18" bar Chainsaw Discussion

[bkm]

I'm in the market for a new saw and currently have a Stihl 028 Super Wood Boss with 18" bar.

Although my old Stihl still runs good, she's getting a little long in the tooth and is the coldest natured beast on the planet. Once warm, it will start just by looking at it and I've tried every different carb adjustment imaginable and nothing seems to really make a difference. It has the goofy choke inside the air filter setup that just isn't a good design in my opinion.

Anyway, I've been looking at either a newer Stihl MS251 or a Dolmar 510. Both are pretty similar in size and price, but the Dolmar comes with a tool kit and carrying case to which the Stihl does not. All that is extra. Does anyone on here own a Dolmar and if so, what is your feedback? Or, if you recommend a different saw around 50cc and 18" bar, I'm all ears and am not loyal to any one brand. I'm looking to spend around 300-400

It will be used for firewood and dropping Oak/Hickory tree's on my property.

[mendoAu]

I have a husqvarna 460 with a 20 inch bar. Highly recommend. A bit more than your budget but this link takes you to one in the top end of your budget:


http://www.chainsawsdirect.com/Husqvarna-455-Chain-Saw/p4498.html

and....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Husqvarna-455-Rancher-Gas-Powered-Chainsaw-55-5cc-18-Bar-Free-Powerbox-Case-/141796819701?hash=item2103bfc2f5

I also think you might be interested in this link (at the moment I use an electric 110 v dremel but in the market for a 12v to hook up to the truck battery while in the field.:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pc-7-32-Diamond-Chainsaw-Sharpener-Burr-Stone-File-1453-Dremel-HUSQVARNA-/161451309359?hash=item25973f792f

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Hey Bryan,

I into saws a little bit, and hang out on a forum called Arboristsite.com. Lot's of info over there if you can weed through the blind brand loyalty and bickering. LOL! One nice thing is that there are often reviews and shootouts between saws posted over there along with lots of other information you may find to be helpful.

First of all, I do have a fair bit of experience wielding a Dolmar, my father-in-laws 6400. It is larger than the model you are looking at of course. But beyond that, I found the Dolmar to be a very high quality, ESPECIALLY for the price pint compared to an equivalent Stihl, Husky, or Johnny-Red. I have not run the 510, but I am confident it will be of the same quality if it falls into their "pro grade" class of saws. The only thing I see people get a little nit-picky about with the Dolmars is that they run a tad heavier than the competition in comparable models.. Usually not a ton, but some people really get uptight about 1/2 pound..mainly guys who log for a living and have to hike in and out of the woods carrying their saw, which is understandable. So yes, IMHO you will get a good saw with a Dolmar.

The Stihl ms251, I am not as read-up on my Stihls as I am Husky and Dolmar, but if the price is comparable to the Dolmar it is probably not going to be one of their "pro" saws. If I had to put money on it, I would bet the 510 will be a higher performing saw than the ms251. I have some experience with a pair of Stihl ms290's at work and I am not at all impressed with their power for their engine sizes and weight. Same size engine as my 357xp with what feels like half the power and RPM. No thanks. FTR: I don't base my judgment of Stihl's lineup as a whole based on these saws as I realize the 290's are not pro-grade models. I suspect the ms251 you are looking at may be very similar to the ms290.

Now, you asked for other recommendations. I am a Husky guy myself. I own 3 of their pro models, a 346xp (50cc), 357xp (57cc), and 372xpw (75cc version) and I could not be happier with those saws. IF you can find a used 346 in good shape, it will be in the price range you said you are working with..but the trick is finding one.. They are now discontinued and have a following. They have been replaced by the 550xp. I use a 550xp at my job. It features Husky's Autotune carb. This setup has had some growing pains early on, but they seem to have ironed out the bugs. I have found that 550xp I work with to be an awesome performer with an edge over my conventional carbed 346xp. I attribute this to Autotune.

Now the 550xp is a bit more money than you are looking to spend. They are running at about $500-$550 most places. So I'm not sure if that saw is an option worth considering for you. All I can say is it is a heck of a 50cc saw.

Husky also has another 50cc saw worth mentioning, the 545. It is 50cc actual displacement, and has just shy of the same HP rating as the 346xp that I have, and here's the nice thing about it: It features the XP type construction of magnesium crankcases as opposed to plastic found on many "homeowner" grade saws offered by all the manufacturers alike.

Now, crankcase construction materials is kind of a hint as to the grade of saw you are looking at. Many of the less expensive models use plastic. I bought a plastic cased Husky 350 brand new a few years back only to end up getting full replacement credit on warrantee due to a crack in the case. I ended up applying that credit to the new 346xp and haven't looked back. Some folks may encourage you to look at Husky's Rancher line of saws.. while they offer 50, 55, and 60cc versions, you are getting the weight of those size classes with the power and performance level of pro saws in smaller displacements. Plus they all have plastic crankcases that in my experience are prone to failure. My buddy bought a 460 Rancher and his case was cracked and leaking bar oil all over the bench before he ever even put it into wood!

So having said all of that, I would be looking at what material the crankcases are constructed of on different models in the size class you are looking at and go from there. Plastic case saws aren't even considered when I am shopping for another saw.

No offense mendoAu, just stating experiences a friend and I had...

And you know, it might be worth joining the forum I mentioned above. They have a trading post area just like here, and there are usually some pretty nice saws for sale at any given time... everything from smaller stuff to ported 95cc pro saws.

Good luck on your saw hunt!

Here is the 545. Not sure why they don't list MSRP, but going by MSRP on the 550xp, I would take an educated guess that MSRP on the 545 would fall right around $499. Probably get it for about $425 in the real world.. Just did a quick search and find tham as low as $439 with free shipping on ebay. http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/professional-chainsaws/545/#specifications

Here is the 550xp. It is an amazing performer. You'll find it for around $525 plux tax in real world shops. http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/professional-chainsaws/550-xp/

Oh and in case you didn't know, Husqvarna and Jonsereds are made by the same people. Think of Chevy and GMC. One is equally as good as the other, just different colors.

[6speedthumper]

Love my Husky.

[83ATC185]

I can recommend the Husqvarna as well i have had a 455 Rancher for 2 years and it sat for 6 months of that untouched and fired right up after priming and choking. I can't speak on its winter performance up where you live but around here at 20 degrees i haven't had a problem starting it, I'm not sure of the choke set up on it, I've never had to do anything but put gas and oil in it. I will say the newer Husqvarnas feel light and cheap (to me)compared to the older ones. Definitely not a Stihl but light years ahead of a Poulan. Reliability wise it gets an A+. I have only felled a few trees with it, most of what i do is stuff that falls in the yard/driveway or cutting a little bit of firewood but it hasn't given a bit of trouble.

If i hadn't needed a saw right then i might would've rented a few different ones to see which one i thought fit me the best.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

What I use my saws for is doing winter wood for me (15 cord) brother (17 cord+) parents (15 cord) and sometimes blocking up the inlaws 35+ cord for their outdoor boiler. When we do our wood it's not just getting a load of logs and going to town.. We fell, limb (using most limb wood worth cutting to length) drag out, block, split, stack. We sometimes take down trees 30" in diameter as we selectively cut in our woods. No, I'm no logger.. but we work our equipment pretty good each year when it's firewood time. And IMHO, the pro saws are worth every penny.

I just recently did a carb kit and intake update on my now near 10 year old 357xp.. while I was doing that I pulled the top end, did a little port matching/cleanup, base gasket delete, and muffler mod. Not saying it's a "hot saw", but it certainly made an angry saw downright menstrual! LOL!

[hoosierlogger]

222692
What I use my saws for is doing winter wood for me (15 cord) brother (17 cord+) parents (15 cord) and sometimes blocking up the inlaws 35+ cord for their outdoor boiler. When we do our wood it's not just getting a load of logs and going to town.. We fell, limb (using most limb wood worth cutting to length) drag out, block, split, stack. We sometimes take down trees 30" in diameter as we selectively cut in our woods. No, I'm no logger.. but we work our equipment pretty good each year when it's firewood time. And IMHO, the pro saws are worth every penny.

I just recently did a carb kit and intake update on my now near 10 year old 357xp.. while I was doing that I pulled the top end, did a little port matching/cleanup, base gasket delete, and muffler mod. Not saying it's a "hot saw", but it certainly made an angry saw downright menstrual! LOL!

You guys are not possibly burning that much wood. If you are truly going thru that much, then maybe it's time to insulate your homes.

A rick = 16"X4'x8' stack
A cord = 4'x4'X8' stack. (3 ricks)



Stihl all the way!!!

[RIDE-RED 250r]

222692

You guys are not possibly burning that much wood. If you are truly going thru that much, then maybe it's time to insulate your homes.

A rick = 16"X4'x8' stack
A cord = 4'x4'X8' stack. (3 ricks)



Stihl all the way!!!

Sorry Hoosier, little bit of inconsistency based on regional nomenclature... Around here, what you call a rick, we call a face cord... Just my bad habit of not stating "face". In this area when a person refers to a cord of wood, we are talking about what you say is a rick..Firewood is most commonly sold by the "face cord" here and I guess over a few generations people dropped the "face" part off for whatever reason... And I have no doubt you are correct technically speaking. Never heard it called a rick though.

So yes, you are correct. :beer

Someone I was talking to in Canada mentioned a "bush cord".. I don't remember how many ricks or face cord that was.. ever hear of that??

And FTR good Sir, I have no ill will in general against your creamsicles... Just never got into them.. ;)

[onformula1]

Thanks guys I learned a lot about chain saws and ricks, living in Arizona I don't really need a chain saw but it is interesting we just use Estwings for camping

Sent from my SM-G386T1 using Tapatalk

[bkm]

A rick is called a rank here. I usually burn 3 a year. Whatever I buy could possibly be my last saw for as much as I will use it. Great info guys, I actually have an older Husky 55 that needs a top end. I'm going to try and find a Dolmar dealer close to me and check them out.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[El Camexican]

Hmmm, hockey season just stared, Halloween is two weeks away and someone's wants a chainsaw. Just saying...
222695

[6speedthumper]

I suppose, we go through 3 cords every winter. We lot it HOT, so the stove is always blaring.

The Husky is not the only saw I own. I have 2 Poulans, and one Mcculloch. One Poulan is an old Counter-Vibe 3400. Big, heavy trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotr ailpro. Manual oiler, no chain break... Sounds like an open header small block. Cuts great though, unfortunately, it's bar won't hold an adjustment well. The other I bought about seven years ago, because it was on sale and had the no tools adjustable feature. Great to have on a farm. Has never failed to run, but have gone through two chain breaks, and the gas cap threads got tight for some odd reason. And, although I love my Husky, the old MAC3216 is the cat's nuts! That saw is over twenty years old now, has cut down countless trees that it was never intended to cut down, and has NEVER BEEN APART.

[hoosierlogger]

Here is my newest saw. MS661. Has a 2 barrel computer controlled carburator. And it cost $1259

[Bren_downe]

You got the wrong guy…
222700

[hoosierlogger]

I will give this piece of advice, I am 5'9" 24" bar is long enough that when cutting wood on the ground I do t have to bend over. That makes a huge difference at the end of the day. You don't have to cut with the whole bar, but it sure is easier on the back no to be stooped over all day.

[tripledog]

I have a Husqvarna 55 Rancher that runs great after over 10 years of use and a top end rebuild, but I replaced it with a new Stihl MS362 last year. The Stihl is heavy, but it is built well, and it cuts effortlessly. Best decision I have made in quite a while. Prior to buying the Stihl, I purchased a 460 Rancher online from Lowe's. I returned it without even trying to start it, due to the high "cheddar factor" of its construction. I will likely buy a Husky XP in the not too distant future.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

I will give this piece of advice, I am 5'9" 24" bar is long enough that when cutting wood on the ground I do t have to bend over. That makes a huge difference at the end of the day. You don't have to cut with the whole bar, but it sure is easier on the back no to be stooped over all day.

Agree with that!!

I'm 6'0" and run a 24 on my 372. Nice size match to the powerhead and the reach is nice.

[bkm]

I will give this piece of advice, I am 5'9" 24" bar is long enough that when cutting wood on the ground I do t have to bend over. That makes a huge difference at the end of the day. You don't have to cut with the whole bar, but it sure is easier on the back no to be stooped over all day.
Very sound advise. I'm feeling it this morning in my lower back. I have a horrible back to begin with, but bending over cutting wood on the ground all day with the 18" bar took it's toll. My hats off to you if this is how you make your living, because it's not for pussies. Thanks to all for the advise.

[El Camexican]

My hats off to you if this is how you make your living, because it's not for pussies. Thanks to all for the advise.
I know two old timers that lumber jacked for a living with axes and swede saws (one is my uncle). Me thinks they would have been thrilled to have a 12" chain saw back then.:lol:

[mendoAu]

Here's a picture taken from my "front yard" the first of the year during a flood stage....usually you can wade across this creek without getting your knees wet...but any of you guys want to test your saws just give me a holler. Plenty of timber, just pick one. HA!!!
222753

[TrickShot]

Stihl 066 for me. Bending over to cut logs is for birds, we just pick them up to a working level, with the help of the ol Cat 416b and grapple we modified to fit. :D

[atc007]

Chainsaws?? Pfffhhhh,,,,,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eengn9eNQw

On a budget??.........https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be_ZVY0LOh0

lol,,,my buddy has been trying to talk himself out of buying a couple of these instead of a name brand,,,,http://www.ebay.com/itm/291263799873

I bought a Pro weed eater and Saw from Stihl,,,,They will never get a cent of my money ever again. Both had junk carbs.My Grandpas old 024 is an amazing saw,love it,and I have an old 026 that is awesome also. My buddy and his family log for a living and live and die for stihl... But make no mistake, they know their dealer VERY well, far too well. But they are completely blind loyalists. Good luck with your purchase.