clarksvilleal
ArboristSite Member
Well, I got my G5000 yesterday, unboxed it, and (tried to) put the bar and chain on the saw. First problem: Couldn't get the (plastic) bar cover off after removing the two nuts 
. Scratched my (balding) head, looked at the parts diagram and saw that the cover was not just a cover, but actually included 32 parts, most of which were associated with the chain brake and the chain tensioner, both built into the cover assembly. Played around with the cover a bit more, still couldn't get it off, then called Tony at Amick's. He told me that the brake was engaged, so I should pull back hard on the (plastic) hand guard to release the brake. Pulled pretty hard and it wouldn't move. Tony said pull harder, don't worry about breaking it, so I did, and it did release the brake and the cover came off. First chainsaw I ever used where the cover was not just a simple cover (and the first where the cover was plastic).
So, I put the bar and chain on, turned the chain tensioner screw to tension the bar & chain. Next stepped on the (plastic) handle and started the saw after four or five pulls (expected for a new saw, I suppose). Blade didn't move. Revv'ed it up, but the blade still didn't budge, and some smoke was coming out from under the cover. Stopped the engine, scratched my (still balding) head, and called Tony again. He knew right away what was wrong - you have to be careful to line up the bar with the "rim", which was "floating" on the clutch drum sprocket. Tony said the floating rim is used in Pro saws to make it simpler and cheaper to replace if necessary, but that means a little fussier attention to detail when putting the bar and chain on.
Next noticed that very little if any oil seemed to be coming off the chain, so looked for the oil adjustment screw, which was a little hard to find at first. The bar oil icon & adjustment markings were right next to a 3/4" deep hole on the (plastic) bottom of the saw that looked like a hole described in the manual where the adjusting screw should be, but turns out there was no screw at the bottom of the hole. Now starting to pull hair out of my (even more balding) head, looked around some more, and finally found the screw, not in the hole near the adjustment markings, but about an inch and a quarter away on the side of the (metal 
) casting near the clutch & sprocket assembly (accessible from under the saw in the space between the chain cover and the casting).
Found that the adjustment screw was m/l at the center of the range, so turned it up a bit and got a reasonable amount of oil to spray off the chain. Finally was able to start cutting. Cut a few 8"-10" pieces off of a sweet cherry tree trunk. Using the stock anti-kickback chain for now; will try the more aggressive Oregon 20LPX072G once I get used to the saw.
Overall impressions:
1) Owner's manual leaves too much to the imagination for someone who hasn't used this saw before;
2) Too much plastic;
3) Other than that, I like the saw. It is light, well-balanced, and seems to have a lot of power for its size. But not having really stressed it yet, will reserve judgment on the power until later.
When I complained to Tony about the complicated cover with the built-in brake, he said that's the way a lot of the saws are designed now, including the Huskies. When I complained about all of the plastic, he said that it was not just plain old plastic, but special plastic reinforced with fiberglass or something like that, and could actually stand up to more abuse than some metal parts. I'm skeptical; we'll see ...
I must say my first impression was not good and I was having a bit of buyer's remorse (i.e, maybe should have bought the 346xp for the extra $160?). But once over the new-user-ignorance-not-helped-by-the-manual issues, I am beginning to like the saw. And Tony at Amick's was a good guy, very helpful and reassuring that he would take care of me if I had any problems with the saw.
. Scratched my (balding) head, looked at the parts diagram and saw that the cover was not just a cover, but actually included 32 parts, most of which were associated with the chain brake and the chain tensioner, both built into the cover assembly. Played around with the cover a bit more, still couldn't get it off, then called Tony at Amick's. He told me that the brake was engaged, so I should pull back hard on the (plastic) hand guard to release the brake. Pulled pretty hard and it wouldn't move. Tony said pull harder, don't worry about breaking it, so I did, and it did release the brake and the cover came off. First chainsaw I ever used where the cover was not just a simple cover (and the first where the cover was plastic).So, I put the bar and chain on, turned the chain tensioner screw to tension the bar & chain. Next stepped on the (plastic) handle and started the saw after four or five pulls (expected for a new saw, I suppose). Blade didn't move. Revv'ed it up, but the blade still didn't budge
, and some smoke was coming out from under the cover. Stopped the engine, scratched my (still balding) head, and called Tony again. He knew right away what was wrong - you have to be careful to line up the bar with the "rim", which was "floating" on the clutch drum sprocket. Tony said the floating rim is used in Pro saws to make it simpler and cheaper to replace if necessary, but that means a little fussier attention to detail when putting the bar and chain on.Next noticed that very little if any oil seemed to be coming off the chain, so looked for the oil adjustment screw, which was a little hard to find at first. The bar oil icon & adjustment markings were right next to a 3/4" deep hole on the (plastic) bottom of the saw that looked like a hole described in the manual where the adjusting screw should be, but turns out there was no screw at the bottom of the hole
. Now starting to pull hair out of my (even more balding) head, looked around some more, and finally found the screw, not in the hole near the adjustment markings, but about an inch and a quarter away on the side of the (metal ) casting near the clutch & sprocket assembly (accessible from under the saw in the space between the chain cover and the casting).Found that the adjustment screw was m/l at the center of the range, so turned it up a bit and got a reasonable amount of oil to spray off the chain. Finally was able to start cutting. Cut a few 8"-10" pieces off of a sweet cherry tree trunk. Using the stock anti-kickback chain for now; will try the more aggressive Oregon 20LPX072G once I get used to the saw.
Overall impressions:
1) Owner's manual leaves too much to the imagination for someone who hasn't used this saw before;
2) Too much plastic;
3) Other than that, I like the saw. It is light, well-balanced, and seems to have a lot of power for its size. But not having really stressed it yet, will reserve judgment on the power until later.
When I complained to Tony about the complicated cover with the built-in brake, he said that's the way a lot of the saws are designed now, including the Huskies. When I complained about all of the plastic, he said that it was not just plain old plastic, but special plastic reinforced with fiberglass or something like that, and could actually stand up to more abuse than some metal parts. I'm skeptical; we'll see ...
I must say my first impression was not good and I was having a bit of buyer's remorse (i.e, maybe should have bought the 346xp for the extra $160?). But once over the new-user-ignorance-not-helped-by-the-manual issues, I am beginning to like the saw. And Tony at Amick's was a good guy, very helpful and reassuring that he would take care of me if I had any problems with the saw.
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), at least if I don't want to be replacing the cover and related parts too often.
