Reliable chainsaw

[erndog]

Not sure if I'm in the right place or not but I need a dependable chainsaw. I have 10 acres, lots of cleanup and also burn wood. I had a Poulan pro 5020AV. And a Craftsman (Poulan) 4218AV. Both saws are less than six years old and not a lot of heavy use and both have quit. I need a new chainsaw. Small engine mechanic recommended Echo. Any suggestions?

 

[uniballer]

I like my Echo saws (CS-352 and CS-590, and I use a CS-370 a few times a year at work). But one needs to inquire about how and why your previous saws failed?

 

[erndog]

Not sure really. I'm very diligent about servicing all my equipment including automobiles. I change oil, plugs, filters, etc on all my outdoor power equipment yearly. Ran non ethanol gas, synthetic 2 cycle oil. Both saws ended up having carb problems. I put new carbs in them. The 50 c.c. worked well for a while and just quit, it's in the shop right now. Took the craftsman to shop he told me it was compression issues and it would cost more to fix it than saw was worth

 

[northmanlogging]

poolans just don't hold up to regular use, couple that with a new carb that more then likely needed to be tuned... I'll make a guess both saws cooked the cylinder and piston, that or the crap tastic bearings gave up

Echo is fine saw, Stihl, or Husqvarna are good too

Makita/Dolmars are great but hard to find parts for

Biggest thing is spend the money on a pro grade saw, you have a boat load of work to do and a weekend warrior saw isn't going to hold up.

 

[dmb2613]

a MS 362C will last you a long time and is powerful and light , but the down side is about $700 new

 

[erndog]

Well I've gotten fairly decent @ tuning high/low not expert but enough to get the saw running @ peak performance. I would say you're right about the cheap bearings. I'm leaning more towards Echo or Stihl just because that's all they make. I.e. specialize in Small engines only vs a company like Husqvarna who is owned by a vacuum cleaner company and also makes the pos poulans. Thanks so much for your advice and help

 

[Fatherwheels]

If you want trouble free saw, get an Echo 590 if your wood is of reasonable size,
if its scrub bushes and the likes, get the next size down, with a long enough bar
so you don’t have to bend, bending is sore on the back and knees, to be avoided,
I would actually recommend Dolmar 421/ Makita EA4300 for a dependable
saw for the brush and lighter stuff, plenty of parts online too, if you ever need them.

 

[Fatherwheels]

poolans just don't hold up to regular use, couple that with a new carb that more then likely needed to be tuned... I'll make a guess both saws cooked the cylinder and piston, that or the crap tastic bearings gave up

Echo is fine saw, Stihl, or Husqvarna are good too

Makita/Dolmars are great but hard to find parts for

Biggest thing is spend the money on a pro grade saw, you have a boat load of work to do and a weekend warrior saw isn't going to hold up.

No, they are not hard to find parts for, there are plenty online, and there’s dealers on the Forums
who sell the parts, but most importantly, you rarely ever need a part for an Echo Dolmar or Makita,
they are very reliable saws, I have had Three Echo and Five Maita/ Dolmars.

The only saw I ever sold because it wouldn’t start easy enough was a New MS362 with
a days work on it, didn’t want to spend a month in and out of the Stihl shop living in hope
they would admit there was a problem and fix it, seen too many suffer that crap.

 

[catbuster]

There is a “chainsaw” forum here on Arboristsite, it’s just broadly not populated by people who run them to work or make a living.

Just about anything in the Farm/Ranch or Pro lines from Husqvarna, Stihl or Echo will do exactly what you're asking if it’s maintained... Which includes keeping the chain sharp. I’m a Husqvarna fan, the ergonomics just feel “right” to me. I run Stihl saws... Because they have good parts & service in my area. That’s a factor to consider, too.

 

[erndog]

a MS 362C will last you a long time and is powerful and light , but the down side is about $700 new

Dang you're right that's a little more than I wanted to spend. I was looking @ the Echo 400 home depot has. Does it make a difference whether you buy it from a dealer or big box?

 

[Fatherwheels]

Dang you're right that's a little more than I wanted to spend. I was looking @ the Echo 400 home depot has. Does it make a difference whether you buy it from a dealer or big box?

Try and buy from a dealer, if you need parts or advise you will be set to go, not so much
in the big box stores, but if you can do your own maintenance and order parts online
then that’s a different story.

 

[erndog]

Try and buy from a dealer, if you need parts or advise you will be set to go, not so much
in the big box stores, but if you can do your own maintenance and order parts online
then that’s a different story.

Well I do my own maintenance but the advice part is a good thing I hadn't thought about. Funny you would think big box would be cheaper but my local dealer carries the same saw for the same price

 

[slowp]

I second Catbuster's comment. When you live somewhere where overnight delivery may take two overnights or more, you want somebody fairly near who has parts in stock and is within a reasonable distance. Look at a map of Western Warshington. A lot of logging goes on in the central part of that. There are two wonderful, large saw shops in Chehalis. That's why you see Stihls and Huskys out in the woods in that area.

 

[Fatherwheels]

Well I do my own maintenance but the advice part is a good thing I hadn't thought about. Funny you would think big box would be cheaper but my local dealer carries the same saw for the same price

Your blessed then, if your local dealer can compete or come close to the big box boys,
your far better off going local dealer, you will get all sorts of info from them, preventative
words of wisdom gathered through experience, not some kid who wants to get back to
what’s app and knows nothing to start with.

 

[erndog]

That particular dealer carries Stihl and Echo. Might swing by tomorrow and take a look. Thanks again everybody for all the 411. Been a great help

 

[northmanlogging]

There is a “chainsaw” forum here on Arboristsite, it’s just broadly not populated by people who run them to work or make a living.

Just about anything in the Farm/Ranch or Pro lines from Husqvarna, Stihl or Echo will do exactly what you're asking if it’s maintained... Which includes keeping the chain sharp. I’m a Husqvarna fan, the ergonomics just feel “right” to me. I run Stihl saws... Because they have good parts & service in my area. That’s a factor to consider, too.

what he said, except I like stihls mostly for their ergonomics... gots a gimpy wrist and the Husqy's are difficult to hang on to... the sthils have a steeper throttle grip, most other saws mimick the Husqy pattern sadly including Dolmar/Makita/Sachs-Dolmar cause they are some really fun saws to cut with

I Will repeat, dealer is everything, we have 3 Husqy dealers now, one in a rigging shop where service depends on your looks, one in a motorcycle shop... where none of them have ever fell timber, and the other too far away to bother with

I got 2 really good stihl shops within spitting distance, one is super old school, the other is, but looks modern on the outside lol

then we have a logging supply house farther north, that competes with Slowp's friends farther south, This doesn't include the hardware stores that are carrying stihl products now too. so mostly Stihls are ran in the woods around here, ya might even get laughed at if you bring a husqy

 

[northmanlogging]

No, they are not hard to find parts for, there are plenty online, and there’s dealers on the Forums
who sell the parts, but most importantly, you rarely ever need a part for an Echo Dolmar or Makita,
they are very reliable saws, I have had Three Echo and Five Maita/ Dolmars.

The only saw I ever sold because it wouldn’t start easy enough was a New MS362 with
a days work on it, didn’t want to spend a month in and out of the Stihl shop living in hope
they would admit there was a problem and fix it, seen too many suffer that crap.

Getting parts online, is far more difficult then swinging by the shop on the way home and getting what you need at the counter.

while I have backup saws... too many if you ask the war dept... I can't afford to not have a saw running by morning, Overnight delivery from Europe to here is more like a week, maybe 2 longer if customs has a corn cob stuck in their anus.

 

[catbuster]

The brush ape speaks the truth about back up saws. I have six saws I run on a regular basis and I don’t even run a saw every day. Even reliable saws will break down over time... Or all at once when the pioneering excavator slides backwards into the ditch you put your almost new saw into the keep it from being run over from the guys on the road.

Several of them do exactly the same thing... Mostly. I mean, the 046 is a little hot, and the 461 loses by a little to it, but they share lots of the little parts you replace as they wear out. The ones you don’t, well, you either scrap the whole saw or you’re going to the dealer for a part you and the dealer don’t keep in stock, like a whole top end.

 

[Fatherwheels]

Getting parts online, is far more difficult then swinging by the shop on the way home and getting what you need at the counter.

while I have backup saws... too many if you ask the war dept... I can't afford to not have a saw running by morning, Overnight delivery from Europe to here is more like a week, maybe 2 longer if customs has a corn cob stuck in their anus.

And I agree, if you really need a part that is keeping you from working, then definitely buy
local, but not many people end up depending on one saw, something which becomes aparant
to us all when we head out to cut.
I ordered chains and files recently, and the wait is considerable, but I have plenty so this does
not effect me, local Husky dealer does not sell Husky chain, I would also worry what else
he doesn’t stock for Huskies, you need a well stocked dealer, or have plan B.

 

[M.R.]

One of the priorities at the top of my list when comparing/ researching any features of any brand of saw is the
‘Power to Weight Ratio’
Production, fatigue, safety!