argh.... do I really need more saw than my redmax 4500....

[jerseyjeff]

well, I am in NJ, and for those folks following the news, Sandy handed us our tails, and spanked us good. I have a small property but, the owners prior were hobby landscapers, and I have a ton of trees. Nothing too big, nothing too hard. During the noreaster of last october, I lost a tree and set about chopping it up with a worx electric saw. Dumb move on my part, so, after a ton of research I picked up a redmax 4500 with an 18 inch bar, some labonville chaps, and was happy, the saw is light, cuts like an angry beaver, and is well behaved.

Fast foward to this hurricane.

I lost a few big branches, but the trees held firm, and I was able to clean up the lot in about 1/2 a day, then, I looked around and saw the mayan apoocalypse, huge trees down wires down, cars crushed, cars skewered, houses crushed, garages crushed, garages crushed with cars crushed inside. Bad. Really bad.

So, the town was overwhelmed and it fell on the local homeowners to open up the roads, and start the clearing process. I set to work on a big hunk of oak that had blocked the road (20-22 inch diameter) I was able to limb it quickly, but it took a good long while for me to cut the bigger hunk into sections so we could wrestle it off the road. My neighbor was working on clearing other intersections and he was armed with a 14 inch stihl (climbing saw) and 20 inch echo and had pretty good luck.

Now I am wondering if I should pick a bigger saw, and a quick scan of craigslist has me looking at an 029 super with a 20 inch bar for 275, or an ms 310 for 400... Or I can wait till homecreapo unloads their next batch of Makita/dolmars, and put a big bore kit into it...

The big question for the masses, is, and will be is a used 029 super that much more of a saw? should I hold out for the makita?

Jeff

 

[Streblerm]

I'd wait on the Makita. IMO a 10cc difference isn't enough of an upgrade. Especially considering the 4500 is a screaming little pro saw and the 029 is a heavy Mid grade saw.

I am using a redmax gz400 and a Makita with the 79cc upgrade. I also have an 034 super that rarely gets used any more. For the small stuff I grab the redmax and anything else I grab the Makita. The 034 is a lot more saw than the 029

If you were only going to have one saw the 029 would be ok. For a long time the 034 was my only saw. I think you'd be disappointed with the 029 as a "step up" from what you already have.

 

[GASoline71]

Moved to chainsaw forum.

Gary

 

[user 64030]

guess it really depends on your needs.... I am no fan of the 029/290 saws. big, heavy and low on power for their physical size (not cc). They look nearly as big as a 460 sitting in the dealers showroom together. I would think you'd be better of w/ the Makita, though from what I read if you are going to hop it up just have it ported as is, do not do the big/bore kit I believe the builders on here can get more from porting one than the BB klt can, and the BB kit isn't really portable.


You have a 44cc Redmax, I usually advise for the 2nd saw to stay in a interchangeable family. So oddly I would recommend against Stihl for you as nothing switches easily. I would stay in the husky family, though at 44cc and any good say will have you in the 70cc area is not going to use the same pitch chain, but you good keep spare drive sprockets/rims around so that in an emergency one saw can run all the bars/chains you may have.


dw

 

[user 64030]

Just realized I miss read your title. You are asking, not stating you need a bigger saw...

To that I would say it really depends. What you have is great fo the occasional limb, or tree blow down. If you do not heat or cut for production do you really NEED two saws, or maybe a larger saw and sell the redmax....

Probably not. Hang out here for a while and you will think you NEED 4 or 5 or more saws. You're half way tot eh 50/70 plan that most areound here like though a little short on the 50cc side of the equation.

I good one saw plan is a powerful, light 60cc saw. A prograde model that is rated and can pull a 24/25" bar/chain. This will be not so much weight, and still able to get through the larger trees.


dw

 

[jerseyjeff]

Thanks for swift and sound advice!

I am not sure I need a second saw yet... BUT, my neighbor who was the local hero of the storm had two saws, and my good friend has an 026 and a pair of 088s. Yep, the 088s are nice light climbing saws. During the gas crunch I was looking at a scooter with a smaller motor than the 088....

I think for my use the 4500 will be pretty darn good, it comes out of the garage 3-4 times a year, for heavy use, and then, it is drained of fluids, I run out the rest of the gas in the carb, and then put it back on the shelf.

I am running the stock chain for the 18 inch bar, and I wonder if I ran a different chain if that would make things a bit quicker going through the wood. I do know I will be resharpening the one I have got because I saw a few sparks as I sliced into the tree...

Yeah street trees...

So, My plan for now, is save the money, buy a logrite canthook or peavey, and then wait... but then again, I could always get a redmax 7000... but that would be plain nuts as a second saw...

 

[old-cat]

I'm a little bit jealous, your RedMax is the saw I wish I had! I would strongly suggest you get a STIHL semi-chisel chain for it and study all the info on this site about sharpening.

 

[mountainlake]

If your running 3/8 low pro chain on your Redmax you wont gain much cutting speed if any with a MS290 just about 4# more wieght. Home Depot 6400 sound good. Steve

 

[Trailtrimmer]

The other option is to sell the 4500 and buy a new 60cc saw.

If you are in crunch mode, I wouldn't put much faith in something used unless it came from a reputable builder or seller on this forum.

 

[zogger]

well, I am in NJ, and for those folks following the news, Sandy handed us our tails, and spanked us good. I have a small property but, the owners prior were hobby landscapers, and I have a ton of trees. Nothing too big, nothing too hard. During the noreaster of last october, I lost a tree and set about chopping it up with a worx electric saw. Dumb move on my part, so, after a ton of research I picked up a redmax 4500 with an 18 inch bar, some labonville chaps, and was happy, the saw is light, cuts like an angry beaver, and is well behaved.

Fast foward to this hurricane.

I lost a few big branches, but the trees held firm, and I was able to clean up the lot in about 1/2 a day, then, I looked around and saw the mayan apoocalypse, huge trees down wires down, cars crushed, cars skewered, houses crushed, garages crushed, garages crushed with cars crushed inside. Bad. Really bad.

So, the town was overwhelmed and it fell on the local homeowners to open up the roads, and start the clearing process. I set to work on a big hunk of oak that had blocked the road (20-22 inch diameter) I was able to limb it quickly, but it took a good long while for me to cut the bigger hunk into sections so we could wrestle it off the road. My neighbor was working on clearing other intersections and he was armed with a 14 inch stihl (climbing saw) and 20 inch echo and had pretty good luck.

Now I am wondering if I should pick a bigger saw, and a quick scan of craigslist has me looking at an 029 super with a 20 inch bar for 275, or an ms 310 for 400... Or I can wait till homecreapo unloads their next batch of Makita/dolmars, and put a big bore kit into it...

The big question for the masses, is, and will be is a used 029 super that much more of a saw? should I hold out for the makita?

Jeff

A tornado coming through here convinced me without any doubt whatsoever that I needed more and larger saws. My only regret is not doing that sooner.

I you are a wood cutter, look around your region, look at the largest trees, and realise at some point you will be tasked with cutting them up. Be realistic about how large a saw and bar you would need. Inevitable. You might hardly ever "need" big saws but they sure come in dang handy when you do! Yes you can gnaw your way through big stuff with a small saw, or medium sized, but it gets ridiculous stupid to do so when you are talking huge mature trees blown over and it could be an emergency situation where time is critical and you need to get the job done NOW.

Just like anything else, look at generators and fuel and having some stored food and water, etc. Get that stuff in advance before you need it and it is easy to do so.

I would say at a minimum something that can run a 28"-"36 and not be overtasked.

 

[rburg]

If you can wait for a couple of months, there will be plenty of saws on craigslist after people clean up some of their storm damage. If you can find a makita at a home depot, the 6401 is a strong saw and can often be found at a good price for there used rental saws.

 

[greendohn]

I'd guess a 45cc saw is pretty good for smaller wood cutting/ brushing-limbing. I use a 40cc saw for the same task.

For knocking out anything more than 12" or so you definitely need a saw in the 60cc range or larger. If you could keep your smaller saw and add a larger saw to your work bench I'd say you'll be in good shape to handle about any thing that comes your way.

As mentioned in an earlier post,,I would avoid a "used" saw from a private seller you don't know, unless of course, it's from one the guys from this site. I would trust the honesty and integrity of the guys selling on here. I say that because of the very nature of this place. A rip off or scam artist wouldn't last long around here.

 

[Chris-PA]

No, you don't need a bigger saw. Your RedMax is massively choked by its muffler. If you look up muffler mods on that and similar saws you'll find some examples. Opening up your muffler will make it feel like a new and larger saw, and you can always get a longer bar. A common 20" 0.325" bar for a Poulan like my 2775 will fit, and a loop of Oregon 20BPX (for your existing bar too) will make a world of difference. All of that should be available at local stores (possibly sold out at the moment).

I routinely run a 20" bar on a 46cc Poulan and it rips even buried full bar, as several people noticed during storm clean up last weekend. Some folks here will tell you that you need 80cc to run a 16" bar, which is absurd unless perhaps chain sharpening skills are lacking.

The muffler mod I did on my McCulloch MS4018PAV, which is essentially a RedMax GZ4000, made a huge difference in power:

This was the first attempt which was inadequate, but it shows the access plate I made to cover the holes I drilled through the internal baffle:

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/204686.htm

 

[Zero Signal]

I'm in the same boat as you. After cleaning up and seeing what I saw around here, I quickly realized it would be nice to have a bigger saw. Do I technically "need" it? No. I did ok with my 260 with 18" bar. But, it sure would be nice to have when the situation arises

 

[jerseyjeff]

I am going to take a closer look at that muffler tonight. Will modding a strato muffler mess with the rest of the motor? Has anyone done the 4500 yet?

 

[jus2fat]

No way I pay $275 for an 029 Super - or $400 for a 310..!!

For about $300 you could buy a 036 (60cc) and have a Pro saw and 4.5 hp..!!

Seems you're in no great hurry...so just be patient and selective and get a good one.

J2F

 

[mstang1988]

I suspect you don't need a bigger saw for the amount of times you will cut big wood if you are only using a saw 3-4 times per year anyway and have never needed one before. Now, it would be nice to have. You don't need it now (from reading your post) so like others said, CL is about to become flooded with chainsaws. Also wait for the Home Depot 6401's, great saw, great price. As you can imagine coming to a chainsaw forum people are going to tell you that you NEED more and bigger saws, maybe a modified 3120xp?

Now for me, I rarely cut wood but have a variety of saws anyways because they are such awesome tools and fun to work on. If you get the 6401 and eventually BB it I don't imagine you would be left wanting. It pulls nearly as hard as my 90cc Dolmar 9000 and I would be confident in cutting the largest wood my skills would allow using that saw. I had mine out with 20"+ Pecan in the backyard tooling around and it's like cutting an 8" log with my Husqvarna 435.

Modded saws can do some amazing work too if you want to spend the money but for me the $200 ($350 for BB and saw) for a Home Depot 6401 is the better investment down the road. You have two saws with higher value then just the modded saw.

 

[Chris-PA]

I am going to take a closer look at that muffler tonight. Will modding a strato muffler mess with the rest of the motor? Has anyone done the 4500 yet?

That muffler is from a strato, it's basically the same as your GZ4500 except 40cc instead of 45cc (and it uses 3/8 LoPro rather than 0.325" chain).

I did wonder if increasing the air flow on a strato would change the characteristics of the engine such that the strato-charge system (filling the transfer runners with just air so that less fuel is passed out the exhaust) would no longer be effective. However, I think that within reason reducing the flow restriction should increase both the air flow through the carb AND the air pulled in through the air valve, so it should still work.

Further, the saw was totally unusable in its stock form with barely enough power to spin the chain in air without bogging - it was a complete joke compared to my plastic Husky (Poulan) 142 (also muffler modded). Now I would say they are equivalent, but that is not faint praise as the 142 screams. Considering that it has a very small fuel tank, it still runs quite a long time after the muffler mod, so subjectively I would have to say it still runs efficiently and cleanly. It's just that it can now also cut wood, which is handy in a chainsaw!

When you look at the muffler from the front, the exhaust comes out the port and flows down the back side of the internal baffle. There are two quite small holes toward the bottom of that baffle (which I enlarged by drilling through the front). The exhaust then flows back up the front side toward the outlet, but there is an additional bowl-shaped baffle behind the outlet. The opening to that bowl is on the clutch side of the saw. The reason the first mod I did was inadequate was because I left that bowl entrance restriction in. In the second attempt I ground out a notch at the bottom of that bowl which removes that restriction. Some people drill right through the bowl and the baffle from the outlet, but I wanted to preserve the long path and original routing, just reduce the restriction. Also, there is a pinched waist in the muffler above the exhaust port and I didn't want the flow to go that path.

A GZ4500 with a modified muffler would be a saw I'd like to have.

 

[stihl023/5]

No you dont need a larger saw, for a what if storm situation your saw is fine. If you were doing firewood or cutting a lot more than a larger one would be a need. Save your money and use it for something else storm related, generator etc.:biggrin: