Chainsaws....

[8thTon]

@8thTon

I didn't even realize Amazon zero'd me on the parts for my saw...

I've had a couple other things going on and the saw was waiting it's turn. Guess I will have to find a different source.

I forgot - what parts did it need again?

 

[Uncle Gump]

I had a kit with a fuel filter... hoses... primer bulb... and spark plug.

Just really a maintenance thing... it ran well last time I used it.

 

[91stranger]

Craftsman saw's seem ok for being a better poulan… I used to use a 42cc for years but I hated it..... Leaks gas where the two halves were seamed together... the "heavy duty" crankshaft broke when it was stuck in a 6-7" tree.... It was a free saw so cant complain too much.... Main thing for a chainsaw is power, anti-vibe and a good chain or two. If you have those 3 things then you can cut all day. I would still buy a stihl over anything else if I had to buy a new saw from scratch though.

Ebay has a good deal on tune up kits for anything with a small engine. I usually buy online before going to a local store because for the price of 2' of fuel line, a spark plug and an air filter that you bought locally you could literally buy the fuel lines, primer bulb, air filter, fuel filters, spark plug AND the carb for the same price or less than what you paid locally.... I bought a pack of 4 most common fuel sizes for $10 and it was 4 different lines about 5' long. I paid $10 for 4' of just one type of fuel line at the store up the street....

 

[Curious Hound]

I will chime in for Stihl, momentarily. I was weed eating the other day and ran out of line on my 20+ yr old Echo. So I decided to pick up the Stihl which I haven't used since two summers ago. Its a professional model trimmer/ brush cutter. So I swapped out the brush blade and put the string head on. Third pull and that baby was running. Finished the yard in no time.

Perhaps with any brand, the idea should be to stay away from consumer grade and get the pro models.

 

[8thTon]

Craftsman saw's seem ok for being a better poulan… I used to use a 42cc for years but I hated it..... Leaks gas where the two halves were seamed together... the "heavy duty" crankshaft broke when it was stuck in a 6-7" tree.... It was a free saw so cant complain too much.... Main thing for a chainsaw is power, anti-vibe and a good chain or two. If you have those 3 things then you can cut all day. I would still buy a stihl over anything else if I had to buy a new saw from scratch though.

Craftsman never made anything, they were always something else re-branded. Your 42cc Craftsman was likely a straight up Poulan in different colors - I've had half a dozen of them and never had a case leak, but it can happen. The Poulan case is made of the same materials as your MS250 case, and they're all welded together the same way. Plus the crankshaft assembly in them is so massive and overbuilt I can't imagine breaking one without a ton of abuse - it's much beefier than the crank in your MS250.

This 42cc Craftsman I showed above is a completely different saw, based on the Zenoah/RedMax G3800 chassis. It's a light alloy case with removable cylinder, not a plastic clamshell like the Poulans, little Stihls and Echos, and has great A/V. I've got 4 saws that use that basic chassis design and they're all light, smooth and fast saws.

 

[Shran]

My Husky 372XP that probably cost around $900 new has a plastic gas tank that leaks because it gets hit by the chain if it loosens up enough. It came to me with JB weld over the hole and I was told by one of the local saw shops that it happens a lot - the newer models have a metal shield over that spot. They all have their flaws.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Say what you want about the Craftsman/Poulan saws, I love mine, it just gives me a workout running it. It’s a plastic case with anti-vibe but it’s still a tank, think it’s a 55cc. Started to really love my little Stihl, just don’t run it out of gas, it doesn’t like starting back up after that. I can easily run it all day without getting tired though.

 

[bobbywalter]

Jesse James Dupree ....


He likes chainsaws.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I will chime in for Stihl, momentarily. I was weed eating the other day and ran out of line on my 20+ yr old Echo. So I decided to pick up the Stihl which I haven't used since two summers ago. Its a professional model trimmer/ brush cutter. So I swapped out the brush blade and put the string head on. Third pull and that baby was running. Finished the yard in no time.

Perhaps with any brand, the idea should be to stay away from consumer grade and get the pro models.

Fuel is a lot of it and generally it doesn't age well.

Otherwise as long as the diaphragm doesn't get hard or the checkvalves inside the carb don't stick (most carbs are made by one of two companies) there is no reason they wouldn't run from sitting.

My old Echo (GT-2100, probably close to 30 years old) is a 5-6 pull machine but it predates the invention of the primer bulb.

 

[91stranger]

Plus the crankshaft assembly in them is so massive and overbuilt I can't imagine breaking one without a ton of abuse - it's much beefier than the crank in your MS250.

Ummm…. Maybe you didn't read where I said the crankshaft broke on the craftsman saw where you are stating it's so massive and over built that it couldn't break..... Well mine broke..... from a 6-7" tree... Also, it's not what they are made out of (nothing wrong with plastic, it doesn't rust like metal) but how they are made. Well made products just last longer and that's a fact jack. I think I've had this stihl for 3-1/2 years now and still not a single problem. Even after doing a muffler mod and adjusting the carb it still starts easily and runs great.

And yes, craftsman is just a glorified poulan saw..... I'm not a fan of poulans…. I have some and I use the one but it is literally for cutting junk or roots where I don't want to dull my good chain. Use the el cheapo poulan to cut roots or stumps or hell I used it to cut a truck bed liner a few weeks ago. But I wouldn't use it as my go to saw for an all day job.... I'd rather use a light weight saw that runs good, cuts good and doesn't make my arms feel like I was at the gym all week.

I have that same craftsman 55cc chainsaw and it sucks.... Doesn't run worth a crap even with new carb and fuel lines. I gave up on that POS. The "incredi-pull" will fawk your arm up if you aren't ready for the weird spring they use....

I've had a lot of different brand chainsaws and from my experience stihl's are the least problematic.... Not saying they can't have problems but through my experience and heating my house the past 6 years with wood i'd rather spend the extra $100 or 150 for a stihl than a poulan or poulan pro for that matter.... Time = money and I can save time using my stihl….

You can build a deck with a black and decker drill and you can build a deck with a Milwaukee drill but one will be done sooner than the other.... It's like with anything a man uses.... you can make tools work right for a job or you can get the right tools for the job...

When doing an engine build or any kind of work on your truck do you grab the cheap sockets or the good sockets?

 

[Uncle Gump]

My saw is still broke... I swear... one of these days...

 

[Shran]

just don’t run it out of gas, it doesn’t like starting back up after that

Do you set the choke closed if you run it dry? That is almost a necessity with any small engine... especially those that don't have a primer bulb system. I believe the choke closed helps pull fuel back into the carb.

My MS-180 is impossible to start if you manage to flood it. I forgot about that little quirk. Several times it has failed to fire after the 2nd or 3rd pull and it sure as hell won't fire after that... pull the plug, hold it upside down and pull the rope and it'll blow a gallon of gas out of the spark plug hole. Usually will start after that.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Do you set the choke closed if you run it dry? That is almost a necessity with any small engine... especially those that don't have a primer bulb system. I believe the choke closed helps pull fuel back into the carb.

My MS-180 is impossible to start if you manage to flood it. I forgot about that little quirk. Several times it has failed to fire after the 2nd or 3rd pull and it sure as hell won't fire after that... pull the plug, hold it upside down and pull the rope and it'll blow a gallon of gas out of the spark plug hole. Usually will start after that.

Yep, doesn’t matter, takes a ton of yanking because even when it does start it will sputter and die a couple times before it runs right again. I try not to run it empty because it’s annoying

 

[8thTon]

Plus the crankshaft assembly in them is so massive and overbuilt I can't imagine breaking one without a ton of abuse - it's much beefier than the crank in your MS250.

Ummm…. Maybe you didn't read where I said the crankshaft broke on the craftsman saw where you are stating it's so massive and over built that it couldn't break..... Well mine broke..... from a 6-7" tree... Also, it's not what they are made out of (nothing wrong with plastic, it doesn't rust like metal) but how they are made. Well made products just last longer and that's a fact jack. I think I've had this stihl for 3-1/2 years now and still not a single problem. Even after doing a muffler mod and adjusting the carb it still starts easily and runs great.

And yes, craftsman is just a glorified poulan saw..... I'm not a fan of poulans…. I have some and I use the one but it is literally for cutting junk or roots where I don't want to dull my good chain. Use the el cheapo poulan to cut roots or stumps or hell I used it to cut a truck bed liner a few weeks ago. But I wouldn't use it as my go to saw for an all day job.... I'd rather use a light weight saw that runs good, cuts good and doesn't make my arms feel like I was at the gym all week.

I have that same craftsman 55cc chainsaw and it sucks.... Doesn't run worth a crap even with new carb and fuel lines. I gave up on that POS. The "incredi-pull" will fawk your arm up if you aren't ready for the weird spring they use....

I've had a lot of different brand chainsaws and from my experience stihl's are the least problematic.... Not saying they can't have problems but through my experience and heating my house the past 6 years with wood i'd rather spend the extra $100 or 150 for a stihl than a poulan or poulan pro for that matter.... Time = money and I can save time using my stihl….

You can build a deck with a black and decker drill and you can build a deck with a Milwaukee drill but one will be done sooner than the other.... It's like with anything a man uses.... you can make tools work right for a job or you can get the right tools for the job...

When doing an engine build or any kind of work on your truck do you grab the cheap sockets or the good sockets?

Lol, you're quite the fanboy for Stihl. For the record, I never said they couldn't break, I said they were beefy and stronger than the one in your MS250, and that it probably took a lot of abuse to break it. Of course it could have been defective, but I've got boxes of Poulan cranks laying around and none with that issue. Also, I've torn down an MS250 to the last screw, so you'll never convince me of their superior design, materials or construction. Frankly I found the design to be kinda dumb and whoever did it needs a lesson on design for manufaturability, and nobody had bothered to remove any flashing on most of the plastic parts. It ran and cuts wood, but there is nothing impressive about it.

That 55cc Craftsman is a turd, it's something made by MTD not a Poulan.

 

[bobbywalter]

This one time on broke back mountain.....nuttin butt lumberJACK