Utility Saw

I just picked up my saw from the shop. Said its on its last legs, run it till it blows up.


I've never bought a new saw. Always traded or something else for a saw. Albeit not very good ones but they did their job after I tuned them.

Well.....I'm tired but I'm still cheap. What would be a good saw for fire wood and some felling? Can he specific or general.

Husqvarna

I'm really leaning towards them but are the price poimts worth it?

Yup.You get what you pay for.

Pike,
ckeck out the Echo CS-590. Retail, $399. I've been using one for about 4 years and am pretty impressed. I use a 24" bar most of the time.
I don't think the 455 or 460 Husky with cut any better.

I used big Jonsereds for decades, and unless your dropping big trees all the time looks like the 60cc category is the way to go.

how big of wood you cutting

I like my Jonsered 2255 it is the red case version of the Husky 455 very good all around fire wood saw I think however it runs best with an 18 inch bar.

if your falling larger wood then a bigger saw

to keep a happy bar to displacement divide CC by 3

55/3=18.3inches

Echo. My echo cuts circles around my husqvarna and weighs about half as much. Cut all day and not so wore out at end of day.

Never had a problem with my Stihl.

Have a Stihl CS261, little pricey but a really good strong saw.

echo I run a cs500p 18"bar.

Stihl,,buy once cry once.

Honestly.....never even heard of Jonsered. Ill check them out.

An 18" bar is more than enough for me.

Can't go wrong with Stihl 261. Cut hundreds of cords of firewood with the saw and still going strong.

love my echo...it's better than the husky it replaced

I'm with the Stihl guys here. Never had a problem with mine.

Agree, it hurts at first. It is a great investment. If you are not doing daily sawing, it will last your lifetime and possibly someone elses.

My new farm boss stihl has broke down twice in 3 yrs

My brother trims trees out of our local union hall. The company he works for has Husqvarna and stihl saws, he says its a race to see who can get to the Husqvarna first because the stihls are problem children.

That being said his personal saws are both Echos.

Jonsered is owned by Husquvarna it is a Husky in a red case with a slightly different grip angle.

I just happen to have a very good Jonsered dealer close by and he helped me out with my Stihl a few times so when I was ready for a new saw there was no question I was buying from him.

the box stores will typically only have a 20 inch bar on the 455 rancher , if you get it from a dealer who works on them they will have an 18 inch bar

Baileys online will run deals on their chain have seen it as low as 10-11 dollars a chain https://www.baileysonline.com/woodlandpro-38rc-3-8-x-058-chisel-chainsaw-chain-wpp-38rc.html

I prefer the 0.058 3/8 chisel chain 68 drive links to Semi chisel but that cuts and sharpens well also Carlton, oregon and Husky chisels , semi chisels chain are also good

I think Carlton makes the chain for Baylies online wodland pro brand but not positive

I hand sharpen with a file and vice it is not difficult nor expensive a file is 2-3 dollars , a raker gauge and raker file another 6-7

if you get into a bunch of pine and you want to set the rakers lower and take a bigger chip you can

you can tailor the chain to your preference and the chains last a long time when your only taking off what is needed for a new edge and not a grinder making all the same.

files do wear out when it isn't cutting right scrap it

Stihl or husqvarna are great saws
Flip a coin

I’m still running a 1958 sthil

I've had echos since they first came out. Never have let me down, and both are cuttin buggers! Very happy with them!

40 years in the tree game, using every size Stihl made.

When I retired I bought a new Husky 562 for a change of color. All I can say is Wow, what an excellent saw. I wish I would have bought it 10 years ago.

WS

The color of the saw is not as important as the service place near by. Unless one does the repairs and services at home. Then its just a question of getting the parts

I'd get a Makita 6421. It's the best cutting saw I've ever owned. German (Dolmar) engineering backed by Japanese manufacturing.

It is equipped with an easy start system, and starts right up on the coldest of days.

All it takes to restart, or start in warm weather is:

• Pop off carb cover.
• remove spark plug wire and plug
• hand crank a time or two
• replace spark plug and wire
• replace carb cover
• pull out choke and push back in to set throttle
• yank on rope a time or two

Make sure it has plenty of gas and oil because every restart requires the same process.

Did I mention it is exactly the same saw as the 7900? It just equipped with a smaller piston. So, it is way heavier than it needs to be, although not burdened with excess power.

My son just "Borrowed" my Homelite Xl12 that used to be my Dads, 60 years old and still fires up and cuts had a hard time explaining the manual oiler to him That said my neighbor brought down his Stihl it had a gear you turned for tightening the chain and a plastic knob you tightened to hold the bar on Probably not an expensive version you do get what you pay for and if you use it your probably gonna have to fix it at some point doesnt matter whose name is on it

Is this a joke? Sounds like a horrible starting procedure.

Thanks. I know the saw I will not buy next time..LOL

There ya go.... Stihl dealer can be found just about anywhere. I bought a Stihl 250 for $300 that is a great saw but for big logs you need a bigger saw. I also have a Husqvarna 455 Rancher that is a mean machine but heavier than the stihl. If you're cutting logs and limbs you just about need two different saws.

you can find stihl dealers all over , but some are not much more than a hardware store display.

walk in knowing what model of saw you are looking to purchase

ask if they have I will use MS260 as my example this was a very popular saw

a MS260 , fuel filter , vacuum line , spark plug , air filter and ring sprocket .325

if they don't have any of those parts you need to keep shopping for a dealer

I also feel if they don't spin chains themselves or only sell the green safety chain you need a real dealer

Stihl is what we like. I bought my first one my senior year(11 years ago) and still runs great. We have saw from a 14“ to a 36” and all of them were worth every penny.

No joke. And that is after spending close to $200 for a new coil during the "warrantee" period. When I get around to it, it will be replaced by a ~60cc Stihl/Husky/Johnny Red. It was supposed to be my "Goldylocks" saw. I use a 50cc Stihl and Jonsered for small stuff and an 85 cc Husqvarna for the big stuff. The reviews were great, but, my saw sucks.

Just want3d to circle back and say thank you Pete. I asked around a bit and a fair number of guys gave the J-red praise even if they currently dint have one. Picked up a 2245 this weekend.