BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...

Subject: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Nov 11 - 10:25 PM

Well, hell... We have never had a chainsaw thread so...

... I gotta a 30 year old Stihl .028 and all I've ever done to it was replace chains when they wear out and clean the air filter once a year and it starts up on the 3rd pull no matter how long it has sit...

But, hey... Maybe I got lucky...

Tell us your chainsaw story...

Bob

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: ranger1
Date: 07 Nov 11 - 10:40 PM

I inherited my dad's Husqvarna Rancher 55. It has a 20" bar and is waaaay too much chainsaw for this little ranger. I'd like to trade it in and find a gently used Stihl 361. We've got two at work, and I really like them, not too heavy, but big enough to get 'er done.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Rapparee
Date: 07 Nov 11 - 10:54 PM

An electric McCullough that belongs to my wife. I'm not permitted to use it without her supervision, because it's hers.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 07 Nov 11 - 11:54 PM

When we high-tailed it to Arkansas to escape Hurricane Ivan back in 2004, I bought a Stihl MS 170 in Hot Springs. It's a lightweight 14" saw intended for light work. I already had a Husqvarna 51 with a 20" bar for the big work, but I wanted something lighter for limbing. That 51 is heavy and my arms aren't as young as they used to be.

Well, when we got home from our evacuation vacation, we were greeted by a zillion fallen trees that needed to be cut up. The Husqvarna started acting up two days into the job and, needless to say, getting it serviced at that time was impossible. So, the little Stihl was pushed into service doing stuff for which it wasn't intended, like cutting through 24" tree trunks. It worked like a champ.

That saw does have a tendency to flood easily, but cranking it over a few times with the spark plug removed to blow the excess gas out of the cylinder takes care of that. At least Stihl makes it easy to get to the spark plug. Just turn a single knob and the cover pops off. Husqvarnas have four screws that have to be removed.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 04:02 AM

I have a Stihl MS230, and when it's running it's OK although I seem to blunt chains beyond easy re-sharpening in the field on the bar with a hand-file quite quickly. On the other hand it can be a pig to start - just a sniff of over-richness and it's not just plug out (and why do they hide plugs inside covers these days?) but also wait half an hour and/or get a lighted taper into the plug-hole - but be careful you don't catch the plastic bits alight.

It's also had a couple of more serious fits of annoyance, requiring the expenditure of £100 at the hands of experts (and a list of new parts that are things you never found on a chainsaw in the good old days) to run again.

In short, only 5/10 for reliability.

But it has done some pretty heavy work keeping the camp fire fuelled at a certain event I attend - that campfire gets up to 6 feet high and six feet across - all heavy logs that are an effort for one little old fat man to lift.

Modern fuels are a PIA - leave modern fuel in a machine overwinter and by spring the carb is full of glue that smells horrible and is a swine to remove. I have learned and before storing petrol gadgets now run them dry.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Newport Boy
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 05:18 AM

I don't think it's the fuel as much as the fact that most tanks on small machines are now plastic. I drain my strimmer and hover mower, but the John Deere ride-on is no trouble after the winter. Better plastic, I guess.

Phil

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 08:27 AM

Here in the UK I am told it's additives.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Rapparee
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 08:45 AM

If your chainsaw rocks you're either using it wrong or it needs maintenance.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: olddude
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 09:00 AM

But Bobster, it only runs on "shine"

When I was working in the woods as a lumber jack for my brother in law. He would play a lot of practical jokes. Well I was bent over on the landing measuring a log and he creeped up behind me. He took the chain off his saw to replace it - the empty blade was on it. Fired up the chain saw and while I was bent over stuck the blade between my legs and revved it up. For a moment I thought I was gonna be sawed in half ... Nearly crapped my pants. We only used Stihl saws. Nothing ever held up as well and we would beat the crap outta em for sure.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: frogprince
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 12:01 PM

One more time when I looked at the thread title and instantly knew who started the thread.   : )

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 12:08 PM

Always put petrol additive into the tank then run the engine a bit before putting it away for any length of time. I used to do this with my Countax ride-on mower. Then in Spring it started first time. If you merely drain the tank, you can't be sure some petrol isn't left in the carburettor, and it will surely go 'sticky'.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: gnu
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 02:26 PM

I bought a Poulan Wild Thing 18" 40cc on sale at Crappy tire (BTW!!! I see Crappy Tire is advertising here on Mudcat!) and then "something" came up and it stayed in the case. Never cranked it once... three years later, I sold it for $30 more than I paid for it. Better than keeping money in the bank.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 03:55 PM

The Atwoods store nearby stocks "rebuilt" Poulans and occaskionally Stihls &/or others, for about half the price of new; but even the rebuilts have newer (and annoying) "safety devices" that weren't on my old one that was stolen from our storage while we were moving.

Perhaps the ready availability of the rebuilds is testimony to the certainty that lots of people who think they need a chainsaw find out fairly quickly that putting up the firewood is still more work than they expected; but it's a mystery to me how enough of them get back to the factory to provide so many "reconditioned" ones.

It makes me wonder where all those 40 ton log splitters that keep disappearing from out front at the store eventually end up.

The biggest "tree" I've got on my lot now is only about 3/4" in diameter so far, so I guess it will be a while before I need to worry about it though, and I've got a 14" electric for light stuff.

A few months back, up above, someone mentioned sharpening chains with a file. One fellow I met claimed his battery powered Dremel (lots of similar brands) with a "chainsaw grinder" in it does a lot better and quicker job than a file, and they're not too expensive. I haven't tried one, and I'm a bit dubious about anything that runs on a battery (based on past experience), but I suppose it might be worth thinking about if you use the chains enough. Of course the file is the classic field method.

John

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: gnu
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 04:03 PM

Hehehehe... I don't have many guests drop by from out of town fer a meal but when they do, I make it a point ta sharpen a carving knife with the intro, "Ya know yer in Kent County now." and I take out my chainsaw file. Always good fer a laff.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 05:22 PM

I donno... We have had three live red oaks come down by themselves leaving a big hole where the roots were... I have been cutting and cutting and just yesterday finished with the last of them... I'm renting a log splitter on Friday afternoon and getting a 1 day rate thru Monday morning... Gonna get a couple kids to help with loading the logs in it... Some weight in at 80-100 pounds... My back already is sore from yesterday's cutting... I cut all day...

I'm using a 20" Oregon bar on the Stihl but even with it I'm having rock the saw so that I'm cutting the back first so the bar will have a place to work on the stuff that is closer to 24"-26"...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 06:50 PM

Yer lucky it wasn't somethin' like this one.

Ya'd need a lot longer chain to clean up a 17 dia ft stump.

John

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Bruce MacNeill
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 07:03 PM

My little piece of farm here, when we bought it, was severely overgrown with those volunteer dogwoods that seem to pop up overnight as well as having some fair sized but dead pines. I got a 16" Husqvarna about 4 years ago now and it's done things it was never intended to do. I've completely wrecked about 8 chains and one bar but the little puppy starts right up, runs and even idles, which some other saws I've had never did well. I got the place cleaned up in about a year and a half and the saw only gets used after storms when the live pines decide to clean out their deadwood. I lost one good sized pine when the hurricane came through in September but the little Husqvarna and I managed to get it all cut up with lots of multiple cuts on the pieces larger than 16". I owe it another new chain but it doesn't owe me anything.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Bert
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 07:10 PM

I bought a Craftsman chainsaw once and it lasted one season. I tries to get a carburetor gasket kit to fix it but they only sell the complete carburetor which costs about as much as the chainsaw.

I replaced it with a Sandvik bow saw which works just as well and is a damned sight easier to carry through the woods. And it is quieter too.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 07:24 PM

Yer a heck of a man, Bert, that's all I can say...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: ranger1
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 07:43 PM

Had a wicked storm about a year ago. It dropped a 150 year old white pine across one of our more popular trails. Here's the set of photos I took of our massive undertaking. We had to buck it up from each side with a couple of Stihl 361s with 18" bars, taking turns so as not to over-heat the saws. Some of the branches on that tree had bigger diameters than some trees I've cut down. BTW, that tree was 4 foot in diameter, the only reason we could cut it up was it had heart rot.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: ranger1
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 07:46 PM

Oh, and ethanol will destroy a small engine in no time at all. We run all our equipment with gas treated with a marine-grade stabilizer specially formulated to prevent phase separation caused by ethanol.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Bert
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 08:10 PM

At the end if the season you need to run two stroke engines dry before you store them. If you leave them with gas in them you will bugger up your carburetor.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 08:32 PM

Good advice, Bert... Also good advice for 4 strokers...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 15 Nov 11 - 04:42 AM

Another petrol (gas) question.

I've got a gallon in a can labelled 50:1. I've a sneaking suspicion that maybe I never got around to adding the oil.

How can I tell if there's oil in it? Obviously I don't want to run a 2-stroke on neat petrol!

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: bobad
Date: 15 Nov 11 - 07:15 AM

Is your 2-stroke oil not coloured? Here (Canada) it is coloured blue which makes the mix obvious. If you added another measure of oil, making the mix 25:1, it would make your equipment run smokier but shouldn't hurt it - better over, rather than under, lubricated.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 15 Nov 11 - 08:44 AM

I think I'll put it into a car - one gallon of 50:1 into 9 gallons of petrol should hardly notice.

Yes, most 2 stroke oil is dyed but at 50:1 is seems almost unnoticeable.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: kendall
Date: 16 Nov 11 - 08:24 AM

Years ago I had a 10inch Mini Mac gas powered chain saw. Fool that I am I traded it for something that no longer exists, and I can not find another.
Been to many places and 14" is the smallest I can find. I have arthritis in both wrists so a full size saw is torture to operate.
Now I use a 12 inch electric saw, very light, but I have to drag 100 feet of cord.
I could borrow a friend's Stiehl but it's heavy as a bucket of hogs livers.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Nov 11 - 10:50 AM

Husqvarna T425 (but it's top handle - also not good for bad wrists).
Makita DCS230T (also top handle)
10 inch bars here to retrofit: -
http://www.clarkforest.com/shop/chainsaw/10-inch-chainsaw-bars
http://www.clarkforest.com/shop/chainsaw/10-inch-chainsaw-bars
Or there are battery electric ones.

Echo CS271T at 6.6 lb claims to be the lightest available in the USA - but it's 12 inch and top handle

Which brings me to

" 10 Hottest chicks with chainsaws"

Here
http://uberhumor.com/10-hottest-chicks-with-chainsaws/

http://uberhumor.com/10-hottest-chicks-with-chainsaws/

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: ranger1
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 01:48 PM

Changed my mind about that Husqvarna Rancher 55. Spent some quality time with it last week doing some clean-up work for Curmudgeon and Bat Goddess and it weighs about the same as the Stihls I'm used to and the 20" bar isn't enough to over-balance me. I prefer the way that Stihl chainsaws are put together, but hey, a free chainsaw is a free chainsaw.

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 02:54 PM

Good!

Subject: RE: BS: My Chainsaw Rocks...
From: Amos
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 09:28 PM

I dunno Bobert. I don't think you're supposed to chain-saw rocks. I think they only do that back in WEST 'Ginny, where the IQ points are harder to come by...