I need help picking a chainsaw

B

benchmadebob

Joined
May 12, 2008
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756
i have never had a chainsaw before and i am planing on geting one something that can fall trees with a max dia of 2 feet and i am going to be felling only maple and pine trees. And making them into fire wood and my budget is 200$

Any help is appreciated.
 
I have a Poulan Pro. I think it's 42cc and 22". I have used it hard for about 4 years now and still works like a charm. I got it at Lowes for around $200. I admit there are better saws out there, but this has been great for the money.
 
Husqvarna or Stihl! Poulan, Sears, etc. they are all throw away saws. When buying a chainsaw you REALLY get what you pay for!. I have 8 Husqvarna saws. Put another $100 in and get a Stihl 290 and it will last you a lifetime if taken care of. Besides out cut anything purchased in your local hardware store. Literally no comparison what so ever. If you are using it to offset fuel costs it will MORE than pay for itself. Go onto this chainsaw forum and do some reading. http://arboristsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9
 
I second the suggestion above. Husqvarnas are pretty good, but I love my Stihls. Give them a little love, and they'll cut trees longer than you can. Others may be more knowledgeable about specific models, but we've got an 029 that works very well for what we do, sometimes trees up to 24". I think it has an 18" bar.

Just make sure you're very careful. Don't know if you have any experience with chainsaws, but if not you should find somebody who has some and learn at least a bit from them. There's a lot to learn, and cutting trees can be very dangerous. I also suggest not using it alone. Things can go south real quick.
 
Out here in the country, chain saws are the second-most dangerous piece of equipment, after PTO on tractors. BE VERY CAREFUL. Really: gloves, eye protection, and ear plugs...no, REALLY.

Yup, Stihl or Husky. You might resist the temptation to get the longest bar you can find. They get heavier after a bit. :)



Kis
 
i have some experince with chain saws and have watched like all safety videos on youtube and on sthil.com

Also im wondering what kind of stores sell huskys i havent seen any at lowes or homedepot.
 
They used to sell on line but just stopped doing so. You could actually look on Ebay for a new one or you are going to have to go to a dealer. The Husky 350 is an outstanding saw in the $300 range. It is 52cc and very light to handle. Put an 18" bar on it and you will never stop it. You can actually try calling these guys. http://norwalkpower.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=213

They may have a few left as it was just replaced by a new model which is not as good as the 350 due to the new EPA BS.

They MAY sell you one and sneak it thru the mail? I have bought several saws from them and I can not say enough nice things about them! Super prices and service. If they do sell you one you get a ton of free extras including several chains which are a HUGE savings!
 
felling trees is dangerous stuff be very carefull, in the matter of chain saws, you get what you pay for, if you want to fell trees of the 24 inch size you will need a fairly robust chain saw, or two. i like to have a larger saw to cut down the tree, and a smaller lighter one to handle the limbing and smaller chores.

the smaller saw gives you less fatigue when handling the many cuts you need to make after the tree is down. i have had good service from some of the big box chain saws like poulan, homelite. but you need to know their limitations. these saws have less horsepower so you need to cut slower. also an electric chainsaw is a nice thing to have around.

alex
 
I'll pile on and say that you are going to be hard pressed to find a $200 saw that will do what you need it to do and not have to replace it every 3 years. I run a Stihl and if they stopped making them, Husky would be my other choice. IMO, a 24 inch bar is the perfect all around length.

My advice would be to find your local Stihl shop and call them up and ask them if they know anyone selling a used saw in the 038 family. I bought an 036 AV Super for $300 a few years ago, and here in Idaho, everyone wants a Stihl.
 
Kismet said:
Out here in the country, chain saws are the second-most dangerous piece of equipment, after PTO on tractors. BE VERY CAREFUL. Really: gloves, eye protection, and ear plugs...no, REALLY.

Yup, Stihl or Husky. You might resist the temptation to get the longest bar you can find. They get heavier after a bit. :)



Kis
Click to expand...

more important that gloves, eyewear and helmet is CHAINSAW RATED chaps or full wrap Pants. It takes a split second for a chain to rip thru your MAJOR arteries in your leg.
 
Another vote for Stihl. Can't remember how long I've had mine and it's never skipped a beat. Wasn't really THAT expensive, either ($300-ish IIRC).
 
www.wisesales.com has good prices and good service.

Another plug for safety equipment and a huge does of "let me stop and think this through" when working. A good friend of mine almost lost a leg recetly on a big oak that shifted on a slope. He was half paying attention after cutting for a couple for a couple of hours.

I have had good service from Stihl 028, 044 and MS441 as well as Husky 257 and 359- from my personal experience. I currently use the 359 & 257 with 24" bars and a little Poulan 2.0 with 14" bar for limbing.

2Door
 
I have used still for the last 5 years and have been very satisfied. I just purchased a Stihl 361 with a 16 inch bar. Before that I had a Homelite Super XL that I used for 25 years.

-Yooperman
 
best piece of advice i can give as a pro chainsaw operator: (its a side business for me)

Wear ALL the safety gear , ALL the time when running a saw

Get hands on training from a professional saw operator, seek out a logger.

maintain your equipment religiously, chain sharp, and tensioned properly, fuel mixed properly, etc etc

do not run a saw when tired, under the influence, or in conditions where you cannot get a good stance while cutting.

keep a Israeli Bandage ON YOUR PERSON, it can be applied ONE HANDED and MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE if you **** up. Also carry a whistle pinned to you shirt. wear hi viz clothing and try not to work alone.

the saw is really secondary to this.

areas most often injured by chainsaws:
chain_body.gif


this operator was wearing chainsaw pants when his saw bucked back. The protective fibers of the pants JAMMED up the saw, as they are intended to do. All he had was a tiny abrasions instead of a severed leg.
u8520e0e.jpg


How to operate a chainsaw safely:

Outline of the Slide Show
The slide show can be downloaded from the Florida Agsafe Network Web site at:

http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu

I am in NO way trying to scare you here. Knowledge of the damage that the tool can do and how to prevent it is good to know !

facial gash caused by chainsaw that kicked back, worker was not wearing helmet, face shield, and was TOO close to the chainsaw bar (overhead cutting with saw)

4284d1202417505-home-owner-tree-crew-accidents-accidents-chainsaw-kickback.jpg
 
Last edited:
benchmadebob said:
i have never had a chainsaw before and i am planing on geting one something that can fall trees with a max dia of 2 feet and i am going to be felling only maple and pine trees. And making them into fire wood and my budget is 200$

Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Stihl or Husqvarna. Skip the other brands. I also have a German brand called Dolmar which is owned by Mikita. If you find one of those they are also very good.

I don't use mine very often and when I do, if I know I won't get to use it again for another 6 months or so I will drain the fuel and let it idle until it runs out of gas. That way the carb doesn't get fouled up.

As mentioned, read the instructions on how to use it properly and follow the safety recommendations to the letter. There is no 2nd chance with a chainsaw.
 
Another vote on Stihl.
If you can only get one, rather than a large for felling & smaller for splitting bits up..
I'd suggest that you first figure out how small you could possibly go & get the job done, then go to the store and pick up the next larger model & see if you're comfortable with it. If so, see if there's a heavy-duty version (some are available with larger engines) see if thats okay to carry for a bit, heft it a number of times etc, if so, go for that one- if not, step back down one.
 
I know this blows your budget but that is what we are here for! ;) I love this model- I bought the 359 for the 3/8" pitch over the .325 but I really wish I could have bought this one:
346xp - (1) 20" BAR & CHAIN only
.325 Pitch; .050 Gauge

Cylinder displacement 2.7 cu.inch / 45.0 cm³
Power 3.7 hp / 2.5 kW
Maximum rec. engine speed 14 700 mm
Fuel tank volume 1.06 US pint / 0.50l
Oil tank volume 0.59 US pint / 0.28l
Oil pump type Adjustable flow
Chain pitch .325"
Rec. bar length 13-20" / 33-50 cm
Sound level 101 dB(A)
Noise emissions, LWA 114 dB(A)
Vibrations, front/rear handle 3.3 m/s² / 3.4 m/s²
Weight excl. cutting equipment 10.6 lbs / 4.8 kg

Husqvarna 346xp 18in $459.99
Husqvarna 346xp 20in $465.99

All up should weight about 14lbs with bar/chain and liquids and cut everything 90% of us homeowners will ever need. Likely last you as long as you are fit to cut wood. My 359 weighs 12.1 lbs for the dry head, 3.6 cu for 3.9 HP just to get the bigger pitch/common chains- a questionable trade in reflection.

Now the 372Xp!!! Oh don't get me started... :) I like saws almost as much as knives, just can't afford as many. :(

2Door

As usual Bushman5 gives some top quality advice for free. I might ad to keep a cell phone in your upper pocket. My amigo was pinned by a tree while working alone and had no way to contact anyone.
 
bringing this back up:

this is why we wear chainsaw rated safety pants:

20" bar/chain, spinning at 16000 rpm, goes thru flesh like a hot knife thru butter.
injury.jpg


nuff said.
 
I'll be honest, that was a trauma course, that injury was simulating an actual chainsaw injury that the instructor dealt with weeks prior. They used cheesecake and fake blood to re-create the injury.

Having said that, i have patched up fellow saw runners in the woods, and i can attest that a chainsaw going thru a leg looks very similar.

point is, take the safety aspect real seriously. :)

I know it seems like i'm harping on the safety issue, but i do so for a reason....chainsaws are frickking dangerous, EVEN in the hands of long time operators. I just got word a client died last week using a saw, and he been running saw for years. He was 38. I cannot stress enough the importance of training, and also of having a chainsaw designed FAK (Israeli bandages) Both will save your life.
 
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