Budget saw for logging

[harvey b davison]

i agree with felix and the others, husqy 135 is ideal for what you want. I also run a makita and love it to bits.

[NFG]

Hello & welcome to the forum, there are some good people here.

 

A friend of mine bought a McCullogh & shortly after he experienced a problem with it & they refused to honour under the warranty.

 

If it were me, Id consider either a Stihl 181 or a Husky 135. Avoid the gimmicky stuff like 'easy start', a small engine is easy enough to start anyway.

 

Get a 12" or a 14" bar, the shorter the bar the less resistance on the engine so the quicker it will cut.

 

Learn how to maintain your saw, use good oil for bar & 2 stroke, keep it sharp & look after it & it will give good service.

 

There are a lot of very knowledgeable people here (like Spud, Felix etc) who know more than I ever will but this is my personal opinion, I have both Stilh & Husky saws and like both marques - in different ways!

 

Bon chance!

 

N

Edited January 22, 2014 by NFG

[urbandekay]

Look for a good second hand Husky 61, robust, reliable and powerful enough for all your needs. Will comfortably pull an 18" bar for the occasional larger log. Cheap to buy, parts readily available, etc And though it is a little heavier than a newer Husky that's not to bad for logging

[mixedangased]

You forgot to say put a bit by for a port job!

 

:lol:

[D A Tree Surgeons]

Decent second hand stihl or husky

 

AGREE :thumbup:

[dan120d]

Thanks for the advice. In what ways are the husqvarna and Stihl saws superior? Is it general build quality?

[NI Tree]

yes but they are the most common pro saws so there is a good backup

[doobin]

Quality, reliability, spares and residual value as I mentioned in my earlier post.

 

I'd go brand new Stihl MS181/Husky 135, get the warranty. You will do as much work in ten years as many second hand saws will have done in three so why buy second hand?

 

Remember to use fresh fuel mix if you leave the saw for more than a couple of weeks.

[Eddie@aspen]

For general log burner use, a 14" bar is fine - just because it has a longer bar, doesn't mean it will work well with it - longer bars on smaller low power saws generally make them bad to use.

 

I would sugest that if you are going to buy a saw, spend the most possible and look at it as an investment as you will be saving on the cost of wood.

 

I would personally avoid most of the cheaper brands and stick to the mainstream Stihl or Husqvarna saws - they will last better, the spares will be more readilly available and have a higher resale value if you are looking to upgrade at a later date.

 

Also factor in head/ear/eye protection, steel toecap boots and a log horse if you are obtaining lengths of timber. You will also need a sharpening kit, two stroke oil and chain oil - stick to decent brands of two stroke oil - Stihl HP is a good choice.

 

I am sure Aspen will be mentioned soon:001_rolleyes:

You saved me the job!

[Big T]

The Echo range of saws are worth a look, alot of people on here rate them!