New to the forum.

[tractorboy1]

I use a little Silky on small stuff already if I don't have to do many cuts. When it comes to topping a hedge though and you've got say 30-40 6" trunks to get through and to trim up for the chipper I just can't afford to spend the time (or the energy for that matter) hand sawing that lot! I've got to use a chainsaw!

 

A sharp silky is almost as fast as a chainsaw IMO (and as dangerous), plus you have a had free

[njc110381]

Their little pruning saw is very good. Maybe I'll go out and get one of these bigger ones.

 

I'm looking at a Husky 435 at the moment. It looks nice, is light and reasonable powerful and also not too expensive. Are they any good?

 

I don't know why but I've found the MS260 a little tempermental (and I've had three!). The revs on all my saws were all over the place when I left them for more than a few seconds and they'd often die at the worst possible time. Maybe it was just a tuning issue? I kept them well serviced so can't see it being that?

 

My first saw was a Husky 254xp and that was ace. It's a shame they don't make them any more. Do you still have to grease the clutch bearings on Huskys though? It seems Stihls don't need the clutch or bar nose doing? It used to be daily routine for me every morning when I cleaned and sharpened the saws at work when I was a lad! Oregon red fluid grease, the damn stuff got everywhere!

[Stephen Blair]

i have never had a bad 026, maybe you never retuned them from their factory setting, and keeping the air filter clean is very important. Do you still have the 3 saws. I cant tune saws, i have a brand new 020 sitting doing nothing because i tinkered with it 1 day with my new combi tool. i really need to get it sorted.

[Frankie Lawrence]

Not sure about the 435 but I cant stop banging on about a 346xp I think they are amazing saws, I know you have to grease the nose of the bar not sure about clucth.

 

That is my only gripe about huskys is the outboard clucth but it is very minor

[njc110381]

One of the Huskys I used to work with got tired and the clutch wouldn't work. The chain wouldn't stop when it was ticking over. When I got it apart it had worn a groove in the crank shaft and the bearings were sticking in it! I used to hate taking that bit apart until my mate taught me to stick all the needle bearings to the assembly with grease before trying to refit it! It pays to keep them well lubed!

 

When I had my 026 and then MS260s I never changed the carbs. Unlike Husqvarna they didn't give factory settings in the manual so I didn't want to mess with it and back then I didn't use the internet to look for them.

 

If anyone's selling a 435/346xp/260 on the cheap then let me know. I may be interested if it's not at the end of its life.

[Frankie Lawrence]

Think you jsut missed one by a couple of days there always seems to be 260 ish saws coming through here.

[Andy Collins]

Njc, get on all the courses you can, learn to use everything properly. When you feel up to learning to climb, do small prunes with a handsaw. learn positioning and safe working practices,and get on a climbing course. I was very wary of 2 things when I started this job, big spiders and heights. It took me quite a while to trust a slippy knot to hold my weight. Then one day it sorta clicked, and my confidence gradually grew. As for the spiders, I was on a dead tree looked around and saw what appeared to be the biggest mofo sitting on my shoulder. Rationality said the spider couldnt kill me, but making a mistake and falling could, so I ignored the spider and just got on with the job in hand. I'm not a climber, but i can climb now without worry (slow as hell though). I'm sure you'll do fine, absorb all the info given here, no-one wants you to be a statistic through ignorance (or otherwise) and it really is scary seeing people having a go without knowledge or skill.

One tale regarding a chainsaw and steps for you: an old boss of mine also does bereavement counselling. He had a call to the local hospital, where a chap had been admitted with severe chainsaw injuries. The bloke had been pruning fruit trees in his garden from steps with a chainsaw. The steps wobbled and fell, he fell onto the saw which grabbed a hold of his clothing. Now as the tick-over was not set right it ran on, spinning the chain, which was also very slack. The saw pulled itself from the lower leg, to his midriff, opening him up badly. He died in hospital from his injuries. No chainsaw ppe, just a pair of work gloves and goggles as sold with many saws at diy outlets. The family were the ones in need of counselling.

[Frankie Lawrence]

Njc, get on all the courses you can, learn to use everything properly. When you feel up to learning to climb, do small prunes with a handsaw. learn positioning and safe working practices,and get on a climbing course. I was very wary of 2 things when I started this job, big spiders and heights. It took me quite a while to trust a slippy knot to hold my weight. Then one day it sorta clicked, and my confidence gradually grew. As for the spiders, I was on a dead tree looked around and saw what appeared to be the biggest mofo sitting on my shoulder. Rationality said the spider couldnt kill me, but making a mistake and falling could, so I ignored the spider and just got on with the job in hand. I'm not a climber, but i can climb now without worry (slow as hell though). I'm sure you'll do fine, absorb all the info given here, no-one wants you to be a statistic through ignorance (or otherwise) and it really is scary seeing people having a go without knowledge or skill.

One tale regarding a chainsaw and steps for you: an old boss of mine also does bereavement counselling. He had a call to the local hospital, where a chap had been admitted with severe chainsaw injuries. The bloke had been pruning fruit trees in his garden from steps with a chainsaw. The steps wobbled and fell, he fell onto the saw which grabbed a hold of his clothing. Now as the tick-over was not set right it ran on, spinning the chain, which was also very slack. The saw pulled itself from the lower leg, to his midriff, opening him up badly. He died in hospital from his injuries. No chainsaw ppe, just a pair of work gloves and goggles as sold with many saws at diy outlets. The family were the ones in need of counselling.

 

In reply to the spider bit was that a forgien country you learnt to climb? If not why scared of spiders for:confused1: Dont mean that disrespuectfully just wondering

[Andy Collins]

No, the silly little things we have here, God knows why, but I got over it. I used to hate the sound of them crawling up walls when I was a kid, made my skin crawl. But when you're climbing around trees, they are nothing to fear, and this changed my whole mental way of dealing with them. Hell, can even pick them up and out them outside now:001_smile:

[skyhuck]

No, the silly little things we have here, God knows why, but I got over it. I used to hate the sound of them crawling up walls when I was a kid, made my skin crawl. But when you're climbing around trees, they are nothing to fear, and this changed my whole mental way of dealing with them. Hell, can even pick them up and out them outside now:001_smile:

 

You must have big spiders round your way, if you can hear them climbing the walls!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I really like spiders:001_smile: they eat flies which I hate!!!