Reccomend me a chainsaw

[sh1kar]

Stihl.
A small saw (like the MS180) will do most jobs up to 12" and is really suited to cutting off the smaller branches and chopping them into logs, it's quitre slow on the 12" stuff but great for 6" branches etc.
The MS241 is slightly bigger so will be excellent at cutting up branches., boughs and stems up to 12" in diameter.
The MS362 C-M is my chainsaw of choice and is perfect of hardwood limbs to around 16" and anything below, it is larger than the others i've mentioned but is a very capable and easy to start saw, that performs well in all situations.

Going away from petrol to battery becomes expensive. the MSA 300 looks to be an excelent MS241 equivalent but you'll need a couple of batteries and the charger which are all sold seperately.
You will have spend around £1500 rather than £800 and need to be near to electricity.

Spares are easy to get.
New chains and bars are not expensive and plentyfull.
Used saws are great value, eBay is your friend.

Pardon our interruption...

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Yep 362 is the saw of discerning loggers
Used each side on the trunk and will deal with most blown timber

S

 

[Rory]

I wear a skirt now and then.

 

[papercase]

Bit late to the party here but Echo make some fantastic equipment, great availability of Japanese made spares at fair prices. If you want a budget saw then look no further than the CS-310 with a 12 or 14" bar for around £200. If you want something bigger there's plenty of options I would imagine limited by budget. I got a second hand CS-501SX 50cc with 16" bar but will run a 20" (Amazon surprisingly cheap for Oregon kit btw!) Cost me £130 for the saw and £50 for new Oregon versacut bar and full chisel chain. Oh and buy a nice file kit whilst your at it I have some experience with Stihl and Husq who make lovely stuff but I wouldn't run anything else now. The 501 is light and just screams quality.

 

[sauer]

think their is a 16yr old lad might be selling one cheap Hadrians wall way

 

[long_range_rob]

think their is a 16yr old lad might be selling one cheap Hadrians wall way

Literally beat me by minutes.

 

[User00053]

Yes, but be interesting to know which make and model he used for future reference etc

 

[Ranger6555]

Replaced a Husky 254xp that got lifted from my garage and replaced it with a Husky 560 XP-G. Nuff said

 

[Klenchblaize]

Literally beat me by minutes.

Join the queue!

K

 

[kes]

I bought a Stihl 211 to use on firewood. Excellent saw until it stopped - new carburettor after just 3 years. Apparently the Ethylene clogs the carb if its not used regularly. Replacement of carb cost half the initial price of the saw.
The 'shop', Forest Park and Garden, tried ultrasonic cleaning twice but a new carb (from China) sorted it.
I wouldn't recommend Stihl nor Husky since Husky's parts backup is many months behind. I might just try a powerful electric saw and keep the others 'just in case' but drain them first.

 

[sh1kar]

I bought a Stihl 211 to use on firewood. Excellent saw until it stopped - new carburettor after just 3 years. Apparently the Ethylene clogs the carb if its not used regularly. Replacement of carb cost half the initial price of the saw.
The 'shop', Forest Park and Garden, tried ultrasonic cleaning twice but a new carb (from China) sorted it.
I wouldn't recommend Stihl nor Husky since Husky's parts backup is many months behind. I might just try a powerful electric saw and keep the others 'just in case' but drain them first.

Always use super petrol. Not the crud with cooking oil etc in it

 

[LordBob]

I sell both Echo and Stihl chainsaws and for reliability I would go for Echo over any brand.

 

[LordBob]

Also the best thing you can do is run what ever brand you buy on either Aspen or Motomix fuel. Eliminates many problems.

 

[Miki]

I sell both Echo and Stihl chainsaws and for reliability I would go for Echo over any brand.

I'm not sure i'd agree that the Echo (Yamabiko Corporation of Japan) makes a better chainsaw that Stihl although I havent directly compared all of the models.
Possibly for the light/occasional user the 40cc CS-400-18 is a good saw, but IMO the Stihl MS230 is a lot more rugged and feels more powerful.
Even the MS171 or 181 beats the larger Echo.

Also the best thing you can do is run what ever brand you buy on either Aspen or Motomix fuel. Eliminates many problems.

Yes the ready-mixed Alkalyte fuels are good but if you use E5 petrol and a quality 2-stroke oil it's stll significantly cheaper and works well without 'issues'.
Even E10 works but I do agree that some older saws use materials (seals, diaphrams etc) that aren't compatible with the higher ethanol levels although they are mainly older models (pre 2010), all the new saws are fine.
Keeping the chain sharp and the bar oil flowing along with always cleaning the saw after use and emplying it of fuel if you are storing for months without use is the key to longevity and reliability.

Mechanical sympathy, you can't teach it to people or design it out of the saws ....

 

[Selous]

Well I’ve had a disappointing couple of days chainsaw wise. Yesterday I decided to sort out a 15foot long 25 inch diameter oak trunk that I’ve been looking at and putting off for the last year. Trusty but lightly used (circa 50 hours over 5 years) 550XP fired up well using the latest fuel( Stihl Motomix 50:1. First canister bought and will be the last! On the last cut the saw stopped dead as if I had run out of juice other than I had just refuelled. Pull start jammed fast…. Not good!
So today back to the shop I bought it from and they stripped the exhaust to have a peep into the cylinder and it was galled to hell and back. I was told it’s a right off. Offered an Echo as they no longer deal with Husky but thought it felt a bit plasticky. The local Stihl dealer I next visited (to get prices for a replacement) suggested repair was worth considering and pointed me to the next most local Husky dealer who subsequently thought it worth salvaging. All thought that there was a distinct lack of oil in the fuel but there was definitely pigment present when the canister of fuel was checked. Anyway the saw will be repaired and I will go back to my home mix of super unleaded with 2 stroke oil at 25:1
Perhaps it may have been better going for a new Echo as the cost of repair will probably be similar but time will tell

 

[muddy42]

Well I’ve had a disappointing couple of days chainsaw wise. Yesterday I decided to sort out a 15foot long 25 inch diameter oak trunk that I’ve been looking at and putting off for the last year. Trusty but lightly used (circa 50 hours over 5 years) 550XP fired up well using the latest fuel( Stihl Motomix 50:1. First canister bought and will be the last! On the last cut the saw stopped dead as if I had run out of juice other than I had just refuelled. Pull start jammed fast…. Not good!
So today back to the shop I bought it from and they stripped the exhaust to have a peep into the cylinder and it was galled to hell and back. I was told it’s a right off. Offered an Echo as they no longer deal with Husky but thought it felt a bit plasticky. The local Stihl dealer I next visited (to get prices for a replacement) suggested repair was worth considering and pointed me to the next most local Husky dealer who subsequently thought it worth salvaging. All thought that there was a distinct lack of oil in the fuel but there was definitely pigment present when the canister of fuel was checked. Anyway the saw will be repaired and I will go back to my home mix of super unleaded with 2 stroke oil at 25:1
Perhaps it may have been better going for a new Echo as the cost of repair will probably be similar but time will tell

I also used motomix for a while and wasn't a massive fan. I dont know what two stroke oil they use, but it left the piston looking dry. I topped up to 40:1 to use it up then switched to Aspen or normal petrol if Im doing a big job.

 

[Skogsmannen]

Well I’ve had a disappointing couple of days chainsaw wise. Yesterday I decided to sort out a 15foot long 25 inch diameter oak trunk that I’ve been looking at and putting off for the last year. Trusty but lightly used (circa 50 hours over 5 years) 550XP fired up well using the latest fuel( Stihl Motomix 50:1. First canister bought and will be the last! On the last cut the saw stopped dead as if I had run out of juice other than I had just refuelled. Pull start jammed fast…. Not good!
So today back to the shop I bought it from and they stripped the exhaust to have a peep into the cylinder and it was galled to hell and back. I was told it’s a right off. Offered an Echo as they no longer deal with Husky but thought it felt a bit plasticky. The local Stihl dealer I next visited (to get prices for a replacement) suggested repair was worth considering and pointed me to the next most local Husky dealer who subsequently thought it worth salvaging. All thought that there was a distinct lack of oil in the fuel but there was definitely pigment present when the canister of fuel was checked. Anyway the saw will be repaired and I will go back to my home mix of super unleaded with 2 stroke oil at 25:1
Perhaps it may have been better going for a new Echo as the cost of repair will probably be similar but time will tell

Definitely worth popping the cylinder off for a look. The fact it's locked solid sounds like it's probably broke a bit of ring or circlip off and its jammed in a port, but it mightn't be that bad. If its just melted a bit of piston onto tje front of the cylinder, most of tje time it'll clean up well enough to take a fresh piston (youtube will help with what to use - just wear plenty of ppe).

The top ends are still fairly simple to work on for a modern saw, but I'd not try splitting the bottom end at home - if you do manage to get it apart you'llstruggle to get it back together agai n - the tolerances are super tight.

One downside of these modern autotune saws is that if they start to lean out (from an air leak say) they just keep retuning themselves until they go pop.

My gut feeling is it's probably an air leak rather than the motomix.

 

[Julian S]

Husky is superb, had one 30 years and worth the money, however i needed a temporary replacement and bought a Hyundai petrol online for about £130 delivered online,20 inch bar,3 year warranty and 2 chains,been going fine for 6 months and very good.Not near a husky but cuts our firewood fine and very cheap,well worth a look.

 

[Selous]

Definitely worth popping the cylinder off for a look. The fact it's locked solid sounds like it's probably broke a bit of ring or circlip off and its jammed in a port, but it mightn't be that bad. If its just melted a bit of piston onto tje front of the cylinder, most of tje time it'll clean up well enough to take a fresh piston (youtube will help with what to use - just wear plenty of ppe).

The top ends are still fairly simple to work on for a modern saw, but I'd not try splitting the bottom end at home - if you do manage to get it apart you'llstruggle to get it back together agai n - the tolerances are super tight.

One downside of these modern autotune saws is that if they start to lean out (from an air leak say) they just keep retuning themselves until they go pop.

My gut feeling is it's probably an air leak rather than the motomix.

Thanks for the detailed reply. It’s in at the dealer for repair. No chance I’m going to try it myself!!

 

[kes]

Also the best thing you can do is run what ever brand you buy on either Aspen or Motomix fuel. Eliminates many problems.

Aspen is £20 for 5 litres and I was going to use it on my newly repaired saw but apparently the new carb has a coating on it which protects the unused carb - mine didnt work too well straight from the repairers so I asked why and mentioned the Aspen, used from start up after the repair. The advice was Aspen doesn't have the 'nasties' that normal 5% ethanol fuel has so I should use 'normal' fuel and then Aspen to clear out the mythical protector on the new carb. Anyway it worked - everything now is fine. If I have to run on Aspen, my logs will come much more expensive but perhaps fewer expensive repairs - I wonder how it balances out financially ?