survival chainsaw?

j427x · 11-13-2009, 08:55 PM

my old trusty 029 super chainsaw cut it last log the other day. now i am shopping around for a new one. normally this would not be too much of a problem as my father was a logger back in the day and back then we knew which saw was best and durable enough for the job.

but the 041s, husky's and johsreds that we knew are long gone in their place are all new shit of questionable durability and reliability!

what i am needing is a medium sized saw of around 50cc or more displacement, 16 to 20 inch bar--not too large and heavy but big enough to get through the wood. start quick and run reliable. none of that going dead/hard to start shit. lastly it can't cost a mint. remember i got to buy important shit like ammo!

saws i have been looking hard at are husky 455 rancher. i have had good luck with husqvarna stuff and i can get a really good price on this model. the new ones worry me because the EPA made husky lean them out too much. and i have seen on the internet rumor net they can get mixed reviews. could be just green-horn mistakes though. i can fix the lean problem myself but it may void the warrenty--lol

the dolmar 5100 looks pretty good the price is OK--but i am cautious about a brand i have never run before.

any ideas?

chopper · 11-13-2009, 09:19 PM

i say husqvarna ,but then i use to work on them

moleman · 11-13-2009, 09:28 PM

The husky saws my sister and her husband have are nice and make my poulan 18" look like a pos. That said, do not run the huskies at 60-1 like the manuals says. You hit the nail on the head when you said they leaned them out too much to pass the california emissions. My brother in law melted a piston on his husqvarna 346 2-3 years ago. I was able to lightly hone the cylinder (it has either some wierd nickel or chrome coating on the cylinder wall) to remove the melted piston streaks and replace the piston to get it going. I told him to run everything at 30-1 and he hasn't had a problem yet. He hasn't met a piece of machinery he couldn't break so that very well could be the problem, but there was also an aftermarket replacement piston out on the market for his newer model. Ask me about his 4WD tractor some time.

**Winn R** · 11-13-2009, 10:12 PM

I keep 3 huskies running but idiot labor burns one out a year by running them with dull blades.

Book says 50/1 mix but like moleman I run more oil.

**Rich** · 11-14-2009, 06:56 AM

A lot of the professional tree trimmers around this area use Echo equipment. I think it may be because the local dealer has excellent customer service.

**mauser1959** · 11-14-2009, 08:36 AM

I am a what is called a professional arborist, our company employed 28,000 employees. At one time our company had the biggest dealer ship of almost ever saw imported into the USA... going back as far as Homelite. From what I have seen the best two saws running are either Husky or Stihl. I started my sojourn with a husky 30 years ago and still like them, but a stihl is also a good saw. One of the big things to look for when buying a saw is the availability of parts and service, sometimes that is all the difference in the world. The last saw that my dad bought I had him get a husky, for most people that is about as good as it gets and the power to weight ratio is awesome. I have run a 50/1 ratio for ever in both huskys and stihls, with good success, much higher mix and it starts to rob power, and for an occasional saw that does not matter, but if running the saw for 8 hours per day that means a lot. We also used echo saws, however I have a real problem with them in the bigger sizes, but hooked on a belt, i think that they are equal to any other for balance and ease of use ( better than the stihl trim saws in my opinion). If you have any questions, give me a shout, I have been in the industry for 30 years, and have many many saws.

**4thIDvet** · 11-14-2009, 02:16 PM

I am with Mauser on this one.
Husky will kick ass in the cutting dept. Tuned correctly and taken care of it is like a quality race car.
When I lived in Vermont I saw a lot of chain saws come and go.
But while those guys were tuning there Huskies my Stihl was like a diesel, still chugging along.
Get a good chisel chain and a Stihl. Mine lasted 25 years.
"This post is by no means an endorsement of Stilh and is from personnel experiences only."

j427x · 11-14-2009, 03:29 PM

any body want to chime in with makita/dolmar chainsaws?

right now the husky 455 is looking like the best buy for me although the 455 rancher is a howmowner saw--

. the dolmar ps5100s is supposed to be more of a heavy duty commercial saw than the husky 455 with a little more power but at a little bit more $

i think the husky is 3.5hp and the dolmar is 4.0hp and is a tad lighter with a magnesium case. i have heard from some people that had the 5100 that is is a good saw, haven't seen many horror stories on the net about it either.

the same dealer sells and services the dolmar.

i think what i am going to do is gow down to the shop monday and take one more look at the 5100s dolmar and if i can't get a deal on it i will just get the 455 husky.

**mauser1959** · 11-14-2009, 05:54 PM

We also had a huge sachs dolmar dealership, not sure if it was the biggest in the USA though. We had problems with the dolmars, they did not last as well as the stihls or the huskies, but they may have changed since the company stopped using them... the company tended to stay with things that work, you want the best saws possible, when you buy them by the semi loads. shindowa supposedly make an awesome saw... but it is really out of the price range of most people... and then there is that silly ability to get parts when needed. Like I told my dad, that stihl is a great saw, but if you have the ability to get parts and service, I would stick with a husky... just my opinion. My first professional chain saw was a L61 husky , a great saw for its day, but later I went to stihls and loved them... not sure you can go wrong with either brand, though both throw lemons at times.

j427x · 11-15-2009, 09:19 AM

well you all know i am leaning very heavy towards the husqvarna.

my dads logging operation ran stihls, husky's, jonesereds, homelites,alpinas and a few other makes. the sthils, huskys and jonesereds were the best, homelites were underpowered, hard to start hot and didn't last very long, the alpinas were powerful and easy to start but the warrenty was no good and parts were difficult to find. the huskys and jreds ran forever and had tons of power--they were made by AB Sweeden so many parts interchanged --the jreds were known as red plastic huskys. the sthils were powerful & durable but expensive at that time.

the husky 455 rancher is looking better all the time as it is 55.5cc and i can get it at a very good price. i found a brand new makita 510 for an equally good price yesterday, from what i hear there good saws yet not as powerful as husky/jred of the same size.

the dolmar 5100 is the same size and weight as the makita 510 but has a newer motor that makes 4.0hp. the 455 husky 3.5hp and the makita 510 3.2hp. the husky being the biggest of the three although there all pretty close in size and weight the 5100 is the litest of the three.

i found a really nice bang for buck saw on the net a makita 6401 64cc for $500 but is $100 out of my price range. a little big to just be cutting firewood as well.

getting a good saw in my price range is hard to do as i am trying to stay under $400--