The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: mab on November 02, 2010, 05:45:12 pm
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I think it's about time I got a chainsaw, but people have said that the cheap ones are difficult to get parts for.
I don't want to buy a £400 professional one - I'm not going into the forestry business, just doing some hedge control & firewood cutting; so I was wondering if anybody could recommend a 'cheap' but maintainable petrol chainsaw, or what to look for in a cheap chainsaw?
cheers
mab
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I used to work in the forestry and my first choice would be a Husqvarna, then a Stihl, you can pick a good second hand one up for about £100, these cheap makes a not made to last.
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My dad's got a bit of a chainsaw habit ;)
Would agree that Husqvarna is a good brand - check out ebay (that's where all my dad's came from !) He also got a wee electric bosch one for about £20 - tends to overheat after about 30 mins (but in this weather 30 min outside is about my limit !) but for the money - I think it's great for light work and a good standby ;D
HTH
Karen
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You will get a good wee stihl chainsaw for about £160 - £180 new with waranty that would do you fine I got mine from ebay 3 years ago for £135 new in the box and it payed for itself the first time the neighbers seen me useing it and asked me to cut a tree down and into logs for them !
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Stihl and Husky like everyone says make good machines that last and can get repaired.
I've been using saws for nearly 40 years and they still scare me enough to wear safety gear every time. That means ear protection, ballistic trousers, a mesh mask and gloves
Please get some training: these things are damn dangerous even with anti-kickback chains and chainbrakes. A two-stroke saw is a very different beast to the Black & Decker domestic job.
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Well I'm glad I asked!
I was leaning towards a cheap new one, but I think now I'll look at a good 2nd hand one or - if the price is right a new one with safety kit deal.
I must admit I was wondering about the risks involved - most of the hire firms in this area won't hire them out for safety reasons - I'm going to get some 'training' from a friend. I was going to get a small one and be very careful - I only want petrol as a 50m extension doesn't take you very far from the house.
Thanks
mab
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Just suggestion.
If you haven't used a chainsaw and are nervous about doing so, go on a training course. They can be found in most rural areas. They are either run by the local tech college or commercial training companies. Your local chainsaw supplier will probably know where these can be found.
Using a dangerous machine and being a nervous novice is a good way of talking yourself into an accident. A bit of good training = more confidence and a safer operation.
Also, learn how to look after the chainsaw like you would a gun. Things like chain tension, knowing when to get the chain sharpened and getting the beast to start easily also make a contribution to safety
NN
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Round here the big farmers don't have saws any more. Not worth the health and safety risk.
When the chain is correctly tensioned and wickedly sharp the machine is at its safest and deeply satisfying to use. I love that spray of chippings from a well sharpened chain. It's worth a course to know how to sharpen and maintain the beast. Chains are expensive to have sharpened, and it's always waiting to be done when you need to cut something urgently. You also need to know how to deal with hung-up trees, snedding and the like. The only time I put myself in casualty was when doing a trivial job. The chain doesn't make a neat cut...
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Well, 'nervous' would be an exaggeration - I do have experience with other hazardous tools after all; but a machine designed to lop tree limbs easily probably goes through human limbs rather quickly, which puts it into a league of its own. ;)
As it happens a friend who often puts odd jobs my way as part of his business, has just suggested that if I buy a chainsaw, he might finance a chainsaw course for me so he can employ my 'forestry services' legitimately - at our usual 'mates' rate of course :) :) .
mab
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i went to welsh college of horticulture and . they do all that and the training for all other things like pa1 spraying ect tool saftey traing e.g strimmer .reaseheath agricultural college do it to.it would be an idea to see whats localish to you these are an hour to two hours away from me
part 1 of the chainsaw course is to teach you how to safely use the saw and maintain it.and chopping felled trees part 2 is then more involved and there are so many things to learn like how to saw a partly fallen tree.
then theres the climbing bit as well .
if you do it it is expensive but it will pay for itself
hire companies wont hire them because theres too much risk involved,even if you have a licence and are professional.
i personally know someone who the saw jumped and it went through his groin upwards
please get training and wear safety gear all the time even for the small jobs.
there just too quick and powerfull to stop sometimes and its not worth it.
i wont use one anymore.my mate does it.
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I know I started this safety thing but you have to keep a sense of proportion. I sold my much-loved motorbike because I stopped enjoying other twats trying to kill me while they were on the phone in their steel box at 80mph. I still use a saw and I still think its safer than the being on the M25 on a bike. Probably safer than going hunting too.
Just know what you're doing and think.
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I just bought a new Husqvarna for £149 (20%) off and so far it is doing a great job with small to medium sized trees. I would recommend it.
JD
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That's a good price! My local dealers can't seem to match that. :-[
mab
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Hi Mabs, got it here, www.seddondirect.co.uk,
JD
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thanks! :)
mab
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hi,
I am an anaesthetic and recovery nurse, and have worked on the trauma lists. Never handled a chainsaw..we do have one here and OH uses it with all protective gear!!
Please take on board ALL the safety advice.... and think about training..I have had to deal with the aftermath of bravado, innattention and ignorance- at best its horrid, at worst devastating....
BTW that goes for log splitters, motorbikes, drills, circular saws, hammers, bulls, wildboar, dying cats, and parrots
work those out......Emma T
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I went on a beginners chainsaw course and was advised not to get a chainsaw until I had been on the course.
Best advice EVER!!!!
Got to the course to find others had spent money on incorrect clothes and chainsaw far too powerful for them etc etc.
Had a great time and got some really good advice and got a lovely Husky which really suited me and I am very happy to use and LOVE sharpening.
I would advise course. Safety is KEY - especially a good sharp chain!!
http://www.chainsawtraining.com/
Susanna
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I worked on a farm in France and the farm worker I worked with did not wear any protective clothing at all, not even gloves, it scared the hell out of me and he was using a biggish 2 stroke chainsaw and we were cutting some big fallen trees. I just stacked the logs that were small enough to carry, we got the tractor to move big stuff.
Im looking at getting a smallish chainsaw, but I would definitely get all the protective gear, and would not attempt things too difficult, will probably do a training course as well.
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I must confess I didn't do a course and I don't wear safety gear. I have a small Stihl (MS170 - quite light - probably the smallest they make).
I sometimes feel that too much safety gear can be counter productive - gives one a false sense of invulnerability. Without safety gear I always have a good think about what I'm going to do and what could happen; keep the saw sharp and properly tensioned. I don't particularly recommend this approach however - just my preference.
If i were going to use it for extended periods then it would be different of course - one tends to get careless with use; mine is more for occasional use.
mab
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Hi there!
I purchased a stihl 181 new in October for sorting my own firewood as I have access to free trees. I think I paid £220 new and it's a beauty of a machine. Starts first time, easy to maintain, light and can fell some bloody big trees!
I'll be honest... I bought a 'cheap' eBay chainsaw new in 2008 and it was a cracker. We needed 15 conifers felled along the side
of the house that were almost three stories tall. I was quoted £600 at best to get rid of them. I found the chainsaw on eBay. The guy had sold hundreds of them and I asked if it was a decent machine. He had 100% feedback and said it would manage no bother. He wasn't lying! For under £100 including delivery it felled all the trees and I'm still using it now as a back up machine. The only thing to go wrong with it was the rip cord snapping last year. The guy supplies all the spares and a new bolt on one was £15!
Why you may ask then did I buy my stihl... Good question! I wanted a spare saw and the stihl was on offer, so it became first choice with the eBay as a back up. Plus I have an occasional helper and that way we can both be cutting at the same time!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-New-45cc-18-bar-Chainsaw-Oregon-Chain-/350277922723?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Home_Garden_GardenPowerTools_CA&hash=item518e30efa3#ht_5598wt_1224 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-New-45cc-18-bar-Chainsaw-Oregon-Chain-/350277922723?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Home_Garden_GardenPowerTools_CA&hash=item518e30efa3#ht_5598wt_1224)
at the end of the day... Buying the eBay saw saved me £500! And gave me
enough firewood to last a year too! The guy carries all spares!
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I've got one identical to johnmac's and it's been a very good buy.
It's not used every day but never fails to start and does the job well.
Just treat the machine with respect.