Needing a good chainsaw

Hey all! Tried to put this on "off grid" but it seems to be closed.

Just had a couple trees fall. They look to be really eaten out inside by black ants or termites, had a couple big limbs fall from different trees last year with same symptoms. We've got a lot of trees in our yard, and I'm fearing we may have some serious cutting ahead of us.

I have a old 16 inch craftsman piece of crap saw I bought 30 years ago, bar always comes loose, gotta tighten the chain every 15 minutes. Total pain in the butt. Time to upgrade.

I've been looking around, doing some research, but just wanted to get some opinions from my old fav group here.

I'm kinda leaning to a Facebook marketplace item that is close to the house, it's a husqvarna 455 rancher, 20 inch, comes with an extra new chain, a sharpener, and a nice carry case for 350. By the pics it looks to be in great shape. Of course, I'm going to go look at it, hear it run, try it etc before making the ultimate decision.

What saws you all like? Yep, I'm aware stihl is great, huskys are as well. I really don't want to spend over 500 bucks, as I'm not going into the tree cutting business, I just want a saw that will serve my homeowner needs, but not be a total pain in my ass.

Whatcha think?

I have a Husky sixty one I bought years ago for the big stuff with a twenty four inch bar. For the rest, I bought a stihl arborist saw, I like it, it is easy to use one handed, I got a sixteen inch bar on that one. Both wee expensive saws.

Also got an older Jonsered 111S saw in good shape, kind of heavy with the three foot bar, but it has a lot of power. You don't want that one kicking back on you. Got a few other old saws too.

It is expensive to buy a saw that can be used one handed these days like the Stihl, and you have to sign a paper that you are a professional to get that saw. I still have my first Poulan chainsaw I bought in seventy three, it was a two point three cubic inch and it was good for cutting one hand too. Not as good as the stihl is though, but it was way cheaper than the Stihl.

a reply to: caterpillage

Stihl. Spend that five bills and you will never have to look back and wonder why you didn't.

originally posted by: caterpillage
Hey all! Tried to put this on "off grid" but it seems to be closed.

Just had a couple trees fall. They look to be really eaten out inside by black ants or termites, had a couple big limbs fall from different trees last year with same symptoms. We've got a lot of trees in our yard, and I'm fearing we may have some serious cutting ahead of us.

I have a old 16 inch craftsman piece of crap saw I bought 30 years ago, bar always comes loose, gotta tighten the chain every 15 minutes. Total pain in the butt. Time to upgrade.

I've been looking around, doing some research, but just wanted to get some opinions from my old fav group here.

I'm kinda leaning to a Facebook marketplace item that is close to the house, it's a husqvarna 455 rancher, 20 inch, comes with an extra new chain, a sharpener, and a nice carry case for 350. By the pics it looks to be in great shape. Of course, I'm going to go look at it, hear it run, try it etc before making the ultimate decision.

What saws you all like? Yep, I'm aware stihl is great, huskys are as well. I really don't want to spend over 500 bucks, as I'm not going into the tree cutting business, I just want a saw that will serve my homeowner needs, but not be a total pain in my ass.

Whatcha think?

Have you tries the red lock tight on your bar bolts and nuts? I had thr same problem and it solved it.

a reply to: caterpillage
ECHO
20 in. 59.8 cc Gas 2-Stroke Rear Handle Timber Wolf Chainsaw
$449.00
ECHO chainsaw CS-590 with 20" bar cuts up to 35" diameter logs
Automatic, adjustable clutch-driven oiler for reduced oil usage
ECHO Timber Wolf is ideal for cutting firewood on a regular basis
View More Details

Home Depot

a reply to: caterpillage

In the fire service we only use STIHL. I have one at home that is at least 30 years old and belonged to my father. It has never let me down. In the fire service too, the STIHL start up immediately when you first pull them. We have learned to value the STIHL especially when we are pressed for time.

a reply to: caterpillage

The Husky 455 Rancher is an excellent saw! 20" bar is the only way to go on this saw. 24" also works well. Saw has plenty of power for most work, even heavy work, but weight is not punishing for all day use. I have this saw as one of my saws, and it is my go-to saw for most work. Most recently I was sawing down 20" diameter power poles my neighbor and I got for free from the power company when they were replacing an HV powerline (got about (20) of them, all 100' feet long or longer...must have been some monstrous trees!). Built a 24' foot tall head-gate for the ranch with one of them, and putting that crossmember up was a real 'adventure' as just that one piece weighs close to a ton.

Anyway, I highly recommend the Husky 455.

edit - Husky vs. Stihl vs. Echo = Ford vs. Ram vs. Chevy

Ditto Stihl, It literally paid for it self with one tree I cut down that was going to fall on my house by one squirrel sneeze, saved me thousands.

Not including the fact that I basically fell a small forest behind my house, with zero issues with it other than normal sharpening, and cleaning.

You won't regret a Stihl. I've never owned a Husky or an Echo, because I've never had to. Case in point - nothing gets abused like rented tools. Go to your local tool rental and see what they have available. They can't make any money replacing stuff, so that'll be a fairly reliable indicator.

Make sure it does not have a toolless chain adjuster. My choice is the Stihl farm boss. I had the dealer swap off the 20" bar for an 18". Less chain means it will run a bit quicker because there is more power per cutter.

It also means a you can get a new non-safety chain. Go with a yellow dot micro chisel unless you have cut with one alot. Red dot is less safe but will be quicker.

Buy the new style file holder from Stihl. Plastic angled ends and 3 files. Two are round for the tooth and one is flat for the raker top. The guide is really simple. It will get both in one stroke at the right angle. Unless you are experienced with just the plain file by hand this new holder works great.

A couple of strokes per tooth with each gas fill will keep it sharp.

a reply to: caterpillage

as others have said either a Stihl, Husqvarna, or ECHO you should be pleased with. all are fine saws.

but i tell ya i talked to my old boss's son the other day, he owns a landscaping business and has branched into tractor and equipment sales.

he has always been particular about what he used and bought the best he could afford when first getting started.
anyway i saw he had started using the the 12', 16, and 18 ego saws for trimming. asked him about how they worked and he said he's never going back to gas again. he said he was so impressed that he's even thinking about trying their zero turn mowers. if you knew him that's saying alot. he will pinch a penny until lincoln screams and only buys the best now. he even said that he was thinking if they worked well he was going to see about being a distributor for them.

I like Huskies, own two with 16 inch bars. A few things.

Get a needle grease gun to grease the bearings in the bar and grease it with every use. Otherwise, you'll destroy your bar in a single season.

Learn how to sharpen the chain. Get two of the proper-sized rat tail files. Stroke forward when sharpening, not back and forth. A golf ball with a small hole makes a good handle for the end of the file. Use a flat file to flatten the rake teeth down as you sharpen the other teeth.

Examine the bar occasionally, wearing will cause it to cut on a curve I like to call the "hook". File the worn areas on the bar and flip it over when the wear causes it to cut the hook.

When cutting in cold weather, a lightweight bar oil will flow better.

At least once a season, take the saw apart and clean out the sawdust and crap inside and examine the parts.

If your gas/oil mix is too rich it will blacken the spark plug, it should be a light brown color if a proper mix is used.

Mark the can of gas as oil/gas mix or you might get it confused with regular gas and put it in your lawn mower, or someone else does.

Some others here have said much the same on maintenance.

a reply to: BingoMcGoof
I have had a very positive experience with Stihl as well..Husky is supposedly a good brand for chainsaws too.
Good isn't always cheap and cheap isn't always good.

a reply to: caterpillage

Look up the silky saws.. They are manual but very sharp and strong.. Good for off grid.

a reply to: purplemer

These are hand-held saws for cutting branches, which is why they are curved. They are great for branches, I used the extension to cut out TDDA's trees. But you can't fell trees with them, not even off-grid . Or just once and you've learned from it

I have one of these with me in the forest - I'm a government-appointed hunter - you can use it to remove annoying branches but not to fell trees or make firewood. You're better off with an axe, a splitting hatchet and wedge as well as a decent hacksaw.

If you need fuel that you don't have off-grid, the chainsaw also runs on cooking oil, you can even make it yourself. But you have to take the cooking oil out of the machine because it gets resinous after a few months.