Re: Chain Saw durability

I would still be interested to know what "Durability 50 hours period" means. One interpretation would mean that it would be quite easy to wear it out in a year. The other means that you can pull the trigger on and run full throttle until it is out of gas--stop and fill 'er up, and go tankful after tankful like that for a total of 50 hours before giving the saw a rest. That's two days around the clock. No one in his right mind would run a saw like that.

Sorry, I don't know what durability is either.

But I've got a Poulan 16" and have used the heck out of it. Wore out one chain and am on the second. Probably have 100+ hours on it over an 18 month period....could even be 200 hours. I do a lot of chainsawing. The saw is ok, but I have been hoping it would poop out. It will get replaced with one of the big names like Husky, Stihl, or Echo. For the money, the Poulan I got has really done the job.

Make sure to add bar oil every time you fill the gas tank. I also do a minor cleaning about every 4 hours including the air filter; and a major cleaning about every 20 hours.

Jeff Jilg Austin, Tx.

I own a Stihl, have no business interest in the company or any of their agents. Buy one. You will like it!

Kip Powers Rogers, AR

Perhaps it means 50 hours until recommended servicing? A thorough internal cleaning, overhaul, or something similar? I've never heard of such a thing regarding a chainsaw and my family has been logging since the 30's from Idaho to Missouri.

We primarily use Stihl saws for our small logging operation and have liked them fairly well. For the bigger ones, we get those custom made and serviced.

As far as nobody (in their right mind is debatable ) running a saw for

50 hours at a time .... well, it happens. Did it a few months ago when the tornados ran through here (southwestern Missouri). The saws would get an occasional hour break or so but pretty much ran for 3 days straight with 2 crews and then a few weeks straight of 10 hour days. Now, it's gotten down to normal work which is a few days a week for 8 to 10 hours at a time. 50 hours durability? HA! That wouldn't last us till lunchtime. Surely, it HAS to mean something different.

Get a good chainsaw but it's very easy to go too big or too small. Just don't go cheap or it'll bite you (pun intended).

- Andrew

I have had both a Husky 266 and a Stihl 036. Both great professional saws. Get a long bar, so you can cut up big blocks when needed. A 28" is nice in my opinion and it is only a little nose heavy with my Stihl powerhead.

Derek

Lucky you. I bought mine in '76 and in the last couple of years the pull starter has begun to give me fits now and then. Hate it when that happens. I mean, it's not even 30 years old yet!

But I'm making do...

...Kevin

if you do a search you'll find my posting with respect to sears/poulon Electric chain saws and my reliability/durability problems with them - after destroying 6 to 10 saws, with the best lasting about 15 minutes of cutting time and the worst less than 3 seconds (in each case the same gear failed - design problem), I gave up and bought an electric Sthil for about 10X the price - I'm much happier - it doesn't break and it cuts nicely. The cheaper saws just will not tolerate cutting full bar length, particularly ripping. Gas saws may be different, but I think my experience may serve as a warning. In my case, I returned each of the bad saws under warranty (generally the same day) until I gave up and got my money back - don't know if the gas saws have a similar returnability.

I have two Stihls, an 025 with both 16" and 18" bars, and an 066 which currently has a 28" bar on it. I have had the smaller one, the 025 (now marketed as an MS250) for about four years, never had a problem with it, probably have close to five hundred hours on it. I have several chains for each bar, swap out sharp chains when the old ones need pro sharpening, otherwise I use a file guide and do it by hand.

The 066 has been seeing work cutting some big trees lately, and removing stumps at ground level. I am clearing about an acre of heavy woods for a new house, and both saws are being run quite a bit. The big saw was bought for a LOGOSOL chainsaw lumber mill, but it's gotten a lot more use lately with a regular bar and chain, and not the rip chain. It's way too big a saw to use for anything but falling and bucking big stuff though.

I like the Stihl 025 so much that I bought my dad one for Father's Day this past year, to replace an old Homelite Super XL that he's had since the late

60's. The old Homelite still runs good, but the newer Homelites (are they out of business?) don't last too long, I guess. I bought it specifically for the safety chain brake.

I'd suggest a Stihl 025 or 029 (the Farm Boss) or the equivalent Husqvarna (the 55 Rancher). I'd say you can't go wrong with either brand. I need to get a slightly bigger saw myself as I will be cutting 12-15 cords of wood a year for a new outdoor wood furnace to heat my house, and I will most likely go with a Stihl 036 or 039. The Poulan and Craftsman saws are bad investments, especially for a beginner. You need to buy from a reputable dealer and the service you get, and longevity of the saw are worth the extra cost. Also you should look at Echo, Jonsered and even Makita (made by Dolmar of Germany).

Jon E

Leo,

My guess would be the useable lifetime of the thing is 50 hrs. I was looking at saws at WalMart the other day, and saw a Poulon and some other brand whose name escapes me at the moment, both of which had little signs on them (from the manufacturer) that said, and I quote, "For occasional use only."

I asked a saleswoman who was standing there if that was one of the selling points...

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

I have a Husqvarna, my advice on buying a chainsaw is like buying a lathe. If you are going to use it a lot, buy the best you can afford. It will save you money and a lot of cuss words in the long run. Glenn Nashville, GA

I just looked it up. I bought a used Stihl 26 years ago. Just finished using it again today. I've run hundreds of cords past this thing. Total repairs are probably around $100.

Earle Rich Satisfied in Mont Vernon, NH

But you can get a Stihl (MS290) for only $300, or could last year, anyway. The $600 pro saws were a bit much for my blood for what I do, while the low-end saws are a lot too low end for me to waste time on. I've gotten tired of wasting the forst $100 on a tool that I should have spent $300 on so it ends up costing $400 or $500 by the time I get it right (buying the second or third one). DWYL. My dad is as happy as a clam with his Craftsman.

I was upgrading from a Homelite XL, which actually gave pretty good service and happened to be free (my MIL moved into a condo and was getting rid of it). I would not have bought the thing (tiny), but it did very well considering the uses I put it to - better than I expected when my wife brought it home. However, I would have saved myself some time and effort by getting the Stihl earlier and relegating the Homelite to limbing, etc. sooner.

Just a final thought about chain saw durability.

Today I removed 3 trees that were making it difficult to get my new motorhome into the driveway to the barn. Height of the trees was 40',

35' and maybe 25'. Total sawing time was less than 1 hour to fell the trees, cut off branches, and buck the useable firewood.

So, for the average homeowner that probably has less than 20 trees on his property a durability of 50 hours is way more than he will ever need in a lifetime.

I bought a Stihl when I was heating with wood and was doing a fair amount of sawing, it has performed well for almost 20 years. We replaced our wood stove with a gas model a few years ago so the Stihl hasn't seen much service recently, but it started on the third pull and ran strong for the little time I needed it today.

Fresh gas > I wish to thanks everyone that contributed to this thread. I appreciate the

Good advice