John Deere CS56 or CS62, r these saws worth their salt

[Stihl Crazy]

Picked up a used CS62 this month. Nice saw. Stronger than my 165. Way easier on gas also. Put 3 1/2 tanks thru it Friday morning. That worked out to 1 3/4 loads on my C6 forwarder. 5 for loads = a tractor trailer load of logs.

CS62 is a keeper for me. Anyone want to sell theirs?

 

[Great Smokies]

Wow, sounds awesome Stihl Crazy. I think the 165 may have been EPA sabotaged versus its predecessor. In Europe they have a 162...I bet that is the JD62.

 

[Stihl Crazy]

Yup, JD CS62 = Efco 162.

Can't get the 162 in Canada. I can get 162 cyl kits to put on the 156. Guys that bought the 165 are trading it in for another 156. They like them better.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

only thing wrong with Efcos is the dealer network, or lack thereof, at least in my neck of the world. had efco saws for decades and can't seem to get anything else.

 

[Great Smokies]

only thing wrong with Efcos is the dealer network, or lack thereof, at least in my neck of the world. had efco saws for decades and can't seem to get anything else.

Agreed!!! I never heard of them until my local dealer said they were going to hook up with them. The 5 year warranty really intrigued me. Some reading here and some hearsay had me convinced- I bought one blind so am now waiting nervously for it! The guy at my dealer says he thinks they are taking the USA more seriously now by setting up a US HQ, so maybe we will be seeing them more and more. I will be anyway!

 

[jerrycmorrow]

Agreed!!! I never heard of them until my local dealer said they were going to hook up with them. The 5 year warranty really intrigued me. Some reading here and some hearsay had me convinced- I bought one blind so am now waiting nervously for it! The guy at my dealer says he thinks they are taking the USA more seriously now by setting up a US HQ, so maybe we will be seeing them more and more. I will be anyway!

i keep thinking about getting the 165 but hear mixed reviews. really would like to get the JD which is a 162 (before EPA?)

 

[slipknot]

I had three JD saws. They were all under powered. Parts were hard to get unless you live near A John Deere house and very few stocked chainsaw parts. I sold them all because John Deere would not honor their warranty on the saws. Two of them I bought I had to return them after their first use because because the guide bar bolts came out of the saws.
I highly reccommend choosing another brand.

Under powered?? only if you normally run ported saws. The guide bar bolts came out? I dnt see that happening....what models did you have? The only way they will come out is if you over tighten them. I think your full of oop:

 

[Great Smokies]

i keep thinking about getting the 165 but hear mixed reviews. really would like to get the JD which is a 162 (before EPA?)

Really, look at the numbers versus similar 65cc saws. The numbers dont tell all the story, but they are good. Now- check the prices. The Efcos are really well priced. For the price of of other 65cc saws you can get a MT7200 saw. More saw, same price!

 

[Stihl Crazy]

Something is holding the 165 back. It has to be the porting #'s as it shares most of the 162 parts. Going to compare both when the 165 comes back. The 165 should outcut the 162. Not going to stop playing with it until it does.

 

[GoRving]

Love my 156!

 

[jerrycmorrow]

Something is holding the 165 back. It has to be the porting #'s as it shares most of the 162 parts. Going to compare both when the 165 comes back. The 165 should outcut the 162. Not going to stop playing with it until it does.

love to hear about it when you do.

 

[gemniii]

side mounted chain adjuster

Wish they had not changed that on the CS 62, that's one of the reason's I greatly favor my Stihls.

/edit the CS 62 does NOT have a side chain tensioner.

 

[wiskey_6]

CS62 and CS81

I have had a CS62 since 2001 and it still runs strong. I use it mainly for cutting medium sized firwood. The downfall is the airfilter system. I have tried almost everything to get the outer cover to seal good and stop small particles from getting into the intake manifold. The CS62 has lots of power and is easy on the fuel.

I traded my CS 81 because I could't cut in real dry dirty conditions due to the airfilter system. I liked it better than my MS660 for mid range power. IMO the CS62 is a great ocassional use saw.

 

[slipknot]

Something is holding the 165 back. It has to be the porting #'s as it shares most of the 162 parts. Going to compare both when the 165 comes back. The 165 should outcut the 162. Not going to stop playing with it until it does.

I wonder if it has a longer stroke which might account for the drop off in RPM's...compared to the 162. I read somewhere the 70 cc vs 81 cc efco saws were like that. I think they had different part numbers for crank and rod....

I am also interested in seeing what the deal is on them 165's.

On my 156 the muffler cracked all to hell in the back of it...I put a different muffler on it from an older 962 with the exhaust stinger instead of louvers....it woke up a lot and i haven't modded it at all.

 

[SawTroll]

Something is holding the 165 back. It has to be the porting #'s as it shares most of the 162 parts. Going to compare both when the 165 comes back. The 165 should outcut the 162. Not going to stop playing with it until it does.

Going by memory now, but the 165 used to be heavy and underpowered for its size, but somehow that seems to have changed lately - I hope it is not just a specs "adjustment".......

Those saws all looks like crap, specially the JD versions, but apparently they aren't!

 

[Stihl Crazy]

From the saws I have used, 156, 62 (61.5cc) and 165 (63cc) the 165 has the weakest in field performance ( for my type of work anyway ). In another situation it may be better. When the demo comes back I will pull the cyl and free it up.

My loaner Jonsered 625 was stronger and quicker than the 165.

The Efco lineup is not poor quality, however feature wise they are a bit dated. I hate the 156-165 topcover. Can live with the air filter setup, had saws with worse filters. Overall they are a good match for the 200 series Husky.

 

[slipknot]

Going by memory now, but the 165 used to be heavy and underpowered for its size, but somehow that seems to have changed lately - I hope it is not just a specs "adjustment".......

Those saws all looks like crap, specially the JD versions, but apparently they aren't!

saw troll your being a turd....i bet you just don't like efco's because now when people reach for the red...they grab an efco...lol. Nah just messin with ya...jonsereds are fine saws just like husqvarna's

 

[SawTroll]

.....

The Efco lineup is not poor quality, however feature wise they are a bit dated. A good match for the 200 series Husky.

That is how I read the situation + they have very little sence concerning a good looking design, and the JD versions are by far the worst regarding that.....

 

[Stihl Crazy]

That is how I read the situation + they have very little sence concerning a good looking design, and the JD versions are by far the worst regarding that.....

Agree with you on the design. I think some parts were made with no other purpose than to test the patience of the user.

 

[Great Smokies]

I'll agree that the Efco saws aren't the most stylishly designed, but who gives a turd? If they work and last and cut then they are good. As for short on features- name what they are missing! 2 ring pistons, comp release, etc...what do you need, built in HDTV?