Sean O'Leary
New Member
I got myself my first chainsaw, a factory refurbished Husqvarna 435 earlier this year and spent a good bit of time (several attempts over about a month) getting it tuned. I managed to get her running smoothly last week and just in time too. A storm blew though and damaged two trees that I decided I needed to take down.
Things went fine and the saw performed well. I think I may need to rich up the low jet a touch and lean out the high jet a little, but it did pretty well. But, being a total chainsaw novice and not really knowing what to expect, I have a few things I would like to sanity check with all of you knowledgeable folks.
1. How often should I need to add fuel to my chainsaw? The jobs above were small, taking me maybe 30 minutes apiece, much of it with the saw at idle as I moved things around to better be able to cut them. My saw went though about a tank of gas in those 30 minutes. Is that normal? Additionally, I read that I should sharpen my chain when I fill the fuel tank, so should I really be sharpening my chain every half hour?
2. How often to fill the bar and chain oil? I had read that many saws are designed so that the fuel tank and bar oil tank run dry at the same time. This was not even close to the case with my Husky. Is that normal? (The bar and chain were not particularly hot and worked smoothly. I also found a lot of oil in the stuff I cleaned out from under the clutch cover, so I assume the oiler is working correctly.)
3. I have some steel-toed boots (looking to get better ones), a helmet with face shield and hearing protection, Kevlar chaps, and padded leather gloves. Is there any other safety gear I should have? And what are some good chainsaw boots for around $100? (I would love a pair of Matterhorn's, but I don't have $300 right now. I've also checked some of the boot threads and I don't see any "value" picks mentioned. If there aren't good cheaper boots, I'll save my money and get them soon, but I'm hoping there's something I can purchase now.)
I know that's a lot, but I know you folks can come though. Thank you so much for your help just getting me to this point and for your further guidance.
Things went fine and the saw performed well. I think I may need to rich up the low jet a touch and lean out the high jet a little, but it did pretty well. But, being a total chainsaw novice and not really knowing what to expect, I have a few things I would like to sanity check with all of you knowledgeable folks.
1. How often should I need to add fuel to my chainsaw? The jobs above were small, taking me maybe 30 minutes apiece, much of it with the saw at idle as I moved things around to better be able to cut them. My saw went though about a tank of gas in those 30 minutes. Is that normal? Additionally, I read that I should sharpen my chain when I fill the fuel tank, so should I really be sharpening my chain every half hour?
2. How often to fill the bar and chain oil? I had read that many saws are designed so that the fuel tank and bar oil tank run dry at the same time. This was not even close to the case with my Husky. Is that normal? (The bar and chain were not particularly hot and worked smoothly. I also found a lot of oil in the stuff I cleaned out from under the clutch cover, so I assume the oiler is working correctly.)
3. I have some steel-toed boots (looking to get better ones), a helmet with face shield and hearing protection, Kevlar chaps, and padded leather gloves. Is there any other safety gear I should have? And what are some good chainsaw boots for around $100? (I would love a pair of Matterhorn's, but I don't have $300 right now. I've also checked some of the boot threads and I don't see any "value" picks mentioned. If there aren't good cheaper boots, I'll save my money and get them soon, but I'm hoping there's something I can purchase now.)
I know that's a lot, but I know you folks can come though. Thank you so much for your help just getting me to this point and for your further guidance.
