efco saws

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mbayer

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just curious what you guys think of efco chainsaws. recently got into doing some cutting for a side job and needed a decent saw. I know stihls are great and already bought an 029 but also got a good deal(i think) on a small efco. so far i like it but i cant find any info on them.
 
There's a ton of info on here about the Efco saws. Do a search on Efco and you'll be buried in it.

They may not be up with the Stihl/Husky/Shindaiwa/J-red crowd, but they are a good saw. Somebody commented that they are between a consumer and a professional grade saw, and I think that's about right. I have the John Deer branded CS-52, and I have beat that thing to death, but it won't die. I've used it for some pretty heavy cutting - far beyond what it was made for. (Well, anyway, I think 54" oak is a bit more than it was designed for!)


It's still ticking. :clap:

I do have a new muffler on the way, though. It's got a habit of rattling loose, and has cracked because of it. If you get one, check those bolts frequently.


Now, if I can just keep the bees out of it, I expect it to last quite a few more years. :cheers:

BTW, the 52 is a plastic case. The 56 and up are mag cases. Much mo' bettah! :clap:
 
I've 2 EFCO's see sig.
My smaller one seems "sensitive" to gravity, if I try to start it on an angle it doesn't start as easy as if placed flat on the ground.

It's lighter and "flimsier" than my Stihl 021, but cut's great for the CC's.

The CS 62 has just finished milling about 300bd ft of red maple up to 21" wide pulling a 28" bar and ripping chain. Only problem is that it's about at it's limit milling over 20" wide.
Pulls a 20" bar w/semi chisel great.
/edit both chains 3/8 0.50

Both have outboard clutches, only down point so far, makes it more difficult to swap chain.

Since basically I paid $50 for the two I may be biased.
 
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I have a JD CS 56 which is a Efco saw, had it two seasons and it's performed flawlessly, I'm pretty much a Stihl head and run pro saws and this is not a homeowner quality saw, we will cut 200 cords+ this year and it has held up just as well as our 361. It has excellent filtration, easy on fuel and has good anti-vibe. The the 56 is within a hair of a stock 361's cutting speed.
The 62 would prolly be as fast or faster. You can get the Cub Cadet licensed Efco 56 on Amazon for 299.99 with free shipping. It will hand a 290 it's azz.
On paper it's stronger than the Dolmar 5100. They have a five year non commercial use warranty and a two year commercial warranty.
One of the most underrated saws going in my opinion. I'd buy another one in a heart beat if I could justify it.
 
I had a CS 46 4 yrs and it was so-so. AV was pretty bad and it doesn't like starting or staying running in the cold. Air filter design seems poor, likes to coat up the carb with sawdust. Oiler seems a bit wimpy, especially when it's cold. I have taken it out a couple of times in the summer, ran well and seemed to eat anything up to 12" fairly well, but the Jreds are usually the ones I use for the bulk of the cutting.
 
The pro saws start at the 56, and up, the smaller size models are clamshells like the 290/310/390 and smaller huskies/homeowner type saws. Our 56 is running a 20" .325 and runs it with authority. At some point I'm going to change to a 18" bar and run 3/8 chain, so it will be common with four other of our firewood saws. We like it so well we have semi-retired the 038 and use the 56 in it's place, in wood up to 18 to 20 inches it's just as efficient as the 038, less weight, less fuel consumption. less vibes, prolly won't last as long as the 038, but will more than pay for itself in our business.
 
I gotta deal on an Efco 165 last summer on ebay. Its a keeper. The biggest problem I have is its my newest saw and I hate to scratch it up badly in my crowded toolbox on the truck so I haven't been using it regularly with my fleet of mostly Stihl. It ran very lean with the high speed all the way out to the point the saw felt hot so I did a simple dual port on the muffler and relocated the H & L screws in the limiter caps so I had adjustment to richen it. Runs excellant now, put a 24" hardnose bar on it and been using it now and then. The Makita 6401 feels a little more powerful but the Efco has a very good power to weight ratio and I like its handling very well. I fell and cut most of a large yard maple about 28" at the waste to try it out.
 
I have the 56cc Cub Cadet Efco, built good, after break in it cuts the same speed as my CS510 Echo. It has a 3/8 chain, might switch to a .325 for more cutting speed. It's 3# heavier full than my CS510 on a good scale. Steve
 
I have an Efco dealer about 2 beers down the road from me who is a perty straight shooter and he claims he moves quite a few and they hold up well. He sells Jonsered also, so he must have a few marbles in his head to start with.
 
Mt 8200

Paid $ 650.00 incl shipping with 20" Oregan bar and 73 LGX

It has a lot of low end torque, runs well in cold

Still being broken in; running ist tank at 30:1 (1/2 a tank is all managed to get time in prior to 4' of lake effect snow).

I will post and compare once have I can set up a level playing field for all my new saws
 
I gotta deal on an Efco 165 ... It ran very lean with the high speed all the way out to the point the saw felt hot so I did a simple dual port on the muffler and relocated the H & L screws in the limiter caps so I had adjustment to richen it. ... The Makita 6401 feels a little more powerful but the Efco has a very good power to weight ratio and I like its handling very well....

I'm looking at getting the 165 (www.prochainsaw.com), and I'm concerned about the lean setting. I don't quite understand what you did to richen yours; do you mean H + L are hard to find or adjust on this unit? Or is it relatively simple? I had to turn +H a 1/4 on my Mak510, hoping to avoid possible piston burn.
 
John deere / Efco / Cub cadet all the same saw. Buddy of mine has one and loves it. Find a cub cadet dealer and save a :censored: load of money, heard nothing but good things about these saws
 
i don't have one but i did get the chance to run a 56cc version.

seemed to be a solid saw with decent power. seemed to be very competitive with the homeowner stihls of the same cc with a bit more power.

due to my last bad experience with the 029 super i would pick the little Efco esp if the price on the efco is right.

and i run a lot of stihl pro class products.:greenchainsaw:
 
I have around 20 tanks thru my new 165 from Baileys. It is as strong as a stock 361, similar powerband. Was too lean from factory on the low. 1/4 turn richer than stops allow works great now.

Plastics seem okay. Do not use plug wrench to loosen gas cap if it is cold. Mine broke on a 0 F morning. If you have big hands the throttle lock can be activated without know it.

Overall I like the saw. Best air filter I have seen since 2054 Jon..
 
jd cs56.....damn good saw

My old man has a John Deere cs56 and we both absolutely love it. It replaced a stihl 034 av super. I think the most impressive part of the saw is how easy it starts. It's usually a two pull start even after it's sat for a long time. It's been working for 3 years now and still not one problem.

Buck
 
I'm looking at getting the 165 (www.prochainsaw.com), and I'm concerned about the lean setting. I don't quite understand what you did to richen yours; do you mean H + L are hard to find or adjust on this unit? Or is it relatively simple? I had to turn +H a 1/4 on my Mak510, hoping to avoid possible piston burn.

Easy to find. The plastic limiter caps only allow about 1/2 turn adjustment which wasn't enough on mine. I had to remove the carb and to remove the limiter caps, used a drywall screw screwed into the plastic limiter cap to pull it off, then I backed out the adjustment screw about 1/2 turn to allow it to run richer and reinstalled the limiter caps. Now its turned in most of the way to the bottom of the limiter cap and I can't adjust it very lean, but have near 1/2 turn to richen it. I didn't need to go out as far as I did, but its working fine where it is.
The muffler mod was simple to . There was a hole under a plate on the front of the muffler which I enlarged slightly and replaced the plate with a slightly reduced MCCulloch muffler shroud I had , then I put a strip of aluminum tape underneath to keep the exhaust off the front part of the crankcase. Looks like the tape may of not been needed but I rather it be there just in case to deflect heat.
 
Chain choices

Thanks for the reply. Mine is coming with a 3/8 full chisel pro chain; I know they cut better & faster, but a newbie like me, used to low kickback chains, I'm wondering if such an option is available for the 165?
 
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