I need a chainsaw, what size for general use?

[ctswf]

im giving up on my old homelite 16inch chainsaw.

what is a good size to buy thats not unnecessarily large?

im mostly cutting up trees that are already down, then in to the splitter.
Im thinking larger than my current 16inch but dont want to lug around a huge blade when its mostly not needed.

maybe 20inch? and while im asking, any specific recommendations are welcome. I have only owned one chainsaw before.

thanks

 

[jatoxico]

I'd go by cc of the power head. What Homelite saw are you retiring?

 

[ctswf]

I'd go by cc of the power head. What Homelite saw are you retiring?

homelite ranger av, 33cc
ps06323
16inch

it was a decent cheap homeowner saw, was given to me a few years ago. I definitely want more power

 

[duramaxman05]

Depends on how often you are gonna use it and what your budget is

 

[jatoxico]

I don't know what your cutting but can get a fair bit done w/ 16" bar. That said 30 cc is pretty small. I think a lot of saws marketed to home owners over size the bar relative to the power head which makes for a weak combo.

You'll get a lot of opinions and many would tell you to get a pro saw. IMO if I was going to have one saw for general firewood cutting something in the 50-60 cc range with a 16" bar works. It will be good for most cutting and still OK for limbing up. Can get a spare of 18" bar for the occasional large stuff and the saw will pull it.

I've been checking CL for a larger saw myself (more want than need) but my current is a Husqvarna that I bought re-conditioned. I tuned it (big difference), bought a file set and have been very happy. If you're more likely to have work done by a dealer then Stihl or Husky is fine, Dolmar's seem to pack a big bang for the buck.

If the little Homie starts and runs OK get a smaller bar and chain for it. If kept clean and sharp it will still be useful for light work.

 

[ctswf]

Depends on how often you are gonna use it and what your budget is

probably cut about 4 or 5 cords worth of rounds per year.
budget I would like to be under $300

im leaning toward an 18inch bar...but sounds like bar sizes can often be changed as long as the saw can handle it?

 

[jatoxico]

A 50 cc Rancher w/ an 18" bar can be found for just under $300. There are tons of options out there not to mention the used market. Yes many people have different bars for the same saw depending on what they are doing.

 

[Grateful11]

If you could come up a little to say $350 you could get an Echo CS-490. Our biggest local dealer had all his Echo on 20% off recently. I think they can come off the price some unlike some other brands. My son got a CS-590 with a 24" bar for $330. http://www.echo-usa.com/Products/Chain-Saws/CS-490

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

probably cut about 4 or 5 cords worth of rounds per year.
budget I would like to be under $300

im leaning toward an 18inch bar...but sounds like bar sizes can often be changed as long as the saw can handle it?

Good choice on bar size, Loews has husky's but I would go with a dealer .. will help you choose saw/ bar and chains and will repair or adjust. Same with a Stihl dealer. Depends what dealers are near you.
Let us know how you make out.

 

[Fred Wright]

Agreed with the suggestion of a 50-60cc powerhead with 18" B&C. You could go 20" but that's maxing it out. As was mentioned, the Husky Rancher is a good choice for general firewood cutting. It's not a timber logging saw but it will serve your firewood needs well.

If it was me I'd hold on to the Homey lite saw (they are decent saws) and drop the B&C size for limbing and other small cutting jobs. Limbing and bucking limbs with a 50cc saw can become tiring real quick. I've done it before; it was the only saw I had.

 

[MDFisherman]

My first choice would be the 455 rancher with an 18" bar. You'll have to come up with a few extra dollars.

I have never ran an echo but hear a lot of good things
About them. The ones at Home Depot look well built.

 

[Anumber1]

I am super happy with my Poulan Pro pp5020av.

50cc powerhead, 20" bar. Spring isolated, antivibration handle. 2 yr warranty. $169 end of last summer at the "save big money" box store.

It's mostly a Husqvarna saw as husky owns poulan.

Edit:

If you get a set of carb adjustment tools (the poulan uses the splines tool) and an Oregon 72lpx70dl chain (not a safety chain) this saw will keep up with any of the twice the price farm/ranch saws.

I have bucked about 6 cords with mine now, trouble free and happy.

 

[Jazzberry]

I would find me a good used Stihl 026 / ms 260 pro or non pro version.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I am super happy with my Poulan Pro pp5020av.

50cc powerhead, 20" bar.

I have bucked about 6 cords with mine now, trouble free and happy.

Too much bar for a 50cc saw. It won't live a long and happy life. By the way, take a look at the EPA specifications - the emissions lifetime is a good guide to the quality of the saw. I suspect you'll find that Poulan is a 50 hour saw.

im leaning toward an 18inch bar...but sounds like bar sizes can often be changed as long as the saw can handle it?

Yes, within reason. A good rule of thumb is 18" max for a 50cc saw, and 16" for the 40cc class. Every inch of bar length is more load on the saw, more power for moving chain instead of cutting. You can't have both. That engine's output is either moving chain or cutting wood, not both.

You really will cut faster with a shorter bar on the same powerhead.

For general wood cutting, 50-60 cc is the sweet spot. Smaller saws aren't going to have a long life simply because they are being worked too hard for their size.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Agreed with the suggestion of a 50-60cc powerhead with 18" B&C. You could go 20" but that's maxing it out. As was mentioned, the Husky Rancher is a good choice for general firewood cutting. It's not a timber logging saw but it will serve your firewood needs well.

If it was me I'd hold on to the Homey lite saw (they are decent saws) and drop the B&C size for limbing and other small cutting jobs. Limbing and bucking limbs with a 50cc saw can become tiring real quick. I've done it before; it was the only saw I had.

We consider the 455 Rancher a small professional saw in our area. We use it for small logging jobs that don't need super bar saws with tons of power. I've spent plenty of days with the 455 Rancher without any problems as it doesn't carry the extra weight of a pro line saw with more power. That extra power comes in when I need a longer bar, and that's a different saw altogether.

 

[ctswf]

what is the difference between the husqvarna 450 and 450 rancher?

their website seems to have identical specs. the 450 is $355 the 450 rancher is $400

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

what is the difference between the husqvarna 450 and 450 rancher?

their website seems to have identical specs. the 450 is $355 the 450 rancher is $400

Good question!
I would also like to know this info.

 

[rippinryno]

stihl has some nice home owners models that can be had for around $200. I can't speak for the life of the saw, but would have to think it would last longer than the poulan alternatives. i saw a stihl homeowner with 16" bar that was $179.99 at my local farm store, this would probably be a great saw for your needs. For $20 less you could get the 18" poulan, which really is not a bad saw. I run an 18" poulan and have grown to like the spring handle, it's smooth! That being said, when it's time to really get to work the poulan is in the truck bed lol.

 

[byQ]

If I was going to budget ~$300 for a chainsaw, I would consider two options:
1) Buy a new homeowner type of saw
2) Buy a used entry-level type pro saw

You are using it on 5 cords per year. That is a fair amount of wood. Personally, I would get a used pro-type saw. For how small they are chainsaws are machine that do a lot of work. There is a lot of rattling and friction. So parts are going to break. Initially the new homeowner saw will be fine but in the long run the better more durable parts saw will do better.

 

[Anumber1]

Too much bar for a 50cc saw. It won't live a long and happy life. By the way, take a look at the EPA specifications - the emissions lifetime is a good guide to the quality of the saw. I suspect you'll find that Poulan is a 50 hour saw.





Yes, within reason. A good rule of thumb is 18" max for a 50cc saw, and 16" for the 40cc class. Every inch of bar length is more load on the saw, more power for moving chain instead of cutting. You can't have both. That engine's output is either moving chain or cutting wood, not both.

You really will cut faster with a shorter bar on the same powerhead.

For general wood cutting, 50-60 cc is the sweet spot. Smaller saws aren't going to have a long life simply because they are being worked too hard for their size.

Just going to counter a couple of your points.

The poulan pp5020av is equipped with a slightly shorter than 20 inch bar. It is really more like 19 inches.

The epa rating on outdoor power equipment has nothing to do with lifespan. It is simply the standard by which that particular piece of equipment is expected to meet its emissions rating.

In this case, the op is asking for opinions regarding a chainsaw for general, occasional use, in the $300 range that are a step up.from his current saw.

I get the fact that many here are wood nuts and more is always better regarding chainsaws but, honestly, I have used farm/ranch type saws for years. Stihl, Husky as well as echo and poulan. With this said, I bought the poulan after reading about it on Another Site and found it to be a much better saw than expected.

The pp5020av is not a wild thing. It is on par with the twice the price farm/ranch saws.

However, since it came from a box store, it was up to me to fine tune the carb and put a better chain on it. This made the total cost of the saw $200 + a bit of my time to tweak it.

It cuts side by side with my FIL's Stihl ms-290 and my good friends Dolomar ps-5105 (both twice the price saws).

I don't see any reason why this poulan won't live a happy life as long as I keep it sharp and clean.

 

[MDFisherman]

There's a reason why they're called "pull-on"...

Spend a few extra dollars and you will be able to work smarter, faster and easier.


Begin poulon supporters rants..... Now

 

[Jazzberry]

There's a reason why they're called "pull-on"...

Spend a few extra dollars and you will be able to work smarter, faster and easier.


Begin poulon supporters rants..... Now

Agree
If you ever used a Stihl 026 you would forget where you put the Poulin.

 

[Anumber1]

There's a reason why they're called "pull-on"...

Spend a few extra dollars and you will be able to work smarter, faster and easier.


Begin poulon supporters rants..... Now

Huh?

I wonder what all those "H" symbols are that seem to be cast into the parts all over my "pull on"?

They sure look like Husqvarna emblems...

 

[bad news]

Huh?

I wonder what all those "H" symbols are that seem to be cast into the parts all over my "pull on"?

They sure look like Husqvarna emblems...

I'm sure they are, and the Poulan Pro sounds like a good saw for the money. However, as someone who makes a living in manufacturing, I can assure you that just because it comes out of the same plant doesn't mean it has the same quality of materials and construction. We make products for customers all around the world, and what we ship one isn't necessarily what we ship another for many reasons - most often based around what they've asked for, not what we're capable of doing. There's a reason that saw is half off the price of a Rancher, and it's not just the name on the box. Husqvarna wouldn't give away all the profit margin on a product just for fun - they've cut their costs back somewhere. That doesn't mean it's not a good saw for the money, for some uses, for some customers, etc. From what you've said it certainly has a place and may be a good solution for the original poster.

 

[ctswf]

what do you all think of the stihl ms 271. its about the same price and size as the husqivarna rancher 450 at my local dealer.

also the ms250 is on sale for $300 but its a little smaller than I had in mind at around 45cc