OB Approved Chain Saws

[Arizona Overland]

I have the MS170. It's the smallest Stihl that I've used and I'm not overly impressed with it's power. I was having a bit of an issue with it bogging down the first year too... until I realized it REALLY liked a clean air filter. Once I changed that out on a more regular basis and always had a spare or two it worked better. It is still the smallest saw I've ever used and I just have to be patient using it I guess.
No problems with it.... because it's a Stihl of course ;)

It sounds a little bit small...................

 

[IronPercheron]

Broke in my Echo CS-450 20" this weekend. It is not a trail saw by any means... honestly its killing a fly with a howitzer on our ten acres lol But I am very impressed with the wight, power, and ease of operation. I expected no less after owning a CS-310.... a very long time.

I have a Stihl MS-170 that lives in my truck box... cant kill that thing either.

I recommend any of these really... but my preference is the CS-130 for a trail saw, my MS-170 has been serviced professionally several times and still is not a fun saw to get started. The CS-130 is still on the same spark plug and has never been serviced what so ever... once they are running they are both amazing little power houses.

@grantwilson A stihl ms180cb-e looks like a good choice, well done sir!

Sawzall is a jam up idea in my book @maktruk especially since most of our vehicles will have an inverter to charge batteries! That being said... I wonder.... >>>> i have one of these at the house too (previously mentioned)

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200646238_200646238?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Logging > Chainsaws > 18In. Bar Chain Saws&utm_campaign=Oregon&utm_content=48625&gclid=Cj0KEQjwuZvIBRD-8Z6B2M2Sy68BEiQAtjYS3KVov0gifNycMG5QxiWzS-mLLwwK2Wkn6QgAyeFzC6kaAlUC8P8HAQ

hmmmmm

>>> Insert electrical engineer / offroad enthusiast here <<< wonder if my inverter can handle that!! haha

 

[IronPercheron]

I forgot to mention,

SO MANY AWESOME COMMENTS HERE !!!

Loads of info, loads of experiences. Keep it up OB.

 

[Anak]

Just a couple of thoughts, from a guy who really kind of prefers an axe, but does own a couple of chainsaws...

Those who plan to depend on batteries should be aware that batteries don't perform so well in cold temperatures. My good acquaintance, Mr. Murphy, generally comes to visit when it is least desirable. IOW, when those batteries are most needed is the very time they will be at their lowest performance level.

In a similar vein, my experience has been that gas powered chainsaws need to be tuned for altitude. This may not matter if you already live at altitude. For myself, living a couple hundred feet above sea level and having my saws tuned for that, I would expect them to not perform so well at 5K feet or more. Living in the People's Republic of Kommiefornia means that if I buy a gas saw that is legal for here it comes with adjustment limitations. I have had issues with those.

Just some food for thought.

 

[IronPercheron]

You had me at Kommiefornia... too funny! I live in Texas... we could have a Blown 502 big block on a saw and no one would care.

But if you trespass they will shoot you... lol

Batteries: AGREED. I don't think it gets cold enough where I live and travel for that but I know for sure that it is a problem for a friend in the PNW. I learned this from him when we were deployed together in the middle east (yes it gets cold there) ... in the mountains.

Gas tuning: A quality saw will be a breeze to tune, familiarize yourself with the procedures and go with it...

P.S. > If you need help getting your hands on a boss of a saw that does not have the Kommiefornication kit on it would be happy to help. I do not approve of Kommiefornicating a good saw and they should be ashamed of themselves. :-D Knowing someone is safe, and satisfied with their saw makes me happy. ... I just really... really like chainsaws. Being from TX... I often get ribbed about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre for my enthusiasm.

 

[El Gigante Jake]

I just got a 14" bar Echo. Is it the best? No. Was the price right? Yes, purchased at cost. While I wish I had my dads 20" stihl that he bought in the mid 80s, or his 1970s vintage SearsAndSawbucks 18" I don't need to cut down trees to keep warm all winter, just cut up deadfall for a fire now and again.

 

[IronPercheron]

I just got a 14" bar Echo. Is it the best? No. Was the price right? Yes, purchased at cost. While I wish I had my dads 20" stihl that he bought in the mid 80s, or his 1970s vintage SearsAndSawbucks 18" I don't need to cut down trees to keep warm all winter, just cut up deadfall for a fire now and again.

Sounds like your priorities are good!


For what it is worth, Our 14" Echo is 12 years old and has been run HARD. You have a good saw.

 

[Anak]

You had me at Kommiefornia... too funny! I live in Texas... we could have a Blown 502 big block on a saw and no one would care.

But if you trespass they will shoot you... lol

Batteries: AGREED. I don't think it gets cold enough where I live and travel for that but I know for sure that it is a problem for a friend in the PNW. I learned this from him when we were deployed together in the middle east (yes it gets cold there) ... in the mountains.

Gas tuning: A quality saw will be a breeze to tune, familiarize yourself with the procedures and go with it...

P.S. > If you need help getting your hands on a boss of a saw that does not have the Kommiefornication kit on it would be happy to help. I do not approve of Kommiefornicating a good saw and they should be ashamed of themselves. :-D Knowing someone is safe, and satisfied with their saw makes me happy. ... I just really... really like chainsaws. Being from TX... I often get ribbed about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre for my enthusiasm.

I appreciate the willingness to help.

Ebay has been a useful resource toward such ends.

But I do have one saw that I bought off local Craigslist, and it has been the one to pose challenges. It is now set up to perform correctly where I am, but heaven help me if I take it somewhere else. There is probably a way to swap in a completely different carburetor and eliminate the nonsense, but I haven't gotten that motivated. For now it does what I need it to do. If that changes I will consider making the requisite changes to the saw.

 

[PinnaclePete]

I own 2 Arborist supply stores and have been in forestry / arboriculture for over 30 years. IMO a chainsaw with 35cc and an 18" bar is plenty for general trail clearing and firewood cutting. Always wear leg chaps and safety glasses, a hard hat if there are "widowmakers" or other overhead hazards. IF possible, never cut alone - things happen. Keep a first-aid kit handy. I use and sell VP Fuels 50:1 - no ethanol, stabilizer to last years, burns clean and won't eat up hose or diaphrams. I can start my saw on 3 pulls after sitting for weeks. As mentioned before learn about compression (pinching) wood and tension (snapping) wood, keep a small wedge handy. Cut on the uphill side of a log and cut small pieces which are easier to manage and move. When traveling secure the saw and cover the bar to prevent damage to your gear.

 

[IronPercheron]

I own 2 Arborist supply stores and have been in forestry / arboriculture for over 30 years. IMO a chainsaw with 35cc and an 18" bar is plenty for general trail clearing and firewood cutting. Always wear leg chaps and safety glasses, a hard hat if there are "widowmakers" or other overhead hazards. IF possible, never cut alone - things happen. Keep a first-aid kit handy. I use and sell VP Fuels 50:1 - no ethanol, stabilizer to last years, burns clean and won't eat up hose or diaphrams. I can start my saw on 3 pulls after sitting for weeks. As mentioned before learn about compression (pinching) wood and tension (snapping) wood, keep a small wedge handy. Cut on the uphill side of a log and cut small pieces which are easier to manage and move. When traveling secure the saw and cover the bar to prevent damage to your gear.

Amen!

 

[Itacal]

"... IF possible, never cut alone - things happen ..."

I have a buddy at work that broke this rule ... friends were on the way over to help and he got tired of waiting for them. Broke both legs when the tree (which was down) he was cutting rolled back on him. He was on LOA for months and still walks with a noticeable limp.

Absolutely g*****n right, don't ever cut alone!

 

[Otis Porsche]

Driving a diesel I do not want to carry a can of gasoline just for the saw. Also, would be limited to cutting by the amount of gas on hand. Looking into battery powered saws - with extra batteries and an inverter to re-charge them. Thinking this would be a lot cleaner, safer way to go. Especially when we have a winch to move larger sections vs cutting them.

 

[Anchor Mtn]

I just picked up the new DeWalt 60v FlexVolt 16" Chainsaw. The new batteries and brushless motors of the flexvolt line have really impressed me in the past year. Even running the table saw and mitersaw constantly, the batteries last for HOURS. I also picked up a new 9 amp hour battery to go with the Chainsaw so I really dont have any concerns about running out of juice on the trail. I figure if I hit a run of downed trees and I kill both batteries trying to get through.... Ill be exhausted and turn around anyway.

The saw is small, light and packs away easily but the best part is that its QUIET with no extra gas/oil to worry about.

 

[15Canyon]

I got an MS 170 from my grandpa (not the biggest, but heck it's free right?), and after a little bit of sharpening and figuring out how to start the thing, it's ready to roll! I'm pretty new to using a chainsaw, but I've made sure to get enough PPE and instruction on how to use it.

I'll have to give it a shot tomorrow, cut some willow logs up.

 

[Winterpeg]

I got an MS 170 from my grandpa (not the biggest, but heck it's free right?), and after a little bit of sharpening and figuring out how to start the thing, it's ready to roll! I'm pretty new to using a chainsaw, but I've made sure to get enough PPE and instruction on how to use it.

I'll have to give it a shot tomorrow, cut some willow logs up.

Replace the air filter... it likes clean filters ;)
Good little saw once I figured that part out...

 

[15Canyon]

Replace the air filter... it likes clean filters ;)
Good little saw once I figured that part out...

I changed it out after cutting today, works pretty well for what I need it for, but damn was that thing dirty.

Thanks for the tip! :)

 

[Red Beard]

Great write up.

I can definitely recommend leg protection. Chain saws don't care if it is a limb or your leg. Watched a saw kick back on my grand father and do some serious damage to his left leg. He got real lucky on this injury and had no lasting side effects but it could have been much worse.

 

[chexmix]

Cool seeing this here. If possible, your local forest service may have classes / certification. I did this years ago so I could use a saw while volunteering and it's impressive the tips they have that I was missing. Simple thing for me was someone recommended to stop bending over and extended the saw out when bucking and limbing, this has saved my back!


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Arizona Overland]

I woke up this morning with plans to buy a saw. Had some limbs I needed to cut away from the house. Well, I needed to pay some bills first, and after I payed em I found out I was broke, so I had to rent a saw instead. I got the MS170, and it works pretty good for cutting down limbs, but I don't think Id want to cut a tree down with it.
So, I was gonna ask, 16" bar, or 20" bar, then I read @PinnaclePete's post.
So is every one in agreement about the 18" bar?

 

[Defender 90 Keith]

I woke up this morning with plans to buy a saw. Had some limbs I needed to cut away from the house. Well, I needed to pay some bills first, and after I payed em I found out I was broke, so I had to rent a saw instead. I got the MS170, and it works pretty good for cutting down limbs, but I don't think Id want to cut a tree down with it.
So, I was gonna ask, 16" bar, or 20" bar, then I read @PinnaclePete's post.
So is every one in agreement about the 18" bar?

You must be shifting some fairly big trees for 18".