My Craftsman is also made by Poulan I think , it is a good saw , if you can get it started .
Which is the Best Brand Gas Operated Chainsaw for the Money?
That is what my Dad used , thing was great too .Heavy though .
FWIW, my Home Depot ryobi chainsaw has lasted me a few years and I've never had any problems - we took down a whole tree with it. I don't know if they carry them anymore though. Believe mine cost ~$175. Maybe I got lucky
I have a Ryobi drill that has been pretty good , it came from Home Depot , I think .
One of my Brother in Laws has two Jonsered's , I have used them , pretty nice. He is a wood worker that mills his own boards. I burn his tops in my house. The Tractor Supply , couple counties over carries them .
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pcosmar
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Yes it is,, Just re-branded.
Why do you think they call it a Pull-on.
Mind has been good,, gives me a bit of trouble at 20 below.. but has been cutting a couple years now..
and I don't work it easy.
I have worn out a couple bars,,several chains and a sprocket..
Yes it is,, Just re-branded.
Why do you think they call it a Pull-on.
Mind has been good,, gives me a bit of trouble at 20 below.. but has been cutting a couple years now..
and I don't work it easy.
I have worn out a couple bars,,several chains and a sprocket..
I probably over work my saws too . Never had to change a sprocket yet though ,
Henry Rogue
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I don't cut much and I haven't used a wide variety of chainsaws. My Dad had McCulloch chainsaws in Sixties and Seventies, he bought Stihl in th Eighties and I have used Stihl ever since. I own a Stihl chainsaw. I have heard good things about Husqvarna though and have used a steel and concrete cicular saw. I have a TS350 also.
Interesting bit of trivia, McCulloch made horizontally opposed aircraft engines for target drones in WW2. The four cylinder version weighed around fourty pounds and generated seventy five horse power. That is a phenomenal power to weight ratio, but the engines weren't designed to last very long as they were meant to be shot down. I think they also made a ninety hp six cylinder too. There's still a market for these engines and for parts though.
Interesting bit of trivia, McCulloch made horizontally opposed aircraft engines for target drones in WW2. The four cylinder version weighed around fourty pounds and generated seventy five horse power. That is a phenomenal power to weight ratio, but the engines weren't designed to last very long as they were meant to be shot down. I think they also made a ninety hp six cylinder too. There's still a market for these engines and for parts though.
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TomKat
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I live in a hurricane area and have had many chainsaws and have had many problems with them (I once killed a Homelite 18" within 3 hours of purchasing it, manufacturer defect, not my fault). Every pro I know and homeowner that knows anything about saws have suggested Stihls and I have had one on my wish list for some time now but I decided to go electric for my last purchase. I got an electric Homelite 9amp 12" and I have never been more impressed with a saw. I got it to just to cut some limbs that fell without the hassle of trying to get the saw started and before I knew it I was cutting up 60 and 80 foot trees that fell. One was about the size of the one in the pic in the pickup (although I had to cut out many chunks before I actually got through it. I cut it into 2 15' logs and drove them into the swamps).
I only got this one because I was so impressed with the electric Homelite pole saw that I bought. Actually it was my second Homelite pole saw because I used the first one so much that I melted the plastic housing that held in the retaining bolt for the bar, probably because I started using it to cut down trees, the biggest was 12" around, not bad for a 6" blade. I used these electric pole saws for everything and they make a great backup saw (if you still have electricity when you need them).
I am not endorsing Homelite for a gas powered saw because I have had many that are garbage but the electric ones are actually pretty good. All I have changed on them so far are the blades and filled up the oil reservoir.
As far as sharpening goes, I have a friend who cuts down trees for a living, Phil (in one of my earlier youtube videos "Crazy Tree Removal") and he told me that electric sharpeners will actually shorten the life of the blade. He recommended hand sharpening and I thought that he was crazy to waste so much time but when he showed me how easy it is to sharpen them I started to take his advice, not to mention that it is probably about the same amount of time as an electric sharpener but you don't have to remove the blade. I believe the trick was 3 full strokes per blade but you need to keep a constant and correct angle.
I only got this one because I was so impressed with the electric Homelite pole saw that I bought. Actually it was my second Homelite pole saw because I used the first one so much that I melted the plastic housing that held in the retaining bolt for the bar, probably because I started using it to cut down trees, the biggest was 12" around, not bad for a 6" blade. I used these electric pole saws for everything and they make a great backup saw (if you still have electricity when you need them).
I am not endorsing Homelite for a gas powered saw because I have had many that are garbage but the electric ones are actually pretty good. All I have changed on them so far are the blades and filled up the oil reservoir.
As far as sharpening goes, I have a friend who cuts down trees for a living, Phil (in one of my earlier youtube videos "Crazy Tree Removal") and he told me that electric sharpeners will actually shorten the life of the blade. He recommended hand sharpening and I thought that he was crazy to waste so much time but when he showed me how easy it is to sharpen them I started to take his advice, not to mention that it is probably about the same amount of time as an electric sharpener but you don't have to remove the blade. I believe the trick was 3 full strokes per blade but you need to keep a constant and correct angle.
I have a 3 1/2 horse Craftsman electric saw , 16" , works pretty well . I even have a few hundred feet of cord , but I do not want to have to run that much cord into the woods
. In a pinch though , I can throw the generator in back of the truck and plug it into that , lol , I have done it too , when I have had all of my other saws disassembled for various reasons .The cool thing about it , is even the Mrs can use it.
TomKat
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I have a 3 1/2 horse Craftsman electric saw , 16" , works pretty well . I even have a few hundred feet of cord , but I do not want to have to run that much cord into the woods
Thanks, that was one of the things I forgot to mention, they weigh way less than a gas saw.
I live on an arce and a half and have enough cord to go from the garage to any tree and have done so. Luckily the amp draw is low enough to not burn up my cords. Now if I could only get them to come in solar power without the thousands that it takes to get a solar system going, lol.
I would buy one like the one I have in solar if it was less than , say , $220. I have had the other one for decades probably gave $50 for it.
bunklocoempire
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Of all the chain saws I have owned my Stihl "Farm Boss" has been the best one. Hands down. For Suzanimal that would be the orange and white one.
I've been real happy with our own Stihl Farm Boss. The only other saw I've had any other experience with was a Sears brand back in the 70's/80's.
I've been running our Stihl 3 to 6 times a year for about 5 years now (one to three medium trees each session). I sharpen my chain with a file/gauge set every use, keep it well oiled, and try to use fresh gas.
Enough saw for anything on our property and our general area for the amount of use it gets. We paid close to $400 (Hawaii) for it 5 years ago and it looks like it still can be had for around that.
It was pricey but I really dig it and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
30 years ago Jonsered was the top saw on the market, at the time I used a pioneer which I tweaked to out cut any saw on the market. In the past 5 years I have tried poulan and Jonsered both are junk IMO. I just tried a new one called a Remington and it reminds me of the pioneer of old, lots of power. It doesn't quite matchup to the pioneer that I used to use, as I used to file the rackers down quite a bit on a brand new a chain. I hated waiting on the saw. BTW learn how to sharpen your own chainsaw those sharpening machines ruin a chain. I would always turn down a free sharpening from my favorite saw shop.
alicewfalls
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I can suggest you two of my favorite gas chainsaws those you can buy...
1. Stihl MS 261 C-M
Engine Size: 50.5 cc
Price: $550
Engine weight: 10.8 lb
Likes: The Stihl might be a pound heavier and an inch longer than the competition, but it's a good, torque-rich saw that bites in and stays with the cut, no matter how tough it gets. Part of the reason for that is the saw makes its full horsepower (4.0 hp) at a couple hundred lower rpm than the other saws, so it's not working as hard.
This saw features the new STIHL M-Tronic onboard microprocessor, which digitally monitors and automatically compensates for changes in your work conditions including elevation, temperature, fuel quality, and dirty air filters. Say goodbye to manual adjustments.
2. Husqvarna 550 XP
Engine Size: 50.1 cc
Price: $600
Engine weight: 10.8 lb
Likes: A lightning-fast saw with great throttle response and plentiful torque. We liked the way the gas and bar-oil caps had fold-up handles that stayed out of the way until needed and were easy to use with gloves on. And with a side-mount chain-adjustment screw, it's fast to service.
1. Stihl MS 261 C-M
Engine Size: 50.5 cc
Price: $550
Engine weight: 10.8 lb
Likes: The Stihl might be a pound heavier and an inch longer than the competition, but it's a good, torque-rich saw that bites in and stays with the cut, no matter how tough it gets. Part of the reason for that is the saw makes its full horsepower (4.0 hp) at a couple hundred lower rpm than the other saws, so it's not working as hard.
This saw features the new STIHL M-Tronic onboard microprocessor, which digitally monitors and automatically compensates for changes in your work conditions including elevation, temperature, fuel quality, and dirty air filters. Say goodbye to manual adjustments.
2. Husqvarna 550 XP
Engine Size: 50.1 cc
Price: $600
Engine weight: 10.8 lb
Likes: A lightning-fast saw with great throttle response and plentiful torque. We liked the way the gas and bar-oil caps had fold-up handles that stayed out of the way until needed and were easy to use with gloves on. And with a side-mount chain-adjustment screw, it's fast to service.
Anti Federalist
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Ummm, no, just, no.
luctor-et-emergo
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I have a small 18" Husqvarna chainsaw. Works fine for me.
The only bad I have to say about it is that the starter cord broke on me after using it a few times, but I have replaced this with a much more heavy duty cord and the saw has made sawing chores a lot more fun. Before I had a cheap chainsaw, I can definitely say this thing goes through the same wood twice as fast as my old one (even with a sharp blade).
I'd have bought a Stihl if I needed my chainsaw weekly, however, I need it two or three times a year. I think I use about a gallon of fuel a year in my chainsaw.. Not much.
The only bad I have to say about it is that the starter cord broke on me after using it a few times, but I have replaced this with a much more heavy duty cord and the saw has made sawing chores a lot more fun. Before I had a cheap chainsaw, I can definitely say this thing goes through the same wood twice as fast as my old one (even with a sharp blade).
I'd have bought a Stihl if I needed my chainsaw weekly, however, I need it two or three times a year. I think I use about a gallon of fuel a year in my chainsaw.. Not much.
Suzanimal
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I don't know what Mr A does to chainsaws but we have several dead ones and one red one that barely stays cranked. He cusses it a lot. I told him that if he talked nicer to it, it might work better but he won't listen to me. We borrowed our neighbor's chainsaw when we had trees come down during the hurricane in September and it was as screwy as ours. It was also red but it was smaller than ours and also "a fuuuuuccckkkk, fuuuuuccckkk, fuuuccckkking whore", lol.
I might try to buy him a new chainsaw for Christmas. I'll just go to the store and ask for the one that's not a fucking whore.
I might try to buy him a new chainsaw for Christmas. I'll just go to the store and ask for the one that's not a fucking whore.
Well for whatever is is worth I can offer my professional opinion . I do not think the saw would perform better if he talked nicer to it . It probably really is what he is calling it and knows it . Something like that , well , the whole neighbor hood should know . It may prevent some kid from growing up and buying one .
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