Chainsaw Thoughts?

[John TenEyck]

True, but that's well outside the norm for most homeowner users. As mentioned earlier, it's far easier to work with a 10 lb saw that meets 95% of your needs, than a 20 lb one that you only need 5% of the time. When you need a big saw, rent one, or call a pro. And most big saws run pro chain, not the low kick back style used on most smaller saws, and not something a typical homeowner user should be using.

John

[Robert Eckerle]

I have a Jonsered that I bought in 1991 that still runs like a champ, never been hard to start.
It cut many many chords of firewood in Colorado, then it moved to south Alabama and cut trees after two hurricanes

It's a beast

[Brice Rogers]

Robert, I have an old Jonsered as well. It is circa 1980. I bought it in the midwest, where they had a decent presence. I don't hear much about them recently. When it got about 25 or 30 years old, the rubber gas line rotted out but that was easily replaced. It actually doesn't have all that much use on it - - perhaps 20 or 30 cords of wood. It only has a 16" bar on it but it also was available in longer bars.

My only complaint is that it is pretty heavy. It weighs in at around 17 or 18 pounds.

One of my favorite chainsaws - - and this is going to sound goofy - - was an Eager Beaver McCullough. It only had a 10 or 12" bar but it was great for limbing a fallen tree as well as being on a ladder and limbing or pruning with one hand. It was very light weight. It was made of aluminum and magnesium. But it was a cheap saw and eventually vibrated itself to death and repair parts were unavailable.

[scott lipscomb]

I have and have had a bunch of pro level Huskys and Stihls and I've mostly liked em all, but i really like my cordless Still MSA 200. It has a 1/4" picco chain and its great for going out to the lumber stacks and cutting what I need to length right there. It lives in the truck mostly and its so handy and it seems to cut as well as a 30cc saw. I also have the pole saw, the concrete saw, and the blower, all with the same batteries. And no 2 stroke finickiness.

[Jim Becker]

And sometimes you need a big bar, and it helps if you have a big saw bolted to it. The silver maple in the last picture was too large for the 32" bar, it was a bit over 6'

True, but the "average" homeowner is not usually going to be dealing with such large trees. I'd hire that out for sure, personally. In fact, I have one large tree that needs to be dropped right now and I have made arrangements for a local arborist I use to bring it down and cut up just the larger, lower section (if it's not hollow), leaving the rest for me to deal with with my own saw.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have had a Husquvarna 460 Rancher with a 24" bar since 2012, and it has done great for cutting about 5 cords of firewood every season for the wood stove. I bought it off Amazon as I had some gift cards, and I have been pleased with it.

One thing, I have been using the Stihl premixed fuel in it for the past 3-4 years. It has been great, in spite of the extra cost, as the can goes into the chainsaw box, and it has no ethanol in it, so it does not attract atmospheric water like regular gas does.

Doc

[Gregory King]

I would imagine a few of us remember the old Pioneer saws. Had a gas bowl if I recall. As a young lad, I remember trying to start my dad's unit with one foot on top. I'll never forget the kickback and the sheer weight of it. It was more like a car engine . Glad I never had to work it.

[Wallace Brooks]

Dolmar saws are great. I have two.

[Bill Dufour]

Anyone ever used a hydraulic chainsaw? The power companies use them up in a bucket truck. Might be nice to use with a tractor. sure would be easy to start! I have also seen pneumatic pruners for commercial orchards.
Bill D

[Larry Edgerton]

I would imagine a few of us remember the old Pioneer saws. Had a gas bowl if I recall. As a young lad, I remember trying to start my dad's unit with one foot on top. I'll never forget the kickback and the sheer weight of it. It was more like a car engine . Glad I never had to work it.

One of my favorite saws was a Partner/Pioneer 7000. Was one of the first with a high chain speed, and just felt right.

I disagree with the shortest bar idea. I like a 20" as my go to bar. Less bending over and to me is the ideal length for most saw work.

[Steve Demuth]

They are great if you're sawing from a bucket trimming from the top down. Just try to imagine dragging enough hydraulic hose around to work in the woods or reducing the top of a big tree you've laid on the ground. It's a complete non starter.

[John TenEyck]

Anyone ever used a hydraulic chainsaw? The power companies use them up in a bucket truck. Might be nice to use with a tractor. sure would be easy to start! I have also seen pneumatic pruners for commercial orchards.
Bill D

Never seen one, but wonder how safe they would be considering the torque it would have at any rpm. 2-cycle chainsaws will stall in a good pair of chaps and spare you injury. That's not the case with electric powered chainsaws, which have max. torque at low rpm, and it seems to me a hydraulic driven one would have even more torque.

John

[Rob Luter]

I have a Husqvarna Rancher with a large pitch chain. It cuts Oak like soap. All my other yard equipment is Stihl and I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of their saws if I needed to replace my Husky. Stihl makes a lighter weight saw.

[Stuart Kent]

late to this thread, but I have 2 Husqvarnas; a Lowe's 350 and professional 372XP. Both run beautifully after several trips to Central America, questionable fuels, BAD fuel mixtures, REALLY bad indescribable gunks (not bar oil) run through the bar oil reservoirs, and years of heavy use. I replace spark plugs and air filters annually regardless of their conditions, ALWAYS store with premixed Husqvarna fuel run through the lines for about a minute before storage, clean EVERYTHING that can be cleaned EVERY time I use them, store them flat, let them warm up for a few seconds before running them hard - but I run them HARD when I run them! I like Stihls too, just like the availability of parts for Husqys worldwide. Lately I have only been running premixed fuels through them because I keep reading horror stories about ethanol-related problems. I use Stihl chain, sharpen often. I expect my saws to run for many more years and wouldn't look any further than these.

good luck

[John K Jordan]

...Lately I have only been running premixed fuels through them because I keep reading horror stories about ethanol-related problems.

If you don't know about it, there is a simple way to test for any ethanol in gasoline.

We know which stations around here provide pure gasoline (at a premium price these days) and I've tested them. I always buy pure gasoline for my small engines here on the farm, from chain saws to water pump to generator to 4-wheelers. I mix with Stihl oil where needed. It's cheaper if you buy it in quantity.

JKJ