What Chainsaw do you run?

Those are some serious sawing pants! Iv upgraded from holy jeans to non holy jeans... I got tired of emptying my boots filled with wood chips!! I’m going consider chaps soon.

 

One close call (blade caught my pants) years ago is all it took for me to buy some chaps.

 

Finally found an Oregon website stating that the chain I bought will in fact fit my saw.... I think some of the facts are outdated and need some updating... so now I’m off to catch some shuteye ... I’ll update on the new chain after Sunday’s use.... Oregon m80 is the chain I’m running and comparing it with the sp33g ... all have a great night

 

Glad nothing bad happened... I’ll be ordering chaps soon

 

Have you modded the muffler on that yet? Opening up the muffler makes that saw come alive.

 

Back in the early ‘70’s I was cutting cedar bolts for shakes on the Oregon coast for a living and was using a Husqvarna 36” and a Poulan 42“ and both served me very well in tough conditions.
Now I heat with firewood only, going through about 4 cords a winter, and have two Echo’s, a 24” and a 16”, and while years back I wouldn’t have touched an Echo, today they make a fine product and mine have been going hard for years.

 

Just my 2 cents. Unless you are cutting in the winter I wouldn’t waste money on winter blend bar oil. If you are going to run it and your bar oil is too thick to flow, then there are other cheaper options. There were times it was so cold when we were cutting that we resorted to using old motor oil (free) or canola oil (cheap.) In fact when we were trimming on certain properties (upscale communities or chicken, turkey, pig farms) veggie oil is all we could run. Yeah I know it doesn’t stick to the chain and makes a mess but it alway flowed nicely even in the coldest of temps. Also, Ethanol is a carb killer. So if your local gas station runs ethanol blend you don’t want to leave that in your saw for extended periods. I believe if I remember right. Ethanol fuel has a shelf life of 30 days. So if your not going to run it over the winter months I would empty it out and then run a stabilizer through it. I use one marketed by Stihl. Pour a little in and then run it until it’s gone or saw quits. Again just my 2 cents.

 

I was looking at echo as well, then I compared the weight of these units and they were couple pounds heavier. Knowing I’d be operating a saw for several hours at a time, became a factor in my decision

 

$43 UpStart Components 5-Pack Replacement 18" L68 22BPX Chainsaw Chain for Stihl MS250, Stihl MS 250 C, Stihl MS 230, Stihl MS 230 C-BE, Stihl 25, Stihl 26RM3 68, Oregon L68, Stihl 025C Chainsaw

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NDNP32H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8

I bought 5 of these chains for my MS-250, 18". At $9 each, they're throw-away, or I can sharpen them, some lazy summer afternoon. They come seperately packaged. I have used one so far. I don't see any difference in cut speed, chip size, etc. I wondered if it might need more frequent sharpening, but even if it does, could be any number of other factors. So it is what it is. If nothing else, I won't be caught 1/2 way through a cut with a chain problem. I'll have few spares, can switch to a new one and continue. Peace of mind out here in the boonies.
I pinched the bar in a cut once, had to remove the saw from the bar, extra bar and chain, new cut beside to release the stuck bar. Extra bar and chain saved the day.

 

Have you used them yet? Wonder how they cut? My factory chain is still going strong after all the oak we cut.

 

Have seen this, not uncommon for me to cut logs on the ground. Dirt will make a few sparks. I'll cut from the top, roll the log, brush it off with a stiff scrub brush, finish cut (also helps with my aim). Notice a few sparks in low light.
They say you should see just a little oil coming off the nose. I don't see any, but when I clean it, there's oil in the fines, and the oil tank needs refilled. There's no oil adjustment on my MS250. I clean out the vent hole, behind the chain cover when I clean up the saw, see no evidence of the chain or bar not getting enough oil.

 

Iv learned to cut 3/4 of a cut, roll and finish

 

Lol yep. Gutted the muffler, Port and polished, and the jug is turned down for a little more compression. She's a runner!

 

More POWA!!

 

There have been periods where I've run Ethanol (E10 here in Maine) without issue in my chainsaws and leaf blowers. I run it in my snow-blower and lawnmower without issue. I store both with a full tank during the off-season. They both fire right up when called to action. So far, I've not experienced the typical issues associated with Ethanol.



Some mitigation points/tips:

1. I do try and run ethanol free in my 2 stroke power equipment
2. Heated garage helps with the freeze/thaw cycle and the water separation issues inherent with Ethanol
3. I mix my 2 cycle gas up in 2.5 gallon batches, so I rarely have any that lasts more than 30 days (some has and it's been fine)
4. I use the blue Marine Stabil additive in addition to the Stihl Ultra or Husqvarna 2 Cycle Oil (which I believe also has stabilizers)
5. If it's below freezing and I'm using equipment away from home, I'll run it dry and will not fill it up until I need to use it again

 

I don't use the saw on a regular basis. I had to stop using regular gas in it, tried 93 octane, helped somewhat, but canned gas works best for me. There are cheaper brands than Stihl, I've used a couple, zero issues with them, even leaving it in the tank for long periods works. One nice thing, I can buy it online. It's shippable, even though it's on USPS website as not. I've bought it on eBay and it shipped UPS.

I store regular unleaded gasoline for a home generator in Jerry cans, with PriG stabilizer. It will last 2+ years easily, only 10mL. (two teaspoons) per 5 gal. Actually cheaper in the long run. I rotate it through other vehicles, always keeping the freshest for an emergency. I usually have 40-50gal. on hand.
I trashed my plastic gas cans, they all breathe, even a 55gal. steel drum will breathe, can't be stopped, leaves the moisture behind in the gas. Sealed jerry cans don't breathe, hence NO WATER left behind. Don't fill them beyond 5.0 gal., they need the extra space that's left for expansion.

 

X2 on the all metal gas cans. I ditched plastic years ago.

 

Those look really nice. Too bad they don't have a size for me.

I do wear chaps - they're not too uncomfortable.

Years ago, when I was working in the ER while getting my EMT, a guy came in with a cut to his leg - from his chainsaw. He was lucky, only needed a few stitches. His wife, however, was extremely unhappy.

I never cut without leg protection.

 

I never thought about my plastic cans breathing like that. I think I will dump them and switch to metal ones (like I have for the truck.)

Years ago, I used E10 for mix gas. My saw ran OK. For the heck of it, I tried some of the canned gas. What a difference! Now, I only run 90+ octane non-ethanol (mix or straight) in any of my power tools.

 

Home Depot had a set . 49.00. Didn’t look very hard at them yet. Ace had a set. 130.00 ... is there that much difference between the 2? One was echo branded I think and the other was stihl