Two running saws picked up at the dump this fall

[WiscWoody]

Theres a spot at the dump people set things that someone might want to take home and use and I always check it when I’m there and this fall I found 2 good saws free for the taking. Both aren’t really my cup of tea since I’m spoiled by ported pro saws but they would be ok for someone that’s starting out cutting wood. The smaller saw had the pull rope sprung and it took just a moment to rewind it and it hasn’t sprung again in the dozen or so pulls I gave it since then. The bigger saw with the case started up on the 3rd pull and there is nothing apparently wrong with it. I gave the small saw to someone I know and I haven’t decided what to do with the 42cc saw yet- maybe I’ll keep it or maybe I’ll put it on Craigslist for sale I don’t know.

 

[Todd67]

I met a guy a couple years ago who buys a new Poulan Pro saw every year when they go on sale. He considers them disposable saws because they are cheaply made and priced right for the kind of cutting he does with them. He either takes his "old" saw to the dump or leaves it by the side of the road for someone to take. I don't know what condition his saws are in when he disposes of them, or how much he actually cuts with them. But he seems perfectly fine with buying a new saw every year. Might be a similar situation with the saws you found.

 

[DodgyNomad]

I met a guy a couple years ago who buys a new Poulan Pro saw every year when they go on sale. He considers them disposable saws because they are cheaply made and priced right for the kind of cutting he does with them. He either takes his "old" saw to the dump or leaves it by the side of the road for someone to take. I don't know what condition his saws are in when he disposes of them, or how much he actually cuts with them. But he seems perfectly fine with buying a new saw every year. Might be a similar situation with the saws you found.

That's crazy. So he has to take the time to find one, order one or drive to a store to pick it up, pay taxes on it, assemble it, break it in/adjust stuff, etc..

In the mean time, when it is running, you have to endure the pain and suffering and dangers of running a POS Chinese chainsaw?

No thanks.

 

[Todd67]

I agree with you! No thanks, I'll stick with my Husqvarna 338XPT and 562XP saws.

 

[DodgyNomad]

Cool find OP, and free is always good.

Here's a quick story of my experience with modern cheap saws. Aside from fixing many of them over the years for neighbors and "friends" I was sent a coupon for a closeout for a poulan thirty some cc saw for $70 to my door delivered a couple of years ago. I bought it thinking I could keep it as a spare, loaner, junk trim saw to abuse, etc..

Arrived fine, looked fine, ran it with premium synthetic 2 stroke oil, ethanol free premium, and stihl platinum bar oil, because that's what I have on hand.

Saw was was so unbalanced, and full of bad harmonics and vibrations that it felt kind of risky to use. Although the saw functioned fine, The combination of poor and cheap materials and design made using it a chore. It was pure junk. So on the shelf it went. After not using it for a year, I put it on Craigslist and peddled it to some other dummy and got all my money back.

I could tell that the saw was going to be unreliable and problem prone based on the ultra cheap junk that was used to manufacture it, but in addition, felt so unbalanced, and full of strange vibrations, etc,. that I didn't even want to have it in my hands. I've come to find out from working on many of these saws, that it wasn't faulty, just how they are designed and built.

At a minimum, I'd opt for an echo these days, and never look back.

 

[WiscWoody]

Personally I run a ported 562XP/20" and a ported 390XP/28" when I need something bigger. But there was a time when I used to use a cheap saw namely a Homelite but then I started to burn wood for heat and that changed everything.

 

[Todd67]

WiscWoody, my 562XP came with a 20" .058 bar, which is my main workhorse, but I also have a 28" bar for my 562 for the bigger trees, and it cuts just fine without any mods to my saw. I never new that porting a chainsaw was an option.

 

[TJ1]

When I had issues with my Husky saw it drove me nuts. After 5 minutes the chain would lock up tight. It was extremely difficult to start, hot or cold. Then the front sprocket froze up and had to buy a new bar. New bar lasted a month before it did the same thing.

Before I took it to the dump hung it up from a tree and emptied 2 cylinders of max loaded 44 mag into it blasting it into pieces. Best I felt in years!
Replaced it with an Echo, then another. Plan is to buy another Echo (620P) when my dealer has his annual sale next spring.

 

[WiscWoody]

WiscWoody, my 562XP came with a 20" .058 bar, which is my main workhorse, but I also have a 28" bar for my 562 for the bigger trees, and it cuts just fine without any mods to my saw. I never new that porting a chainsaw was an option.

Porting gives you about 30% more power. I live close to Scott Kunz aka Tree Monkey that is known all around for his saw Porting work so it made it easy for me to have my saws pumped up some.

 

[Todd67]

Porting sounds great but I don't know if it's available anywhere near me.

 

[WiscWoody]

Porting sounds great but I don't know if it's available anywhere near me.

You might ask around at the saw shops by you and they might know someone that does woods porting work. And many send there saws to be done or they buy them already ported by one of the big modders. This guy- http://wickedworksaw.com/ has a lot of saws sent to him and he’s as good as Kunz is with modding saws. Here’s a good place to learn more about woods porting saws. All the big modders hang out on the site. https://www.arboristsite.com/community/

Also- some might say that porting a saw isn’t good for it but many do it and I think it’s a accepted modification that just enables the saws engine to breathe better hence making more power. The saw most likely will be louder though as they often open up the muffler some while doing the work. But I’ll tell you, once you’ve run a professional saw that’s been ported you never go back to a off-the-shelf saw again. At least that’s the way it was for me.

 

[Todd67]

You might ask around at the saw shops by you and they might know someone that does woods porting work. And many send there saws to be done or they buy them already ported by one of the big modders. This guy- http://wickedworksaw.com/ has a lot of saws sent to him and he’s as good as Kunz is with modding saws. Here’s a good place to learn more about woods porting saws. All the big modders hang out on the site. https://www.arboristsite.com/community/

Also- some might say that porting a saw isn’t good for it but many do it and I think it’s a accepted modification that just enables the saws engine to breathe better hence making more power. The saw most likely will be louder though as they often open up the muffler some while doing the work. But I’ll tell you, once you’ve run a professional saw that’s been ported you never go back to a off-the-shelf saw again. At least that’s the way it was for me.

Thanks for the links and the info! I wear a husky helmet with the face shield and built-in ear muffs when I use my saws, so a little more decibles wouldn't matter to me. It's something I'll look into. I've had my 562xp for over 6 years now, and I love the saw as much today as I did when I first used it.

 

[Manly]

Porting gives you about 30% more power. I live close to Scott Kunz aka Tree Monkey that is known all around for his saw Porting work so it made it easy for me to have my saws pumped up some.

At what cost to the longevity of the saw? I would guess it puts a toll on the engine.

 

[WiscWoody]

At what cost to the longevity of the saw? I would guess it puts a toll on the engine.

I have no idea but many have done the modifications and I haven’t heard of anything terrible as to engine failures on account of a woods porting job. I’ve asked some of the many loggers up here what they thought of porting a saw and they said they liked ported saws and didn’t say anything negative about it but I know all of them don’t do it for one reason or another. Some of them just don’t care. They get a 372XP or whatever and they just use it the way it is.

 

[Todd67]

I might be wrong, but it's my understanding that porting an engine just smooths the intake and exhaust ports so it can "breath" easier. Porting shouldn't involve any mods to the crank, piston, vavles and any other internal moving parts.

 

[WiscWoody]

I’m going to start a new thread about ported saws since I id like to see more input on what others have experienced by their modified saws.

 

[Todd67]

That's a great idea!

 

[Matt93eg]

That's crazy. So he has to take the time to find one, order one or drive to a store to pick it up, pay taxes on it, assemble it, break it in/adjust stuff, etc..

In the mean time, when it is running, you have to endure the pain and suffering and dangers of running a POS Chinese chainsaw?

No thanks.

I agree. Plus if you figure it what he’s paying per year he could buy a pro saw and be done with it and actually have a “nice” saw.