Chainsaw recommendations

I want to get a small chain saw to cut up dead fall and small trees around my yard which really is a forest.

Looking at a 16" for ease of handling.  I hear Hasuqvarna is a good brand.  My father in law has a big saw for bigger jobs if needed.  Recently hired a forester to take down a 100 foot pine that had ant issues and was a danger to fall on the house.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_197579-86886-965167936_1z0wges__?productId=1229527&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1

Thoughts?

Stihl or Echo make the best saws. PERIOD

There is only one chainsaw worth buying - Stihl. Mine is a 20" Farm Boss, one hell of a saw that keeps on cutting.

I agreed with that ^^ until my hero Brant Lake Ed loaned me his Echo.  It was pretty sweet.  Granted it was also brand new. (I don't think he had used it yet.)

The real question for me was bar length / size.  The smaller saw (14") is so much more useful in MOST situations, but the bigger saw can handle that huge tree that drops onto your driveway.

16" is middle I guess.

campgottagopee wrote

Stihl or Echo make the best saws. PERIOD

True. Echo has a five yr warranty. I have one. It's a great saw, every bit as good as my Stihl.

1)Stihl
2)Husqvarna or Echo
3)Red Max (small saws)
I went to school with an Alaskan Smoke Jumper. He recommended Stihl.

My thinking on the size exactly.  14" is more for limbing where a 16 is more of a jack of all trades though not perfect for everything.  My father in law is a chain saw guy and he likes his Hasuqvarna over his Echo.  The price seems right with this one and while I believe in paying up for quality over say a Poulan which are a hundred bucks cheaper I don't need a pro quality saw for how much I will use it.

Don't buy a Husqy from a big box store. Engine size is more important than bar length. The saw I lent Harvy is an arborist saw, no handle behind, meant  for limbing, climbing, bucket  use. Great for the small stuff and trail work. I  also use a Stihl MS 360 for felling and anything big. Oh, yes that saw was 10 hrs used replaced one that I had had for 12 years.

BRLKED wrote

Don't buy a Husqy from a big box store

THIS!! I think this statement is very true. Not 100% sure about saws but I know the shotgun you buy from a big box store is NOTHING like the one you buy from a dealer. Diff quality all the way around......few bucks more and you get grade A

BRLKED wrote

  Engine size is more important than bar length.

Right on. It's all about the RPM's baby. The fuel injected saws the make now absolutely rip!!  

In that vein, an FWIW FYI....... I had a Stihl saw years ago. Ran great, was all you'd expect, worked it hard. However, I had read in the owner's manual how they're shipped to run a bit slower than max rpm and that after break in period, one could adjust the settings to a higher rpm max. One day, I had a saw guy do that and Hokey Smokes! that baby ripped even more. It was noticeable.

Get a Stihlor an Echo. I have had an Echo  and a Stihl 028 wood boss for over 25 years ,both still working fine.  Used to sell firewood to the,campgrounds in summer for extra money, worked both saws hard and they held .Get a 16 inch back most versatile.

Stay far away from a Stihl 14".      The carb is crap and fully unadjustable.  I have replaced mine 3 times since owning it.   Air intake sucks too, allowing sawdust into carb--which is the problem, I guess.   Stihl charges $50 for a new carb, you can get on the net for $30.  Or buy a crate from China at less than $1.00 apiece--but who needs 1000.    I see you are going for the 16', so I don't have a comment on Stihl.    I agree the  Stihl 20" farm boss is 100% perfection.    

Now that I dug into Stihl's 14" product...  I want to say a 14" saw is great. Lightweight and can be used all day.  

Tooth size----educate yourself here.   Smaller saws sometimes come with smaller teeth on the chain.  Stihl is known for this.   Echo puts the bigger chain on their smaller saws.    I think the smaller version is called "safety chain"   because it reduces kickbacks.    If you have any skill and presence of mind, get normal chain.     If you are timid, go safety.    

 

My money would go to Echo for less than 20"      Really nice and knowledgeable owner in Warrensburg, but that is a drive you don't need and would get local.   Just FYI for others looking for Echo.  

What BRLKD said for sure. I did tree work for a few years and we always used Stihl. I would recommend buying a used one that's at least 4 years old though. I believe and I may be really wrong about this that they started using computer parts in the motors about 3 years ago. If something acts up you have to take them to a certified dealer to have them fixed. Like I said, I might be wrong but if that's true it might be a pia. Look into that. A 16 inch bar is probably perfect for the work you are talking about.

If you don't have a lot of experience make sure you learn how to keep your chain nice and sharp. Working your motor with a dull chain is no bueno and figuring out how to file it right isn't brain science but it's not that easy either.

Snowballs wrote

In that vein, an FWIW FYI....... I had a Stihl saw years ago. Ran great, was all you'd expect, worked it hard. However, I had read in the owner's manual how they're shipped to run a bit slower than max rpm and that after break in period, one could adjust the settings to a higher rpm max. One day, I had a saw guy do that and Hokey Smokes! that baby ripped even more. It was noticeable.

Interesting.  I purchased a saw when we bought our home, it's taken down countless trees over the past few years and I've noticed it seems to bog down a bit more than I should when getting into the bigger stuff... Just seemed like there should be some more umph to it... I just associated it with being the newer more gas 'efficient' saw...  

Thanks for the tip.  I'll call Wilton saw and look into it

I ended up getting the 345 Husauqvarna

Used it today to take some pines down the where going to fall on my driveway in the near future.  Worked well and I would not want it any shorter or longer.  Price was right for how little I'm likely to use it.  It had nice balance and low vibration.  I'm happy with it.

Cool. Now we can call you Coach ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Anybody else find it fun to run the chainsaw ?  I do.  There's something about the saw rippin, motor screaming just tearing through the wood and BOOM the tree falls and hits the ground. Then ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ dicing it up.

It's a goodtime. Problem is, as soon as you're done..... " Ah crap. Now I have to clean up and get rid of all this brush ! ".

Late to the party I see, hope the Husq works out well!

I've had a few chainsaws and without a doubt the Stihl Farm Boss is the absolute best (always starts, runs flawlessly, even after sitting unused for long periods it fires right up).....but they do run expensive for an occasional use tool.  The one I have came from my uncle and is running strong at 25 years old!

At my first home, in the DINK days.....when I had time to build decks, put in patios and walkways, and clear and clean up land......yeah, there was something fun about using a chainsaw.  A dangerous tool, and felling trees can be dangerous work, but with the proper safety precautions, a good come-along/winch, some good chains and rope, and the right notching technique......"timber!" time was always fun.  A couple good pulls on the winch, the 'crack' of the trunk, and the 'whump!' as a big one hits the ground was always cool.  The cutting up and dragging away was always a heck of a good workout.

Now I curse when a tree falls in the yard and I have to cut the damn thing up and dispose of it in the woods.  Way too much work!

Coach Z wrote

I ended up getting the 345 Husauqvarna

Used it today to take some pines down the where going to fall on my driveway in the near future.  Worked well and I would not want it any shorter or longer.  Price was right for how little I'm likely to use it.  It had nice balance and low vibration.  I'm happy with it.

That will be a good saw for pine. Plunge cut some curly maple and see how she does

I have a downed Hardac also called iron wood around here.  Should I even attempt to cut it up since I heard it will really dull the chain. I think they are in the hickory family.

Could just drag the sucker into the woods.