Hitachi Tanaka CS51EAP

[TonyM]

I picked up a top handle Hitachi at Menards for $99 with rebate several yeras ago. It's okay for a cheap top handle but mostly plastic and relatively underpowered and heavy for its size. Did I mention $99 new.

I've been wanting to look at a CS51EAP but no one had one in stock. Most of the online reviews I take with a grain of salt, especially with chainsaws, so I wanted to see first hand. I bought a lightly used one online and wanted to start a good review of the saw. I know, made in China.

It arrived today. First thing I noticed is its not as heavy as I was expecting based on the specs. I don't have an accurate scale but I'll take it to work and weigh the powerhead dry w/o sprocket cover and report.

Next, it uses steel spring anti-vibe. It comes with outboard 3 shoe clutch and 7 pin .325 pitch rim sprocket. Wow! Replaceable aluminum chain catcher. Lateral chain adjustment. Adjustable oiler.

Then, bolt on cylinder, not clamshell. Removable transfer covers. MAGNESIUM case and sprocket cover (both stamped with "Mg"). Dual mounted brake flag that stays with the saw when removing sprocket cover, similar to some Husqvarnas.

Primer bulb and seperate choke and on/off toggle switch with automatic high speed idle on the choke.

Tooless airfilter cover with nylon mesh filter. It pulls air in from the back of plastic housing sorrounding the carb between where the choke and switch are mounted, but has a reversible shutter to pull heated air from the engine. Will have to see how clean the filter stays but suspect this will not be as good as current Stihl/Husqvarna designs.

Fully adjustable H and L carb with D shaped adjusters. Walbro carb.

Compression release.

Plastic handle(s).

Have not started the saw yet. I will test and perform some timed cuts with my other 50cc saws and report. By horsepower should be real close to Dolmar PS540.

Did find that someone broke or cut the chain brake band and stripped out one of the screw heads needing to be removed for repair. Got the screw drilled out and ordered a new band.

These saws are rated at 3.2-3.4 Hp (depending on where I've found data), so it will be interesting to see how she runs. I think it may have good potential for mods as well.

Might prove to be a well constructed saw for its price. Also comes new with a 7 year consumer warranty.

 

[ncfarmboy]

ereplacementparts.com is where I got my Hitachi CS51EAP clutch. Found out if you buy Tanaka price is more than double the price for same part than Hitachi. Got some transfer cover gaskets while I was at it just in case I need them for when I get around to a little grinding.
Shep

 

[TonyM]

Okay, powerhead weighs in at 11.25 lbs without sprocket cover or bar nuts. 11.95 lbs with sprocket cover and bar nuts. Manufacturer advertises 11.5 lbs.

Raining now and supposed to on and off this weekend. I'm hoping to find a window to do some cutting if I can get to the wood with tractor without getting stuck. This is supposed to be my wood cutting time of year where the ground is still frozen and no vegetation is growing!

 

[TonyM]

Got to run a tank through the Hitachi CS51EAP. Was not able to get any apples to apples comparisons as the Hitachi uses a different bar mount pattern and I don't have any 16" bars to match, so I had to stick with the 20" bar and chain that came with it. I ground off the safety humps (not the rakers) on the chain and sharpened it. It was a semi-chisel tooth.

The saw was a little lean and had hesitation off idle. Backed the low speed out 1/4 to 1/3 of a turn and the high speed maybe 1/8 turn.

Do not like the way the brake lever engages the the brake flag. It takes three hands to mount up a bar and chain. Kind of awkward. The slot in the head of the chain tensioner screw is shallow and hard to keep the scrench engaged which adds to the difficulty. I noticed a common compaint online about the chain brakes. It is possible to get sprocket cover on and not have the chain brake lever properly engaged with the flag. And of course it's possible (actually too easy) to trip the brake with the cover off and then not be able to reinstall it. But it is easy to disengage the brake using a 1/2" box end wrench for a lever.

I was pleasantly surprised by the power and throttle response once I started cutting. Even with the 20" bar and semi chisel chain it was fun to use, other than the saw is a touch heavy for a 50cc saw, especially with the 20" bar. Warm restarts were always one pull. It cuts like a saw in the mid 3 Hp range. Seat of the pants impression it will beat a Dolmar PS540, probably an Efco 152, be real close to a Stihl 026, but not as fast as a Dolmar 5100s.

I cut a good sized black cherry log to use for test cuts once I get my hands on a 16" bar. I will follow up with the results.

The anti-vibe works fairly well, but there is a lot movement between the handle and the saw which gives it a cheap feel.

Near the end of the tank the saw had a rattle at idle. I could not figure out from where it was coming. I doubt it is anything internal or otherwise problematic, but it adds to the cheap impression the saw gives. I am going to try to track it down or at least see if it goes away once the saw cools again. I almost wonder if it is coming from the guts of the muffler because it sounds metallic.

It seemed like I went through a tank of gas fairly quickly. Not sure if it is tank size or fuel consumption. But at least with the pure fire engine there was no smoke or 2 stroke exhaust smell.

Overall I'd say it would be a good inexpensive firewood saw that has pro saw construction and features, and surprisingly good performance, but at the expense of a few anoying things that only someone that has experience with more expensive saws would probably even notice. It is especially important to clearly understand and pay attention to the chain break and how it engages with the brake flag.

Now to see how it holds up longer term.

 

[TBS]

I need to get my cs40eap going, only is thing stopping me is I need a muffler and I'm not paying 70 bucks for a muffler from tanaka so I'm going to try a work around with a dual port 52cc muffler. They do have a cheap feel even compared to the other chinese saws I have. Be gentle when engaging the brake the handle is a little flexible.

 

[TonyM]

16" bar will be here later this week. Brought the test log up from the woods.

 

[TonyM]

Recieved a 16" bar so I could do some timed cut comparisons against the Dolmar 5100s. The Dolmar did 3 cuts in 40 seconds and the Hitachi did 3 cuts in a little over 46 seconds. Both stock with 7 pin sprocket using the same chain. I'm pretty impressed with the Hitachi given it is a relatively inexpensive saw. If the Dolmar is 3.9 Hp and assuming cut times are proportional to Hp, that puts the Hitachi right near 3.4 Hp.