CTYank, I got the same pole saw last year but have used it little so far. I will give it a workout this coming Spring. Glad to hear you like it so much. I bought the 2 ft extension at Northern tool in case I need some more length. I am also looking forward to getting the 3351. It is suppose to arrive Friday but it is my Christmas present from my wife so i will have to wait to fire it up.
Tanaka 3351 from Baileys
- Thread starter nnero
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Yes. It's docile enough for a homeowner to get lots of limbing & trimming done with it. I only got the chance today, my first day working with it, to run a couple of (tiny) tankfuls through it. It's still stiff & tight, and there's no rush to get it loosened up. I'm suspecting that the "pro" aspect of this saw will take time for it to demonstrate endurance.
Too bad the bar nut is so tiny, with scrench socket to fit. So, it's an oddball and of course I lost the scrench from a jacket pocket in the woods. Can't cost much for a new one. You need to keep a scrench handy for a bit, for the frequent tensioner adjustments as the b&c wear in. If all else fails, a reel of 91vxl Oregon is handy.
Overall, for its very first day, it's shown itself an eager firewood/limbing/trimming saw. I'm calling it a keeper and expect good things from it as it breaks in, from what the Tanaka 25 cc polesaw engine has shown. For the price, I shoulda gotten two.
jughead500
Sasquatch
If i had the money i'd buy 2 to set back.its a shame they dont have the top handles.
Trouble maker!
I forgot to mention earlier that for the kind of work I was doing with it today, mainly 10-12" white ash & black locust, chain-oiler setting about midway seemed to work best. Setting it to the min had the chain running a bit on the dry side.
@sensor419 that manual scan I promised may have to wait a day. I got a real workout today, and the ibuprofen is kicking in.
I bought one on a whim a while back, made a couple cuts when I first got it (it was gutless, finicky, and stiff as heck), and put it on the shelf. It was a PITA to get fuel drawing at first, and the chain brake was so sensitive as to be unusable. The bar that came with it had such a small tip, it looked like a carving bar, so I put a Pro91 bar on it instead.
Ran a couple tanks through it today alongside a 242xp and it is definitely loosening up. Chain brake was gradually behaving better, and it stared up without too much fuss and restarted warm on one pull every time. It is SO darned light, it is incredible; it made the 242 feel heavy! It did fine in 0-6" buckthorn and honeysuckle, and made its way through a few test cuts buried in dead ash. With two tanks under its belt, it is already about 2x the saw it was when it first came out of its box, so I remain hopeful that it will wake up more with a few more tanks run through it. But from a production standpoint, I spent a lot of time waiting for the saw to do its work when running the Tanaka versus the Husqvarna. This saw is better suited to homeowner trimming, or pruning, or trail work, or stuff like that.
At this point I'm not sure where this saw fits in my current lineup. The weight is really great, but I'm used to a lot more power, so I'm not sure how often I would choose to run this saw over the other small saws I own. I'm still on the fence about what to do with it, but odds are I'm probably going to sell it off. So if anyone is itching to get their hands on a Tanaka that has only seen a couple tanks through it...
Ran a couple tanks through it today alongside a 242xp and it is definitely loosening up. Chain brake was gradually behaving better, and it stared up without too much fuss and restarted warm on one pull every time. It is SO darned light, it is incredible; it made the 242 feel heavy! It did fine in 0-6" buckthorn and honeysuckle, and made its way through a few test cuts buried in dead ash. With two tanks under its belt, it is already about 2x the saw it was when it first came out of its box, so I remain hopeful that it will wake up more with a few more tanks run through it. But from a production standpoint, I spent a lot of time waiting for the saw to do its work when running the Tanaka versus the Husqvarna. This saw is better suited to homeowner trimming, or pruning, or trail work, or stuff like that.
At this point I'm not sure where this saw fits in my current lineup. The weight is really great, but I'm used to a lot more power, so I'm not sure how often I would choose to run this saw over the other small saws I own. I'm still on the fence about what to do with it, but odds are I'm probably going to sell it off. So if anyone is itching to get their hands on a Tanaka that has only seen a couple tanks through it...
7sleeper
Addicted to ArboristSite
That little Tanaka was my first saw in Japan and the reason I soon got another, and another, and some more (not really the saw's fault)...
Yes, they are light, and, after replacing the safety chain with something a little more agressive, they do cut quite well. There are a number of saws like that in Japan - even lighter than the little Tanaka
.
Makita is (or at least was) selling the same saw in blue and with a chainbrake - the Tanaka I had didn't have one, and I don't think they ever were offered in Japan with chainbrake.
Yes, they are light, and, after replacing the safety chain with something a little more agressive, they do cut quite well. There are a number of saws like that in Japan - even lighter than the little Tanaka
.Makita is (or at least was) selling the same saw in blue and with a chainbrake - the Tanaka I had didn't have one, and I don't think they ever were offered in Japan with chainbrake.
Heys guys, I have been reading that this saw is hard to get started out of the box and heard it does not include a primer bulb on the carb but the following is copied out of the specs for the saw on Bailey's website:
Carburetion: Walbro Diaphragm w/ Primer
So what is the primer they refer to?
Carburetion: Walbro Diaphragm w/ Primer
So what is the primer they refer to?
zogger
Tree Freak
Welll..I jiss don't know, but if they use shotgun shell primers to start it, I want one! load..BANG!! running..yep, want one
nnero
ArboristSite Guru
Its good to see other peoples experiences related the 'lil guy. This saw and has been very handy and useful for us. Its just so light! It was hard starting and first but has gotten better. After the New Year I will get a non-safety chain which I think will make a big difference. The fit and finish doesn't seem worth the MSRP to me but for the discounted price I cant complain one bit. I will update this thread as time goes on and anyone else who has one feel free to as well. Thanks.
Right, don't complain when you can't adjust a carb. Steve
My wife is giving me this saw for Christmas after receiving guidance from me. I am looking forward to getting it out of the box and getting it started up. CTYank sent me some tips for getting it started the first time. Any words of wisdom from anyone else on getting it started the first time? It does sound like it takes some finessing.
jughead500
Sasquatch
Gas it up, choke, pull pull pull, pop, choke off, pull pull pull pull.
jughead500
Sasquatch
Yeah hold on just a minute.........."I have a potty mouth"....
dirt_19
ArboristSite Lurker
Quick question to current owners . Since this is not Tier II compliant does that mean it doesn't require a specialized driver "screwdriver" to adjust the fuel mixture ?
Can't wait got one of these coming in the mail .
Can't wait got one of these coming in the mail .
