New Guy from NJ with a few questions

[hossmp2500]

Hello everyone, I just stumbled on this site the other day. I have read extensively and I cant believe I have missed this one. To give you some background I am in NJ, central NJ to be exact. I cut firewood to assist in heating my home and my garage/workshop. My family has a small farm and I also do some cutting there to keep the place as neat as possible. To get to the point, a few years back we lost our Stihl dealer and a close friend. I have not really been pleased with the other local dealer at all for things such as saws. They are great for blowers and trimmers but they dont have a selection of saws and they cater to twp based use. I currently have an 034 that is very worn and a ms250 (the other placed recomended this to me and I am not wild about it). I am looking to replace my 034. I have done many searches for saw dealers in the area and come up with blanks. The Husqvarna site lists tons of dealers when I call them they are selling the homeowner grade stuff and they are not really saw shops. The Stihl dealers are the same.

Is there anyone out there in the area that can suggest a few real saw shops that I can get chains sharpened and pick up a new saw. I am looking for someone that knows enough about them to help with the decision. So far the only real saw shop I have found in all my calls is in Pennington and they deal with Jonsred saws ( think I spelled it right).

Sorry for the long post..Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am not overly brand loyal but more loyal to a good shop. My old stihl dealer was excllent and everything he sold from mowers to generators was what I was buying.

 

[bluestem]

No where near you on the East Coast but there are several guys from N.J. that I'm sure will chime in sooner rather than later with some great info for you.

 

[HillRat]

Hey neighbor, welcome! If you found a saw shop in Pennington, you're probably not too far away from me. Have you been to Bish Sales on Rt. 31? That's the place that looks like it's an old service station, near Rosedale Mills. They're a Husqvarna dealer and Don and his mom are good people! I get my saws and most of my supplies there. I used to get my chains sharpened there, too, before I learned how to use a file.

Don stocks all the Huskies from homeowner to arborist to logger models and he knows the strengths and weaknesses of each. His advice was very helpful when I was picking out my saws (and my next saw...

There was a John Deere and Stihl dealer on Rt. 31 a few miles north of there, but the owner retired last year and closed the business. The business that's there now sells used tractors.

Walt's Power Equipment in Ringoes is a full-line Stihl dealer, and I've heard many good things about his shop, though I haven't bought anything there myself yet.

Both Bish's and Walt's sound like what you're looking for-- real dealerships run by their owners and people that know their products!

 

[hossmp2500]

Wow, thanks for the fast reply! The place I found was a Jonsred dealer. The place on 31 didnt show but then there are so many Husqvarna dealers near my zip code that it never made it that far. I am familar with the area as I worked in Skilman for 10 years. I am now working in South Brunswick. I live in Cranbury so pennington is not terrible to get to. It takes about 30 minutes. Thanks for the headsup on the Bish Sales. i am going to call them today. I am eager to actually try something new and non stihl. I have spent my entire life running stihl everything and I have no complaints. In my opinion things are good if the dealer is good and bad if the dealer is bad. I have seen Rosedale mills a few times when on 31. I actually picked up a Polaris for our farm from Walts that place was great.

Hey neighbor, welcome! If you found a saw shop in Pennington, you're probably not too far away from me. Have you been to Bish Sales on Rt. 31? That's the place that looks like it's an old service station, near Rosedale Mills. They're a Husqvarna dealer and Don and his mom are good people! I get my saws and most of my supplies there. I used to get my chains sharpened there, too, before I learned how to use a file.

There was a John Deere and Stihl dealer on Rt. 31 a few miles north of there, but the owner retired last year and closed the business. The business that's there now sells used tractors.

Walt's Power Equipment in Ringoes is a Stihl dealer, and I've heard many good things about his shop, though I haven't bought anything there myself yet.

Both Bish's and Walt's sound like what you're looking for-- good dealerships run by their owners and people that know their products!

 

[HillRat]

Yep, I know South Brunswick. I worked at "the towers" on Rt. 18 for a few years back in, um, '98 & '99.

Cranbury is a nice town. I have friend that lives in E. Windsor and I've been through there many times. I live a couple of minutes down the road from Walt's. It's still fairly rural here... most folks probably wouldn't believe it's New Jersey!

Don Bish is really great. He's not the most talkative guy and may not leave you with a warm & fuzzy feeling when you hang up the phone, but I doubt that you will be disappointed if you go there. He has most (if not all?) Husqvarna models in stock and can talk with you in detail about the differences. I bought my 372XP from him in 2008. I'm actually headed over there today to pick up a new air filter and some chains. I hope I don't come home with a new saw. :biggrinbounce2:

Walt's is indeed a big Polaris dealer and they recently did a complete remodel of their Stihl display. My neighbor has bought lots of equipment from Walt's over the years and recommends him highly. I have been in there shopping and gotten good info and attentive service, but I ended up buying something used off Craigslist instead. No reflection on Walt!

 

[hossmp2500]

Hillrat thanks for the insight. I love the area your in. I looked extensively at homes in that area. I have a friend that did buy there recently also. I ended up in Cranbury due to its close proximity to my family farm also. I work saturdays and some sundays on the farm and a 5 minute drive there is nice.

I will call Don Bish and talk to him. I am not set on any brand but if he has all or most of what Husqvarna has to offer thats perfect. My local Stihl dealer has the homeowner line then tons of polesaws and a few of the top handle models that the twps are interested in. They dont have anything thats really designed for cutting firewood. They can get them but then I have dealt with them on the 250 that I have and I would rather skip them for saws. The landscape stuff they are on top off and they are hard to beat on fixing a kawasaki or Kohler engine.

I was very tempted to go and try the Jonsred dealer out also. He was actually more towards Lambertville when I looked at the map.

 

[HillRat]

Oops, the towers are in E. Brunswick, not South. Been through there, too. There are still some nice farms out that way.

Is your family farm growing fruit and produce?

Closer to Cranbury, a couple of years ago I made many trips to Jamesburg to help a friend dispose of many, many loads of free firewood from some land he was clearing on CR612/Matchaponix Ave.

Anyway...

Is that Jonsered dealer on Rt. 518? There's a small saw shop on 518 between Pennington and Lambertville that I have driven past many times but never stopped in. I can't find it on any dealer locator.

Too bad your local Stihl dealer only has the smaller stuff. After reading here about the experience of others, I'm really happy to have Bish's shop nearby. He stocks everything and has answered all of my questions from the dumb to the technical. He happily gave my 372 a quick carb adjustment after I broke it in, too. You won't find that at Tractor Supply. (You won't find a 372 there, either!

I hope the Great Recession doesn't drive my local saw shops out of business. I'd be very disappointed to see them go.

If you post back about your experience at Bish's, I'm very interested to read it.

Thanks!

Ed

 

[hossmp2500]

Its not on 518, so thats another dealer you must have located. I dont think we will loose the shops from the great recession or at least I hope we dont. I have noticed more people burning wood than usual. If they dont cut there own then someone does. It doesnt take long for someone to realize the homeowner grade saw isnt going to cut it. I am not bashing them either. They have a place. The 250 I have is a homeowner grade saw. Its ideal for cutting small stuff up that a landowner may deal with 3-4 times per year. I run my saw probably on average 1 time a week for osmething it could be 10 minutes or use or it could be a days worth.

On our farm we grow produce and we also have the standard commodities corn and soybeans. The produce requires irrigation and we have the pivot ( big systems that walk around themselves) irrigation. Those alone keep my saw busy. the woods grows out near them all the time. We lost the first one when someone turned it on and let it pass by the woods. A tree had grown out into the field and tipped it over. Now I keep close tabs and trim branches back or take trees along the edge as needed. Its easy cutting just let them fall in the field.

If I go to Bish's shop I will post my experience. No matter who or what I get this thread will be updated and I will toss a pic on here also so everyone can see it.

 

[banshee67]

there are a couple stihl shops over in Hightstown, i have been to the one on route33, right off the east side of the turnpike, a couple times, believe its "hights farm equip", you cant miss it, stihl signs all over windows and a bunch of equipment out front, they have tons of stuff and a huge stock room behind counter, full service, definitely a real "shop", and they seemed like real nice guys the couple times ive been in there,
they are registered as an "elite stihl dealership" with a "factory certified technician" - what that means, i dont know! we have one local here in hunterdon county i used to go to, that didnt even tune my friends 460 he bought from them, charges $30 for a 20" rsc, and they are also registered "elite" and "master mechanic" too.. so take those titles with a grain of salt i guess.. although the one im talking about on 33 definitely had that good ol boy saw shop vibe that most guys are lookin for
]a search on stihhls website shows 2 registered stihl dealerships on route 33 withing about 5-10 miles of eachother down there.. ive only been to the one i mentioned, neither are very far from cranbury, a little south east

 

[hossmp2500]

I know this dealer well. My family has done business with them for 30 years. I get all my equipment there. I do feel they are great with Stihl but for saws I look elsewhere. I have had bad luck saw wise with them. I also used to use Grovers mill. that was a great small store. They knew the engines and had a guy that liked to work on saws there. I was personal friends with him. i am also friends with a few guys at the dealer you mention. They want to sell what they have most of the time. They cater to landscappers and twp's so they have pole saws and a few random ones. They want to sell me a 290 really bad and I keep telling them its not what I want at all. Its not a valid replacement for my old 034.

Grovers mill is now closed the owner passed away a few years ago but it still shows on the search I think.

Thanks for your help though I really appreciate it. I am hoping to find something besides stihl to even just try if possible.

there are a couple stihl shops over in Hightstown, i have been to the one on route33, right off the east side of the turnpike, a couple times, believe its "hights farm equip", you cant miss it, stihl signs all over windows and a bunch of equipment out front, they have tons of stuff and a huge stock room behind counter, full service, definitely a real "shop", and they seemed like real nice guys the couple times ive been in there,
they are registered as an "elite stihl dealership" with a "factory certified technician" - what that means, i dont know! we have one local here in hunterdon county i used to go to, that didnt even tune my friends 460 he bought from them, charges $30 for a 20" rsc, and they are also registered "elite" and "master mechanic" too.. so take those titles with a grain of salt i guess.. although the one im talking about on 33 definitely had that good ol boy saw shop vibe that most guys are lookin for
]a search on stihhls website shows 2 registered stihl dealerships on route 33 withing about 5-10 miles of eachother down there.. ive only been to the one i mentioned, neither are very far from cranbury, a little south east

 

[Nosmo]

Chain Sharpening

Good luck on finding a good dealership and a saw you will be pleased to operate. Whichever saw you choose most of use on this site would recommend that you learn to hand file your chains.

Ask your dealer about the files and guides and you will give yourself the satisfaction of maintaining your own chains.

Nosmo

 

[banshee67]

i too have wondered where the hell you even buy a pro HUsky saw? ive never seen a husqvarna "dealership" and only see them sold at hd/lowes/sears... thats the main reason i think so many people are turned off by them.
if i wanted to go out and buy a brand new 372 right now, i wouldnt even know where to go.. thats huskys fault, they need to fix it if they ever want to compete with stihl as far as sales numbers, there are many people who dont even realize they make such high quality saws because all they know of them is that they are sold at lowes
good luck on your dealership hunt, ive been to a few bad ones, and finally found a nice family owned full service shop about 15 miles from me.
ditto on the file guide, im still not perfect, but im getting pretty dam good as hand filing, its very satisfying to feel your freshly self-hand sharpened chain pull itself through a log without applying pressuree

 

[hossmp2500]

Call the one mentioned in this thread, I did and they are helpful. I plan to take a ride out there tomorrow or next week. I wanted to try something other than the Stihl line of saws and I think I may have found that opportunity. Sure its a ride for me, I am 10 minutes from the shop you mentioned. However in my opinion that place is great with the Stihl 4mix products and not so great with the saws. I have had them do a few things and its been iffy..and they are not cheap. Remember..they are use to dealing with townships and big companies that are willing to toss money around.

I am going to get a few files and start to sharpen myself or at least attempt it.

i too have wondered where the hell you even buy a pro HUsky saw? ive never seen a husqvarna "dealership" and only see them sold at hd/lowes/sears... thats the main reason i think so many people are turned off by them.
if i wanted to go out and buy a brand new 372 right now, i wouldnt even know where to go.. thats huskys fault, they need to fix it if they ever want to compete with stihl as far as sales numbers, there are many people who dont even realize they make such high quality saws because all they know of them is that they are sold at lowes
good luck on your dealership hunt, ive been to a few bad ones, and finally found a nice family owned full service shop about 15 miles from me.
ditto on the file guide, im still not perfect, but im getting pretty dam good as hand filing, its very satisfying to feel your freshly self-hand sharpened chain pull itself through a log without applying pressuree

 

[bushmaster]

jonsered is a top notch pro saw and is a part of husqvarna, its worth looking into especialy if the dealer is local to you. visit both places and see wich dealer is more helpful and use that to determine wich saw you want

 

[htpd43]

jonsered is a top notch pro saw and is a part of husqvarna, its worth looking into especialy if the dealer is local to you. visit both places and see wich dealer is more helpful and use that to determine wich saw you want

Walts is a great dealer. My family and i have been buying from him for years. I have purchased tools and toys there - stihl saws and Polaris atvs.

The jonsered dealer you are referring to on rt 518 is approximately .10 miles west of rt 579. The name is kurtz outdoor power equipment. The owner is John Kurtz. He is a great guy and will work on just about anything you bring in. I have purchased 3 jonsered saws there and will continue to buy from him every chance I get.

I have been to bish sales and have not purchased anything from there. I was not impressed by the attitude shown toward me - a prospective customer.
As far as sales or repairs go, I don't know from personal experience. I have been told by an employee of the road dept that surrounds pennington that he brought a saw in for repair at bish sales and was told that they would not fix it because it was not purchased there.

There is also a dolmar dealer just north of frenchtown nj on rt 519. They are fairly small and new to the game but it's a family owned business called warnco.

Holler if u need more info.
Lou

 

[htpd43]

good luck on your dealership hunt, ive been to a few bad ones, and finally found a nice family owned full service shop about 15 miles from me.

Banshee- did i read that right? You're in hunterdon county? I am too. U wanna give up who your family owned dealer is?

 

[HillRat]

Hey Lou,

...I have been to bish sales and have not purchased anything from there. I was not impresses by the attitude shown toward me - a prospective customer.

As far as sales or repairs go, I don't know from personal experience. I have been told by an employee of the road dept that surrounds pennington that he brought a saw in for repair at bish sales and was told that they would not fix it because it was not purchased there....

That's correct, at least as far as big box store saws go. There is (or was) a sign on Don's counter that read, "If you didn't buy your saw here, we won't fix it" or something to that effect. I guess he got tired of people bringing in their box store junk saw and (probably) not wanting to pay a fair rate to fix it... if it was even fixable. I think all of the tools and saws sold in the big stores are disposable by design.

I've bought two saws from him and am planning to buy two more. (CAD doncha know. I blame you guys ) Don may not be all that talkative at first, but he is a good guy and a good businessman once you get to know him. He takes good care of me, and I'm a homeowner, not a pro. I was just at his shop a few minutes ago and we were talking about the current and future line-up of Husqvarna saws as a result of the EPA regs, the tradeoffs of the current designs vs. the new, and his recommendations for what would be best for me. He knows a lot about these saws and he does all the service work on them, too.

I'm in Hunterdon County, too, by the way, just a few miles from Walt's.

 

[hossmp2500]

I have to agree with the statements on Walts. I have not gotten any Stihl equipment but the way he handles the Polaris stuff I am sure he is a great dealer for anything they sell.

I found another Stihl dealer from talking to a nursery friend in my area. Its of rt130 in the South brunswick area. Its called KC's. I called them up. They seemed to be well stocked. I am still leaning towards giving something else a try. It does seem that we have many more Stihl dealers than anything else in our area. I lived out in Pa for a while and I recall seeing plenty of Husqvarna dealers but I may have been imagining it.

 

[htpd43]

If your serious about trying another brand I suggest jonsered. I love their saws and they are the sister saw of husqvarna. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you try a jonsered.

 

[htpd43]

Hey Lou,



That's correct, at least as far as big box store saws go. There is (or was) a sign on Don's counter that read, "If you didn't buy your saw here, we won't fix it" or something to that effect. I guess he got tired of people bringing in their box store junk saw and (probably) not wanting to pay a fair rate to fix it... if it was even fixable. I think all of the tools and saws sold in the big stores are disposable by design.

I've bought two saws from him and am planning to buy two more. (CAD doncha know. I blame you guys ) Don may not be all that talkative at first, but he is a good guy and a good businessman once you get to know him. He takes good care of me, and I'm a homeowner, not a pro. I was just at his shop a few minutes ago and we were talking about the current and future line-up of Husqvarna saws as a result of the EPA regs, the tradeoffs of the current designs vs. the new, and his recommendations for what would be best for me. He knows a lot about these saws and he does all the service work on them, too.

I'm in Hunterdon County, too, by the way, just a few miles from Walt's.

Good to know you had a good experience at bish. I guess I'll try them again at some point if i have the need. I really like the atmosphere at kurtz. It's real old-school. Its The kind of place where old timers come into the back and just b.s. a while.
I currently live along the river south of p'burg but i grew up in kingwood. Where you at?
Lou