Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire All chainsaw information appreciated here

Yeah, I figured you could find ethanol-free gas just about anywhere since you can in these parts... Guess I was mistaken by the comments on here. In that case, Stabil is your best friend, if EF isn't available.

Bristoe,

I have a husky 353 which is fine. not a pro saw. I probably cut up a cord of pine and 2 cords of oak a year. 353 would do you great. I try not mess around, end of the year I dump out the fuel in the tank, and next season mix up a new gallon.

I have the bar oiler set to max, and I buy bar oil by the gallon. out for half day I will fill the bar oil, fill the fuel tank, and take a qt replacement for each.

new chains are cheap, buy a couple, sharpen them regular, throw them away when they're used up.

my saw must be 10 years old. I throw on a new air filter and spark plug every so often.

starts up real good still. when it won't, I'll buy a new one.

mans life is too short to be tugging on a chainsaw starter rope all day.

Sycamore

This is a good stihl saw, it's user friendly and has lots of safety features.
Here is a good video showing all it's features, it is the perfect saw for ya bristoe! https://youtu.be/QqkKQcEk5tw

Thirty years ago, I use to run a little 16 inch Echo along with a 60 cc 20 inch Poulan (Sears labei) and cut about 35 cord of Ponderasa, Lodgepole, or Doug fir each summer. I also ran Homelite, Mac, and a Jonsered when helping various family gather wood. Now, granted this a bit dated.

The best of the bunch was that little 60cc Swede. That was before Husquavarna and Jonsered merged. The old Macs were big, slow and clunky, they would cut a little wood but made a better boat anchor. Homelite was a bit better, but not much. I remember right after St Helens blew, Jonsered came out with a special model for working in the volcanic ash. It was equipped with carbide teeth in the chain and a four inch diameter automotive style paper air filter sitting up in front of the handle. The local saw shop always kept one on display through those years.

That little Echo was pretty handy for limbing, or clearing brush so you could get in and fall a tree. And I used it well beyond its design, but when I needed a new saw, I went with a brand used by nearly half the professionals. Stihl. And I am glad I did. It has been bullet proof.

I let a couple other people use it over the years. One of them let the chain hit the dirt while working up an old dead 30 inch maple tree. Then kept right on pushing the saw through the cuts and fried the bar. I have consumed about eight chains in almost twenty years, so I don't work it like I used to run the old Poulan. But this 59 cc Stihl will cut twice the wood the 60 cc Poulan would. There is just no comparison. And the Poulan used to vapor lock every time you shut it off. You could take the fuel cap off and see the gas boiling in the tank. If you refueled it, sharpened the chain, ate a sandwich, got a big drink of water, and flirted with the girls a bit, it might have cooled off enough to restart.

The Stihl just starts......every time.

Like I said, my information is far from current. My last saw was purchased almost twenty years ago. The string trimmer is an Echo, and only about seven years old, but I have not been able to get it started the last three summers.

As far as I am concerned there are only three chainsaw brands built today. Jonsered/Husquavarna and Stihl.

Don't use leaded fuel in new chainsaws. Husky and Stihl saws are designed to meet Europe regulations--yes, Europe now has emission and fuel consumption standards on saws. On some models leaded fuel can mess up the muffler and sensors, and fool the fuel management computer (yes, saws now have computers just like vehicles).

Stabil Marine is your friend. I have four Honda powerplants, 4 "modern" chainsaws, 4 vintage saws that are 40-50 years old, two mowers, two trimmers, and a restored 1952 M38 Willys Jeep. They all have gas in them year round, everything but the saws will not be used for up to 6 months, the Jeep will sit for 6 months in the shop at 9200 ft altitude. They will all start easy in the spring. All my small engine gas cans get Stabil Marine every time I fill them up.

Colorado was one of the first to be mandated ethanol blend gas in the early 90's. With Stabil Marine my ethanol problems went away years ago. Run name brand premium fuel in the small engines--it's got lots of good additives that help an engine.

Thanks.

Okay, that is pretty funny, if not very nice.

I buy that and mix 40:1 and have had no problems.

All that is needed....

Soooo....the necessity of keeping the chain adjusted properly is just an old wives tale.

you use the Bud can as a shim. Just got done fixing about an hour ago an MS 211 for a guy that couldn't get it to start, E85 in the tank, homeowner POS Stihl

laughing

To be honest I don't think "pure" gasoline is as important as many make it out to be.

I do believe the highest octane available and Stabil is mandatory however when it comes to all things small engines. No doubt the OP already knows this but I don't think it can be echoed enough.




Dave

50:1.

In everything.





Dave

I mix 50-1 because Stihl told me too.

The only reason I use high octane is because all the ethanol free around these parts is premium and I'm convinced that ethanol is the enemy of all two strokes.

Maybe martinis......otherwise....no.

enemy of all small motors

E gas ain't the end of the world as long as it doesn't sit. If it sits, it absorbs water, corrodes, and wrecks hell on gaskets and hoses.

Small engines usually sit quite a bit.

50:1 because of epa. Older saws and modified saws need more oil.

Stihl used to spec hi test gas. Could have changed.

But like oil mix........must be tuned for it.

I started out with a lemon yellow Power Mac 6 and it was a pos lemon. The last straw was when I got out in the woods to cut and it wouldn't start. A Homelite Super EZ was better, but that one broke. No more cheap stuff so I bought a mid size Husqvarna 257 and that has been a great saw with lots of compression, easy starting and that big 3/8 pitch chain really ripped through the wood. Stihl chains are the best according to my professional tree cutting buddy. That 257, good as it is, is still near 16 pounds and heavy after a while for just trimming. All the street department guys around here use Stilh equipment and so does my tree cutter buddy. Jim will buy every 020T Stihl that he can find and rebuild them. A great high speed pro saw, but best for one hand trimming work like bhemry wrote earlier. I wanted a small high end Stihl and when I saw an virtually unused demo MS150C on the used rack at the dealer for $450. I grabbed it. 7# 6oz. and just a joy to limb with. That 12" bar and a sharp 1/4" chain cuts amazingly well and is so narrow it doesn't make a wide saw kerf. A medium size saw and that little Stihl make a great combination. Don't go too large if you are only working with smaller trees.