Long term experience with Poulan Pro 5020?

[old guy]

Agreed about the brush comment...the first chain-throw incident with my 5020 happened while I was cutting back one of those invasive honeysuckle bushes that was almost tree-sized. Those thin whippy branches are easier to deal with using a smaller saw, with 3/8" LP chain, too. The larger teeth on the 5020's chain make cutting thin whippy branches kind of unpredictable and that gives me the willies.

That is one of the real problems of the vangaurd chain, those bent over rakers will grab those small branches and whip them back in your face and also help throw the chain, I have no problem with the way it cuts.

John

 

[Brent1205]

That's why the vanguard chain didn't last a day on mine I put a Carlton Semi Chisel on it

 

[pghsteelworker]

If anyone is interested the 5020 is on sale at Tractor supply in the Pittsburgh area for $179.99 from March 23-28 and comes with a two year warranty.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/poulan-pro-pp-5020-av-20-in-chainsaw?cm_vc=-10005

 

[LegDeLimber]

IF I could afford all of the shipping costs, I'd tell anyone to to send me their unwanted Vanguard chains (that Philbert didn't want to adopt).
I always thought they were fairly smooth in wood that was less than the bar length.
Yes the depth guides can seem a bit more finicky to shape when you lower them.
But I found that for working up unwanted trash/yard trees that the Developers leave standing (usually in the 5" to 12" diam range) they can cut pretty well.
If i can catch a day that my knees & hips are tolerable for it, I'll try to get a little video of one eating a sweet gum or pine or small willow oak.
That medium & smallish stuff seemed seemed to be their best range for me.

 

[LincTex]

Long Term review? OK here's mine:
Power is GREAT! (for the cost, it can't be beat)
However....
I have had this saw for 2 years, and I'm afraid that if I want to keep using it I'm going to have to replace everything in the entire fuel system. It can only be because it HAS GOT TO BE because of inferior rubber and other fuel system components - - I have a variety of saws from Husqvarna, Stihl, Makita (Dolmar), and Jonsered, & they all get the same exact gasoline mix from the same can, and this Poulan is the ONLY ONE that is near impossible to keep running because of fuel related issues. I did buy the special splined screwdriver to adjust the carb (this tool is absolutely 100% vital to own when owning this saw, you will use it every time!) and the gas cap swells up so you can't get it on or off. I'm just so disappointed - I know how plastics are specified in the industry, and Poulan/Electrolux could've spent just 50 cents more per saw to prevent this from happening. The ONLY reason I bought the saw was because the "core engine" itself is made by Husqvarna, but the fuel tank, fuel lines and carb attached to the engine make it worthless and unusable. No matter how good the engine is, it won't run if the fuel system isn't made with good components.

If I could replace all rubber/vinyl parts (including the carb diaphragms) with good stuff, I'd be all set. The only option is to buy by 100LL AvGas - it is the ONLY "ethanol free" fuel option around here - but I have to drive over an hour round trip to get any and it's about $6 a gallon.

Not a bad saw for the price, at least until the fuel system goes bad.

 

[Chris-PA]

I'm afraid that if I want to keep using it I'm going to have to replace everything in the entire fuel system.

It's a chainsaw, there hardly is any fuel system. You've got three generic fuel lines (tank to carb, carb to bulb, bulb to tank), a ZAMA (Stihl) carb that's just like every other C1x and uses the same diaphragms, and the same fuel cap they've been putting on some Poulans for over 20 years.

The fuel lines are of indifferent quality - sometimes they last and sometimes they disintegrate, it probably depends on who they sourced them from that month. Buy a few feet and find a pair of curved forceps, and you'll be able to change the lines in a couple of minutes. The fuel caps sometimes swell, and sometimes not - new ones cost maybe $4 to $6. Get two. If you have a cap that swells store the saw on its side so the fuel is not hitting the cap.

I use nothing but E10 fuel and never drain it. I rarely have to change lines, no more than every couple of years. I've had a couple of caps that swelled but the ones I've bought to replace them don't seem to have any issues.

 

[Chris J.]

Long Term review? OK here's mine:
Power is GREAT! (for the cost, it can't be beat)
However....
I have had this saw for 2 years, and I'm afraid that if I want to keep using it I'm going to have to replace everything in the entire fuel system. It can only be because it HAS GOT TO BE because of inferior rubber and other fuel system components - - I have a variety of saws from Husqvarna, Stihl, Makita (Dolmar), and Jonsered, & they all get the same exact gasoline mix from the same can, and this Poulan is the ONLY ONE that is near impossible to keep running because of fuel related issues. I did buy the special splined screwdriver to adjust the carb (this tool is absolutely 100% vital to own when owning this saw, you will use it every time!) and the gas cap swells up so you can't get it on or off. I'm just so disappointed - I know how plastics are specified in the industry, and Poulan/Electrolux could've spent just 50 cents more per saw to prevent this from happening. The ONLY reason I bought the saw was because the "core engine" itself is made by Husqvarna, but the fuel tank, fuel lines and carb attached to the engine make it worthless and unusable. No matter how good the engine is, it won't run if the fuel system isn't made with good components.

If I could replace all rubber/vinyl parts (including the carb diaphragms) with good stuff, I'd be all set. The only option is to buy by 100LL AvGas - it is the ONLY "ethanol free" fuel option around here - but I have to drive over an hour round trip to get any and it's about $6 a gallon.

Not a bad saw for the price, at least until the fuel system goes bad.

Where are you located in Texas, genrrally speaking?

 

[mexicanyella]

Reading LincTex's review, I have to think the 5020 plastic and rubber parts must vary quite a bit in material and execution. A fair number of people who comment on those saws here don't seem to have my issues with the flexy rear handle and the resulting unpredictable throttle performance in various cutting positions, and I have had no fuel issues with mine in the couple of years I've had it. And my carb seems to have held its adjustment too, for the most part. Fuel and bar oil caps are pretty easy to take on and off...

...But I'm not doubting LincTex there...my other Poulan, a 2150, and the similar-but-gray Craftsman that it became the parts donor for, both have fuel cap issues, as in, I need to carry a channel-lock pliers to get them off and install them carefully. Both of those saws require me to keep a small screwdriver handy to keep the carb adjustments sharp...usually every 2-4 uses, minor tweaking will be needed. Aside from that, and I've gotten used to it, they have both treated me well.

 

[old guy]

I didn't notice that throttle thing caused by the soft av until someone pointed it out and I actually used the saw for a few hours of cutting, I have too many saws and the others get used first.

 

[Old grizzly 708]

Long term experience.
Bought the PP5020 back in the late spring of 2012 after reading a review here. (I forget who it was but they had bought one as a test unit??)
Anyway, when we were in northern Michigan we heated a 5 bedroom 1890's farm house with 100% wood heat. I cut close to 175 full cords of mostly maple, oak, and black cherry from the National forest.
We have since moved to north idaho and cut mostly ponderosa pine.
The only problems I have had are the av springs allowing the linkage to bind, and the swollen gas cap.
Has had a diet of E10 and Ace hdwr bar oil.
I would highly recommend this saw for anything just this side of making a living with a saw.

 

[Chris-PA]

Long term experience.
Bought the PP5020 back in the late spring of 2012 after reading a review here. (I forget who it was but they had bought one as a test unit??)
Anyway, when we were in northern Michigan we heated a 5 bedroom 1890's farm house with 100% wood heat. I cut close to 175 full cords of mostly maple, oak, and black cherry from the National forest.
We have since moved to north idaho and cut mostly ponderosa pine.
The only problems I have had are the av springs allowing the linkage to bind, and the swollen gas cap.
Has had a diet of E10 and Ace hdwr bar oil.
I would highly recommend this saw for anything just this side of making a living with a saw.

Oh come on, everyone knows you can't do any real work with a homeowner saw!

Thanks for the real-world feedback.

 

[Vibes]

I had an issue with my fuel cap on my Jonsered/ Poulan/ Husqvarna 40cc saw. I filed the threads in the field with the raker file that came with my Stihl hand sharpening kit. Totally forgot about that until I read this post. Ran 2 tanks through that saw the other day without a problem.

I've also had the issues with the throttle linkage and weak AV mounts that are common with these. Never messed with it. I just run it and try not to push on it so hard.

 

[KennyPete]

I bought one a few years back to keep at my camp (figuring if someone stole it I wasn't going to cry over a $189 saw.)

I cut a couple cord a year with it, and the neighbors use it whenever they want. Honestly a decent cheap saw.

I had two problems to date with that saw:

1.) My gas cap swelled, so I chucked it in the lathe and took 8-10 thousandths off of it. Works great now.

2.) The AV springs got sloppy over time. I replaced them with ones off donor saw.

**though it wasn't necessarily a problem, mine spews oil like crazy, but I like it that way.






Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[Poulan Horder]

I have 3 of these saws the first one was bought in 2012 and has about 200 cords of firewood cut by it. I do reccomend replacing the 20 in bar with a husqvarna 18in bar and installing a good chisel chain. Id love to see what muffler work Modified Mark would reccomend.

 

[mexicanyella]

It's been awhile since I read it here, and I can't remember which member reported it, but I can confirm...the PP5020AV muffler is an empty can, with an spark arrestor screen on the outlet hole, with a deflector outside of that just to aim the exhaust out away from the plastic housing (and the operator). Short of enlarging the outlet hole, which looked to me like it was a pretty opened-up size anyway, I don't think the muffler is crying out for attention on these models. Mine certainly sounds pretty loud and opened up to me, for a new/stock saw at least.

Now that I have written that, it occurs to me that I can't actually remember if whoever said it first actually tried opening up the hole and running it, or if they just reported on the muffler configuration. For my sawing needs, there's no reason to mod the muffler. Mine has sufficient power. My issue is still the weird handle flexing and throttle movement that it causes. I still haven't addressed that successfully. This winter I plan to replace the rear handle halves and see if I just have a bad/thin/weak/flexy handle, like from poor molding quality control or something. If that doesn't fix it, it will be time for some freaky handle-reinforcing action...the mexicanyella way.

 

[TLL]

I have had my 5020 for one year now.
I just had the black plastic hub in the center of the recoil break. It has a large spring that allows some movement of the hub when you pull the starter rope, to absorb some shock I guess.
Has anybody else broken this part?
Now that it broke, I am more care full not to pull too forcefully on the recoil. I am afraid it will break again.
TL

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I recently bought a Poulan 3400 for around $50, think I'd prefer it to a new Poulan saw..

 

[LegDeLimber]

I have had my 5020 for one year now.
I just had the black plastic hub in the center of the recoil break.
TL

What sort of damage occurred?
Did it deform and let the spring slip by?
Did the hub crack and lose a bit of itself?

Did the spring end, bend over and stretch the hole in the hub?
I've seen this happen in some Homelite equipment.
It tends to leave the recoil jammed with the rope hanging out.

I'll just confess to not being a fan of the "easy"-or-"simple" ETC pull
type of recoils, at all.

 

[TLL]

A piece of the outer rim of the plastic hub broke away and allowed the spring to jump out of the hole in the hub.
It bent the spring, and it was impossible to bend back into useable shape.
I have older McCullochs, Jonsereds, Stihles that have even bigger motors and they do not needs such foolishness to work well.
The only advantage I see, is that the spring takes up some shock, and allows the use of a smaller diameter (weaker) pull cord.
If I could replace the hub and spring and spool with a one piece spool from an older Poulan I would do it in a minute.
TL

 

[a. palmer jr.]

The 3400 I spoke of earlier is spending it's day in the shop with a broken piston. I tore it down today and the piston is junk but it didn't seem to hurt the cylinder. Hardest part is cleaning up all the dirt and grease in the saw...