novice in need of gen info on chainsaws

[allmuxedup]

I am buying a house w/ many... many overgrown trees in the large yard. they are disrupting the foundation & have to be taken out. i can't afford to hire this done so w/ do it myself. I guess I should mention that the trees are very thick, but the 1st branches are will within reach of the ground. I have spoken w/ a pro who is willing to come by sometime on a slow day & take the high stuff out for me so that I can do this safely. then i do all the clean up & deal w/ the stumps myself.
because there are so many I plan to get a chainsaw. this is probly the only time i will use this tool so i don't want to spend too very much $$ on it. I also have this strange fear of power saws. I'm not afraid of firearms & use them often. I drive big trucks & motorcycles, & have taken many trees down w/ a hand saw, i'v ehooked telephone poles & fought off attacking pit bulls, but when i hear that power saw it does something to me. (maybe i was hacked up in a former life ?)
Given this i figure that an electric saw might be my best choice, they seem less scary. the trees are large, but i am patient. i've already taken out one that was 2 ft in diameter w/ a 3ft manual tree saw. took side angled cuts to get it to do the job. what are the real advantages of a gas powered v. electric, aside from the option of taking it out into the woods; which i will never do. i know that gas is more powerful, but think that might not matter much in my situation.

 

[DDM]

Well Lets see First of all Electric chain saws are Junk especially if your cutting anything over about 3" in Diameter.
If your Afraid of chainsaws then i'd say you might have a problem.If its a respectful fear thats a good thing but a I dont want to touch it and the sound of it frightens me Fear you probably should leave them alone. If your persistant on purchasing one I'd suggest a stihl You can usually resell them on Ebay for near
what you paid new for them.Believe me
ive done this. If you go down to Home depot sears ect and buy a 150.00 Saw
you just bought junk which might or might not do the job you need done.
Go to a stihl dealer and tell him what you
want to cut or Visit http://www.Stihlusa.com
They have a selector which will help you
decide what you need.It sounds to me Like you probably need a Stihl 026 or Larger.The 026 will run you about 375.00 .You could also Opt to Rent one
They usually rent at about $40-60 a day.And you will get a decent size saw
But I'd recomend you stay away from electric They Burn up quiet easily.

 

[treeclimber165]

This is a situation where a Stihl 025 or 029 might be just the ticket. Sure, the lower ends wear out in a year or 2 of heavy use, but that isn't a concern here. For the cost of a week's rental on a commercial saw, you can own an easy-to-use saw that can be resold after you are done.
I personally like the 026 (commercial saw), but I'm looking for a saw to run for 5-10 years and I'm willing to pay for it.
I highly recommend that you don't tackle those trees without another person with you. Compare it to diving. There isn't a pro out there who would be comfortable diving alone. Treework is the same. ALWAYS have a partner, for safety's sake!:angel:

 

[budroe69moni]

hey brother,
i bought a reconditioned echo cs3000 chain saw from the local home depot. the original price was 199.00. i got the saw for the recon price (30% off) and it's covered by a full manufacture's warranty (2 yrs home owner, 1 year commercial). it's a kick-ass little saw (14" bar). it's running like a champ.
budroe

 

[allmuxedup]

it's a very respectful fear. it's much the same as when i started riding motorcycles. but, from the get go i felt more in control of a bike, even a big one. i was thinking of an electric because they aren't as powerful & i therefore feel i can control it much better, it's a ratio thing. i'm just very wary of ever getting in over my head on anything, many say i'm just to concervitive. i'd rather take it slower than i have to & endup w/ all my fingers, toes & everthing else entact.
i plan for it to take months to do these trees, slow & steady, never get so tired that the tree has a fighting chance. i could do it w/ the manual saws i have right now, just figured a chain saw might be better. i do plan on having my 26 yr.old son there w/ me. but i usually find i'm the worker of any group i'm in.
right now i'm digging up the sewer line, the same way; about 15 ft a day, start a new section for soaking after i hit the pipe on the old one, & have dugout the softened dirt on the inprogress seciton. i've dug out 80+ ft 4-6 ft down so far. not bad for a girl !
thanks for all your help. it seems maybe i'd be better off sticking to the manual i've been using, or maybe get a bigger one. i can't afford that kind of $$ for a tool that i'm not absolutly sure about.

 

[treeclimber165]

My mom has an electric saw and won't let me 'help' her with my gas saws. The electrics can be quite torquey and will cut wood or fingers easily with a sharp chain. Most people who buy electrics end up tossing them after the chain gets dull (from sticking it in the dirt! ). If you can find a deal on an electric one, it might be just the thing for you after getting the chain sharpened or replaced.

I cut a 16-18" stump at Mom's with her electric saw, cut beautifully after I sharpened it up. She didn't like the noise of my 038Magnum!

 

[Greg Carberry]

How about a Homelite XL, Super 2? These are a small and a pretty tame little gas powered saw. You can only get them used now but they arent junk. The newer ones have more plastic but are lighter. I think this would make a great beginner saw for you. And if you decide its not for you. Then you havent spent much on it and could get back what you put in it. I have one of these and I really like it for small jobs. Its not a scary saw at all. Here is one for example on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2012365318

 

[erob914]

I am a novice my self when it comes to using a chainsaw. I have cut down a few trees myself and have the same sort of respectful fear of them myself. A few things I always keep in mind while i am working with a chainsaw. Always know what you are going to do if you trip or fall over a limb or branch befor it happens. Whil holding a running chainsaw the outcome can be pretty bad. My first instinct is to get clear of the saw. The bruise to my ego will heal later. The damage from a chainsaw may not.
If you use a truck to pull the tree down a certain direction, make sure the rope is longer than the tree is tall. If its not, your weekend chore will turn into a rescue mission for the truck. I have not done this myself, but I find it is much easier to learn from the mistakes of others.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Hey Pioneer, why didn't you recommend an old Pioneer Saw????

That homelite saw on eBay made me laugh when I read it has new pull cord...think that's from all the pulling, and no running?

 

[treeclimber165]

Another consideration on electric saws is that they are ONE speed, full blast! No throttle like a gas saw. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on what you are doing with it at the moment. :alien:

 

[Treebeard]

I've always thought electric chainsaws were more dangerous than gas powered simply because if that thing is plugged in all it takes is a finger touch & something is gonna get cut, no warning, no starting. At least the gas jobs purr before they bite. I've been wanting to get my hands on the battery powered ones though, can't recall who makes them, but looked like a decent pruning saw. I just hope they have a safety You may be far better off with a bow saw & a polesaw, thay always start, never need too much mechanical babying, and are far safere in most hands. If you really want to use a chainsaw, try a rental yard. The one here rents chainsaws for about $50/day, and hopefully, they've sharpened & adjusted it before you take it home.

 

[Greg Carberry]

Originally posted by Mike Maas
Hey Pioneer, why didn't you recommend an old Pioneer Saw????

That homelite saw on eBay made me laugh when I read it has new pull cord...think that's from all the pulling, and no running?

Mike,
I would have but tracking down the parts for them is not for the novice. However they are a great saw as long as you can find the parts.

Yep it could be from alot of pulling mine amazingly has its original cord though really there not that bad as long as you take time to maintain it

 

[seeker]

gas vs. electric and who knows what else

After reading all the threads and saw options presented, I can't
help but think about some other issues pertaining to the original
post.
1.) Job summary - How many trees ? What type(s) ? How large ? Disposal ? Will it become firewood ? Permits, if any ? Impact of roots and foundation, if any ?

2.) What knowledge and skill will be required to complete the job
safely and with desired results? What value do you pay yourself
for time and effort ?

3.) Cost has already been discussed, but what is the actual total
cost of the entire project ? Not trying to be negative, but where will you be if you happen to get injured and cannot work gainfully for any period of time ? Accidents do happen, and not always to someone else.

I agree that being apprehensive about chainsaws or weapons or motorcycles is a good thing, but not always the best scenario.
Being a mechanically inclined person, I have over the years engaged in a variety of projects and intimidating adventures, mostly with favorable results.
The common links to all these endeavors were:
Gameplan, Knowledge, Tools
Your best decisions will be with these in mind.

My mother-in-law just had a 70 foot Maple taken down for $150.
They came, did the job, left the 18 inch firewood on the driveway,
ground out the stump, removed the waste , left the yard as they found it, were INSURED, and were gone in 1.5 hours. Gameplan,
Knowledge, Tools.

Whatever your decision, please remember SAFETY FIRST !!!

P.S. Here in New England, you're not cutting any large Cherry, Hickory or other assorted trees within 3 feet of the ground with any electric or other toy saw. The wood is nothing short of the density of granite.

Good Luck !
Seeker

 

[DDM]

150$ ? i wouldnt even Drive a truck over for that. They ground the stump to? Whats wrong with this picture?

 

[seeker]

God's honest truth - $150.
Small outfit down from the Berkshires.
I agree - some other firms would have started at $400-$500
It's always a good thing to know lots of folks.

Seeker

 

[stihltech]

novice

What do you feel you should pay for a chain saw?

 

[Nickrosis]

The lowest possible price.

Nickrosis