(I posted this in another forum but thought you guys would be able to help me also)

This is one tool that I don't have and am looking to get. Will not be using it alot just for trimming trees and cutting them up after storms and such...

What is prompting me to get one is that I need to take down two trees that are about 30 maybe 35 foot high and 12"-14" trunk diameter.

I am looking at sears, TSC and Northern tool and equipment, they have Husqvarna, poulan, and of course craftsman at sears.


I have a Poulan two stage 8hp 24" snow thrower which works very well, so Poulan would be a good brand along with Husqvarna, I have heard both being good. Not the biggest fan of craftsman but not ruling them out either.


Heres what I know

-Really don't want to spend more then $200.00
-min. of 40cc...I think?

Heres what I need to know

-Get the 16", 18", 20"? (like I said biggest diameter I would be cutting would most likely be 12"-14" but you never know)

-Which brands do you guys have? still running good? How long have you had them?

-Looked at Stihl but they looked over priced to me?


Here's a few that I am looking at

Poulan Pro 20 in. 46cc 2-Cycle Chain Saw


http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07135024000P


Poulan Pro 18 IN. GAS 42cc CHAINSAW


http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07135215000P


Craftsman 40cc, 18 in. Gas Chain Saw

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07135180000P


Husqvarna 142 Chainsaw, 16 in, 40cc
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/...___14455|14456 |14458|36361?listingPage=true






Thanks for the help!
-Josh

 

I have all Stihl power equipment and it has not let me down at all. It costs more, but I feel like you probably get what you pay for. Maybe some professional loggers will chime in and give you some advice. I am like you, just the occassional user, but I did break out the saw today for some light trimming around the house and it fired right up and did the job. Only thing I have had done is had the blades sharpened.

Edited to add: If you don't get a Stihl, Husky would be my second choice.

 

I know what you mean, I dont want to pay 150.00 for a cheap one then in a year be buying another one for 150.00 when I could have bought a good one for 300.00 to begin with!

Also I saw a few echo's at HomeDepot which is what my weed whacker and leaf blower are and both started on the second pull this spring, they have both been good but not to sure on how there chain saws are.... But like you said I think I would buy a husky or Poulan before an echo chain saw.

 

Buy Stihl if you can afford it. Head-n-shoulders above everything else.... nothing comes [remotely] close in independent testing/reviews.

Husqvarna is a brand I've had much success with in the past. Not cheap, however not as expensive as Sthil, but good value for money with an excellent warrant and customer service [Lowes].

Echo, esxclusive to Home Depot I'm told, almost always rates very good in testing/reviews and is also very fairly/competitively priced. I've never used one, but I know more than one neighbor with one... though I have no feedback to forward.

Don't waste your money on the others you mentioned - including Craftsman, which I'm told is a rebadged Poulan and Weed Pro product.... though some claim Husqvarna is also in the same boat, made under the same roof.

Good luck.

 

poulan's wild thing is good if you need a light chainsaw. i worked power line construction and they were really handy up in the bucket when we had to top the poles or cut limbs....

HOWEVER..

we ALWAYS had a husqvarna 460 in lockup JUST in case...

 

I have a husqvarna that I ran almost everyday last summer clearing my land. It ran like a champ the whole time. Never an ounce of trouble out of it. Cut lots of trees stumps etc that it shouldn't have.

 

Outta all of those I'd take the Husq. I've never heard of or personally had any problems with them at all. They are very reliable and real tough. Not saying that problems don't happen, they have def. took their toll of use and abuse and held up better than most. Two

 

Well with everybody's help I think I narrowed it down to these two

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/...stingPage=true

AND


http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/...___14455|14456

Now I just need to figure out if I really need the 18" bar over the 16"

If there wasn't a 100.00 buck difference I could care less but there is.

But how much more can a 18" really do over a 16"?

What do you guys think?

Also can you add a bigger bar later if you want?

 

Husqvarna or Stihl would be my only picks. Forget about anything else, Craftsman, Poulan, etc., are all junk.

I sold power equipment for several years before changing jobs and the Husqvarna and Stihl are hands down the best.

I would go with the most I could spend. You'll always find a job that requires a bigger saw. If you go with the 16" you'll be wishing you had the 18".

 

Stihl all the way.

 

I have the E345... I believe it may be the second one you listed. It has the wider chain; which is a big plus in my opinion. I think the first one also has the wider chain. Stay away from the 1/4in chains; if you tie into something with any weight to it they are useless. Wider chains will be harder to snap and will cut that much better. Make sure to get some bar and chain oil, a file to sharpen your chain, and maybe even an extra chain. Depending on how much you're cutting you don't want to run off to have the chain sharpened when you should be out cutting.
I'm not sure how much better an 18in is from the 16in. Id say if they both have the wider chain it may be hard to justify the extra 100 bucks, but if you have a lot of cutting to do the extra CC's and 2" may help out.

 

Discussed several months ago...

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...light=chainsaw

 

Husqvarna is my choice given your list. Otherwise look at Stihl and Echo. I've got a lot of both equipment and it's all good.

 

i worked for a tree service & landscaping for a while...husquvarna and stihl were the only ones we used...husquvarna were the more heavy duty but if i bought one for personal use, it would definetely be a stihl. all of their products seem to do well and parts are easily found (weedeaters, blowers, etc)

 

Of the two that you posted, not only is there a difference in the bar length, the engine is also bigger on the one with the 18" bar, therefor justifying the higher cost. Do you really need a bigger saw? Maybe not. If you bought the smaller saw, do you think you would ever wish that you got one bigger? If you bought the bigger saw, do you think that you would ever wish that you would have saved that $100?

Me personally, I would probably find myself down the line wishing I had the bigger saw. I already wish the one that I bought was a little bigger when my brother bought the Stihl farm boss or whatever it is that makes mine look like a little toy. For around the house duty, the 16" 40cc saw should be more than fine though, assuming you aren't clearing a bunch of land to start building a house.