Opinions on John Deere J3816

[BUNYYAN JR]

Dennis...thought I would start a new thread. Don't know how many people really want to read through 2 pages of posts just to reach the end!
Does anyone have any experience with the John Deere model J3816?? It is a 16 inch gas saw with chain brake, quik-fire advanced start, quik-tight chain tensioning and runs at 38cc.

 

[Dennis]

Bunyyan...you dont need to re read allthe posts each time..when you get a second or tenth page for that matter...you can click on the "last page" or number of the page you want...we try to stay on topic...but hell, like that happens..lol...you read Greffardized...

I cannot honestly comment on the John Deere saws...never torn one apart...I will openly commend one saw I never would have before...the Solo 651...great mid saw...built very strong...just sent rbtree's home with Robert and of course Rob had to try it...forgets to put the mix oil in.....you know the rest....so apparently i am doing another one....

 

[BUNYYAN JR]

Geffardized was like War and Peace

I guess I am a simple man who like simple pleasures. Reading Geffardized was like sorting through War and Peace!!...But thanks for the tip on hitting the last page link. The John Deere saw scares me. A lack of information is not a good sign in my opinion. Maybe it is just too new??...After reading many posts, I am leaning toward returning the John Deere and buying either a Stihl or a Husky. Do you know where Stihls and Husky's are manufactured??/...Also are parts readily available for both???

 

[WOLF_RIVER_MIKE]

forgets to put the mix oil in

what?

 

[Dennis]

Mike..lol...remember the BS part??

Bunyyan....Husky, Stihl and Jonsered all have good warranties and dealers pretty much everywhere...ease of parts, especially with this forum is second to none for any of the big manufacturers....husky and jonsered are built in Sweden and Stihl is built in Germany....

 

[BUNYYAN JR]

Thanks Dennis

Thanks for the info Dennis...what about price?/
Husky or Stihl, do they cost about the same for the same type saw??

 

[stihltech]

stihl

A lot of the stihl saws are now built in Virginia Beach , Virginia. It will sat on them. I believe up to an 036. Buy American!

 

[eyolf]

That Deere is the same saw as a homelite, available in many chain stores. Deere dealers in many markets refused to carry them, and Deere hasn't actively catalogued them for about two years, having switched over to an Italian-made import that goes a lot farther towards keeping up with the quality image Deere hopes to project.

There isn't anything really "wrong" with that Homelite saw, but be forewarned that it isn't a pro-level model. My Step-dad has one that's several years old and has served him fairly well, within it's designed limitations. You'll likely have trouble getting parts for it in a few years, and getting major service may be a problem in a few years as well...these saws were designed to be used by the folks who only use them sporadically. The biggest problem they will face is likely to be that the saw needs a carb overhaul becausae it was stored with old gas.

Also be forewarned that You will find this model and it's homelite branded cousins for sale at low prices here and there. Your JD dealer probably knows this, and is hoping to get out from under his remaining stock before he cannot sell them, except at a loss. THis saw can still represent good value for you if the dealer is willing to honor the warranty, and willing to guarantee to provide service for some reasonable term.

Then the question is do you want to spend $175 to cut down a few trees, spend more $$(Stihl, Husqvarna, etc) and have a saw that will last longer, etc? Either one will get the job done. How much do you want to spend for the extra status of owning a name connected with professional-strength appeal?

 

[BUNYYAN JR]

Thanks Eyolf

Thanks for the info Eyolf. I will be returning the John Deere and getting either a Husky or a Stihl. Thanks again for the heads up.

 

[ABIDAD]

I got a pretty good chuckle out of all your posts. Glad they weren't as tough on me when I was looking...well maybe a little bit. But anyway I bought a JD62 and love it. It is not made by the same manufacturer as the JD38 and Home Depot can't get it. None of my reputable dealers are carrying it yet either but I think it is going to do well.

 

[BUNYYAN JR]

Glad you got a chuckle. I guees the problem with the JD J3816 is that it isn't considered a pro level saw. I want a saw that I can rely on and will be able to use and get replacement parts for years to come. From what I have learned about the JD j3816 is that it is a Homelite saw in disguise. I think I want to go with either a Husky 357xp or a Stihl 026. I have heard from David(DDM)that he recommends Stihls. Others recommend the Husky. Not sure which saw to get and why at this point.??

 

[dbabcock]

Bunyyan,
I think you are heading down the right track with your leaning toward a Husky or Stihl. Many years from now, when you can still take out the saw and use it productively and get parts for it, you will be happy that you made the choice to spend a few extra bucks to do the right thing. Over the course of your pro saw's decades of life, the couple of hundred extra bucks you spend now will end up being trivial. My 1987 Husky 266 SE (same basic class as the 357 XP) has been flawless for 14 years. Last year I changed the spark plug for the first time. I'm probably in the same basic league as you when it comes to use: Certainly not an rbtree or Gypo, but not a backyard shrub trimmer either.

Whether you choose Stihl or Husky will probably come down to dealer proximity and your initial rapport with them. Stihl's are usually a little more expensive than Huskys, but not too much. Better, though? You'll get both sides here. Hey, I never thought of this, but....why not?....

 

[BUNYYAN JR]

Thanks for the help Doug....from looking at your list, looks like you like Huskys. I noticed that you didn't list any Stihls. I beleive I will visit some dealers(smaller local places where I can get service over the life of the saw and my life as well!)this weekend and get to see Stihls and Huskys up close. I have a cousin in Indiana who swears by Stihls. Other people I have talked with have basically said to me, get either a Husky or a Stihl and you won't go wrong.

 

[treeclimber165]

A couple of guys have tried to point out that you are NOT a professional, and perhaps you might not be able to appreciate the difference between an expensive pro saw and a less expensive one. I doubt many of us who work with saws for a career started out with a pro level saw as our first one. I'm glad that my first saw was a garage sale special, because my lack of knowledge and experience caused a LOT of wear and tear on the saw. I didn't buy a GOOD saw untill I knew how to run and maintain one properly.
This has nothing to do with intelligence, or lack thereof. Experience and training are the keys to proper saw use, and keeping that brand-new $500 saw from becoming trashed in 6 months.
Keep the JD, learn with it. Consider it a 'training saw'. When you get through the better part of the learning curve, then you might consider your next saw purchase.

 

[sedanman]

Bunyyan, It is not wise to ask for peoples help/opinions the beat them up for what they have to say. Most people cannot express with the written word the full range of subtlety that conversational speach has. You could easily paint yourself into a corner here. If you want to come up to where interstate 84 crosses the Hudson, you're welcome to run my saws. There is a town clean-up area we could go to to buck logs up to 30" but we can't fell anything there.

 

[Newfie]

BUNYYAN JR.


You are the one who seems to have the story! You come stomping into an established community of people who razz each other every day. You seem to lash out in a retaliatory fashion at whomever if they haven't stroked your fragile ego.

You wouldn't know Tony since you have only been posting for less than a week.

Why buy the Deere and then ask for advice? Why not ask for advice and then buy a saw.

I'd take the Deere back and get another electric saw. Without the electrical cord you are liable to get lost in the woods. Be sure to be extra abusive and condescending to the sales staff at Home Depot.

If you do buy a pro saw buy the largest one you can afford with the longest bar possible. You will probably be dissappointed with any choice because there isn't a saw big enough to make up for whatever inadequacies you are compensating for.

I know you are wisened in the ways of the wood but a little advice can go a long way. What you don't know can kill you, what you don't know you don't know will get you everytime.

 

[Darin]

Ok, boys don't want to get in this game but I cut out any directed cut downs except the ones that say "don't start swing until you know where the guy is coming from" (basically this is what the ones that remain say in essence). This all started with Tony's Paul Bunyan remark, which I feel was very harmless. It's a joke, and coming from Jersey, I would think you could have a little thicker skin from such a harmless joke. I don't want this thread to go any further unless it has to do with chainsaws. If you wrote something and I edited it or deleted it, don't get your panties in a bundle, I just was trying to keep the community clean as possible. I wasn't trying to make you mad.

People if you don't have a sense of humor please go to the other forums.

 

[eyolf]

Bunyan Jr shows up not wanting to look like a greenhorn, and embarasses himself a little anyway. Too bad for him.

Some jump all over him, embarassing themselves, too.
Life's too short. Easy, there.

When i was a kid, we burned wood to heat the house; dad had an old Homelite with the carb that turned sideways to fell, regular to buck. Dad would buck logs to 6' long unless they were small, then we'd split them and block them up with a big circular buzz saw. Limbs under 4" were sliced off with an axe. Far cry from modern high speed chain saws that can block up a big old oak tree in an hour.

After dad was gone, I still made wood for mom that way a couple of years. A cord of wood, cut split and stacked is a full day's work like that. I thgought that's how a "real man" did it. I didn't know better, and never learned better until working for a local farmer, cleaning up after a storm, the guy had a fairly new Homelite Xl...what a machine!

The farmer's son and I had the driveway clear, the wood stacked, trassh raked up, and looking good in two hours.

But I had to start somewhere. the farmer didn't say a word when I laughed at his little "pee-wee" saw, and he didn't say a word when I was proven obviuosly wrong.

 

[Darin]

Some jump all over him, embarassing themselves, too.

Wish I said it!!!!!

 

[armyguy]

eyolf, been following this thread. Pretty interesting stuff. Pretty good scrap for a while. Your story made me reminisce about when I was growing up. My granny cooked with a wood stove. My uncle would usually initiate getting up firewood by firing up an old Pioneer on a Saturday morning after everyones firewood stock had got a little low. We would all converge on the site and commence to loading an old trailer pulled by a Ford 8N tractor and all the boys would try to out do each other splitting wood. We had a darn good time. My uncle would always get everyones load before getting his. Those were the good old days and I kinda miss them. Oh well, time stands still for no one.