Selling a saw to a beginner

[Ryan'smilling]

So... I sold my MS 361 a couple hours ago. Posted it on Craigslist and sold it ($500) less than 24 hours later. Anyway, the guy who bought it was super nice, and showed up with his two teenage sons, but he obviously didn't know much about saws.

He started it up without the chain brake and by drop starting, then let it rev full throttle without blipping the throttle for a full five seconds while holding it one handed. I take safety stuff very seriously, especially with chainsaws, but A: I wanted to make the sale, and B: the guy was standing in front of his kids. And C: he was about 20 years older than me, so less likely to listen to instruction from someone my age, at least in my experience.

Has anyone else been on this situation? What would you have done? Should I stop thinking about it, or is there maybe a link to some good, concise safety info I could send the guy?

 

[aikensjc]

Shoulda just told him what to do

 

[Nitroman]

Agreed. Be polite, firm and just show him. If he gets his dander up, raise the price of the saw. I did that to a guy who wanted to buy a snowmachine I was selling. Boy was he pissed. I actually had to tell him to get off my property. Sold it to a doctor the next day. She didn't quibble at all, and thanked me for showing her how to get it going and such.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

What and how they use whatever I sell isn't any of my business. Heck there's been some folks on here "caught in the act" drop starting saws even.

Sold a nice clean Husky 61 a while back to a guy that was just going to use it to cut apart a moose. Hey whatever.... he could have used it to brush his teeth for all I cared haha.

 

[huskihl]

Maybe next time start it in front of him, shut it off, and hand it to him to start. If he doesn't follow your method, he's probably too ignorant for you to care. Some people's kids.....

 

[Big_Wood]

So... I sold my MS 361 a couple hours ago. Posted it on Craigslist and sold it ($500) less than 24 hours later. Anyway, the guy who bought it was super nice, and showed up with his two teenage sons, but he obviously didn't know much about saws.

He started it up without the chain brake and by drop starting, then let it rev full throttle without blipping the throttle for a full five seconds while holding it one handed. I take safety stuff very seriously, especially with chainsaws, but A: I wanted to make the sale, and B: the guy was standing in front of his kids. And C: he was about 20 years older than me, so less likely to listen to instruction from someone my age, at least in my experience.

Has anyone else been on this situation? What would you have done? Should I stop thinking about it, or is there maybe a link to some good, concise safety info I could send the guy?

older guys rarely take instruction from young guys. they think age makes it so they automatically know more when it has nothing to do with it. some of the most useless tits i know are middle age. fact of the matter is, if your a dumbass; your age ain't gonna help you at all LOL

 

[Full Chisel]

Just sell him the saw and walk away. You are in no way responsible for his actions or safety...that is up to him.

I drop start saws w/o the brake on regularly, I see nothing wrong with it as long as you are maintaining control of the saw.

 

[sawfun]

You are not his mother or the government to tell him what to do. You can show him how it works best for you, but thats where it ends. If it were a gun and he decided not to use the safety are you responsible? What about if you were selling him a vehicle? (Safe operation type thing) That said, a lot of us AS folk in the PNW drop start saws without the chainbrake on. I can see the brake usage, and use them myself, on a tophandle and maybe up to 50cc's, after that you have no business running a larger saw without knowing what you are doing IM <HO. My 101b Macs never had chainbrakes and drop starting is about the only way TO start them.

 

[cgraham1]

I hardly ever use the chain brake. I guess I'm a dumbass, too.

 

[Full Chisel]

Yeah, I find the smaller saws are more likely to get away from you when drop starting for sure.

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

If you are selling a saw from your property then you should probably consider your liability and never let a customer start or hold a running saw. I've never had a customer take insult to that policy.
I advise against using the chain brake to start a saw. When half choke is used it will rev up way too high and hammer the crap out of bearing races.

 

[drf255]

I usually say "Let me show you how to use this tool. This model is a little different".

That way there's no embarrassment to anyone. Makes it look like it's unlike the other tools that the buyer has (absolutely zero) experience with.

 

[jughead500]

I always drop start and never use the brake.

 

[Marshy]

Sell it and don't look back. How/what he does is none of your business. The only time I would consider not selling something like this is if the person is under 18 years old. Parental consent would be required IMO.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

If you don't have it,

The OM always gives proper safe starting and operating instructions, follow them when demoing saw. Remind the buyer he can download the manual from the manufacturer's website for recommended procedures and maintenance.

At that point, you've done your due diligence, and just have to accept, to coin a phrase, you can't fix stupid, or more politely put, teach an old dog new tricks.

Take Care

 

[Mr. E]

I would think a bigger liability would be selling modified saws. If something bad were to happen in this lawsuit happy culture one could make an argument that the seller is at fault.

For example is the chain brake able to handle the extra torque/hp of a ported saw? I know the chances are slim but if something happened and one lost their arm...

 

[Mr. E]

Shoulda just told him what to do

Good thought, thanks for posting.

 

[wde_1978]

I hardly ever use the chain brake. I guess I'm a dumbass, too.

I advise against using the chain brake to start a saw. When half choke is used it will rev up way too high and hammer the crap out of bearing races.

I always drop start and never use the brake.

Good to know I am not the only one not using the chain brake whilst starting my saws.
As @Chainsaw Jim said , it seems wrong to let the saw rew half throttle with the brake on , even if it is for just a moment.
I surely do appreciate the chain brake on the odd occasion during operation though!

To the OP , make sure as best You can that the buyer doesn't hurt himself or anyone else nor damage the saw while on Your property.
Once the sale is done the buyers (and saws) faith is out of Your hands anyways.

 

[Totembear]

IMO you can have the know it all attitude at any age. Young bucks seem to be full of piss and vinegar and don't listen, and older people can think that they have fought the war so they've earned the right to be wrong! Then there are exceptions to both that leave you with a good feeling about the sale. I work in a major trauma center, so I believe stupid does not have any age limit! It's sad to say, and I don't know why I'm going to say this, but sometimes I actually feel sorry for the saw going to some butt head. I kind of have an attachment to the saws I've built and I know how much effort went into building some of them. So I just tell them there are videos or instructional manuals out there that teach them the proper way (not their way or my way) to handle the chainsaw safely and I wish the saw a happy home under my breath. And I hope that they go searching the right info. As said above, I never let them handle a running saw on my property, and most people understand. If they have a problem with that then they can find somebody else to sell a saw to them. And I will not sell them the saw if I have any question in my mind about their ability to handle it safely or what they intend on doing with the saw. My situation is different from somebody who makes a living off of repairing equipment. I don't have to sell it to make ends meet. A little bit of spending money on the next project, that's a different story......

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Well, thanks for the input guys. I guess it's not a cut and dried situation. I did include the owner's manual with the machine, but didn't mention that he should read it. I guess it's up to him.

Regarding drop-starting a saw: I used to start saws like that too, but was then shown the "crotch-lock" method. To me, starting a saw on the ground is akward and time-consuming, but clamping it between my legs seems natural and is obviously safer. If someone who clearly knows what they're doing shows up and drop starts a saw, fine whatever. I guess that's my answer. It's my judgement whether I should demonstrate proper starting technique, and the other guys judgement whether or not to listen.