bgk
New Member
I’m a 50 year old guy, married with kids, mostly desk job, have owned two McCulloch chainsaws for light, occasional homeowner use for the last 20 years or so (Pro Mac 610 and Eager Beaver).
The Pro Mac was used, given to me by a friend who I had helped out when he had a broken leg. I bought the Eager Beaver factory refurbished with new warrantee from Harbor Freight for $59.
About a year ago the Pro Mac finally was getting tired, finicky to start and run, and I was getting tired screwing around with it. I took it to the local landscape equipment sales and repair shop and ended up trading it to one of the employees as part payment for him to come to my house and fell and buck (I learned these terms recently from Arboristsite!) two larger trees with a real pro saw. Then, this past November my Eager Beaver started to get finicky too, and then the chain adjuster broke apart and I said screw it, I’ll just buy a new saw instead of trying to fix a 20-year-old $59 saw!
So anyway, I got approximately 20-years of good use out of two chainsaws for $59, plus the occasional chain, spark plug and air filter! I cleaned the carb on the Pro Mac just once in 20 years. I never even had to screw once with the carb on the Eager Beaver.
So, this November, I sat down in front of the computer and searched the internet with the keyword “chainsaw”. The Arboristsite website popped up on the search. I “lurked” on this site and learned a lot about chainsaws and chainsaw safety. Looking back over the last 20 years, I realize that I’ve been fortunate that I never injured myself or anyone else, and I never dropped a tree onto any power lines or structures, etc. Until I found this website, the only information I had read about chainsaws came from the Owners Manual for the little Eager Beaver saw. For all those years, when I used a chain saw I simply wore ear plugs, blue jeans, hiking boots, and my regular prescription glasses that have polycarbonate plastic lenses.
I’ve posted here to thank you Arboristsite members for the wealth of information you provide to people via the internet. Since I found this site, I’ve learned about different types of face cuts and back cuts, the concept of properly using a felling hinge to control the fall, etc. More importantly, I’ve learned about chainsaw safety and PPE.
As a result of my “lurking and learning” here, I bought myself a new Husky 350 chainsaw with a 16" b+c, a pair of Husky full wrap chaps, and some Georgia boots with steel toes and internal metatarsal guards for Christmas. Now when I cut, I wear the chaps and boots and earplugs, together with a construction site type hard hat and safety glasses that I got for free from the company I work for.
I’m amazed at the power and speed and smoothness of the Husky 350. It’s a great homeowner saw, and is much lighter and smoother than my old Pro Mac 610. It also seems faster and more powerful, even though the Husky is 50 cc and if I recall correctly the Pro Mac was 60 cc. This Husky is plenty of saw for me, and I recommend it highly for homeowner use.
Again, thank you for this excellent website, and the information that you AS members enthusiastically provide.
The Pro Mac was used, given to me by a friend who I had helped out when he had a broken leg. I bought the Eager Beaver factory refurbished with new warrantee from Harbor Freight for $59.
About a year ago the Pro Mac finally was getting tired, finicky to start and run, and I was getting tired screwing around with it. I took it to the local landscape equipment sales and repair shop and ended up trading it to one of the employees as part payment for him to come to my house and fell and buck (I learned these terms recently from Arboristsite!) two larger trees with a real pro saw. Then, this past November my Eager Beaver started to get finicky too, and then the chain adjuster broke apart and I said screw it, I’ll just buy a new saw instead of trying to fix a 20-year-old $59 saw!
So anyway, I got approximately 20-years of good use out of two chainsaws for $59, plus the occasional chain, spark plug and air filter! I cleaned the carb on the Pro Mac just once in 20 years. I never even had to screw once with the carb on the Eager Beaver.
So, this November, I sat down in front of the computer and searched the internet with the keyword “chainsaw”. The Arboristsite website popped up on the search. I “lurked” on this site and learned a lot about chainsaws and chainsaw safety. Looking back over the last 20 years, I realize that I’ve been fortunate that I never injured myself or anyone else, and I never dropped a tree onto any power lines or structures, etc. Until I found this website, the only information I had read about chainsaws came from the Owners Manual for the little Eager Beaver saw. For all those years, when I used a chain saw I simply wore ear plugs, blue jeans, hiking boots, and my regular prescription glasses that have polycarbonate plastic lenses.
I’ve posted here to thank you Arboristsite members for the wealth of information you provide to people via the internet. Since I found this site, I’ve learned about different types of face cuts and back cuts, the concept of properly using a felling hinge to control the fall, etc. More importantly, I’ve learned about chainsaw safety and PPE.
As a result of my “lurking and learning” here, I bought myself a new Husky 350 chainsaw with a 16" b+c, a pair of Husky full wrap chaps, and some Georgia boots with steel toes and internal metatarsal guards for Christmas. Now when I cut, I wear the chaps and boots and earplugs, together with a construction site type hard hat and safety glasses that I got for free from the company I work for.
I’m amazed at the power and speed and smoothness of the Husky 350. It’s a great homeowner saw, and is much lighter and smoother than my old Pro Mac 610. It also seems faster and more powerful, even though the Husky is 50 cc and if I recall correctly the Pro Mac was 60 cc. This Husky is plenty of saw for me, and I recommend it highly for homeowner use.
Again, thank you for this excellent website, and the information that you AS members enthusiastically provide.
I too have found this site to be a wonderful asset and am in awe at times of the amount of knowlege that flows through here, my learning curve has gotten rather steep but its been fun. 
