keep it sharp and let it tell you how fast to saw. That's a lot of tree for for that saw but with some patience it'll end up as firewood.

[dougand3]

Agree with too small. If you encounter 18-24" rounds often, get 50-60cc. If you like Echo, look at CS-590.

[lxskllr]

You might want to look into tuning it also. Echo has a reputation of coming from the factory too lean, and that'll also cause it to bog in the cut. Don't expect miracles though. Properly tuned, broken in, and with a sharp chain, that's still a lot of wood. You need to let the saw do the work. Any force at all can cause it to stall in the cut.

[Hilltop366]

 A bigger cc saw would be better for a full bar going straight down the cut, with a smaller saw like you have you can lessen the load on the engine and keep the engine and chain speed up by slowly see-sawing the bar up an down a bit this will reduce the amount of wood the saw is cutting at one time and still cut the whole log off.

Not sure if that is a good description of what I trying to say?

As always a sharp chain is king.

[John Mc]

You mentioned the engine revs great, but the chains stops turning.

One possibility is that your clutch is bad. If the chain is stalled, the engine should be laboring when at full throttle.

A question for you: You mentioned this happens when you are halfway through the log. Does the saw cut fine as long as the upper edge of the bar is outside the log, and then start having problems soon after that upper edge gets buried in the log? If so, there is a good chance your chain is sharpened unevenly and/or your bar is worn unevenly, so your saw is trying to cut on a curve, rather than cutting straight through the log.

[thecfarm]

DavidC1234,welcome to the forum.Yes,small for what you expect it to do. Did you get it from a dealer? If you told them 18 to 24 inch logs they should of moved you up to a bigger saw. It will work.just take it easy on it,and it will be slower. ;D  Takes another 20 minutes to saw a tree, so what.

[mredden]

Hi folks, I bought a new Echo 31cc for cutting up some household firewood.

the chain stops turning during cuts even at full throttle(when halfway through the log), engine revs great, the chain just stops turning.

It's new, so before bringing it back I wonder if I could ask for an opinion...

Is the unit underpowered for 18"-24" logs, is that why it stops cutting?

Or I wonder if it's not oiling properly, the oil I picked up seemed really thick, maybe I should use 30w or play around with the oil screw.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice

Might not be the saw . It has enough power for occasional cutting up to 24". I note that you use the word "binding." Also, "halfway through the log."
Maybe you need to buy a couple of wedges. When you get well into 18-24 inch logs, drive a wedge in. whack it in good, then resume your cutting. After you gain some experience, you probably won't need them as much but they really help out while you are learning to cut.
I have no problem using a 32cc w 14 inch bar on 24" logs -now - but I bogged a lot and even got stuck a few times while I was learning to read log compression/tension.

[John Mc]

Might not be the saw . It has enough power for occasional cutting up to 24". I note that you use the word "binding." Also, "halfway through the log."
Maybe you need to buy a couple of wedges. When you get well into 18-24 inch logs, drive a wedge in. whack it in good, then resume your cutting. After you gain some experience, you probably won't need them as much but they really help out while you are learning to cut.

By wedges, Mredden is referring to plastic felling wedges. They can hold the saw kerf open, helping to prevent binding. Don't use metal splitting wedges.
The other trick is to watch the kerf as you cut. If it starts to close up, stop cutting and pull the saw out, then cut from the other side (you may have to roll the log, if it's lying on the ground).

[DavidC1234]

Ive been following all the replies and thank you all for the good advice. 

Fwiw, I asked my dealer if he could take it back and upsell me to a larger engine - no dice because my saw is 'used'. I called Echo, the rep said what do I expect, I bought the cheap one.  Frustrating. 

I should commend you all for being patient and sharing your good ideas with me, thanks all!

[btulloh]

Most people like a having a small saw to go with their big saw. You just completed the first step. Besides, there's no such thing as too many.

[doc henderson]

Not sure about your experience level.  i recommend the Stihl video series on their web site.  it is termed safety, but is really common sense stuff.  Every saw has a learning curve and you can learn to listen to the sound of the motor.  a bigger saw can be pushed a bit, in the same size log.  you say it revs good and just stops cutting, i assume it bogs a little when it binds?  may be pushing into log to hard, does it throw big chips when cutting?  could be dull or aggressive chain.

[Greenerpastures]

Your definitely under powered, the shoes on the clutch of that saw are narrow, not much material in comparison the the width of the clutch drum, so not a lot of grip, easily overpowered and then the clutch slips.

The other thing is the bar, it is not very strong, if you twist or bend it the chain will run for a while, but it will heaten and bind up in the rails as it tries to go around, this will cause your already weak clutch to give out in shot time.

As far as I know, there is a plastic drive that catches on the Clutch drum to drive the oil pump, the heat will melt this and you will end up with no oil flowing which will cause serious heat damage to the bar and chain, and the saw, the grease will dry up on the clutch bearing and that will give out too because of the heat.
You need a much bigger saw in that size of wood.

[Greenerpastures]

Ive been following all the replies and thank you all for the good advice.

Fwiw, I asked my dealer if he could take it back and upsell me to a larger engine - no dice because my saw is 'used'. I called Echo, the rep said what do I expect, I bought the cheap one.  Frustrating.

I should commend you all for being patient and sharing your good ideas with me, thanks all!

I used a lot of Echo products, and am beginning to detect that when a problem arises there is going to be no back up, I recently bought a small echo 352, I took it back as it ran much hotter than any saw I ever had, the dealer said it was normal, he went on to say it was my saw, and he would give me the echo reps number, at that point I knew I made a mistake buying another Echo, they are good saws, but this last visit to the dealer put me off, he also said he was getting a new tachometer and that he would let me know when it came so I could come in and have the rpm of the saw checked, well that two weeks ago at least.
Sorry to hear your dealer would not trade, if an Echo dealer will not take back an Echo saw as a trade in, I would avoid him like the plague. At least my dealer offered me something if I wanted to trade for a bigger saw, but given what else he said, no go. 
I will be buying a new 50cc soon and sadly will be going else where.

[Pine Ridge]

I bought a new 240 husqvarna at lowes for 50 dollars about a month ago, original price on it was 179 dollars. It is 38cc I believe, homeowner grade saw. I thought of it as a bargain at the time and started a thread here about the "bargain" I had bought. I've used it very little, just enough to realize 50 dollars was probably about what it's worth. Everything about it is cheap in my opinion. My other saws are all xp professional grade saws, more expensive yes but worth every penny to me after running that 240. Since you already have the 31 cc saw, as someone else mentioned, keep it and look at 50 cc or larger saws as your main saw, cut with your main saw , use the small one to cut yourself out of a pinch if you get hung.

[Greenerpastures]

Good advise there from Pine Ridge, what he said brings back memories to me, I too bought a small Husqvarna over Ten years ago, first break cost a third of the price of the saw to fix, the recoil spring had to be replaced, 40.00 euro including labor. I had previousely fixed it myself, but thinking the experts would make a better job I took into the shop, ended up trading it in for a 372 xp, that small saw was complete rubbish, it lasted me a day, and a day wasted fixing it twice.
A good 50cc saw is hard to beat for firewood, if you need bigger then hire one when you have enough of the big stuff laying about, its better than buying a big one and being stuck with it for the 80% of the time your cutting normal sized wood, they get heavy, and some drink a lot of fuel too.

[DavidC1234]

I'm coming round to the conclusion I bought a decent machine but not for the task. 

I cut about 3 Bush cords of firewood each spring for burning that winter, and just general cleanup around about an acre. 

Obviously I wish I asked you all a couple weeks ago . but any recommendations for my needs?  I see the Husky 455 Rancher with an 18" bar, open box models on eBay for $399. I'm open to suggestions. 

[Ianab]

Yeah, 31cc is really only for light stuff. It will be a good little saw for limbing / pruning work, but it's not really up to having the bar buried in hardwood. The bar size on many consumer saws is usually "optimistic", because people tend to judge a saw based on the bar size. A saw with a 20" bar is obviously better than one with a 14" bar, even if the saw only has enough power to pull the 14" properly, and that's what it should be fitted with.

And something like a Husky 55 Rancher is a more realistic firewood saw. It's not a "pro" grade saw, but then you don't need that for your use. The 55cc / 18 or 20" bar is a sensible match.

And having a backup saw is a good idea. Eventually you will get your bar pinched in a log, and you can pull out the little Echo and use it to carefully to cut the bigger saw free. (Don't ask how I know this  :D )

[Pine Ridge]

Husqvarna 550xp, Husqvarna 545, and EA 5000 Makita are all very good 50cc saws. I use my 550xp alot cutting firewood, light and cuts good. Dolmar/Makita makes a good product, here where i live we don't have a dealer that sells and services them. 545 husqvarna new here is around 500 dollars, good saw at 100 dollars less than the 550xp.

[Air Lad]

Just need to decide on your needs Mate
You will work it out
Cheers

[Greenerpastures]

You could get an Echo 590 (60cc), Echo have special sales from time to time and they give I think 20% discount, that would bring the price well down, but as you already know a good dealer is very important if you do not know how, or want to maintain you saw, did you ask your dealer to trade your old saw against a bigger one, I think you mentioned trade up, and that he said the saw is second hand now, which is true, but did he point blank refuse to trade in your old saw, either way, there is plenty of saws, 50cc is a nice size for prolonged use, unless you want to get things done really quick, then a larger saw like the Echo 550 or 590 would be better. The Makita 5000P is a great saw in the 50cc size, all the saws I mentioned above have carbs, no electronic fuel management to go wrong, they are also standard cases, meaning no clam shell design, which means less options should anything go wrong with your barrel, its usually an OEM part only.
The Makita / Dolmar are the same saws, their 5600 is another good option in a larger saw, it is a cross between a clam shell saw and a standard cased saw, meaning you can modify it easier if you wanted, you can take out the bottom gasket under the cylinder to raise compression, this alters the port positions in relation to intake exhaust and even spark timing, you cant do this with a clamshell design, there is also no electronic fuel management on these Makita / Dolmars, so only a carb to adjust, which is more reliable and easier to work on for people, no trip to the Stihl or Husqvarna dealer required to put your saw on a computer, just to tell you its going to cost the price of a saw to fix, like a lot of people have experienced.

[dougand3]

Husky 455 vs Echo CS-590...I'd get the 590 all day long. Pro build 590 vs the clamshell 455. And both are $399. 

[Greenerpastures]

Yep, 590 would be the best of those two by a long shot.