Noisemaker
ArboristSite Lurker
Hi all, I keep coming across this site when I search for stuff on Google, so I figured I'd join. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I've got a long intro and some saw questions. You can skip it and check the bullet points at the end if you don't want to read.
I burn 3 to 5 cord a year, which means I need to drop/buck/split 3 to 5 cord or better a year, however this year I'll be doing about 10 cord because a friend had some trees dropped and I'm taking it all. The number may go up more as the electric company will be coming around to drop stuff at friends houses and I've told them to ask the electric company to leave it behind and I'll take it, so I may end up at 14 cord by the end of the season; not a bad problem to have.
I've got two saws; one that works and one that's broken. Both are Poulan PP5020AV models. I bought one because it was in my price point and I thought 50cc would be enough saw for me for 3-5 cord a year. On the first one I bought the recoil failed, but it was repaired under warranty, while it was in for repair I "needed a saw" and didn't have the money on hand to buy a pro saw, so I just took another PP5020AV off the shelf and got to work. A year later, and that saw is now broken and in for warranty repair (break broken in the on position & bar adjuster snapped off).
The past two years I had the low kickback chains on my saws, this year I picked up an LGX chain and it made a world of a difference on my saw. However the bar on my working saw is more or less done now (the rails are spread so the chain leans & pulls; I'm cutting crescents). I'm ordering an Oregon 160RNDK095 16" bar for it and two LGX chains, as well as another poulan 20" bar for the LGX chain I've already got.
What killed my Poulans was my putting them through trees they had no business being put through. The first year I cut a lot of dirty wood, the second year I cut a lot of wood where I buried the bar and did double cuts to get through it - dropped a semi-rotted 36" diameter tree. The drop was fine, but the bucking is what killed the saws. This year I've got some 24" stuff to buck (it's already down) so again, that poor Poulan is getting beat on; I also have to noodle some stuff that's too heavy for me to lift into the bed of a truck by hand. On top of that I tend to get rough on saws towards the end of the day and push a dull chain when I should stop and run a file across it, I 'm working on that though. I tend to buck for a couple hours three nights a week and spend an entire Saturday or Sunday bucking. I only cut in the fall and spring.
My thought right now is to pick up a pro saw, something in the 60-70cc range, which will do the majority of the work for me and keep the Poulans for the smaller stuff and/or as backups, but now I'm wondering if something like a 460 rancher will do the trick for me, which is pretty much the biggest thing you can get at a box store.
There is a Jonsered dealer up the street from me, the owner is a nice guy, and they have a good reputation; I was thinking a j-red 2166 would be more than enough to do the trick for me, but the buy in is pretty high for a guy who does this just for himself, hence looking at the 460. The nearest Husqvarna dealers is a bit of a haul although I understand the husq/j-red are essentially the same. I've kinda got a soft spot since I grew up cutting with my dads old jonsereds and they just cut whatever whenever, which is why I developed some bad habbits (cutting with a dull chain, burying the bar, etc.).
There is a Stihl dealer not too far from me, like a 10 minute drive but I don't know the dealers reputation.
So to bullet point it for you:
I am a homeowner that does it for personal use
I do 3 to 5 cord a year, with the occasional 10 cord or better year
24" dia and smaller, with the occasional big stuff
have two homeowner 50cc Poulan saws, one is usually in working order
will have a 20" poulan bar and a 16" oregon bar for them with LGX chains.
questions:
will a 460 rancher, ms311/ms391 do the trick for me or should I just suck it up and buy a pro saw?
if pro saw - will the 2166 j-red do the trick or be too much saw?
Thanks in advance guys, I appreciate the opinions.
I burn 3 to 5 cord a year, which means I need to drop/buck/split 3 to 5 cord or better a year, however this year I'll be doing about 10 cord because a friend had some trees dropped and I'm taking it all. The number may go up more as the electric company will be coming around to drop stuff at friends houses and I've told them to ask the electric company to leave it behind and I'll take it, so I may end up at 14 cord by the end of the season; not a bad problem to have.
I've got two saws; one that works and one that's broken. Both are Poulan PP5020AV models. I bought one because it was in my price point and I thought 50cc would be enough saw for me for 3-5 cord a year. On the first one I bought the recoil failed, but it was repaired under warranty, while it was in for repair I "needed a saw" and didn't have the money on hand to buy a pro saw, so I just took another PP5020AV off the shelf and got to work. A year later, and that saw is now broken and in for warranty repair (break broken in the on position & bar adjuster snapped off).
The past two years I had the low kickback chains on my saws, this year I picked up an LGX chain and it made a world of a difference on my saw. However the bar on my working saw is more or less done now (the rails are spread so the chain leans & pulls; I'm cutting crescents). I'm ordering an Oregon 160RNDK095 16" bar for it and two LGX chains, as well as another poulan 20" bar for the LGX chain I've already got.
What killed my Poulans was my putting them through trees they had no business being put through. The first year I cut a lot of dirty wood, the second year I cut a lot of wood where I buried the bar and did double cuts to get through it - dropped a semi-rotted 36" diameter tree. The drop was fine, but the bucking is what killed the saws. This year I've got some 24" stuff to buck (it's already down) so again, that poor Poulan is getting beat on; I also have to noodle some stuff that's too heavy for me to lift into the bed of a truck by hand. On top of that I tend to get rough on saws towards the end of the day and push a dull chain when I should stop and run a file across it, I 'm working on that though. I tend to buck for a couple hours three nights a week and spend an entire Saturday or Sunday bucking. I only cut in the fall and spring.
My thought right now is to pick up a pro saw, something in the 60-70cc range, which will do the majority of the work for me and keep the Poulans for the smaller stuff and/or as backups, but now I'm wondering if something like a 460 rancher will do the trick for me, which is pretty much the biggest thing you can get at a box store.
There is a Jonsered dealer up the street from me, the owner is a nice guy, and they have a good reputation; I was thinking a j-red 2166 would be more than enough to do the trick for me, but the buy in is pretty high for a guy who does this just for himself, hence looking at the 460. The nearest Husqvarna dealers is a bit of a haul although I understand the husq/j-red are essentially the same. I've kinda got a soft spot since I grew up cutting with my dads old jonsereds and they just cut whatever whenever, which is why I developed some bad habbits (cutting with a dull chain, burying the bar, etc.).
There is a Stihl dealer not too far from me, like a 10 minute drive but I don't know the dealers reputation.
So to bullet point it for you:
I am a homeowner that does it for personal use
I do 3 to 5 cord a year, with the occasional 10 cord or better year
24" dia and smaller, with the occasional big stuff
have two homeowner 50cc Poulan saws, one is usually in working order
will have a 20" poulan bar and a 16" oregon bar for them with LGX chains.
questions:
will a 460 rancher, ms311/ms391 do the trick for me or should I just suck it up and buy a pro saw?
if pro saw - will the 2166 j-red do the trick or be too much saw?
Thanks in advance guys, I appreciate the opinions.
