T540xp vs..?

[RogerD31]

Hi all. Im new here. Heres my issue. Ive owned the 540xp since 2015. Since then, its been sent in 3 times for a tuning. Either hard to start or wont start back after its burnt 1 tank of fuel. It just bogged and smelled like fuel. I got fed up of the same thing after each tune that i went to a different dealer this spring and had him tune it. It never ran better! I ran it for the past month pruning and cutting apple trees. Went out yesterday, ran perfectly for 20 min then died hard. Wouldnt start back up. Compression waa good. I pulled the plug, looked good. I let it cool down then tried again. It started, ran for 10 min then died.

I brought it to the dealer, autotune read no codes and everything is in spec. Theyre thinking the coil but he said were not sure well start there. So well see.

While i was in the shop i noticed the echo cs2511t. My question is, would i be disappointed in trading my 540 for the 2511? I know the hp is less but so is the weight. I have an apple orchard that we prune in the winter and cut down old trees every few years. The biggest cut is maybe 6" diameter trunks when cutting. Pruning maybe 2".

Im just fed up with the 540 not being reliable.

Thoughts? Thanks

 

[jefflovstrom]

Go for it,, we gave up on the T540xp a few years ago, only ran good for a couple months, then nothing but problems.
Jeff

 

[tree MDS]

Go for it,, we gave up on the T540xp a few years ago, only ran good for a couple months, then nothing but problems.
Jeff

Lol. I thought they “ripped”?

 

[RogerD31]

Go for it,, we gave up on the T540xp a few years ago, only ran good for a couple months, then nothing but problems.
Jeff

Hi jeff. What saw(s) did you replace it with?

 

[ATH]

I've never run the 2511, but have a CS355T. That is certainly a better comparison to the 540 than the 2511 is.

I won it in a drawing and was planning to sell it brand new and use that money towards a Husqvarna T536Li (battery powered), but decided instead to give it a try and save some pennies.

I can't speak to longevity because I've only been using it for a couple of months. But in that time, I've cut through both Pin oak and Honey locust that were bigger in diameter than the 14" bar and it just kept chewing away. I normally would have called for the bigger saw for both of those, but wanted to see what it could do...very good power. It starts a little tough when it is cold, but once it has been warmed up, it takes a pretty wimpy pull to get it going.

 

[AGoodSteward]

Boss started using a couple of Stihl 150's.
1/4 in chain so less resistance in the cut. Muffler mods. They are pretty sweet, and weigh so little, that I don't mind that they are slower than the 200t.
Also the small bar is nice for tight crotches or weird spots. We were roping big Cottonwood limbs off this week, and he'd sneak the blade in for a notch under the rope after he tied it. Couldn't do that with my saw.

 

[ATH]

A guy who subbed on a job for me earlier this year has a 150 with a carving bar. Very nice set up...i wouldn't compare it to a 540...but a great tool to have. Depending on use, maybe a better tool for the job. Having another available isn't a bad idea

 

[RogerD31]

Thanks for the replies! I kept looking into different options after i wrote the thread. I should add some detail to my situation.

As it is now i have enough top handles to serve me. When we bought the orchard in 2012, there was a cs340t and a cs341t, which i still own but leave for the employees if needed. Great saws but they lacked the rpm and power feel, to me. A few years later the wife wanted a saw that was lighter so we bought a cs271t. Still have, great saw. Employees use it when needed. It was at that point i wanted a more powerful top handle to prune with and but down the trees. I aquired the 540xp in 2015. But as mentioned earlier, i had annoying issues.

Last year we went out and bought t536li xp saws to do our winter pruning with. The wife had a hard time starting the gas saws and the saw wasnt always running. So cold starts were common. To be honest, the battery saws are the best thing that happened to our pruning. No gas, a lot less noise and on and off when needed. The only negative is that the battery saws die quick and dont have the guts of a gas saw to cut the trees all day.

All this to say that i dont need the 540, especially with the issues it keeps giving me and i really dont need another top handle saw. Ill use the 271 as a cutter and electric for pruning.

But, what to do with the 540? I have a 545 and a 372xp as my firewood saws. I could trade the 540 and 545 on a newer 50cc. My 545 is 8 years old but has been flawless. What to go for if i do? 545 mark2, 550xp or stihl? Ive never owned a stihl before. Hmmm

After writing this, i think i have too many saws! Haha

 

[jefflovstrom]

Hi jeff. What saw(s) did you replace it with?

MS201T
Jeff