Craigslist... Deal or no deal?

[19FarmHand78]

So I got on Craigslist tonight just to window shop, second add down was for a Stihl MS 170 clean looking and comes with extra bar for $120.00, I scroll to the next add and there is 2= 18" 3003 replacement guide bars one Oregon 3/8th pitch and one .325 that the name started with a T... Both rough looking but said to be true for $32... Both adds where from the same guy and I was betting it was a guy I bought parts from last fall and looked at a 041 he was trying to sell for $200.00... so I bite the bullet and called on them, it is the guy I know so I asked how much for the whole lot... He said $110... I said sold and set up when to make the deal. After hanging up I kinda had a thought that he didn't realize I was talking about the saw extra bar and both the 3003's so I called back and sure enough that was saw only. So I asked for best price on it all, he said $140... I told him I would have to run the saw and inspect the bars before I said yes.

The guy rebuilds Stihl saws for extra spending cash. Everything I've seen of his has been top notch. The 041 I looked at last fall was showroom clean and ran great, just decided to find a newer saw. He says the MS 170 runs great and has had the muffler "opened up a bit", that has me a little concerned because he doesn't seam like the type to mod a saw, might have been done done by previous owner? The two bars look rough but he says they both work great, I'm needing a 18/20" bar for my 028 that I have still yet to rebuild. It's sporting a 25" bar right now, my father in law bought it from a guy getting a divorce for $25 and gave it to me to "run, rebuild, or trade off"

So is the the whole mess worth $140? Or should I shoot him a cash price of $130? Sorry no pics he deleted CL add before I could down load them.

 

[dougand3]

What will you use MS 170 for? It's known as a homeowner saw for light limbing and small diameter rounds. Muffler opened a bit isn't trouble if it's been re-tuned.

 

[Jon1270]

Setting aside the extra bars, $110 is a fine price for a 170 in good shape. But like Doug suggested, the real question is whether you really need a 170 at all.

Regardless of whether I needed a 170, I wouldn't buy the used 3003 bars. It sounds like the saw they'd be meant for isn't even functional, and even if it was functional you'd only need one of the two so you you'd effectively be paying $20-$30 for one used bar in questionable condition, plus a piece of scrap metal. You can do better than that on eBay.

 

[19FarmHand78]

The MS 170 will be an around the farm saw and used for smaller wood cutting jobs. Mostly it will replace the Poulan Pro 3816 I'm running as my only saw right now. I'll be rebuilding the 028WB this winter and my FIL has a slew of bigger Stihls I can use for big jobs until I find one of my own.

I'm with you on the used bars, I was all for them in the excitement last night but not sure about them today. I struck a deal on two brand new Stihl bars last winter for $45 shipped to my door, life got in the way and I never got the deal done though.

 

[dougand3]

Is the PP3816 running poorly? If compression is still good, I'd look to fixing it - could be real cheap to do. Fuel lines, purge bulb is $6. Whole new Zama carb is $22. Check prices on fleabay. You can unbolt the muffler and look at the exhaust side piston and ring - see if there is scoring/vertical lines, rough feel. Now, I wouldn't bother splitting the case and replacing piston, ring or cylinder on a homeowner Poulan. I have (3) 4218 Poulans in different colors and when compression goes, it's bye bye time.
Now, if you're dying for a "new" saw...that's another story....

 

[Danno77]

A 38cc PP will run just as well at the 170. I always think people need more saws and bars, but I wouldn't lose sleep if I missed out on this deal. If you want this stuff, it's a reasonable deal, though. Also, how the heck are you running that bar on the 028? I run a 20" on mine and think that's about as large as I'd ever go! Does it have a skip chain?

 

[19FarmHand78]

My bad, it's a Poulan Pro 3516, not a 38. The saw has been doing it's job, but it does not like to idle when cold, and is hard to start when hot. It does fine on small stuff, but I've been working it pretty hard clearing fence rows, and it's not keeping up. It will be kept around since the wife wants to help cut firewood, and hedge posts. The main thing is I hate the "no tool" chain tensioner, just does not keep the chain tight for me at all.

The 028WB has a 25" bar on it, but I have not run it, I believe the guy my FIL bought it from just threw it on the saw. The saw will start but not keep running to do any cutting. My buddy/neighbor that is an Echo dealer says "for about $200 I can make it run right again"... I know he just wants to sell me a saw, and he will, some day.

 

[Danno77]

You can buy a nice 028 for 200 bucks, lol!

 

[19FarmHand78]

No kidding!

 

[Thislilfishy]

My bad, it's a Poulan Pro 3516, not a 38. The saw has been doing it's job, but it does not like to idle when cold, and is hard to start when hot. It does fine on small stuff, but I've been working it pretty hard clearing fence rows, and it's not keeping up. It will be kept around since the wife wants to help cut firewood, and hedge posts. The main thing is I hate the "no tool" chain tensioner, just does not keep the chain tight for me at all.

The 028WB has a 25" bar on it, but I have not run it, I believe the guy my FIL bought it from just threw it on the saw. The saw will start but not keep running to do any cutting. My buddy/neighbor that is an Echo dealer says "for about $200 I can make it run right again"... I know he just wants to sell me a saw, and he will, some day.

That Poulan is easy to adjust, you need to notch the high and low needles so you can adjust them with a flat driver. They are also very sensitive to mixture, if you're mixture changes tank to tank you need to re adjust that carb. I also found the carb can shake itself loose, it'll run but be a bugger to start and keep running. Tighten up the carb mounting screws and good to go.
It's all I got for a saw too, been using it three years now, even learned how to sharpen the very mild chain that's on it. My buddies stihl oozes quality over the Chinese pull-on but not so much that I have sprung for one. I do see a husky rancher in my near future though.

Ian

 

[19FarmHand78]

Soooo... I had some time this morning after dropping my son of at daycare, I give the seller a call and was able to meet up to look at the saw. Saw looked great, clean, nothing broken or missing. We took it to the wood pile, 3 pulls and she fired off... and wow did it roar for a little saw... Ripped through some smaller logs, shut it down, and ripped the cord again and popped right off. It is a 017 case, with a MC170 motor, fully adjustable aftermarket carb, and he modded the muffler. It's got two Mirco Rollomatic .043 14" bars, and a sharp chain. The power to weight ratio is awesome compared to my PP3516.

So yeah it came home with me... do I NEED it... no... I can't really call it a companion saw to the PP3516 (just cause the PP isn't big enough to need a companion) But once I get the 028 Wood Boss up and running (with and appropriate length bar) the 17 will work nicely with the 028 I think. And I know I will be getting a bigger saw sooner then later. So I think the 017/MC170 will fit the bill for a 3 saw set up. I know, I know... who is this guy going from having one Poulan to all of a sudden needing 3 saws?? Well, I'm pretty much done scrounging for fire wood, I don't have the time to be doing up little batches, and I have access to more then enough standing timber to last me a good while. I've been pushing the limits of the PP for log size on the last of my scrounged logs, and a lot of the standing timber I have to cut is way over sized for what I have to cut with.

Hello my name is Nathan, and I'm a saw-oholic.

 

[Thislilfishy]

Yay! Congrats on the new saw. Sounds like a winner. The household CFO has authorized a new saw for me for Christmas...I can't wait! I'll keep the poulan for the small stuff till it explodes itself.


Ian

 

[mark cline]

I have 4 saws and will pick up another one if its worth the time and money to rebuild it. I bought the 041 in 1980 and still performs great , the husky ,I bought to build my log home , 028 and old homelite were non running and given to me , but run sweet now.