Bought a new Poulan Pro 5020 to see what there about

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Oh I dont know, you bought it without the bar oil didnt you? :msp_biggrin:

On the strength of a very well written and detailed review, I might add.

Actually, I did one better. I got Secret Santa to buy it for me. It was pretty obvious which box was mine. :)
 
On the strength of a very well written and detailed review, I might add.

Actually, I did one better. I got Secret Santa to buy it for me. It was pretty obvious which box was mine. :)

Now I know how to get mine...
 
Sorry that this is a bit rambly,
but I want to post the good and bad moments of my usage and *errors* with the saw.

neighbors had dropped some trees and weren't keeping the wood.
So I got a chance to run a bit less than 2 tanks of gas through the 5020.
Saw is still stock.
planning to do the muf mod after a few more cuts with stock type of chain in undamaged condition
so that I can get an idea of what differences each thing that is changed makes.

Saw has less than 3 tanks tankfuls total run time.
Leaned out the low side bout 1/8 turn and fattened the top a pinch (WOT, no load)
to get the balance back.
**Was mostly just getting the limbs (oak) 5" or less, so tough get a decent plug reading
lot of blip, blip, blip type throttle usage.

Red stripe on plug is facing the carb and black stripe is the exhaust.
plug ceramic has a "stained" black look, not lose soot or wet on carb side and is whiter on ex side.
running Echo powerblend, at a bit over 3 oz to gal for now.
will be trying Stihl ultra (40-1[?]) when Echo oil is used up.
I'm down to using an old web cam without the proper drivers, so pardon the really,really bad pics.

**looks like I shoulda bought the rescue chain option, huh.
nicked the driveway concrete and got about half the cutters and mostly on that side the chain.
..really wasn't too impressed with the chain before I dulled it
quick filled a bit of the worst chain damage and went back at things
(guys were cutting and piling things in a hustle, so I sorta needed to get back cutting in a hurry)

..next day, I grabbed a loop of Stihl 33rs72 and 2 pairs of presets ($28,local dealer) That will go on
the 5020 after a cleanup, look over and prolly a couple links out of the new chain.

Wouldn't normally cut stuff in that bad of a setup, but was having to work around the guys
dropping the trees, opinion of things.
should of seen the "face cut" a wedge of about 30 deg and roughly 1/3 dia of tree,
with a nice 45 deg down into it, for the back cut.
trees would fall about 30 odd degrees and hold
till the guy in the van (on the rope) punched it.
"Climber" had no spurs and would use a 40' ladder to get into the limbs,
then tie in (had a harness of some sort ) and then "groundie" would take away the ladder
and then the climber would go to work.

The guy seemed be very mindful of power lines and ground targets though.

Wasn't my project and was a bit of language barrier,
so didn't get a chance to discuss falling techniques with the guy.
 
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I was thinking about this anyway and was in the store where you "save big money" and stumbled across them walking to the hardware department. They were on sale till the 12th for $179. I didn't even know they carried this model there.

I was curious to see what these were about and why Poulan/Husqvarna decided to come out with a new and bigger then what they put out in a while 50cc saw.

Now before I go any farther, all you saw snobs and Poulan haters, read if you want to but I dont want to hear a bunch of BS about Pullons and such. These are low priced consumer saws, no more no less and I just wanted to see what there all about. I doubt if I keep it, I will test it out for a while and then probably move it along but who knows it might be decent and I may keep it around for a while.

It comes with a decent hard case, manuals and a bottle of Poulan synthetic 2 cycle oil. It also comes with a common K041 mount Oregon laminated 70DL sprocket nosed bar with a Oregon V72 Vanguard chain. Not pro stuff but not bad. The rear handle has a mount to keep the scrench underneath it. It is secured with a metal clip.

The air filter cover is large and is secured with one thumb screw and lets you get to the filter and plug very easily. The filter is fairly large and pleated and reminds me of the PP 330 style. The only thing that bothers me though is it is only secured at the bottom with a flip up wire clamp. Seems a little loose on the top when secured but a gasket between the filter and base may secure it up some.

The clutch cover is a metal cover and houses the Husqvarna style chain brake and a conventional front mounted chain adjuster. Not a bad setup. No its not a side adjuster but at least its cover mounted and not hard to get to.

Pulling all the covers to inspect its innerds only took a T25 torx driver for the recoil cover and a 4mm allan wrench for the top cover.

The muffler came off with a T27 torx and I was shocked to see a completly hollow tin can, not even a diffuser in it. The top mounted outlet is pretty small in dia though, maybe just a little over 1/2". It should be easy to mod this one.

It appears to be a chrome bore with a single ring piston.

The 3/8s sprocket is a spur and the clutch is a common looking Poulan style 2 shoe which appears small but this style has been around for many years with good service on up to 60cc models so the clutch dont concern me at all. I dont know at this point if the spur sprocket is model specific yet but I'm betting it might be the same as some other Poulan Pro models like the 330 and maybe a rim setup will fit it.

I put the empty power head on the scales right away and found its no super light weight as it tipped the scales at 12lbs 6oz and fully loaded with fuel, oil, bar and chain it was 16lbs 8oz. Again were talking a $200 clamshell, strato, consumer saw so I guess the weight isnt awfull.

It started right up in 3 pulls but like most strato saws I have run it was plenty cold blooded and took a few seconds to warm up some. I was surprised that the carb settings were pretty much right on it seemed and while I attempted to fool with the L screw I ended up returningt it to about the original position. Now this could change when it sees wood, but after warming it up I held it wide open and it seemed to have a little 4 stroking going on and the tach read 13196 RPM.

The fit and finish of the plastics seem pretty good with everything lining up well and the parts seemed to fit together pretty well.

I like the fact that the spring mounted antivibe handles seem to be seperate from the engine cradle and it seemed pretty smooth in my hands. The oil and fuel tanks seemed pretty large and had the nice large caps on them. The controls are the common two lever choke and stop lever kinda combined like the Husky 350 etc...

Now I'm just relaying my first impressions and am trying to be objective here with it. If I see something bad I will point it out but first impressions are not too bad especially if you keep in mind the original price paid for it.

I'll post a few pictures of it and will try to get it out to the wood pile soon but that probaly wont happen till the weekend as I dont get home before dark most nights.

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Mark
I am glad you started this thred. I am thinking of now buying one. This will be the only other saw that I have bought new the other was a 295. All the others are all older poulans not that there is any thing wrong with that. It would be nice to have a good mid size go to saw and give the others some rest.
 
finally got to run the 5020 some over last couple of days.
have a bit shy of 2 gallons through it now.
Exact tank count gets lost
as I tend to top off, each time I make a series of bucking cuts,
before rolling the log and finishing it.
Don't wanna starve/lean out in mid cut of the heavy stuff!!

[ haven't shortened the Stihl loop yet, it's couple links too long]
Slowly got that "driveway treated" chain filled back into a worker now.
still running one of the stock D70 Oregon with those dog eared guides.
The depth guides needed a little massaging on their overall exact shape and I'm a tad low on them
as I like a just slightly aggressive chain and keep a light pressure on the bar
and let the motor sing from it's sweet spot.
..aiming for Just shy of "porpoising"/hammering the cutters and bar but not bogging it either.
But ya gotta be a little fussy about watching the chain tension for that to work.

Oiler could use a boost for the bucking, it's fine for short bursts
in the 6~7" & under stuff, but gets dry in the bigger things.
whilst bucking the trunk, I would intermittently unload the bar a second or 3, to let it re-oil.
We Don't like burnt and bured bars & chains, do we?
[ anyone have bright ideas for helping/modding the oiler, or a swap from some other saw?? )

Fuel economy seems good. needed to tweak carb some more.
[ believe I ended up at about 3 3/4+ turns out on high & 1 7/8 on low side. ]
...as the saw loosened up and I learned a better feel for tunning to the strato characteristics.
She'll get rich in the mid rev range (and soot up a plug) then gets right on that light "4 stroke"
as the air valve opens at top throttle and gets the mix back in balance.
Then the exhaust note just does clean up when most of the bar is catching the wood.

My initial wonderings about throttle response (and that flywheel lightening post), etc
are much allayed now.
bucking some 25~28" trunk sections and pulling the whole twenty pretty decent,
for what the saw is, I thought.
Had to watch out for cuttings trying to pack up at clutch cover area on those
on the dog sweeper cuts (learning to get technique back)
[ Unfortunately doesn't look like one of Bsnellings noodling vids, by any means though....dangit! ]

Saw is still in stock form, no muf mod yet.
I just want to make sure it doesn't seem likely to be going back for an early warranty,
before I alter it.
plus I was hoping to get vid of stock condition saw, to compare with later conditions.

I'll get some compression numbers, first chance I can.
Gauge seems off, But I found proper type valve cores at NAPA
so I put it together again and it's "run what ya got" time.
but for now I'll just assume it can give some (self ?) comparative readings at least.

+ + +
..finally grabbed a camera from C'list today,
so should be able to start getting some pics of things.
So, I'll prolly need someone to help me (finally) get a you-tube acct
....aaannnd how recode things
and then upload them in a way that dosen't look or sound like crap.

Also, just felt that I Had to step in today
and stop that guy from doing another 30 deg face cut today.
near dead/dry tree, had a lean/balance that would have twist/rolled off when
it snapped at half fall and taken out the Neighbors fence.
I think he saw a little bit of what I was trying to explain though.
grabbed his bar and cleaned it out and quick dressed of burrs for him too.
(two different first tongues, so can sometimes be tricky to convey details to each other..)
 
Not really doubting you. but you're bucking up 25" - 28" wood with that saw? Even soft woods of that diameter seems incredulous, especially for that cc of a dime store saw.
 
Was in some still green, fresh dropped wood, no dirt on or in it, so not to tough for cutting.
Just the stock bar and feeding it easy, let the motor revs tell me how much to feed it.

I'm Not calling it fast by any comparison to the *serious* saws around here at all.
...just liked the Snelling noodle vids, so that was a (hopefuly) semi comical reference .

I'll try to get some vid when I get the latest camera out to practice with it.
Then I hope any and all of you guys can take a look and give a true consensus on
what the little ( short bus yellow) saw can or can't do.
Considering it's intended price point, market and usage and life expectancy.

and feed back does help to keep me thinking and maybe write a bit clearer in time.

hmm, "Short bus saw" might become the name, just because of this owner!
=
gotta get a couple hours sleep soon and have friend to help move to new house this week,
So may be next week before I get back to fooling with the yellow toy.
 
Your posts are just reaffirming what I've been thinking about this little saw..........................Great saw FOR THE PRICEPOINT.
Seems like it would serve Joe Homeowner very well, as long as he took the necessary steps to avoid fuel issues.


Mike
 
Do you think running a skip tooth chain on this saw would help? I am thinking that 50cc is a small engine for a 3/8 chain on a 20 inch bar. But if you would run a skip chain it would cut slower but require less power. Any thoughts?
 
Not really doubting you. but you're bucking up 25" - 28" wood with that saw? Even soft woods of that diameter seems incredulous, especially for that cc of a dime store saw.
See, that is part of the distorted view that gets created here - that you need some high end big cc saw for stuff like this. I've cut lots of hardwood that size with a 42cc 18" saw, or a 46cc 20" saw, both plastic Poulans. It's not even a big deal, it's easy. I have a saw with a 24" bar now and that does make it a bit faster, but in the big scheme of things it makes little difference, as most of the time and effort is spent splitting, hauling, stacking and cleaning up the mess. Saw time is a minor percentage.

Like this:

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Do you think running a skip tooth chain on this saw would help? I am thinking that 50cc is a small engine for a 3/8 chain on a 20 inch bar. But if you would run a skip chain it would cut slower but require less power. Any thoughts?


I would make sure there is a problem before I spent money on a remedy.
If you are replacing the chain you have on it and want to stay with the 20" bar, then yes, a skip tooth chain would probably work well for you.
I don't care for skip in the smaller stuff because it is a lot more choppy and grabby.
You really won't notice that much difference in the cut speed because the engine will be able to pull it faster.


Mike
 
Not really doubting you. but you're bucking up 25" - 28" wood with that saw? Even soft woods of that diameter seems incredulous, especially for that cc of a dime store saw.

Had the chance to run one? Might alter your preconceptions some. I've had one for about a year, maybe 15 tanks through it so far. Still slowly loosening up.

Multiple times I've had the 20" bar buried in oak. Just sings and spits chips. Not bad for $180 saw- I could see how you'd question its alleged price/performance, stabling all those stihls.

Oh, a person might be called "incredulous" meaning "unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true." "Incredible" might be yer intent, but no, it's not at all incredible here, and it's not a "dime store saw."
 
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Haven't taped it yet but some of that stuff is purty big.

Some of the cuts on the big stuff are ugly but I'm gettin better. Lil 5020 just keeps on hummin. Those biggest peices are Hard!! Not sure on the species but they been seasoning for a while! Glad there's a couple young bucks around the house to split it. Not bad for a $200 saw! Was gonna make a video but thought my battery would run down cuttin one of the big ones.
 
Very impressed with the saw for the money the first saw i ever baught was a poulan pro with a
16" bar about 10 to 11 years ago my father now has the saw and it has never failed to start, very dependable, and always done what i needed to do but its a small tree/brush saw.

Tim
 
View attachment 277421
22-23"
View attachment 277422
Haven't taped it yet but some of that stuff is purty big.

Some of the cuts on the big stuff are ugly but I'm gettin better. Lil 5020 just keeps on hummin. Those biggest peices are Hard!! Not sure on the species but they been seasoning for a while! Glad there's a couple young bucks around the house to split it. Not bad for a $200 saw! Was gonna make a video but thought my battery would run down cuttin one of the big ones.

Not sure what grows down your way but that looks like a maple of some kind. Reguardless though. A sharp chain on any size bar will do a lot of cuttin on any size saw. Very nice work!!!!
 
Not really doubting you. but you're bucking up 25" - 28" wood with that saw? Even soft woods of that diameter seems incredulous, especially for that cc of a dime store saw.

We tend to get caught up in the 70cc needed for wood over 20" thing here on this site. But in the real world there is a bunch of wood cut with 50cc and smaller saws. :msp_wink:
 
We tend to get caught up in the 70cc needed for wood over 20" thing here on this site. But in the real world there is a bunch of wood cut with 50cc and smaller saws. :msp_wink:

It's true. I've been finding myself cutting more and more with my 339XP because it's so easy to use, light and fast. So unless I need the bar buried (12+ inches), I just used that.
 
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