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Chainsaw opinions

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Dave H View Drop Down
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dave H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 6:57am
Dang Buckskin, I got this jig i clamp on the blade and file the chain with.  Works for me.

But, I gotta admit that a brand spanking new chain is fun to break in.  Wink


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BuckSkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 2:25pm
Originally posted by Dave H Dave H wrote:

Dang Buckskin, I got this jig i clamp on the blade and file the chain with.  Works for me.

But, I gotta admit that a brand spanking new chain is fun to break in.  Wink




I have one of those as well, Oregon brand, that I bought when I bought my first ever owned-by-me saw many years ago.
I think maybe it is still around here somewhere; I never threw anything away in my life; I do have a useless excuse of a brother that causes things to disappear though.

As for sharpening, I have decided on the same theory with my band-mill blades as well.
New ones are around twenty bucks.
The sharpen shop guy was charging nine bucks to sharpen one.
Run a new blade until it begins to dull; take it to the sharpen guy; go back to the sharpen guy to pick it up; it cuts okay for a while; metal fatigue has already caused cracks to develop in the gullets; before it gets dull the second time, it breaks at speed, whipping out like a mile-long sling-blade and taking out an expensive belt in the process.
I decided there was no future in that; it makes about as much sense as rotating your tires.
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Stan IL&TN View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stan IL&TN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 7:33pm
Well I can't add much here. Poulan used to make good saws as I had two of them....but not any more. Gave that last POS to my SIL and bought the Huskey Varnia saw. It's better but still not as good as the ms270 Stihl I have at the farm.
1957 WD45 dad's first AC

1968 one-seventy

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote FREEDGUY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2019 at 5:36pm
For the STIHL lovers, just saw a tv commercial for a bla bla FARMBOSS saw for x price and then the case would be 1/2 off ??? WTH ???!! IMO, that pos plastic case should be FREE with purchase Confused ?? The discounted case was supposedly a bargain at $25 Wacko
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klinemar View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote klinemar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2019 at 7:08pm
My first Stihl the 026 I had to buy the plastic scabbard as the cheap a## dealer wouldn't throw it in on the deal he also charged me sales tax as I argued it was for Farm use.Dealer said chain link fence was exempt but not chainsaws! The next Stihl saw a 461 dealer put the plastic scabbard on before I bought it and didn't charge me sales tax as he is a John Deere Dealer! The Echo I bought from Blain's Farm and Fleet has a scabbard and they didn't charge me sales tax!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Walker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Nov 2019 at 11:24pm
My opinion is they are loud and hard on yer back.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mactractor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 2019 at 12:33am
Back to the axe then. No starting troubles.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thad in AR. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 2019 at 5:20am
I have a couple small Stihl an 026 and a newer saw I can’t recall. Both been good. The 026 starting to smoke on start up and not idle due to old seals.
I have a poplin I use for nasty stuff like stump cutting and such.
I had a Stihl 031 for years but it walked off one day. I replaced it with a Husky 455 that has been a good saw but I’ve recently noticed it’s leaking bar oil as it sits. Made quite a mess in the shed. I haven’t taken time to mess with it.
The local pro shop closed this year. They were a good Stihl dealer.
Not sure where the loggers go now days.
I was given the 032 years ago. The original owner said it never cut one rick of wood and the saw looked like new. It would start and run perfect but wouldn’t make one cut without dying. I took it home and cleaned the carb got it running and same thing. I messed with it til dark. I was making a carb adjustment and saw faint sparks. I pulled it apart the next day and the coil wire was pinched between the cylinder and when it got hot would short out. Replaced the wire and had a good saw for 30 plus years.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DaveKamp Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 3:10am
Hi, My name is Dave, and I have chainsaws... Disapprove

Chainsaw Anonymous Support Group:[Hi Dave!]

So... Right now... the smallest is either the Stihl MS170, or the Echo CS320... both with 14" bars but one of these days, I'm gonna get my paws on the Echo CS2511T with a 12".  The biggest is a Stihl MS880, and a 50" bar.

in between... lessee... there's at least 14 saws in there... and I use every darned one of 'em.  There's Stihl, Echo, Shindaiwa... and in the own-but-don't-use includes Craftsman, McCulloch, and Ryobi.

And those in the 'use' category, get used regularly.  The big ones don't get used as much, or for as long, because they're big, heavy, massive, beastly, and heavy.  The small ones get set aside when there's too much meat to chew for a small motor.

The one I use most frequently is the MS180C, I carry it in my service truck, and it has some stuff done that is an excellent example of circumstance, so I'll tell 'ya about it.

First of all, it was a powerless noisemaker when I got it from my Father In Law.  The only 'saving grace' of the unit (besides being free to me), was the tool-free easy-adjust chain mechanism... for a 14" bar, it's perfect for quickly cleaning up a yard mess with minimum hassle.  it doesn't have the 'mush pull' starter system (I don't particularly care for that, but won't snub people who do... it's just-not-me)   I gave it a good carb cleaning, nix'd the limiter caps, opened the exhaust, advanced the timing 4 degrees, tossed the .o43 'picco' bar and chain, and installed a 3/8 .050' in it's place, and was promptly informed by everyone that the MS180 would never pull it.

Well, it does... with vigorous authority.

I use the highest grade of non-ethanol gasoline (source of choice around here is 93 'recreactional fuel' at Kwik Trip), and I use Stihl Ultra oil at 40:1 in everything but the Shindaiwa (it needs a bit more).  I only mix up a gallon at-a-time, and when I'm done cutting, the fuel tanks get dumped out, and whatever's left in the small can goes in the D17.

Most of my other saws came to me from people who had 'problems' with them, and were discarding.  Most just needed to have the carb gone through, and what was left of the  fuel lines removed and replaced with new, as they were eaten away by ethanol.

Most chainsaws that are actually MADE by the company who branded them (meaning... not 'house brand' or 'big box' variant) will be well made, and well supported.  Stihl, Husky, Dolmar, Echo... they're all in this category.  Those rebranded to others, not so well supported after a fairly short time.   I know guys have liked Poulan, and the Homelite name is still around (but I think they're re-branded), Jonsered... I think is mostly made by Husky... and there's lesser-known names around like Solo, Tanaka, Efco that sometimes show up re-branded as Cub Cadet or John Deere.

It doesn't matter WHAT saw you have... if it's damaged and needs parts, or a service shop, and there's no shop around to do it, then it's not a worthwhile saw.

My worst experience with small engines wasn't on a chainsaw, but a weed trimmer... it was a Weed Eater (Poulan product), I bought it brand new, and it ran a total of four minutes before having fits, and would start, but not run, ever since.  I took it back to the True Value where I bought it, and learned precisely what they mean by "True Value". 

So every guy has his preference on brand.  I'll tell you that I like professional-grade saws, and it's generally NOT something that'd be found in a big-box store.  For those that say they 'cannot afford'... it's simply a matter of watching Craigslist or other local ads for something that turns up... and if you're handy with small engines, you'll wind up with oh... 20 too-many-saws in no time.

Small engine and chainsaw quality appears in build design-  you'll see different styles of crankcase casting techniques, and some designs... the cheaper ones, use a plastic crankcase that's in two pieces.  They tend to crack, which causes loss of seal, and they never run after that.  Single-piece crankcases are more expensive to make, cast out of magnesium or aluminum, they're heavier, but last longer, retain seals better.  When you pick up a saw, if it feels 'cheap', it probably isn't expected to serve you very long.  IF you see someone at the small engine shop that has a shelf full of OEM parts, and the same model/series has been for sale for several years, then most likely you're getting a better machine.

Older saws, regardless of manufacturer, tended to be lower speed.  As was noted above, 8500rpm was considered normal.  Modern saws are lighter, have less torque, but spin substantially faster.  With lower sprocket ratios, they'll still pull a good chain, but they'll pull it FASTER... which means it's stripping wood from the kerf faster, and you're spending less time bent-over while it works it's magic.  If you do some performance modification like what I noted above, it'll have more torque at that screamy speed, and your chain will eat wood faster.

The best saw, is the one that runs well, and has a fresh chain. The operator, however, makes the biggest difference, and sometimes it takes years to figure out why a guy has such bum luck.  It can come down to something as simple as process and order... like... after you fell the tree, sharpen the blade, and then, don't start cutting a tree from the bottom up... go from the top down.  Why?  Because the trunk is subject to wind-blown dirt and grit, which when you're felling or bucking a trunk, is an abrasive that's gobbling up the sharp edges of your chain.  By the time you've made a few trunk-biscuits, the blade is dull, and you're trying to work it through an easy limb.  go to a small saw with a razor-sharp blade that'll scream to the sky, and it'll reduce the small limbs to nothing in minutes.

Carry extra chains (get good ones, not cheap ones) and a file.  Touch up the teeth at every refuel.  Make sure the oiler is working every time you start it.  If your saw wants to cut in a circle, your filing technique (left side vs. right side) is not symmetrical.  Get the angle right.  Don't forget to check-and-correct the chain's depth-gauges every several filings.  Keep your chain adjusted properly.

Flip the bar over after a few chains.  but when you do, take a file to the outside edges of the bar- they develop burrs that snag on the wood as you're trying to cut.

Break the saw in propelry, and once that's done, Look up, and perform the mods.
Use the best fuel you can get.  Drain 'em when done.  Blow the crud out with compressed air, then clean up the air filter before putting 'em away.

Wear chaps, safety glasses, hearing protection, work gloves and good boots.  You'll meet plenty of guys who didn't, and they'll tell you the same thing.

There's an adage that says "You get what you pay for".  That's not always true, but... it's very infrequent that you get MORE than you pay for, and more frequent that you get much, much LESS.
Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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klinemar View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote klinemar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 5:56am
Very well written,and sound advice! Thank you Dave!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ihc pickups Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 8:14am
Very sound and very accurate advise Dave. I started cutting trees for the township when I was in high school. Had a homelite worse saw I ever had hard to start and run.
I have had nothing but Stihls I burn wood for heat. here in Eastern KS. a lot of that of that is hedge both for fence post and firewood.
 
Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DaveKamp Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 10:38am
Like was mentioned by others earlier, there's some aspects of 'new' saws that define the obsolesence of old ones.  Having a 'collection' of old saws is cool, but cutting with them for an extended task is NOT.

Contact points.  Yeah, they work, and they're classic.  Up against the CDI system of modern saws?  No.  The CDI has it beat, as there's no moving parts, and by virtue of the operation the CDI has the ability to add a little retard to the timing at low speed, and SOME manufacturers actually take advantage of this to improve starting and idle.

Chain brake.  I have a couple old beasties that have no chain brake.  Though I have yet to hit myself with a bar, and though I've been working in situations where contact from a section of the tree became a nuisance tripping the brake, I prefer not to go without the chain brake, and the little bit of knuckle-protection it includes.  Aside from the safety intent (which may, or may not be worth anything in the event of a loss of control) I prefer to have the brake set anytime I need to set the saw down while running (to move a limb, etc.), as having the brake on assures the saw's idle will not spin up the chain into the dirt and damage the blade.

Btw... chainsaw blades last exactly 0.0392 seconds when contacting dirt... which is also why cutting the trunk of a tree should be done last, or at least... with a bigger saw, with a well-attended chain.  A friend of mine who spends lots of time bucking trunks of trees did make one observation- that his newer saw's higher blade speed did NOT last as long between sharpenings as his older, slow-speed engine.  His high-speed is a fairly recent Efco, and the older is a Stihl 041AV... the Efco is pulling the chain about 80% faster.  Side-by-side, the same chain type will need sharpening after fewer cuts on the faster, than the slower.  The key to a fast cutting saw, is a good blade... but there's times when slowing down gets the job done faster.  The big advantage to the 041AV, is that it's a heavy little piggie... you can almost set it on a trunk, put a brick on the gas pedal, and go get a cup of coffee, and it'll manage the cut all by itself.  (My MS880 is that way, too)

Bar adjustments-  I've seen some MISERABLE ideas for bar adjustments... and some really clever ones, but the one aspect that ruins ANY bar adjustment scheme, is when the mechanism is flimsy.  An unreliable bar adjuster ruins the whole saw.

Crankcase seal:  The #3 reason saws won't run well, is because of poor crankcase seals.  regardless of what people and books will say, 2 stroke engines are actually FOUR stroke engines, where two of the strokes occur at the SAME time.  The combustion chamber does it's two, while the BACK side of the piston provides the intake and exhaust scavenging.  There's crankshaft seals, a seal around the carb base, and seams where the cases come together, that if they ain't sealed tight, it won't breathe, REGARDLESS of compression.  Older saws used to have nice, big, open crankcases... and nowdays, there's barely enough room to get your fingers in there to work on things, and for good reason:  Just like combustion chamber volume has a high determination on compression ratio, the crankcase of a 2-stroke affects how the bottom side of the piston pulls in fuel/air, and pushes it up the bypass ports... it's like a reciprocating supercharger.  Having a small crankcase volume increases the compression ratio of the BOTTOM side, which increases the ability to push that charge up through the bypass ports.  This being said, a cheezy crankcase that doesn't seal, means you're holding a brick with a bar and blade.

Which leads to the other important part:  PARTS and SUPPORT.  Saws are NEEDY.  If the manufacturer doesn't exist... or it's a 3rd party (re-branded), you're NOT gonna get parts for it any time soon.  It may be one of the greatest saws in history, but when you're standing in the yard, and it's dead silent, the tree will NOT get cut.

Vibration suppression:  Old saws vibrate.  New saws vibrate too, but the handles are soft-mounted to make YOU last longer.  A chainsaw that cuts fast ain't worth a hoot if the geezer holding it can't keep a grip more'n 3 limbs without setting it down and getting feeling back in his mittens.  Same goes for noise control, and of course, weight.

The third being a special note here-  Not All Chainsaw Bars Are Equal... and also... Bars are CONSUMABLE ITEMS... like the blade, they wear... and they do NOT last forever.  They'll need to be flipped regularly, and when you do, file off the 'flare' that occurs on the bar, and take a scraper down the groove to get it clean.  Dirt eats the bar just like it does the blade, and you can't avoid it.  Now... there's steel bars, there's aluminum bars, and there's downright exotic bars.  These things are magical metal sandwiches, intended to control the flow of those saw teeth.  The outer sandwich is typically two plates of metal, with another plate on the inside, and the inner plate is exactly the size, plus just a smidgen thicker than the sprocket-spurs on the bottom of your saw blade.  That's how the GUAGE width of the chain blade is identified.  The 'picco' blade is 0.043"... while the more-typical size is '0.050.  There's bigger ones on bigger saws, and you can't just arbitrarily mix and match blades to bars... you have to mind that kerf.

On my MS180, the original bar had a 0.043 gauge... and my father in law was always cussing the saw's low power.  One of the major issues, was that he was using cheap bar oil, and cutting some funky mulberry bushes and sumac that was really sappy.  After cutting through all that gooey stuff (full of dirt, btw) he had a dull blade and a bar that was gunked full of sappy oily dirt.  He used cheap ethanol blend pump gas and generic oil, and always had an open-spout gas-can sitting on his garage shelf ready to go, when he used the saw twice a year....

CLEAN your saw.  Take the bar and chain off, dunk 'em in a parts washer, and scrub them out good... Blow all the sawdust out of the cylinder, flywheel, around the carb, and the chain brake/cover, chain adjuster, and oiler.  Sharpen the blade, file the bar, rinse it again, flip the bar, oil it, and reinstall it on a well-cleaned saw for storage.

Sharpening chains... I have a FAIRLY fancy electric sharpening grinder.  Once set up properly, and given proper technique, a guy can re-sharpen a double-fistful of chains in under an hour.  Push 'em too fast, the teeth overheat and lose temper.  Cut 'em assymetrically, and the blades will pull to one side and stall in the cut.  Fail to correct the depth gauges, and a razor-sharp blade will sit on the log and do nothing, making you look like a moron.  Taking off too much of the depth gauges will overload the saw, plug up the bar, and make you look like a moron... and to top it all off, if you do nothing, and just think they stay sharp forever, you'll stand there, with a screaming engine in hand, looking like a moron.  It's called a 'blade' for a reason, and they get dull after chewing cellulose-encapsulated dirt, so if you show up at a tree with intention of cutting for more than five minutes, and don't have a file or a spare chain, just take out the Sharpie and paint a bit M on your forehead, so people know why you're hiking back to the truck.

To figure out if your chain is dull or sharp, look down at your feet.  Is it being rapidly buried by big strinky hippie-dreadlock-hair, or oatmeal-lookin' ships?  Good- keep going.  Are you instead, getting dust in your eyes, and on your pants?  Sharpen your chain.  We're not here to make a pretty little sand-pile, son- we're here to look like we're wading in ground-zero of a Silly String concert.  When I cut big trunks, with the big saw I always want a second guy standing by with a steel leaf-rake to pull all the coily crap away, because when it's set right, I'm up to my knees in fluffy twisties halfway through the first verse of Lady Madonna.

Did I mention USE GOOD GAS?  Yeah, the pre-mixed 'saw gas' cans of the quart-variety are nice... the gross cost is something like $12.00 a gallon, but yeah, it's high quality, non ethanol, pre mixed and sealed up nice'n tight, so it stores and handles well... but if you're doing a big job, using top-notch gasoline with quality oil will get you good results, just don't leave any in a can more than a few days and expect it to stay good.

And before anyone starts a stink, the fact of chemistry, is that Ethanol is a caustic, Hygroscopic Carbohydrate... Hygroscopic means it absorbs moisture, and will draw it right out of the air.  It is caustic-  it chemically reacts with all sorts of other compounds, degrading them visciously.  As a Carbohydrate, not a Hydrocarbon, it doesn't actually 'mix' with gasoline... it is simply in SUSPENSION.  To see what that means, pour salt into a glass of water, and stir... it will dissolve.  Now pour pepper in water... it will NOT dissolve.  you can stir, and it'll be mixed around, but let it sit, it'll all find it's way back to the top.  Same happens with ethanol, but it winds up on the bottom... and heavily laden with water.  When you put this in a fuel tank, let it sit a few days, then start an engine, the first thing coming in... is water... then pure ethanol... then gasoline/oil mix.   Think of that when you're replacing fuel lines, picking crud out of carbeurators, and looking at scored up pistons and cylinders.  Using good fuel, EMPTYING the saw when you're done, and DISCARDING (repurposing) the unused premix when done, is KEY to good performance and long life.

And the most important point:  A guy who's really good with his small engines and saws, and is willing to invest the time and patience to do so, can make a crappy saw run great, and last forever.  A guy who's really bad with small engines and saws, can destroy the best one in the blink of an eye.

Most guys are somewhere in between.  The key, is to know which one you are, and figure out the key lessons, and having the best saw(S) you can, for the tasks YOU need to accomplish.  If you're planning on getting work done, don't be afraid to have more than one saw on hand, and having them of different sizes.  Don't waste your time and abuse a small saw by attempting large cuts... and don't buy a big saw with long bar and expect your back to be happy while reducing a bizillion 4" limbs into a pile.  Don't walk into a store with the intention of putting a long bar on a small machine.  A 50cc saw has NO business pulling a 28" bar.  A big bar requires a commensurately big engine.  While you CAN get away with smaller engines and big bars by using chains with fewer teeth (Skip-tooth)... the big bar has more teeth in the kerf, which means substantially more DRAG that the engine is wasting pulling through the bar, rather than eating wood. 


Overloading a saw is a loosing battle.

Besides, long bars are HEAVY.  Did I mention not all bars are equal? Fancy, expensive bars are usually made of laminations cut with CNC laser or waterjet.  Cheap saws from your big-box store are stamped by big worn-out presses.  Run your hands over the edges of two totally different quality bars, and you'll know why your big-box saw is so much cheaper.  Take a file to that stamped joke, and clean it up so the chain runs smooth... if the side plates are fairly flat, it'll do okay.  Really big bars get fancy in places you CANNOT see... namely... the middle of the sandwich.  See, that lamination isn't three flat plates... the inside one is  hollow in the middle... to reduce weight.  A 14" bar doesn't matter much, but a 30" bar puts LOTS of weight... both bar, AND chain... far from your body.  Making it LIGHT, means it isn't so ungodly heavy-feeling way back by the powerhead.

Btw... a big powerhead is usually heavy.  I don't remember how many POUNDS the MS880 is, but at 130ish cc, it's certainly more than I like to think about...  but it's practically unnoticed when there's a 50" bar with NINE FEET of .404 chain wrapped around it.  When you need to make a big cut, there's no replacement for displacement, and a bar that will reach all the way through (and my maples were too big for the 50!)

You can put a 16" bar on a 78cc saw.  Yep, it'd cut a concrete wall if you got the right blade, and are tough enough to survive it (ICS makes saws just for this).  If you're bucking hardwoods that're 14" diameter, you'll be a tornado of swarf and done in a hurry... and thank god, because that saw is heavy... and loud.  Hold my beer!

Did I mention how much I hate cutting up trees?  I can think of a dozen other things I'd rather do, than take a shower in ants, dirt, and 2-stroke oil... but worse I hate having a dead tree on my power lines, blocking my driveway, or obscuring my wife's lawn-mowing progress (this is particularly painful to my ears at night)...

There's a reason why I've got so many saws... they're like guitars...
  (You leave them in the dark for 20 minutes, and they multiply... all on their own)

I dunno Honey-  I thought there was just seven down there the other day... do you see nine? Hmmm... lemmie count again... How's the mower running? LOL
Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dusty MI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 11:19am
I have a Clinton that my dad bought new in the 50's. I used it up until '65, cutting fire wood to keep warm. Used it a couple of times over the years cutting a tree or two in the yard. When I used it I would have to clean the carb before it would start, ran when parked.
I now have a Remington 120 volt, no gas to mix and mess with, just a long cord.

Dusty 
917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dave H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 5:39pm
YUhhh, i got a poulan that i bought new in mid 80's.

Ben running pump gas (E10 mostly) all its life with tech 2000 oil in the gas.

It is still running like new.  Hmmmmm  Confused
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DougG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 7:03pm
Whats tech 2000 oil ?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stan IL&TN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 7:25pm
I use a saw infrequently at our urban estate but did pull it out today. It was dirty from my last use and still had old gas in it but needed to be topped off so I pulled out one of those high dollar quart cans of fuel. Can was opened in 2014 as I wrote it on the can when opened. Filled her up and went to work.

All that said I agree with most of what you said Dave and most of it makes perfect sense but I have not seen muny issues with ethanol gas and for my line trimmers and leaf blower I mix up a gallon of fuel and use it all year long without issues.
1957 WD45 dad's first AC

1968 one-seventy

1956 F40 Ferguson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nella(Pa) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Nov 2019 at 7:51pm
Originally posted by Stan IL&TN Stan IL&TN wrote:

I use a saw infrequently at our urban estate but did pull it out today. It was dirty from my last use and still had old gas in it but needed to be topped off so I pulled out one of those high dollar quart cans of fuel. Can was opened in 2014 as I wrote it on the can when opened. Filled her up and went to work.

All that said I agree with most of what you said Dave and most of it makes perfect sense but I have not seen many issues with ethanol gas and for my line trimmers and leaf blower I mix up a gallon of fuel and use it all year long without issues.



Yes, there is too much made to do about gasoline and two cycle oil!Evil Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BuckSkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2019 at 1:58am
Originally posted by Stan IL&TN Stan IL&TN wrote:

I mix up a gallon of fuel and use it all year long without issues.


I agree with most of what DaveKamp said; but, I will have to agree with you about the life of gas/mix.

I may use my Stihl for long hours and many continuous days and then it may sit for months with a full tank of gas/mix; it will fire off and run just as good on this months old gas as it does if I had used it just minutes ago.

As for Ethanol, I avoid it if at all possible; the local small engine wizard has shown me many times the effects of Ethanol in small engines and he says that Ethanol has made him more money and sold more small engine machines than anything else.
There is one place in our county that has a "recreational gas" pump; ever since I first heard of Ethanol, I have religiously made certain that any gas-burning engine I own gets the gas from that pump, be it the few old gas-burning trucks that I haven't yet converted to diesel, or the various small engines around the place.
A guy I know who mows many acres, weed-eats for miles, and uses chainsaws probably as often as any logger, buys all of his gas at the airport; when he is running an engine, it smells like that head-splitting poisonous smell at the go-cart track.
He swears by it and says his weed-eaters will start with the slightest nudge on the rope.

One idea I did come away with regarding dumping the saw tanks and emptying out the small mix cans immediately after use is --- I have for years religiously added 1-ounce per gallon of 2-cycle oil and 1-ounce per gallon of Marvel Mystery Oil to all of the 4-cycle gas engines around here; considering that, I may start dumping the saw gas into the mower gas can every once in a while and mix a fresh batch.

All that being said, I wish everything on the place was diesel and I had no reason to buy gasoline at all except maybe for cleaning paint brushes.


Edited by BuckSkin - 07 Nov 2019 at 1:59am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dave H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2019 at 6:18am
Originally posted by DougG DougG wrote:

Whats tech 2000 oil ?


Tech 2000 or maybe it is 200 is Wally's label on its oil and filters.  Comes in the blue jug or box.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DMiller Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2019 at 6:22am
Have shy'd away from the Tech line of oils, found they are recycled waste oil supplemented with strong additives to make it less aggressive on engines parts. Orscheln's sells a similar line where it does Meet specs for oil quality, just have seen all too much damage from those over the years to trust them.

No matter how well filtered and treated there are acids that build up in used oils from moisture contaminants, cannot remove all of it.

Edited by DMiller - 07 Nov 2019 at 6:23am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nella(Pa) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2019 at 8:31am
Originally posted by DMiller DMiller wrote:

Have shy'd away from the Tech line of oils, found they are recycled waste oil supplemented with strong additives to make it less aggressive on engines parts. Orscheln's sells a similar line where it does Meet specs for oil quality, just have seen all too much damage from those over the years to trust them.

No matter how well filtered and treated there are acids that build up in used oils from moisture contaminants, cannot remove all of it.


In the early 1950ies my father bought a 50 gal barrel of oil from a traveling sales man and it was exactly this type of oil.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BuckSkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2019 at 8:49am
Originally posted by DMiller DMiller wrote:


No matter how well filtered and treated there are acids that build up in used oils from moisture contaminants, cannot remove all of it.


This has made me curious.
I am far from having any scientific knowledge, but I have read of how various acids can accumulate in engine oil; this got me to thinking.
I used to haul crude oil in those big old trucks that go "CCCHHHHH CCCHHHHHHH", from the well to the refinery.
Most of the oil I hauled was "Knox", whatever that means.
Many of the tanks had big salt-water separators almost as big as the tanks themselves; still yet, a lot of the crude would be as much as 30% water and who knows what else.
My question is:  how is this water contamination of crude oil different from water contamination of refined oil ?
Would not crude oil have the acids in it as well ?  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BuckSkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2019 at 9:00am
To add to my previous post on re-refined oil: back in the 60s and 70s, we owned a full service filling station; one of our best sellers was "Red Diamond" re-refined oil; 25-cents/can if I remember correctly.
They had "Blue Diamond" as well; I can't recall what the difference was; I think one was maybe detergent and the other non-detergent.
We also had GRC Re-refined oil that was a bit more expensive for our more discerning customers (GRC = Gurley Refining Company).
In those days, it seems like there were many more vehicles on the road that absolutely drank oil; it was not at all unusual for someone's only means of transportation to "use" as much as two quarts per day or more, hence the popularity of the least expensive oil they could find.
If cars left big oily spots in parking lots like they did when I was a kid, the greenies would be up in arms.
Another big use for the re-refined oil was as bar-&-chain oil.
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