Help! I NEED a nice chainsaw but I know very, very little about them.

S

Squashfan

Joined
Jun 6, 2012
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Maybe I am just looking for an excuse to get a new toy but I need to help my mother clear her property. I have axes and they are nice to cut one or two trees. She has several acres that are over grown with thick brush, saplings and trees. Axes are fun but I need a practical tool cut out saplings/trees. All size of trees from saplings the size of my forearm to trees whose branches are larger than my chest. There are some large trees (70 to 100 feet tall) that I probably won't tackle by myself. She is having a gentleman bush hog the fields but there are several fence rows which need cleaned. I don't think I will have space to swing an axe around them anyway. Not to mention random trees that need felled. Brush will be handled by machete. Dad has an 18" Craftsman but when I watched him use it to fell a small (20-30') tree this spring, I felt like the bar was a little short. Maybe I am wrong though.

What would you guys recommend and is there a good chainsaw reference website?
If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer.
 
My brother-in-law does lots of tree trimming and he swears up and down by Stihl, I think he has like 5 of them- all different sizes. It should be pretty easy to find an authorized Stihl dealer near you. Go in and finagle some.
 
See an authorized Stihl PRO Shop dealer. Explain your needs, and they will set you up with the right saw/bar/chain combo. If you don't have extensive experience with a chainsaw, don't forget the proper safety equipment. A chainsaw can (will) hurt you FAST.
 
You couldn't go wrong with a Stihl 261 with a 20" bar. Maybe more than you intend to spend but the performance is there.
 
Stihl Farm Boss is my go to for a saw. Husky would be my 2nd choice if Stihl can't be found in your area.
 
Stihl is good, so is Husk.

Chainsaws aren't toys, they're gas powered wildcats that can't wait to taste you, especially your face and legs. Just take a look at chainsaw accident pictures and please operate safely.
 
Skimo said:
Stihl is good, so is Husk.

Chainsaws aren't toys, they're gas powered wildcats that can't wait to taste you, especially your face and legs. Just take a look at chainsaw accident pictures and please operate safely.
Click to expand...

Tell me about it. I am afraid of my dad's saw because the only maintenance it gets is chain bar oil. When he was cutting up the tree I mentioned in my first post, the chain came of the bar three times in about 20-30 minutes. Then again, maybe that is normal for chain saws. I realized this morning that I didn't tell you all the price range. I would like to get completely set up for $200 or less. Ideally, that budget would buy me everything needed. So saw, safety equipment and maintenance supplies, hopefully, for $200 or less. BWAHAHAHA! I am laughing at myself because I just looked up Husqvarna on lowe's. The nicest saws were $300-500. I asked the bush hogger and he said Stihl or Husqvarna. It sounds like I am on the right track. Though my budget just went out the window!
By the way, what kind of safety equipment am I looking for? I would expect eye and ear protection. I have safety glasses, will that be good enough? Some part of me thinks that I have seen chain saw protective chaps on Axe men.
Hmm, Husqvarna makes some a package deal. Which kind of chain saw protection would you guys get? http://www.husqvarna.com/us/accesso...ment-and-clothes/clothes/protective-powerkit/

Also, I have been looking around and this saw popped up on Stihl website: http://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/farm-and-ranch-saws/ms290/ I am not set on this saw but it is in the ballpark of what I think I need. Then again, I am probably the least qualified to pick out my own saw.
 
Getting a big powerful saw and no training is a recipe for disaster. There are a lot of things hat can go wrong with a chainsaw very fast. I would be many concerned about proper technique and safety first before purchase info. Just put a new chain on the craftsman and adjust properly might be a good way to start But before all that learn about cutting techniques and safety. Maybe the craftsman can be the learner saw?
 
Squashfan said:
Tell me about it. I am afraid of my dad's saw because the only maintenance it gets is chain bar oil. When he was cutting up the tree I mentioned in my first post, the chain came of the bar three times in about 20-30 minutes. Then again, maybe that is normal for chain saws. I realized this morning that I didn't tell you all the price range. I would like to get completely set up for $200 or less. Ideally, that budget would buy me everything needed. So saw, safety equipment and maintenance supplies, hopefully, for $200 or less. BWAHAHAHA! I am laughing at myself because I just looked up Husqvarna on lowe's. The nicest saws were $300-500. I asked the bush hogger and he said Stihl or Husqvarna. It sounds like I am on the right track. Though my budget just went out the window!
By the way, what kind of safety equipment am I looking for? I would expect eye and ear protection. I have safety glasses, will that be good enough? Some part of me thinks that I have seen chain saw protective chaps on Axe men.
Hmm, Husqvarna makes some a package deal. Which kind of chain saw protection would you guys get? http://www.husqvarna.com/us/accesso...ment-and-clothes/clothes/protective-powerkit/

Also, I have been looking around and this saw popped up on Stihl website: http://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/farm-and-ranch-saws/ms290/ I am not set on this saw but it is in the ballpark of what I think I need. Then again, I am probably the least qualified to pick out my own saw.
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You might find a Poulan or Craftsman 40cc class saw in your price range but I wouldn't suggest those smaller saws for felling trees (which someone with no experience should not attempt by themselves). To be safe using a chainsaw you will need steel toed boots, pants chaps, good heavy duty gloves, ear/eye/head protections (you can get a helmet with all), good brand of 2-cycle oil in it's own gas can, good brand of chain oil, Scrunch (chain saw wrench), case for the saw, sharpening kit or file for the chain, and probably a spare chain, and a good first-aid kit, but just for all this stuff you will spend $200.00, and you don't have the chainsaw's cost yet.

It sounds expensive but considering the cost to go to the emergency room, or the funeral parlor, it is very cheap. I have a couple of big Husqvarna's and five acres of wood to keep them busy. My favorite saw is my Husky 576XP, 6hp, 70cc, 15lb, but you are looking at $1,000.00. It will take a large bar and chain and fell large trees. A good medium saw like my Husky 55 (now called the 455 with newer features) is about 55-60cc (4 hp) and runs in the $400.00-$500.00 range. I saw a new Echo that looked good with a 5 year warranty, made in Japan, about $475.00.

Just remember to treat a chainsaw, and using it, very carefully. The trees and the saw can really hurt you very badly. Barabus's suggestion to get some training and I'll add, don't do any cutting by yourself, get an experienced user to help you (maybe borrow his saws) is super advice for a newbie. Read the instructions for the saw a couple of times until you understand all the features and how to properly cut with it. This will make the task much easier than just grabbing one and charging into the woods, and safer as well.

Here are some chainsaw reviews for saws in various price ranges.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/reviews/outdoor-tools/chain-saw-comparison-field-test#slide-1

http://www.familyhandyman.com/tools/power-tools/chainsaw-reviews/view-all

And don't forget the old chainsaw saying, "Never forget a chainsaw is like a hand grenade with the pin pulled."

I'm curious to know how you proceed, hopefully very carefully.
 
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Barabus said:
Getting a big powerful saw and no training is a recipe for disaster. There are a lot of things hat can go wrong with a chainsaw very fast. I would be many concerned about proper technique and safety first before purchase info. Just put a new chain on the craftsman and adjust properly might be a good way to start But before all that learn about cutting techniques and safety. Maybe the craftsman can be the learner saw?
Click to expand...

Amen!
 
the chain should NEVER come off. That's a sign the chain is too loose, and it can be very dangerous. Find yourself a Stihl pro dealer, they can run you through all the things you need to know on sharpening (not as hard as people make it sound) tension, oil choices, and safety. Heck, they might have a good used saw or two for cheap.
For protective gear, glasses and the face mesh are a good idea. I've gotten dust into my eyes while wearing just the mesh, and it sucks. the typical hard-hat, mesh, earmuff combo is a great way to do it. you never know when something is going to bump your head.
Good steel-caps are important as well, but saw boots with more protection are better. Chainsaw chaps can range from simple ones (fairly cheap, good for homeowner type stuff) that are basicly filled with kevlar yarn, so they bind up the saw before it gets too deep in your leg, all the way up to full on loggers-pants with all kinds of extra protection. To be honest, the basic chaps are going to be the easiest (therefor most worn) and for what you are doing, should be plenty. (you aren't working to meet production quota I hope)

its okay to start small. you shouldn't start with felling trees until you are very comfortable with what trees do when you cut them on the ground, and learn to see when and how there is tension in the wood. How the saw handles, how it effects your balance, and a host of other things will keep you learning for a long time. There is nothing wrong with getting in someone with much more experience, professional or otherwise to help you out by dropping the trees, and you taking care of the bucking. Or just take it slow on your own time, and learn at your best pace.

My best guess for saw size, would be trees up to half the bar length, but its a comfort thing. I've been around saws for a lot of my (short) life, but I'm still really nervous when felling. (and i come from a family of semi-pro loggers)
 
Barabus said:
Getting a big powerful saw and no training is a recipe for disaster. There are a lot of things hat can go wrong with a chainsaw very fast. I would be many concerned about proper technique and safety first before purchase info. Just put a new chain on the craftsman and adjust properly might be a good way to start But before all that learn about cutting techniques and safety. Maybe the craftsman can be the learner saw?
Click to expand...

I am very, very leery of using the Craftsman as a learner saw because it is the only chainsaw my dad has. He is not a outdoorsman by any stretch of the imagination. I mess with dad's tools as little as possible so he doesn't have a reason to mess with my tools. Also, if I don't monkey with his tools, it is not my fault if a tool happens to explode. BTW, about a month ago, he hung a fluorescent light in the kitchen for mom. All while the breaker to the house was still on. AND I WAS DUMB ENOUGH TO HELP HIM!!! I love him dearly because he brought me into this world but I want to stay here a while longer.

I really appreciate the sound advice. I wish I could reply to all the wonderful posts. This will be a process over time. First would probably be the safety gear or together with the first saw. This guy reminds me to be careful when I watch his video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoXIPGKMtDI I am really thinking hard about getting a new saw from a dealer. Something small and less powerful (IE. what Husqvarna calls a homeowner model) that will cut the saplings out. Then not cutting anything larger than my upper arm or higher than 10-12 feet for the first summer. That would be plenty to do because I already work full time. After I have cut for a while, I could get someone to help me learn to fell trees. My area has been unseasonally warm this fall but it is starting to get really cold. I think the best thing would be to spend the winter reading, asking questions and learning from experienced users. Then when spring arrives six months from now, I can hit the dealers and make an educated (for me) purchase. Also, I can save my money and get a good, long lasting saw or two. In the mean time, I will sharpen my axes.
 
Buy yourself a Stihl!!!! Even if it doesn't run they are easy to rebuild and as long as you mix the gas and oil correctly they will last a long time. I worked for a non profit camp and at the end of the year any gas powered equipment that didn't run they told me to scrap. I scrapped them right into my truck bed and traded them on Craigslist with the buyer knowing they were in parts and not running. I got a Steve Skiff handmade knife and about 40 bucks face value of old silver dollars and a book of mercury dimes and 1800s quarters and half dollars.Packaging ate a healthy chunk, Weedeaters are not the easiest to ship.
 
Some of the most useful chainsaw advice I ever got was from a fella that used to compete in those lumberjack contests. He told me to run shorter bars on my saw so that the chain speed would remain high which would keep the saw from bogging down in the cut. I have a modified MS260 and run a 16" bar. There are a variety of techniques that allow me and this saw to cut trees up to 32" in diameter.
 
Husky 454 Rancher is a good choice. Saw another guy recently who swears by his 363 (I may have that number wrong). I asked why he went with it instead of the 454 and he said he just didn't need the larger engine for what he does. You can sometimes find used saws at pawn shops but watch pricing. I had one shop want to sell me a saw for $300 when the store across the street would sell me a new saw and a safety kit for $325 (weekend sale). Plus you never know how good the shop's mechanic is.
 
You might luck into a Stihl MS290, Farm Boss, used in the near future. As hard as it is to believe, Stihl is discontinuing the MS290 in favor of the MS291 with the more efficient engine, or so one of my local Stihl dealers say.

I'm in the same boat, needing a new chainsaw, was going to get a 290 but my dealer sold the last one so the 291 is the one I'm eying.


And as mentioned before, the chain should never come off the bar.

Buy once cry once. Stihls are hard to beat. Buy new and you're GTG, buy used and take it to a dealer to have them look it over
 
I don't think it will make a difference between Stihl and Husqvarna to me. I think I am going to get a lower power learner saw to start with. Would I be wise to get within the same brand? I guess I should get the brand of saw has the features I want. But what features do I want? Well, lower power vs a saw like the Farm Boss? Smaller bar because (I would think) it would be easier to use. Lighter weight too. A saw that will cut saplings and trim larger trees that will still be a useful tool when I get a more powerful saw.

What do you guys think of tooless chain adjustment? I don't know what to think of that feature. I am looking at a lower powered engine offering from Stihl and I have noticed that most of the ones I have looked at come with a tooless chain tensioner. FYI, my dad's Craftsman is a tooless chain adjusment saw.
 
tool-less chain adjustment shouldn't be a deal breaker. its a simple thing. Since the safety standards for saws are very specific, its hard to say what other features you would look for. at the end of the day, all new chainsaws are functionally the same, its just a difference in quality that you are buying (and obviously power v weight v cost)
 
I think I am going to spend a couple of hours at a dealer and, if the are worth their salt, they should be able help me out. If they can't or won't help me, I will get a different dealer who will help me.

Good to know that tool-less adjustment isn't a deal breaker. I guess if Stihl uses it, it must work pretty well. I just have an old mistrust of "New, Improved and Modernized" features. Sometimes, the old way is better.
 
I got me a husqvarna 455 (i think that was the model. im not sure, and its too cold out there for me to make a trip to the garage just to check, so, um, yeah, its the 455). I typically use mine to cut my years fire wood, about 4 or 5 cord. it is fantastic, easy to start, and it is not as fatiguing as my old home lite was to use. other than sharpening and adjusting the chain, there have been no maintenance or repair issues.
 
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