Bought a new Poulan Pro 5020 to see what there about

[Modifiedmark]

Randy, I want to see how it runs out, then I just might do that!

 

[8433jeff]

Subscribed.

 

[cheeves]

Great pictures - I'll be looking forward to hear how it runs, and if it ends up requiring any tuning. And of course any muffler mods that may be in its future! It looks like a decent design to me, and hopefully the performance will match.

Any of you read that thread where the AS member Down Under ported that Red Max 5000. Said it was better than a 346 and a 260. I bet this saw is not too far off from that. I mean they're probably made side by side and most of the parts are said to be interchangeable. This might just be an alternative to the high priced new saws! Wonder who will be the first to port and MM one?

 

[cheeves]

Randy, I want to see how it runs out, then I just might do that!

Do it Mark! Do it! I bet it's like that Red Max 5000!

 

[importjunk]

Watching intently. I've been looking for a cheap truck saw. This may be the one.

 

[Saw Dr.]

Scrench holder is nice! I was hoping they were going to go to a new style of fuel cap sometime. I'm not sure if they have been changed, but I have seen a bunch of older consumer Poulans with those caps that didn't fit properly. Seems like they swell up over time???? I didn't look at the pics closely. Any idea if the air filtration is "super clean" or whatever buzzword they use for inertial separator type? Do the carb mount screws go into plastic or metal?

 

[WillBrayJr]

While I haven't always seen eye to eye with Mark he knows his ####. I've been quite keeping a watch on this model for a while now and as I've mentioned before it seems Poulan has stepped it up a notch. Might even be the model I will choose to Gold&Chrome like the Stihl in the 3rd Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.

 

[Modifiedmark]

Scrench holder is nice! I was hoping they were going to go to a new style of fuel cap sometime. I'm not sure if they have been changed, but I have seen a bunch of older consumer Poulans with those caps that didn't fit properly. Seems like they swell up over time???? I didn't look at the pics closely. Any idea if the air filtration is "super clean" or whatever buzzword they use for inertial separator type? Do the carb mount screws go into plastic or metal?

I know what you mean on caps swelling, and I believe that to be a material combined with ethanol problem, that I have seen affect other brands as well. They seemed to be of a good design. Large enough to get a hold of easily and large holes to pour into. Looks like the cap has the tank vent built into it like a lot of others did.

If a homeowner stores the saw dry, the cap will probably never be a issue, but I'm sure if replacements are ever needed they will be quite inexpensive like most Poulan parts are.

Look at the picture again and you will see a air conductor near the flywheel for the super clean setup and is a nice touch on this type of saw.

I was disappointed to see the plastic intake manifold, but it is what it is. May or may not be a problem.

 

[Miles86]

Thanks for these pictures and the great review, I spent 20 minutes in Lowes looking at this saw until my girlfriend yelled at me. :msp_confused:

I think it's funny that this Poulan has better gas and oil caps than my very expensive Stihl MS440. German over-engineering at it's worst.

The Poulan garb is handsome, but it looks good in Craftsman garb too.

This is the perfect homeowner/landscaper saw.

 

[jropo]

It even has the "high top" filter design and the little grey and blue 2cyl. oil bottle that I've grown found of.

 

[FATGUY]

was that spring AV that I saw?

 

[Duke Thieroff]

Mark, are you gonna put it to some wood or what?

Don't make me be the guy to drop the first Pool-lawn comment.

Looks like a decent homeowners saw. Happy the see the auto tensioner go out the door, metal clutch cover good too!

Chris

 

[Chris-PA]

was that spring AV that I saw?

Sure - many Poulans and Poulan Pros have had spring A/V for years.

 

[nick 55]

Did you guys read the reviews on Lowe's website? There was seemed to be quite a few good ones, one with a legit problem, and the rest of the bad ones are clearly for a different saw(tool-less chain adjuster?) or people just flat out neglecting the saw. One guy said he let the saw run for 3-4 minutes flat out out of wood! WTF?

Nick

 

[huskydude]

reading those reviews(most) made me want to stab myself.

 

[Modifiedmark]

was that spring AV that I saw?

Yes and where the heck have you been my friend?

Don't get me wrong. I like this Poulan, so I went to the Lowes web site to read it's 31 reviews. For what it's worth, they can be found here: Shop Poulan Pro 20" 50cc Gas Chain Saw at Lowes.com

Don <><

For what its worth? I read a few of those and then decided I'm too old to waste any more of my time of my life on that rubbish.

Mark, are you gonna put it to some wood or what?

Don't make me be the guy to drop the first Pool-lawn comment.

Looks like a decent homeowners saw. Happy the see the auto tensioner go out the door, metal clutch cover good too!

Chris

Hold on to your darn horse's! Some of us have to work for a living.

Geeze you must think I'm a politician. :hmm3grin2orange:

Did you guys read the reviews on Lowe's website? There was seemed to be quite a few good ones, one with a legit problem, and the rest of the bad ones are clearly for a different saw(tool-less chain adjuster?) or people just flat out neglecting the saw. One guy said he let the saw run for 3-4 minutes flat out out of wood! WTF?

Nick

Yeah thats what I seen as well. Nimrods cant even post in the right review and you think I'm going to pay attention to them about a chainsaw?

 

[Modifiedmark]

Ok I did get off earlier today while the sun was shining and got the 5020 out to the wood pile for a few minutes. It starts great and run well also. I really didnt need to even adjust the carb, I tried to richen the high side but then again it ended up about where I started with it.

As for how it run I got a couple short videos for you to decide. It pulled the bar buried in dead dry Oak better then I thought it would, not blazing fast but not real slow either.

The smaller piece of wood is really hard stuff. Its a piece of still green White Oak and it did pretty well in it. The Vanguard chain is pretty grabby and I really dont like it as well as I think I would like a .325 20LPX on it.

Speaking of which I pulled the clutch and spur sproket on it to see if anything would maybe match up with it but man that outside PTO side of the crank is really small in dia.

Not sure anything else would be a bolt on. I pulled a Poulan 3300 clutch to compare and the clutch drum is the same thickness and diameter but the center bore is much bigger. I guess it would work if you had the right dia race to put on the smaller crank or if you machined out a oilite bushing for it.

Here it the sprocket picture and the one video, I'll post the other as soon as its ready.

<embed src="http://img848.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=P3tj" width="320" height="260" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/><br/>
<a href="http://profile.imageshack.us/user/Modifiedmark">[More videos from Modifiedmark]</a>


http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/34/3tj.mp4

 

[Modifiedmark]

Here is the video with the saw in a piece of bigger wood. About 28" worth of Oak and you can see that it shows its a 50cc saw now but still not bad at all.

I was leaning on it some and it took it pretty well.

<embed src="http://img215.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=P886i" width="320" height="260" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/><br/>
<a href="http://profile.imageshack.us/user/Modifiedmark">[More videos from Modifiedmark]</a>

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6035/886i.mp4

 

[jropo]

Thats not bad for a off the shelf big box saw.

 

[Stihl-Pioneer]

Mark, could the drum be basically the same as a pp295 except it has a 3/8 spur on it? I don't recall if the brg is smaller on the 295.