buying a new saw

[Alasdair]

when buying a new saw do you need to set it up?

 

other than put fuel, oil and the bar and chain on it,

 

i mean the idle speed and stuff or should all that be fine when it comes out the box?

[Jonesie]

If its a Stihl saw the dealer will have done all that for you (its their policy). Have you collected the one from us yet? is there a problem?

[Andy Collins]

In my experience, saws are set up from the shop, then re-tuned after a few combi cans worth of fuel.

[Steve Bullman]

the last 4 stihls i have bought never needed re-tuning once

[ChrisSaunders]

In my experience a good dealer will always assemble, fuel and oil a new saw, run it up and tune it, i.e. check that the idle speed is correct, and that the slow speed and high speed needles are set to optimum.

It is unlikely you will get this quality of service when buying over the internet unless you choose your supplier with care. The prices may be attractive but as ever you gets what you pays for - a saw from a good dealer may cost a few quid more but those few quid may prove to be a good investment.

 

I would advise anyone contemplating the purchase and use of a chainsaw to do the NPTC CS30/31 course - yes it costs money it teaches all the basics about maintaining a saw to keep it running well, and vitally teaches the importance of safety too. No other tool has the potential to cause injuries like a chainsaw in unskilled hands.

 

For DIY tuning, all you need is a vice, a suitably sized screwdriver, a pair of ears and a rev-counter - I bought one off ebay for twenty quid and it works great; I am sure a service centre would charge more than that to tune a saw, plus I get the satisfaction of looking after my own machine.

 

Finally, read the manual, then read it again, and again and again and again.

 

Keep safe,

Chris

[Mesterh]

I didnt realise that the dealer checked to see if the saw runs correctly, I thought they did that in the factory.

 

All the saws I have purchased have ran great out of the box but I did have to set up an 026 for a guy. The saw was brand new and hadnt been messed about with out of the box( Manweb guy so saw came straight from the stores) It wouldnt tick over and ran like a bag of crap. Had a look and found that the high and low needle where all over the place, cant remember exactly but they where something like 2-3 turns out instead of the 1 that they were supposed to be at.

Adjusted them up and it was fine.

Worth a check if it aint right.

[Stephen Blair]

I didnt realise that the dealer checked to see if the saw runs correctly, I thought they did that in the factory.

 

All the saws I have purchased have ran great out of the box but I did have to set up an 026 for a guy. The saw was brand new and hadnt been messed about with out of the box( Manweb guy so saw came straight from the stores) It wouldnt tick over and ran like a bag of crap. Had a look and found that the high and low needle where all over the place, cant remember exactly but they where something like 2-3 turns out instead of the 1 that they were supposed to be at.

Adjusted them up and it was fine.

Worth a check if it aint right.

 

usually they need a little tweek after a few weeks, but my last lot never needed touched:001_smile:

[heartwood]

 

For DIY tuning, all you need is a vice, a suitably sized screwdriver, a pair of ears and a rev-counter - I bought one off ebay for twenty quid and it works great; I am sure a service centre would charge more than that to tune a saw, plus I get the satisfaction of looking after my own machine.

 

Keep safe,

Chris

 

Unless you have some experience or have someone to show you, I would not recommend this.A tweek to far when setting the H screw can result in the engine running too lean and seizing,and most dealers are happy to retune after a few tanks for nothing.

If you have worked on 2 strokes before then fine but if you have no experience then best to leave to the experts.

 

And yes the dealer will run and set up the saw before handing it over to you!

[Dean Lofthouse]

I never need to tune mine, I just take them out of the box, put them together and then take them off the mantle piece every now and again for a dust off and polish.

[tommer9]

I never need to tune mine, I just take them out of the box, put them together and then take them off the mantle piece every now and again for a dust off and polish.

 

hahahahah....nice one!

 

I have bought 7 new saws, all stihl except one 262xp husky. All the stihls came with fuel in them, and fully assembled by the dealers- 2 different ones. I thought that this was a stihl policy.