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Need a new "camp" saw

Started by Sauna freak, April 01, 2021, 09:22:47 PM

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Sauna freak

My old camp saw, a J-red 2149 is getting a little long in the tooth.  Pretty sure it's lost some compression and starting to run a little rough.  It's lived a long, hard life.  I found it at a township junk day in the scrap pile, and have put countless hours on it.  I love the thing.  I will be taking it to a shop, to see if there's anything that can be tuned for a reasonable price, but I think it's just plain worn.  It still runs and cuts, I think it's days are numbered.  I would consider a new saw, but also want to keep my eyes out for a suitable used replacement if I were to blunder onto one.  Wondering what saws produced since 1990 or so would be a suitable replacement.

My uses for this saw are as follows:  Trail clearing (small wood and brush), light firewood-trees generally under 14" and under 8 cords per year.  Occasional larger cutting (generally just felling, limbing and bucking to saw logs of softwood trees under 24").  Camping and off-road trips (needs to pack fairly well) for light campfire and deerstand poles etc. Ice and pole cutting for beaver trapping.  I need the saw to be relatively light, narrow, and drop dead reliable.  50CCs or so seems to be a good ballpark for this niche.
Sauna... like spa treatment, but for men

SnoJetter

Whereabouts in MN?

Is this your only saw, or do you have others and just looking for a replacement for this one?

Personally, I'd put the money into fixing up the 2149...but I'm partial to Jonny Reds.  Pretty sure that saw is pro grade - anyone else care to confirm that?  If the 2149 isn't up for the task anymore, a 2150 (home/ranch) or 2152 (pro) will be an excellent replacement.  There are Husky equivalents to those saws which are much easier to find in MN (in my experience) if you don't care about the color.  The one Stihl I can heartily recommend is an 026/260/261 - namely because I grew up on an 026 (that I now own when my dad upgraded to a 260).  It's a fantastic all-around, do everything saw.

Saw shopping is fun - enjoy it!

barbender

I have a Stihl (my only Stihl ever, in fact) ms261cm that is a great little saw. Dependable, torquey little saw. 
Too many irons in the fire

Guydreads

The nice thing about the ms 261 cm is that they can (at a push) run a 24 in bar. Super powerful. I can also recommend the 2150 as I have one of those, obviously there is a problem with overheating if you use it too much. Unless you modify it some. 

Al_Smith

Don't give up the ship .A lot of times a new set of rings or in this case one will give them a new lease on life .I've only worked on one J-red ever and it was 49 cc .I thought it was a pretty snappy little saw .E-Bay lists a lot of parts for that thing relatively  inexpensive .

Spike60

Well, if you really like the saw, the best solution might be to replace the top end with the 44.3mm kit from the 2153/346. That top end only costs abput $110 (OEM) and will easily run with any of the new 50cc class saws. And at that price, there's no reason to screw around with any of the aftermarket kits. Bolts right on the 2149 with no changes needed as it is the same mag case as the 2153/2152/2147 vs any of the plastic case saws like the 2150's. I've got a waiting list of tree service guys who snap them up red or orange whenever I get enough materials to build one.
Husqvarna-Jonsered
Ashokan Turf and Timber
845-657-6395

axeman2021

I am a Stihl guy and have read a lot of good things about the Stihl CM261 don't think you could go wrong with one.

Right now i am thinking about getting a small Li Battery saw for quick limbing around yard.

Old saw fixer

    @axeman2021 , Wife got me a Stihl MSA 140 C-B battery saw for Christmas.  It was on special and like you I wanted something for light work around the yard.  I am very happy with it, battery life is real good.  
Stihl FG 2, 036 Pro, 017, HT 132, MS 261 C-M, MSA 140 C-B, MS 462 C-M, MS 201 T C-M
Echo CS-2511T, CS-3510
Logrite Cant Hook (with log stand), and Hookaroon

axeman2021

Quote from: Old saw fixer on April 02, 2021, 09:42:06 AM
    @axeman2021 , Wife got me a Stihl MSA 140 C-B battery saw for Christmas.  It was on special and like you I wanted something for light work around the yard.  I am very happy with it, battery life is real good.  
Thanks for the reply and you have a great Wife with a good eye for quality, if i had a lot of real work for the saw the Sthil would be my choice but after the saw and battery also the charger the cost would hurt my budget.
I am just needing a small battery saw that with saw and battery plus a charger, i could keep it at around $200 dollars.
Walmart has the Hart Brand made by TTI who makes many big box brand power tools, it's a 12 inch 20 Volt Li saw comes with a 4 Amp Hour Li Battery and charger for $154.
I don't like it it's back to Wally World for a refund.
Sure i would really want the Stihl saw but with the little need, doing the Hart might be it for now.
Again you are one lucky guy.

sawguy21

After having worked as a distributor parts rep, I would suggest leaving the Chinese junk on the shelf and putting the money toward something better. Stihl is very good although rather pricey, if battery works for you have a look at Makita, Hitachi, Milwaukee and others quality brands but it's your nickel.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Sauna freak

Thanks for the replies and info on the top end rebuild. I spent exactly no money on the saw, so putting some in to keep the old girl going would be worth it. I have a bigger saw for heavy cutting. This saw gets most of its use at hunting camp which has an abundance of small birch for house wood and balsam and jack pine to thin and remove for the camp fire, so a smallish high revving saw is desirable with all the small wood and limbing. 
Sauna... like spa treatment, but for men

axeman2021

Quote from: sawguy21 on April 02, 2021, 11:44:11 AM
After having worked as a distributor parts rep, I would suggest leaving the Chinese junk on the shelf and putting the money toward something better. Stihl is very good although rather pricey, if battery works for you have a look at Makita, Hitachi, Milwaukee and others quality brands but it's your nickel.
I agree Stihl is the best choice but the price for the small amount of use i need it for the Stihl is far out of my small budget today.
Hart tools are far from junk there made by TTI Corp. https://www.ttigroup.com/our-business/brands/
They make the same tools for Home Depot and others, just using different name brands

sawguy21

We distributed TTI parts, the company has since parted ways with them. Supply problems and customer complaints about quality. Too many headaches.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

axeman2021

Quote from: sawguy21 on April 02, 2021, 06:28:47 PM
We distributed TTI parts, the company has since parted ways with them. Supply problems and customer complaints about quality. Too many headaches.
Now you're posting company distributed parts, did they distribute the Hart line of power tools?

sawguy21

old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

axeman2021

Quote from: sawguy21 on April 02, 2021, 10:01:01 PM
No.
If you look in the Stihl 2021 Catalog at their chainsaws you find many saws are not built in the USA, the battery ones are not and as other forum members have posted Stihl has Mfg. plants in China.
Most of the large Stihl chainsaws are put together in the USA but parts are Mfg. in Germany with manty Mfg. also in their plants in China.
Hart gets good reviews for their small chainsaws and also the other tools Hart makes, a friend has a Hart 12 inch battery chainsaw and let me try it out, it really impressed me with it's ability to quickly cut through 7 inch hard bush stumps that would have been really hard for my larger Stihl gas saws to get that close to the ground for removing the stumps.
Take a good look at the Hart line of tools IMHI there pretty good for their pricing.

Sauna freak

Well, the J-red 2149 ran like new again this weekend.  I suspect I had some wet fuel or had sucked a bunch of powder snow into the air filter mimicking low compression symptoms.  Replaced the air filter, spark plug, and got some fresh fuel and it cleaned right up.

My research for other models led me to something else also.  Anybody run an Echo 501P?  Very interested in this saw for an eventual replacement of the Jonsered.  It won't last forever after all!  My local dealer at which I get a work discount (my employer buys over $200K in concrete saws and other light equipment from them annually) stocks and services Echo.  I have a CS-590 for milling and occasional large cutting/yarded firewood logs that I love.  Been a darn good saw for me.   Interested in other's experience with the 501-P if any.  This saw would be right in my wheelhouse for a smaller saw.  I like the looks of the Stihl, I know it's a good saw, but they are not well supported in Northern MN, and the price is rather off-putting compared to Echo and Husky saws.
Sauna... like spa treatment, but for men

Fishnuts2

My first choice would be putting a 346 top end on the Jonsered, or if you wanted to add a saw to your herd, I'd pick an Echo CS-400 or a 501.
 I cut trails and firewood in Northern MN with an Echo CS-310 or a CS400, and they get it done reliably.

Iwawoodwork

What time of year is your camping? If it is good weather, summer-fall and your camping in relative dry areas I strongly suggest looking at the electric chain saws. Gas power saws  have started more than one forest fire. After doing some online reading I settled on a 40 Volt Wen as the best value for the money for me, however if I was willing to spend 3-4 hundred there are a couple of higher voltage saws on the market with good consumer reviews. Also look at the cost and availability of a second - third battery and inverter to charge from vehicle or solar.

Al_Smith

Battery tools are okay for what they were intended for .I've got several DeWalt 18 volt drills myself .I'd probably draw the line on a battery chainsaw though .That J-Red it would be less than 25 bucks to slip the cylinder off ,install a new ring maybe rebuild the carb .If you could find a shop to even work on it you'd have half the price of a new saw before you are through .
I'm not mean mouthing any dealer or brand but I've lost track of how many saws ,weed wackers etc dealers either wouldn't work on or said were not worth fixing .Generally speaking more times than not it was something simple .That's just the way things are .

axeman2021

My first battery drill was a DeWalt 1/2 inch bought at Home Depot first time i tried to used it the fully charged battery lasted around three minuets, tryed recharging the battery and the charger started smokeing Home Depot told me to take it to the DeWalt service center, took it to the local DeWalt service center here, they after a lot of not wanting to they did replace the charger but refused to replace the battery.

Battery never would charge Home Depot would not exchange the DeWalt drill wanted me to buya new battery but i did not want to pay $89 dollars for a another battery.

I took the DeWalt drill and battery with the charger, made a sign saying it's free for the taking just needs a battery and set it at the curb, a guy came by and took it.

So much for DeWalt and so much for Home Depot.

TroyC

I have an Echo 18" revived from a dumpster. New bar and chain, saw runs like new. Easy to start, light and easy to handle.

Al_Smith

Seems a lot a lot of them end up in a dumpster really with almost nothing wrong with them  .I have a McCulloch 700 that was a dumpster find, stuck with a bad recoil .I had the parts and about a week of penetrating oil got it unstuck, runs just dandy .Never have torn it down .I think most people give up too easy .

TroyC

Yeah, today everyone just throws it away because they don't know how to fix anything.

Al_Smith

On that this last summer I did a total restore on two Partner p-100 saws .In addition two 73 cc Makita concrete saws plus at least 3 blowers and 4 or 5 weed wackers .The saws ,blowers and weed eaters just needed the carbs rebuilt .That is about the most simple thing to do on a two cycle engine I can think of but some liken it to rocket science which it is not .

Spike60

Simple for the DIY guy with years of knowledge. And so many people nowadays don't even own basic tools to work on anything. Yet while it's a shame that so many items get tossed rather than repaired, there are a wide range of reasons for that. The low end stuff can often be replaced for the cost of repair if you have to pay to have it done. And not every shop works on every brand. Many box store brands have no support network in place. Same for most of the countless chinese knock off motors.

There aren't as many shops in many ares as years past, and those that remain often have there hands full taking care of thier regular brands and customers. I only take in the handheld brands we've sold, Husky, Red Max, and Jonsered. 98 out of 100 shops would not have taken in the nice Jonsered 70E that I did this week, but for me it was a treat. On the other hand I sold 2 Husky 450's to guys because I wouldn't work on their stihls. Know one guy very well, and he had a busted clutch. Told him the only way to get the clutch was for one of us to drive 25 miles to the stihl dealer and it wasn't going to be me. :)   The closest Echo dealers are nearly twice that distance.
Husqvarna-Jonsered
Ashokan Turf and Timber
845-657-6395

Old Greenhorn

Quote from: Spike60 on April 08, 2021, 06:56:34 AM
On the other hand I sold 2 Husky 450's to guys because I wouldn't work on their stihls. Know one guy very well, and he had a busted clutch. Told him the only way to get the clutch was for one of us to drive 25 miles to the stihl dealer and it wasn't going to be me. :)   The closest Echo dealers are nearly twice that distance.
Hey Spike, let me know if my neighbor drops by. He would be bringing in a MS-270 with a broken vibe mount on the right side of the handle, a disconnected throttle trigger (maybe busted) and it kind of has a twist to it. He inflicted all that himself by trying to yank it out of a pinch in a face cut notch. If he does drop in, please do feel free to have some fun with him. He deserves it. ;D (No I did not offer to take a look at his saw after I got it out of the tree, just told him it should be an 'easy fix' for him to do. ;D) You wont sell him a new saw, he never seems to have any money.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Spike60

OK, I'll keep my eyes open for him. Have a little fun but I won't over do it.  :)
Husqvarna-Jonsered
Ashokan Turf and Timber
845-657-6395

Tacotodd

@Old Greenhorn  , isn't that the guy who has been banging away with the heavy equipment, and (trying) to break up the unforgiving bedrock? I remember reading that in the staying busy part of the general board. Sounds like he got what he deserved 😱
Trying harder everyday.

Old Greenhorn

Quote from: Tacotodd on April 08, 2021, 01:53:58 PM
@Old Greenhorn  , isn't that the guy who has been banging away with the heavy equipment, and (trying) to break up the unforgiving bedrock? I remember reading that in the staying busy part of the general board. Sounds like he got what he deserved 😱
One and the same. ;D As ye have sown, so shall ye reap.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Old Greenhorn

Quote from: Spike60 on April 08, 2021, 11:44:32 AM
OK, I'll keep my eyes open for him. Have a little fun but I won't over do it.  :)
OH pleased, overdo it, knock yourself out. Go CRAZY! :D :) ;D :D :) ;D
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

sawguy21

old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Tacotodd

You have to LOVE the kind of love that we have for each other in this place! I do. That's why I'm able to get the wife out to the pig roast this year.
Trying harder everyday.

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