Lurker buying a saw needing advice

[Nathan H]

Go figure huh....

Well, its true. I've been researching and digging wanting to get a good used saw, seeing how a brand new one in the range I want is just out of my grasp. So I wondered if you all could give me some advice in getting said saw. You guys seem like the smartest bunch on the net about such things.

I am looking at a husky 359. Guy is asking $325. Not sure if he is gonna come down or not, but if everything checks out on it seems like it would be a fair deal? If not, let me know. He says its got a good sharp chain on it, not that it would not cost much to replace bar and chain.



I wish I could take a log with me to run it on, but is there any way of doing checks on it without actually getting it into wood?

 

[stihlaficionado]

Go figure huh....

Well, its true. I've been researching and digging wanting to get a good used saw, seeing how a brand new one in the range I want is just out of my grasp. So I wondered if you all could give me some advice in getting said saw. You guys seem like the smartest bunch on the net about such things.

I am looking at a husky 359. Guy is asking $325. Not sure if he is gonna come down or not, but if everything checks out on it seems like it would be a fair deal? If not, let me know. He says its got a good sharp chain on it, not that it would not cost much to replace bar and chain.

View attachment 371215

I wish I could take a log with me to run it on, but is there any way of doing checks on it without actually getting it into wood?

pull the muffler check the piston for scoring

 

[Marshy]

Do a compression. If you dont have a compression tester then go to your local advanced auto store and ask if you can borrow one with a deposit. It would thread into the spark plug hole and have a check valve. Pull it over repeatedly like you were starting it and read the highest number it makes. In general, 130 psi or greater is expected for stock saws. Take some long allen wrenches and pull the muffler off and shine a flash light at the picton and the inner walls to check for scoring. Peek through the spark plug hole or the exhaust port. If there are only a couple faint score lines that the thickness of pencil lead then that is ok but you shouldnt find a score line 1/4" wide. If the guy has no wood for you to try it out on then I might question why he owns it to begin with. You could always bring your own chund of wood to try it on. Someting 10-12" in diameter and 20" long should be enough to get an idea how it runs. Cut the chunk down the long ways and try to burry the bar.

 

[Nathan H]

pull the muffler check the piston for scoring

Ok. Never would have thought of that. Do you know what size socket it should take off hand?

So look at piston for signs of scoring on exhaust side, and then can you see the intake side of cylinder if you pull the rope some? Or does it all just manifest itself on the exhaust side and on the piston?

 

[HuskStihl]

I would only pay 325 for that 359 if the piston looked pristine, the compression was 155, and it really ran well. Generally a 4 and a 5mm allen wrench can get most of the stuff off a husky. I owned a 359 for years and it was a good "near pro quality" saw

Edit: You can only see the intake by removing the carb and boot, but intake scoring is usually a sign of a bad air filter, and not the more typical bad gas/poor tune that kills saws

 

[Nathan H]

Do a compression. If you dont have a compression tester then go to your local advanced auto store and ask if you can borrow one with a deposit. It would thread into the spark plug hole and have a check valve. Pull it over repeatedly like you were starting it and read the highest number it makes. In general, 130 psi or greater is expected for stock saws. Take some long allen wrenches and pull the muffler off and shine a flash light at the picton and the inner walls to check for scoring. Peek through the spark plug hole or the exhaust port. If there are only a couple faint score lines that the thickness of pencil lead then that is ok but you shouldnt find a score line 1/4" wide. If the guy has no wood for you to try it out on then I might question why he owns it to begin with. You could always bring your own chund of wood to try it on. Someting 10-12" in diameter and 20" long should be enough to get an idea how it runs. Cut the chunk down the long ways and try to burry the bar.

I could take a log like that. I didn't think of cutting one lengthwise like that.

I do have a compression tester. Its seemed to have read low in the past though. I have it stuck in my head, for some reason I am not sure, that it ran around 10 psi low. Maybe it was when I tested it with an air compressor or something. I have used it a lot when I was trying to find a good outboard.

I think he is a small business starting up. He has quite a few saws listed for sale. The address he gave me is a residential one though.

 

[Nathan H]

I would only pay 325 for that 359 if the piston looked pristine, the compression was 155, and it really ran well. Generally a 4 and a 5mm allen wrench can get most of the stuff off a husky. I owned one for years and it was a good "near pro quality" saw

That's what I am going for. I really would love to have a pro grade, but they are few and far between. I almost had myself talked into a 357 years back but couldn't swing the cash. I saw this for sale and figured its pretty close to the same and at a decent price. I do think that I will be only offering $300 for it in the end though, kind of where I had my mind set on it when I saw it. But, if I am able to do all the above checks, and it comes out ok then I cannot see how $25 would be something to squabble about.

 

[MillerModSaws]

A 359 is a really good saw. In my area you can buy them pretty easy for $250-$300. A 359 is in between a homeowner and a pro saw. So it can be modded and played with. If your on this site much you won't be able to resist. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[Nathan H]

He has a MS260 pro also, same amount. Had me really tempted with that one. But I think I want the h.p. for the few times I might be cutting some rough beams for a pole barn I've been dreaming up. However, I got to thinking last night that I might just build me a band saw mill instead. So it very well could be just me needing a really, really good firewood saw for trees less than 24", but quite a few cords a year and the need to get them done in the shortest amount of time possible. In the future I'll be venturing out having to bring wood back to my place and want to spend the less amount of time I have to out there.

Here is the deal. I don't have that much land, but we burn wood exclusively in our house. I do have about 5 acres that I am fixing to clear, but the tree's are not that massive. I have had a 42cc craftsman saw for years and it runs surprisingly well. I just want more power, and the ability to put a really, really good chain on a saw. With that craftsman I am somewhat limited on chains, but did find some good ones that woodland pro makes which work well.

So with that said, what would the consensus be between the MS260 and the 359? I know they are two different animals, but each one must have its quirks somewhere.

 

[Nathan H]

A 359 is a really good saw. In my area you can buy them pretty easy for $250-$300. A 359 is in between a homeowner and a pro saw. So it can be modded and played with. If your on this site much you won't be able to resist. Good luck with your purchase.

I am just south of you. Really do not find many used pro saws available, although I don't always have the ear out for them. If I was not wanting to have one by the end of the year then I guess I could just wait for the right one to come along. I'll do it for sure before I spend money on one I am not sure about. It is hard though. I started thinking about the fact that I am coming up on my firewood season and in years past I have always wanted a better saw. Then I start digging around and find this place and it sure does make a guy hungry for a saw even more. Very hard to resist just going out and getting one.

 

[Nathan H]

Ok, so just the little bit of searching I just did made me decide on the 359 over the 260.

That was quick....

 

[MillerModSaws]

We're are you from?

 

[Nathan H]

I say south, I'm in Arkansas. Just across the Missouri line.

 

[nmurph]

Check for the word "CAT" on the top front of the muffler. Also, look to see if it has a metal or plastic clamp holding the intake runner to the cylinder.

 

[Nathan H]

What about modifications to the saw? Good, bad, indifferent? From what I understand it should have a cat muffler. If it looks to be modded is that an issue if everything else checks out? Is there a way to tell if its been ported?

I am going to guess that this saw is stock. I am willing to place my money on the fact that he just finds old saws and fixes them up and gets them to run. He may find them at auctions or somewhere else. But I want to make sure I am not buying a saw that someone burnt up and he just got to run again.

 

[Nathan H]

Check for the word "CAT" on the top front of the muffler. Also, look to see if it has a metal or plastic clamp holding the intake runner to the cylinder.

Good timing. What's better, metal or plastic?

 

[MillerModSaws]

Here's my advice than. PM member Hedgerow. He is putting on a GTG in Carthage MO on Nov 1st. You will be able to run several saws and see what exactly you want and the difference in a ported saw and a stock saw. If thats close for you. Or if you want the drive I'd be happy to let you run any of mine. Welcome to the site. Forgot to say that. Lol.

 

[MillerModSaws]

Good timing. What's better, metal or plastic?

Metal

 

[Nathan H]

Here's my advice than. PM member Hedgerow. He is putting on a GTG in Carthage MO on Nov 1st. You will be able to run several saws and see what exactly you want and the difference in a ported saw and a stock saw. If thats close for you. Or if you want the drive I'd be happy to let you run any of mine. Welcome to the site. Forgot to say that. Lol.

That's not too far. Where abouts do you live in MO?

 

[MillerModSaws]

I live outside ravenwood mo. Bout 15 miles from the Iowa line.